To buy or not to buy? It's a Speedy, 1861 authentic but the last 3 digits of the serial # are gone.

I came across a speedy at a local Craigslist. Everything looks good. But the seller did disclose that he bought it with the serial number partially removed. He has no papers, no box. The guy volunteered the info without me asking. I know that at some point the watch must have been stolen or something and that is why the serial numbers were removed. I don't think the current seller did it (I'm fairly good at reading people) but then again you never know. I can get it for a fairly good price because of such. Should I buy it or avoid it?

Any nay advice would be welcomed.

Regards,

Leno

Thanks, guys. I kind of knew the answer I just wanted to confirm it. The price was quite appealing. I'll pass on it.

Agree, most of the watch sold on Amazon, Costco, and other Grey dealer has its S/N partially or all removed.
Ask about where he sourced his watch. If that's legit i think it is OK to get it.
As for service, Cal 1861 is ubiquitous enough, many non official Omega service center/ independent watchmaker would be able to service it decently.

Still, I wouldn't touch it!😒

I am no expert. But at the local WAWA about a month ago a guy noticed my speedy and said he bought an aqua terra with three of the last numbers scratched off and he could not find a watchmaker that would touch it.

Omega sells their watches like a commodity. Instead of pricing them by what they think they are worth, they are priced by what they think the market will pay. For this reason they are cheaper in some markets worldwide. Some creative entrepreneurs discovered that they could purchase them overseas and offer their customers in the US discounts. Omega needed a way to end this practice so they got their legal teams to work. They needed a way to protect their profits in the countries where they charge more. They started by adding this trademark- clearly shown by this pic in a thread on jamesbondwatches,com:



They then examined our trademark laws which state that they have ownership of the trademark the first time it is sold. They then found a court to interpret it to mean the first time it is sold in this country. So an Omega can legally be bought and sold several times overseas, but Omega still retains the sole right to sell it the first time in this country.

All this was hashed out legally in this blog on Cornell's site if you really want to get into it: Costco Wholesale Corp. v. Omega, S.A. (08-1423)

As a result those who still want to resell from foreign markets (or out the back door of a legitimate US retailer) have simply started removing some or all of the serial numbers. This prohibits Omega from tracing the watch and punishing the original reseller.

So the choice is yours. It may be a perfectly legitimate Omega at a better price, but you can expect no warranty, service or support from Omega although some qualified independent watchmakers will still provide service on these. And it will certainly devalue the watch if you ever wish to sell it.

Steve