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The unicorn I'm looking for at a price that Gov’t check will cover

ashirani
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Observer Observer
That’s what I did. Now I have a gold plated redial that’s too small for my wrist. I did learn a lesson though, so there’s that.

I guess the OP needs to decide whether he wants to learn from other people’s mistakes or his own.

Yeah I know what you mean. My first watch I wore consistently was a Nixon I got back in college for $80. It was a decent chunk of change to me at the time but it wasn't life changing money by any means. I don't at all regret that I paid $80 for a watch that was worth a lot less. I guess I should start looking at watches that are worth $1,100. I know I won't be getting anything immaculate, but it's just sort of hard to gauge what a watch is worth in that range since a lot of people seem to think unless it's in great condition then it's not even worth it. I don't know if I'll regret it not being perfect. Just like I thought in college, when I have more money I'll get a better upgrade. Is that a reasonable outtake?

TimeODanaos TimeODanaos
We're getting into serious territory now, and of course everyone has unique circumstances. I have no special insights, I'm just a fellow human here. I'm glad you may be emerging from a difficult place, but I hope you will want to embrace life for a while as it opens up, maybe in preference to hunting down that maybe non-existent watch. In a few years you'll be getting somewhere in your career, and then will be the time to start getting into mere stuff. Just my 2c you understand.

I appreciate the words. I guess this is sort of my retail therapy. It's not ideal but it's what I have right now.
 
ashirani
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In any case, I appreciate all the help everybody has given. I think I might need to come to my own decision. $1,200 isn't a life changing amount of money and if I make a subpar decision then so be it. There's always more money out there and I have 40-60 years of working life ahead of me. I can recoup the losses. As long as it's not a watch that I'll enjoy to wear I think that's fine with me.

At this point I've been thinking out loud but thanks for listening. It helps to have my thoughts out there visually instead of stuck in my head.
 
Observer
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If you put your understandable hopes for an Omega on hold and learn to appreciate steel, you can easily get ahold of a watch you can be proud of within your budget. I realize that cuts out your main factors, but you’re more likely to own something that will give you long term enjoyment. Something that will still get wrist time when you also own your gold Omega.
 
Syrte
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S slavedata
OK all seeing take a lead and suggest something.

It takes months to find a single watch. Took me 8 months to find my first serious vintage watch, two years for another. There is no need to find a watch this very minute.
The good suggestion is to slow down, take a deep breath, and start learning. In a year from now the watch will have been found. And the first step is to start by reading the sticky thread « learn how to fish ».
best regards

PS you’ll note that for the time being the question in the title has been answered.
 
ashirani
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Observer Observer
If you put your understandable hopes for an Omega on hold and learn to appreciate steel, you can easily get ahold of a watch you can be proud of within your budget. I realize that cuts out your main factors, but you’re more likely to own something that will give you long term enjoyment. Something that will still get wrist time when you also own your gold Omega.

For some reason this comment hit me the most. I have plenty of steel watches that I enjoy, including a recent model Oyster Perpetual. I'm going to up my budget to $2k and get the gold Omega Ive always wanted. It was the deal I made with myself when I was suicidal. Plus it helps I'm about to come into a small sum of $1,400 this month.
 
Observer
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ashirani ashirani
For some reason this comment hit me the most. I have plenty of steel watches that I enjoy, including a recent model Oyster Perpetual. I'm going to up my budget to $2k and get the gold Omega Ive always wanted. It was the deal I made with myself when I was suicidal. Plus it helps I'm about to come into a small sum of $1,400 this month.
Upping the budget is a solution that stands the test of time. You should have gone into business! 😁. You still need to be patient, but heed the watch wizards on OF and you’ll be set.
 
ashirani
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Syrte Syrte
It takes months to find a single watch. Took me 8 months to find my first serious vintage watch, two years for another. There is no need to find a watch this very minute.
The good suggestion is to slow down, take a deep breath, and start learning. In a year from now the watch will have been found. And the first step is to start by reading the sticky thread « learn how to fish ».
best regards

Again, I really want to say sorry for getting so serious in this thread and being so jumpy. I can't slow down right now unfortunately. That would be the rational/logical thing to do. But I'm not being rational/logical right now and I'm OK with that. My mind has been a mess and this is my reward to myself for getting through this year without breaking quarantine orders or doing something regrettable to myself. It's ok if it's not the most perfect watch out there. It will be perfect to me because of what it symbolizes. 1 year of surviving being suicidal. It's similar to those chips they give out at AA. The chip itself is worthless. It's what it means. So long winded way of saying I'm going to go for something that visually appeals to me.

Thanks everybody for all the info. It hasn't fallen on deaf ears. I'm going to use it to find what I think I would like the most.
 
ashirani
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Observer Observer
wizards on OF

Ooh that gave me PTSD. A client of mine gave me some copyright work to do. It involved a very popular website with the same initials. Man that was such a headache of a case with going through so much media that I'd rather not look at.

I had to take a second to realize you were very obviously talking about Omega Forums.
 
Observer
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ashirani ashirani
Ooh that gave me PTSD. A client of mine gave me some copyright work to do. It involved a very popular website with the same initials. Man that was such a headache of a case with going through so much media that I'd rather not look at.

I had to take a second to realize you were very obviously talking about Omega Forums.
You can understand that it’s a popular abbreviation around here.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this thread, but you’re not alone in your struggles. Best of luck!
https://omegaforums.net/threads/because-we-need-to-talk-about-it.50844/
 
ashirani
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I fixed the title as someone rightfully pointed out the question has been answered. Coming from reddit I'm used to never changing anything so I didn't know the etiquette.

