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Total beginner - any tips please?

I
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This is such a helpful forum, so thanks to all the posters here! I’m looking for a 1975 Omega Geneve or Seamaster and am already overwhelmed with eBay vs chrono24 vs anywhere else! I’ve also (very stupidly) left my search to very last minute and have less than two weeks to get the watch to me here in the UK.

Specific questions are:
1) Any obvious sites to avoid please? Chrono 24 has great reviews on Trustpilot and seemed to have good due diligence around official vendors, but then when I read a little more closely their checks for authenticity seemed to be asking the sellers to confirm if a watch is genuine, rather than them doing any checks themselves (I may have misunderstood this!). Lots of watches on eBay of course but very nervous when I don’t know enough to be able to spot a fake!
2) Understand longer posting times to UK if buying from overseas of course, but does the customs process hold it up further ie does it get sent anywhere and held pending payment or can you do anything to speed this up?
3) Chrono 24 offer ‘certification’ on some watches. This bumps the price up but I can’t tell if it’s worth paying for - most watches classed as certified still don’t have original papers or boxes so I don’t understand the difference!

Any help, tips, advice etc would be much appreciated. Budget is around £1,000.
 
I
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Thank you and I had seen this post - super helpful. Any ideas on my Chrono 24 questions please?
 
Mark020
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Post pics not links. And C24 is just a platform so you need to do your own DD
 
Peemacgee
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Welcome @ilikecakes

You should absolutely not buy a vintage watch in a hurry (from any source) unless you are well-versed in what you are looking at.

Especially from a seller who can’t post a single in-focus picture of the watch they are selling.

Import times can vary from a couple of days to a couple of weeks depending on the package and how it is sent.

Also factor in import charges of around 20% on top of the sale price and postage combined.
 
Spruce
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Seems expensive to me. I’d expect you to be able to get a nice Geneve for at least £200 less.

Knowing now what I didn’t know when I started, I’d go for a Geneve automatic (cal 565 with date or cal 552 without date or a manual wind no date cal 601).

Avoid black dials and any dial other than silver or white.

My preference would be for a stainless steel case which you can dress up or down. Nearly all 'gold' Geneves are gold plated and the plating can wear thin.

Check the case and the lugs for damage and bent lugs.

And have a look on this forum's Private Watch Sales on which established OF members in good standing can offer their surplus watches for sale.

If you think you have found the right one, start a new thread and ask before you buy/bid.
 
I
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Thank you both, good point about the photos. May post back here once I’ve found something decent.
 
B
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If you're buying in a hurry and you don't have the experience to spot a frankenwatch, you may be better off looking at a reputable dealer.
May I recommend J.E. Allnutt? The owner is a well respected member of the BHI. You'll pay more than you will buying from C24 or ebay, but you're getting a watch from a bricks and mortar store. The watch will have been serviced if required and it will come with a warranty.
You're paying more, but you're buying risk free.
Allnutts website is here:
https://littlecogs.com/product/vintage-steel-omega-geneve-circa-1979-watch/
It so happens that they have exactly the Geneve that you're looking at on C24. I've provided a link directly to it.
Allnutt are in Midhurst, Sussex. If you can go it's a fabulous (if not dangerous) place for a watch collector.

I've no connection with them other than being a customer once a couple of years ago.
 
hen
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I post this yet again, but its probably the best advice if you appreciate having money in the bank.😀

This is maybe the best place for buying watches: https://omegaforums.net/forums/watches-for-sale/

Some people dont like the late Geneves, but I (like you maybe?) like the simple and clean look of the 60`s Geneves. Here is mine, a mid 60`s 18k with an 565 movement.
IMG_20211203_125106 (3).webp
 
I
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If you're buying in a hurry and you don't have the experience to spot a frankenwatch, you may be better off looking at a reputable dealer.
B BrokenSkunk
May I recommend J.E. Allnutt? The owner is a well respected member of the BHI. You'll pay more than you will buying from C24 or ebay, but you're getting a watch from a bricks and mortar store. The watch will have been serviced if required and it will come with a warranty.
You're paying more, but you're buying risk free.
Allnutts website is here:
https://littlecogs.com/product/vintage-steel-omega-geneve-circa-1979-watch/
It so happens that they have exactly the Geneve that you're looking at on C24. I've provided a link directly to it.
Allnutt are in Midhurst, Sussex. If you can go it's a fabulous (if not dangerous) place for a watch collector.

I've no connection with them other than being a customer once a couple of years ago.
Thank you, I will get in touch. I don’t live a million miles away from there either.
 
I
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hen hen
I post this yet again, but its probably the best advice if you appreciate having money in the bank.😀

This is maybe the best place for buying watches: https://omegaforums.net/forums/watches-for-sale/

Some people dont like the late Geneves, but I (like you maybe?) like the simple and clean look of the 60`s Geneves. Here is mine, a mid 60`s 18k with an 565 movement.
IMG_20211203_125106 (3).webp
Beautiful
 
B
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Looks all original to me. However, it also looks like that gold plate is hanging on by the skin of it's teeth. I'd expect it to flake off soon. Whilst it may look like a passable watch today I don't think the same will be true in a year or two.

Not many of us brits on this forum. I'm in Southampton, so also fairly close to Allnutt. We happened upon them on an aborted visit to an NT property nearby. I did a mini write up here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=187&t=1997939
 
malilis
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Hello !
That Omega Geneve, cal 565, you posted should be found for 300.€ /350.€ or about .. I like the Longines also .. very simple look .. but it seems the back of the case is damaged .. how much do they ask for this watch ?
 
Dan S
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From what I've seen and read in this thread so far, I'd suggest giving a gift card or some sort of promise, leaving time for extensive collaborative research.

A beginner is unlikely to find a good watch from one particular year at a fair price in just a few days. Moreover, the fact that the year is 1975 makes things even harder, because you are already past the golden age of Swiss watch companies, including Omega. The recipient might prefer a more appealing watch, rather than a watch from that year. The Longines posted above is not appealing to me at all.

By the way, I have no reason to believe that the Omega Geneve posted above is from 1975. It looks earlier to me. You will need to get photos of the inside of the watch and check the serial number against tables that give approximate year of production. I really don't recommend confining your search to a particular year, but if that is important to you, you can't just search the internet for 1975, believing what ignorant sellers are claiming.
Edited:
 
I
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malilis malilis
Hello !
That Omega Geneve, cal 565, you posted should be found for 300.€ /350.€ or about .. I like the Longines also .. very simple look .. but it seems the back of the case is damaged .. how much do they ask for this watch ?
This Longines is listed for £280
 
I
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Dan S Dan S
From what I've seen and read in this thread so far, I'd suggest giving a gift card.
Not too sure why that would be. I’m just here asking questions of enthusiasts and people with far more knowledge than me - which I thought was the purpose of the forum?
 
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