Hi everyone!

Late introduction here 'cause I've been active for a little while, but I've caught the bug and am slowly building my collection. Starting with a Wittnauer 242T and a Polerouter Automatic Big Lume that I snagged off the sales page here.

 

Hi everyone! My name is Nicole (Niki for short) and I'm a lawyer from Miami whose always loved watches (thanks to my dad), and have a passion for travel. My father bought me my first tag heuer when I was sixteen (the first time my parents took me and my brother abroad to Europe - we made the purchase while visiting Lake Lucerne) and 18 years later I'm sitting at my desk at work still wearing the same watch. I think watches are a beautiful thing to pass down within a family.

I stumbled across this Omega Forum yesterday as I started doing some research to learn about the omega speedster (and its different variations) as my husband is an Omega enthusiast/Moon Landing enthusiast and I'm looking to learn as much as I can so I can make an informed purchase and surprise him with a new watch that ticks all the right boxes. I got him the Seiko Diver's Automatic Watch SKX009K2 (which he loves) 4 years ago when our son was born, and we just had a little girl 8 months ago and would like to add to his "collection".

As for me, I will also be looking forward to digging up information on some watches for myself.

Thanks for approving my request to join the forum and I look forward to learning and celebrating your purchases (past and present). Forgive any blunders I may make on the way, I am new to forum life and have tried to go through all of the rules and regulations to make sure I stay in my appropriate lane.

Cheers

 

Hello everyone, and thank you for accepting my application.

I’m definitely a newbie as far as the collecting bug is concerned. In fact so much a newbie that I haven’t really started collecting yet.

In the early 1990s I inherited a nice but fairly ordinary gold-plated quartz Seamaster from my grandfather. I enjoyed wearing it. It was classy and felt good on the wrist. Sadly the strap lacked the quality of the watch and one day last summer I came home to discover that the watch had fallen off my wrist. I wasn’t that sentimental about the watch; as my grandfather would have been the first to say, it was only a thing.

However, the insurance company obviously felt for me and paid out more than I expected, possibly because the band, being 9ct gold, was worth considerably more than the watch. Anyway, the upshot was that I was able to purchase what I consider to be a particularly handsome replacement - an automatic Seamaster Deville cal 563, 14ct gold filled with “linen” dial. I have no idea whether I got a good deal or whether it’s a collectible model, and it’s not of any concern. I absolutely love the look of this watch.

Over the year or so since I acquired it I’ve slowly become more interested in Omega watches, and only Omegas. I think they are particularly well designed. The proportions are just right, they are classy and understated for the most part (some I’m not keen on, but only a few that I’ve seen.)

And so with this growing interest, I’ve been thinking about buying another Omega, this time with a view to investment, but only one that I love and will probably wear. My Seamaster Deville is a little dressy for everyday wear and I’m a bit frightened of losing it so I’m thinking about a stainless steel model, perhaps a Seamaster Cosmic.

I’m not in a big hurry. I’m using eBay and online shops to learn about what models are the more collectible, as well as reading whatever I can about Omega models and movements, so that I might avoid being stung.

I’m very much looking forward to learning from the participants here, and hopefully one day being able to make a useful contribution myself.

 

Late intro here, my apologies.

I'm Reuben and I make my living in aviation. Fly 'em, break 'em, fix 'em, fly 'em.

I was never super into watches growing up and didn't know anyone that was. But as a lifelong aviation buff, it was an inevitability. Right around my freshman year of college the bug bit. I'd already been flying for a couple of years having quit the football team to take another job and fund the endeavor.

That's when the thought occurred: gee, you need a nice watch to fly with (kids always have the best ideas right?). It would have to wait because finishing my business degree literally drained all of my money.

After college I ended up working for a friend's charter company and they trained me to be an aircraft mechanic in addition to expanding my flying experience. I've managed departments and even a whole company for a time. Aviation is tough but where I'll stay as long as the choice continues to be mine.

Anyway, the first watch I fell in love with was a Breitling Cosmonaut. Having absolutely no idea what the world of watches was all about I called a jeweler and asked for the price. I was not prepared for the answer. Then I thought I'd snag a Hamilton X-Patrol but never managed to same enough for one.

