For general discussion and fun, let’s debate this focus on what is considered NOS a bit.

If you bought a new watch from the dealership as new, fresh out of stock, then I understand the relevance of having ALL parts with the watch, hang tag, box, signed warranty booklet, user manual, etc....

But buying the same watch, having sat in the dealers showroom for some years before it was sold, is another story....

Now most likely the original box has been misplaced, the hang tag broken of from several fittings or just lost, newer warranty booklets maybe taken from the shelf, original bracelets maybe exchanged to other watches sold earlier, some scratches appeared on it from handling, etc...

This just because the dealership sells watches, more than one a month, and if some of the watches got stuck in stock, usually their original parts and boxes got accidentally moved in the stockpile to the back of the shelves, usually not to be found when the watch is sold.

Now does this make the watch bought from the dealership some years (or decades) later, less NOS, if it doesn’t come with all the usual “bells and whistles”?

Please post some pictures here also, let’s see the love for NOS.

 

IMO no, it doesn't.

 

I agree with Rochete, it's still NOS to me

 

No hang tag here and no box, only the sticker in the case back

 

Snap. But mines not remotely NOS.

 

You want to see NOS

Get your drool cup ready

https://omegaforums.net/threads/the-nos-thread.7352/

 

Been drooling on this thread already, amazing watches.

 

NOS

 

I have a much more stringent definition of NOS than many on here and most on eBay but a piece covered in blue shipping wax with tag passes my test. The watches in the thread linked above on people’s wrists often do not, they are just mint or near new or whatever.

 

i would say this really depends on the age of the watch .... for my 1947 bumper i didn't expect to come with any additional stuff but a 90's speedy in nos condition should come with everything.

 

For me to qualify as NOS, it should have the original box, the original papers and lastly, the stickers! I can live without the hang tags..

I'm lucky enough to own an Omega "Jump hour" (ref# 4853.xx.xx the bracelet version in SS) which came with all of the above..
and a Corum Admiral's cup Ultra Thin (ref# 58.800.20) with all of the above minus the stickers..

I would classify the Omega as being a NOS, sure.. the Corum on the other hand, I don't know

 

NOS, to me would be sealed, everything intact. An unused item.
I realize many new watches may be sold after several or more people have tried them on or at least handled them in some way.
The example given would be nearly new (unsold) with some missing items and very minor damage.

 

New with full set thats not in produce at the moment.
My guess...

 

I don't think the absence of a box or paperwork is the definitive distinction, because it's also possible to buy a NOS item from a retailer who can't find that stuff. IMO, the definitive distinction relates to the words "new" and "stock" and both of those criteria must be satisfied. Only retailers and wholesalers maintain "stock." Therefore, to me, NOS means purchased as new and from a retailer or wholesaler who originally maintained a never-sold (and never-worn) item as part of his stock. Conversely, an item purchased brand new by any customer but never worn and later offered for sale would be accurately-described as "like new" or "NOS-like condition" but not as NOS, notwithstanding that it could be in better condition and with more of the complete package than an item maintained in stock at a store for decades and sold without the box. IMO, the term NOS probably originated with retailers and has simply been adopted (or coopted) by private individuals selling like-new watches that ceased being "stock" the instant they were first sold to any consumer.

A display model might meet the "stock" criterion, but probably wouldn't qualify as "new" unless it was only displayed with all of its factory protection and not tried on and manipulated by prospective buyers. Last year, I bought my wife a new Wenger ladies watch from a retailer in Switzerland. We got it for half price because the one in the display case was the only unit left and the retailer couldn't find the right box and provided a different box for it, instead. I don't know whether I'd consider that watch NOS, even with all of the factory plastic seals in place, but because it could have been tried on 100 times (and, perhaps, even dropped a few times), not because of the missing box.

 

A good examination above. I just recoil from it in any usage since it is now so universally abused, especially on eBay. Like the word ‘rare’, it is now used virtually as punctuation by sellers, some with more greed than morals. It’s such an airy fairy concept that I think a seller immediately loses credibility when they claim it, since it means different things to different people. In many cases it simply means, ‘not completely knackered considering it is 30 years old.’ Using either NOS or rare in a description generally make me jump to the conclusion that the seller is a car boot trader. Obviously this in unfair since some watches are indeed rarer than others and some may have sat unused for years in a jeweller’s safe but sometimes it seems they are all rare and all unused no matter how appearances suggest otherwise.

 

Great discussion here! Let’s keep the discussions rolling in.

 

My pet hat is ,"Like NOS", for a watch that is just in good shape

 

"Almost a virgin"

"Very unique"

"Like NOS"

 

I think "like NOS" is perfectly appropriate for a like-new vintage watch that has been purchased and owned by a consumer and kept in its box without ever being worn. It could be a perfectly accurate description for an unused watch that isn't actually part of a retail or wholesale stock without being technically untrue. That's totally different from trying to qualify concepts that are, by definition, absolutes, like virginity and uniqueness.

 

I’we used the word “close to NOS” in one occasion, now will be more careful and corrected.