Forgive my impatience. I know if I keep waiting, there will always be something better out there and I will never live in the moment. So what do you experts think of these two pieces? I've narrowed it down to these and I would ideally like to purchase one barring no ridiculous flaw that I haven't noticed. Please keep in mind that I prefer to judge them in their own capacity for the price and not to the ideal museum quality piece. If we were at a bar I would have bought you all a drink for all the help you've given.

1. https://www.chrono24.com/omega/classic-vintage-18k--id17500990.htm

2. https://www.chrono24.com/omega/geneve-14k-gold-watch--id14729942.htm

I think I prefer #1 even though it doesn't have the center second hand and instead has a subdial. But I think I would appreciate that it sets it apart from the other watches in my collection and its good to get out of the comfort zone a bit. It's also 18k which would be nice. It is running +4s a day which is amazing.

#2 has an omega buckle but I doubt its original or even a precious metal. It has the center sweep and seems to be in somewhat better condition but its 14k and would probably need a service which would put me back a few hundred.
 
wagudc
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ashirani ashirani
That's a great point. 34 is good with me. 33 is iffy. I think 32 is out of the question though.

That's how I feel with my 6.5" wrists. I have a 32mm, but it gets only occasional wear. For me, 36mm is an upper limit for a dress watch with my wrists.
 
ashirani
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wagudc wagudc
I would seriously consider this ^^^^ and then budget another $300-$400 for a service. You will have a very nice watch!

It's a nice piece but it's only 33mm. The other two I linked were 35mm.
 
wagudc
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ashirani ashirani
It's a nice piece but it's only 33mm. The other two I linked were 35mm.

Watch 2 is a ref 131.041 and I believe is 33mm. I have seen it listed as so several places.
 
wagudc
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Watch 1 is a 121.010 and is closer to 34mm. I am not a big fan of the dotted patina on the dial, and these un-named Omegas usually go for less. People like to see "Seamster" or some other model name on the dial.

I get why you don't want the previously recommended 33mm watch. If you are in a rush, and don't mind paying a large premium you could check out the Omega Enthusiast site. It is a decent place to look at examples if nothing else.
 
ashirani
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wagudc wagudc
Watch 1 is a 121.010 and is closer to 34mm. I am not a big fan of the dotted patina on the dial, and these un-named Omegas usually go for less. People like to see "Seamster" or some other model name on the dial.

I get why you don't want the previously recommended 33mm watch. If you are in a rush, and don't mind paying a large premium you could check out the Omega Enthusiast site. It is a decent place to look at examples if nothing else.

A much better condition version of #1 is at Omega Enthusiast for $2,450.

The watch has a high gold content which leads to its higher price. I think I'm ok with that. The patina isn't great but I'm ok with it considering it's at a relative discount. There are plenty of unnamed omegas for cheaper from what I've seen but none are gold. You're right that seamaster is more desired and a more premium but that also means they're mostly automatic. I found a geneve that is ok but it has a back engraving.

You seem like you have an eye for this. Is the watch really in that bad of a condition? It seems relatively fine to me considering it's age.
 
wagudc
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ashirani ashirani
A much better condition version of #1 is at Omega Enthusiast for $2,450.

The watch has a high gold content which leads to its higher price. I think I'm ok with that. The patina isn't great but I'm ok with it considering it's at a relative discount. There are plenty of unnamed omegas for cheaper from what I've seen but none are gold. You're right that seamaster is more desired and a more premium but that also means they're mostly automatic. I found a geneve that is ok but it has a back engraving.

You seem like you have an eye for this. Is the watch really in that bad of a condition? It seems relatively fine to me considering it's age.

Watch 1 seems OK to me, and I don't think the price is not too far off. I am still working on my redial spotting skills. I am a little concerned about the font on OMEGA, something about the too of the G. It very well be OK, but I don't have the confidence to say so with certainty What I do is get a couple comparisons of the same reference and then zoom in and crop out the world. I then paste all them into a single document, and compare every detail, shape thickness, etc. It is a very informative exercise. The other thing to look at is the minute track. Is everything perfectly spaced and aligned. Same goes for the cross hairs on the sub seconds.
 
ashirani
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wagudc wagudc
Watch 1 seems OK to me, and I don't think the price is not too far off. I am still working on my redial spotting skills. I am a little concerned about the font on OMEGA, something about the too of the G. It very well be OK, but I don't have the confidence to say so with certainty What I do is get a couple comparisons of the same reference and then zoom in and crop out the world. I then paste all them into a single document, and compare every detail, shape thickness, etc. It is a very informative exercise. The other thing to look at is the minute track. Is everything perfectly spaced and aligned. Same goes for the cross hairs on the sub seconds.

this is all good advice. But it will have to wait until the next watch. He just said he won't ship outside of EU. I might have it sent to my uncle stationed in germany. Not sure if it's worth it though. I'll wait a few days and see what I can find.
 
hejsam
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What is your wristsize, and have you actually tried an 33/34mm vintage watch?

My wrist is 17.5cm and 33mm especially for a precious metal dress watch is no problem at all.

This gold Longines is 33mm ex crown, maybe the 19mm lugs makes up for it a little bit also
CA4BC414-CA35-4B1F-88F5-20C29650ACE9.jpeg 066F660B-893D-43C6-A9FD-CA3AE8982681.jpeg
 
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