So, frankly, I just sort of gave up and put it out of my mind about watches for a while. Slowly I began lurking about the interwebs looking at watches without even noticing my return to the dark side.Then one day I fell madly in love with Fortis Fliegers. Something about their design just checks boxes for me. I couldn't decide whether to buy a used one or a new one. Ultimately I decided to buy the new one (gray market, forgive me! I was still learning) with the plan that I would research the previous references and select my favorite to hunt. I still haven't decided which is my favorite.

My career began allowing me to make bigger purchases and I ended up picking up a standard reference Speedmaster. This is one of my Grail watches and I'm privileged to have it. Similar to my Fortis, I have an insatiable lust for vintage Speedys and will be looking for a 105.003 when life allows.

Other random facts: I am the middle of five boys. I have a great pitbull named Phoenix. Been playing guitars for 15 years. For some reason I do good impressions of people (I once called the local radio station as JFK and the host was dying to know who I was... He found out years later). Have coached football (loved it, ran out of free time and couldn't do it anymore). Speaking of football, I don't care about the NFL, college football is where the passion is. Go Blue!

Perhaps one of the coolest things I've ever been fortunate enough to experience was meeting and spending time with a whole group of famous Apollo astronauts and flight controllers. Among them: Buzz Aldrin, Frank Borman, Walt Cunningham, Fred Haise, Gene Kranz, Jim Lovell, and Al Worden. Even had dinner with Lovell one-on-one and drove Kranz to the airport. An incredible group of men who are humble and exemplary. The irony?? I hadn't yet become the steward of my Speedmaster! :'(

Oh yeah, I also escorted Kenny Loggins to his hotel room carrying his bags. Also a nice guy lol

I have enjoyed spending time on this lovely forum learning and sharing with you all. Looking forward to more enjoyment as time goes on. I'll try to be a valuable member as best I can!

Cheers, all!

 

Please accept my apologies for not posting since 2012. A friend of mine at an event held at the Omega Boutique here in Vancouver tonight, highly recommend that I join this forum. I could not think of a better person to recommend this forum, so I went ahead soon as I got home, thinking I would join up. Surprise! I am already a member.

My name is Carl, or Carlo as my Mother affectionately called me. And so do my Italian friends, although I have no Italian background. I have been retired (which is a word I never thought that I would ever use) for just over a year. I have a lovely and varied watch collection, and enjoy spending countless hours on various watch forums and also some of the Facebook groups. I avoided Facebook for years, but when I had more time on my hands, decided to join. I love it, and have a great little circle of about 50 friends. I imagine how easy it would be to let that get out of hand. I digress.

Born here in Vancouver, BC, Canada I finished High School, took a course in Hotel Management at the local technical school, boarded the SS Canberra in 1969 at age 19, for a 25 day voyage to Southampton. Never worked in a hotel. My six year stay in Europe started me with a career with the airlines, working in Finland and Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, for Finnair. Back to Vancouver in 1975, where I continued my career with the airlines, working for Western Airlines ("The Only Way to Fly") and continued until 1987 when Western merged with Delta Airlines, and with Delta until 1997 when they pulled out of Vancouver.

After the airlines, took a two year course in Computer Programming, and passed, but the idea of being a computer programmer was simply too daunting, so I ended up working for various printing companies until I retired last year.

My love of watches, and collecting, actually started in 1997, when I traded my ten-year-old Breitling Colt Quartz for a Breitling Colt SuperOcean Automatic. For about 10 years, I was too broke to buy any new watches, but started to learn more and become fascinated, and my real acquiring/collecting/flipping started in 2008 when the 8500 movement was first put in the Aqua Terra. I will not go into the number of watches I have flipped since then, but just elaborate on my current collection:

Patek Philippe Gondolo Yellow Gold 5124J-001
H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Small Seconds
Panerai PAM 721 Aonimo (no text on dial)
Panerai PAM 673 Marina Militare
Omega 60th Anniversary Trilogy Speedmaster
Omega 60th Anniversary Trilogy Seamster 300
Omega 60th Anniversary Trilogy Railmaster
yes, all three of the Trilogy group, but not the Omega Trilogy Set Limited Edition 557
Zenith El Primero 50th Anniversary A384 Revival (my newest and most coveted)
Zenith Cronometro Tipo CP-2 El Primero Flyback Bronze
Zenith El Primero Big Date Special
Nomos Club Manual Wind 37mm
Bremont Aquamarine S301
Hamilton Khaki Murph Auto 42mm
Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm
Oris Diver 65 40mm with funky font
Oris Diver 65 Timeless Luxury Watches Limited Edition with green dial and no date
Norqain Adventure Sport Auto Khaki Limited Edition
YEMA Superman Heritage 39mm ETA Auto

That's about it for this evening. Thanks to Sunil for re-introducing me to this forum, assuring me that this is "the" Omega place to be! And I will look forward to spending more time here.
I really admired the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Limited Edition, which I saw tonight in real life, for the first time. I must admit, not a single photo I have seen of this watch do it any justice. I actually had a deposit on one the day after it was announced, but cancelled it due to the fact I have the Trilogy Speedmaster already - which is still my favorite Speedy - and also decided I would rather wait for the upcoming James Bond 007 Edition which I suppose will come out with the movie sometime next year.

I am going to drastically reduce the size of my collection in the coming year. Over the years, I have had tons of fun accumulating, not to mention the thrill of doing a review on various forums of just about each watch as I receive one. But it's time to keep a few that are really my favorites. I just feel there is no point to having a beautiful watch sitting in a drawer or box, to be worn only once or twice a year.

Cheers,
Carl

 

My apologies for the introduction as I just found this thread today. May it please the forum, as I begin my opening statement. I was taken by the Omega bug and nice watches in general in 2011. I was working a house break in as a police officer in a major city and while processing the scene I learned that criminals are not the smartest for myself. My reasoning for this was the following checklist:
Took all CDs? Check
Tool all DVDs? Check
Took all tablets? Check
Took all laptops? Check
Took Omega Constellation watch that was sitting on top of dresser that was sitting next to a stolen tablet? Not checked...
I learned the criminal did not always have a clue as to what was actually valuable in the home as the watch was easily the value of everything taken combined. It was then that I wanted an Omega and not a Rolex (not hating, just seen too many homes get broke into in good neighborhoods) and the hidden in plain view aspect of that Omega appeals to me.
As a practicing lawyer now (read overpaid babysitter) I have picked up a few nice watches and received a couple nice gifts as well. In chronological order:
Citizen at4004 (love the atomic timekeeping and solar)
Omega Speedmaster 3523.80.00 (first real nice watch and first speedmaster as well)
Rado Diamaster xl (Christmas gift and it is nice)
Grand Seiko sbga375g (love the spring drive and dark blue dial)
Omega Speedmaster 3575.20 (had to have a moonwatch and loved the white dial as well)
Seiko Prospex sne520p (LE Australia colors 142 of 800)
That is the whole collection presently with a dewitt academia mathematica as a grail along with one of those blue dial Gemini 4 moon watches. Love that dial. Thank you for your time and letting me learn about the finer points on Omegas. I pass the podium to the next esteemed colleague.

 

In case you are wondering about the avatar, it is a silver stater from Corinth in Ancient Greece, minted between 350-306BC. Pegasos could be the inspiration for the Seamaster Seahorse, and because I chose an Omega Seamaster 300 Diver's watch for my 21st birthday present in 1967 it seemed appropriate.

I thought the Seamaster 300 was the coolest thing around. Dad paid $120 if I recall correctly. I wore it through thick and thin for the next twenty years but sadly, it was subsequently stolen.

Since then there have been more Omegas, and a few Rolexes. When my father died leaving a small legacy I bought a nice DateJust to wear in his memory (he would have been horrified at how much I had spent). Unfortunately it was torn off my wrist in Naples a year later, and after the ensuing chase up an alley, I ended up in Naples ER. The guy on the next trolley had a stomach full of knife wounds, and the doctors told me I was lucky not to have collected a few myself. That put me off wearing a good watch on holidays.

Now the collection is an eclectic mix of vintage, modern and antique - whatever gives me joy as I take it out of its box and gleams in my hands. Omegas still pluck my heartstrings more often than other brands, but there is always something new to find and admire. What a great hobby.

 

Good morning fellow watch enthusiasts, and hello from London, UK. I'm new to the forum and new to vintage watches as well. I came here to read and learn from others with far more experience than me before buying my first vintage Omega. Specifically, I'm hoping to treat myself to a 1960s Seamaster or Constellation some time in the next few months. I'm happy to wait and find something special rather than jumping in head first and regretting it later.

One thing I've noticed is that older watches tend to have smaller dials than equivalent modern watches. Lots of 60s Omegas seem to have dials around 35mm, whereas my modern watches are all 40-42mm. The larger dial size suits my wrist better so I'm hoping to find out which vintage models might be suitable for someone who prefers a larger dial.

Thanks everyone for all the information you share on here.

Daniel

 

awesome vintage speedy! welcome!

 

Nice to meet everyone, signed up to get a valuation check on a vintage i recently bought but i cant until i get to 200 posts...not cool but i understand.

 

Hello everyone. I'm from Poland and I'm into watches for some time now. Nothing extraordinary. Most of them are Seiko's (SARB033, SNKL23, "Flightmaster") and a few others. But it all started with an old Omega pocket watch given to me by mo mother after my great grandfather. This is what lured me into these forums cause I'm thinking about restoring it.

 

Hi and welcome

 

Hello all. I’m new to Omega Forums, though I have come here from time to time through google searches when trying to find an answer to my Omega related questions.

I currently have a FOIS Speedmaster (shown in my avatar on a vintage 1069 bracelet that I got for my dad’s 145.018 Seamaster Chronograph...I actually bought two bracelets, but that’s another story) and a Dynamic Chronograph from the 90’s.

I’ve fallen into the watch habit, buying a few interesting-to-me micro brands as well as the usual Seikos and a 1996 Rolex Explorer I.

 

Hello all. Im new to the forum and looking to purchase my first Omega. Been into watches for several years. My current rotation consists of an SKX, some Hamilton Khakis, a Vostok I picked up to have some fun with, and a G-Shock for activities. Looking to step my game up and learn more about them as well.

 

03Hemi here (Tray).
Been a watch novice/collector for years and finally have a nice Omega SpeedMaster Triple date coming, it's in pawn "holding" until it clears right now, I collect firearms and buy a lot of guns from my buddy the owner and he new I was looking for a nice Omega and called me, by law they have to hold onto anything for 15 days before they can actually sell it.
This is my vintage manual wind and a "stock" photo of the triple date I have on the way. I wanted to get some post going as I'll be looking for a replacement band for my triple when I get it, it has a leather band on it right now that has to go.
I've been a member to the Colt Forum and the S&W Forum for years and find I couldn't live without the expert knowledge and advice I receive at both.
I look forward to the expert and informative information I'll get here too.
Tray

 

Post your picks in the vintage section (good pics) and the more learned here will give you their opinion on condition/value. The 200 post limit is for selling...

 

Hi all, I am big into vintage Seiko’s, and a regular on the SCWF forum. Now, thanks to a long standing member of both forums, I am learning to appreciate vintage Omega. So, with his guidance, I have just bought my first vintage Speedy offered on here by a member in Chicago.... I haven’t received it yet, and I can’t wait for it to arrive! I look forward to posting a thread on it when I receive it.

Meanwhile here’s a pic of one of my favourite Seiko’s (6215-7000) from April 1967:

 

Vintage Speedy post?! Yes please!

 

Will do.... it’ll be a few weeks.

 

Hello Omega forums. New member here but not new to watch forums nor watch collecting. My name is Bradley and I’m self employed in the investment field. I’m 45 (today) and from Virginia USA.

My fav watch brands are Omega, Rolex, Grand Seiko and Stowa. I also collect fragrances, small leather goods (mainly wallets and the sort) and somewhat sneakers

I am looking forward to learning and teaching when I can on the forum

Thanks for having me