Hi Chaps, I hope I'm posting this in the correct section, if not, mods please move it. I’m going to be going to my first watch fair in the next few weeks (The midland clock and watch fair, UK). The watches that I’m ideally hoping to find is a 50’s Seamaster or a UG Polerouter. I’m not sure what to expect from such an event, will those sort of watches be there, are the vendors likely to accept card payments? I don’t really want to be carrying round £1k+ in cash. If anyone from the UK has been to this fair before, any info on your experience, hints or tips would be greatly appreciated. Also, does anyone have and good reading material on 50’s Seamasters? I would like to do some research before buying one. Many Thanks, WML
Is that the one at Solihull? I've only been to one fair (Taunton) earlier this year and there was very little of interest although there were some '50s Omegas. It was quite a bit smaller than the Solihill one appears to be but, the watches I did see were priced higher than the private sales forum here. You have to go the moment it opens and if you see some guys wandering around with carrier bags, they may be traders not paying for a stall - talk to these guys if you really want a bargain, at least that was the advice I was given. You might get away with a card payment but there will be people there carrying ten times what you are thinking about - best way to negotiate is with rolls of cash... Being honest, I don't do things like that but have been given the advice and that's what I'm passing on. Which particular watch are you looking for as I'd buy one from the private sales here if I were you? Just read every Seamaster/Polerouter thread here that you think might be relevant to give you an idea of what to look for. Cheers, Chris
My experience of watch fairs: Get there really early, ideally an hour before the official opening time. Be prepared to negotiate very fast and very hard. If you're interested in something don't put it down until you've either paid for it or rejected it, and of course cash is king!
I go to these regularly and the associated one at Brunel too. I have bought some lovely pieces there but you need to do your homework, buyer beware as there are some sharks and Charlatans in amongst the good guys. James who is usually first table on the left in the second room is always worth a look and one of the more honest traders there too. He had an Ed White last time I saw him and always has something of interest. Whoever you deal with be prepared to haggle. Oh and in my experience, very few will have the facilities for card payment and for various reasons (some of them obvious) some won't want traceable payment like that either. There are indeed nomadic traders there too, I get some great stuff from one but you will forgive me if I don't describe him here, you may beat me to him!
I've been to quite a few and picked up some good bargains (a near NOS Heuer Silverstone braclet for £250, and a classic reissue Heuer "Carrera" CS3110 for £1300), but there's a lot of crap there too. Lots of garbage that isn't worth anything, and plenty of half-decent watches at silly prices. I'm planning to be at the Midlands one too - http://clockandwatchfairs.com/ - if anyone fancies an impromtu GTG ?
Hi WML, I don't think you'll find a better place to read up on 50 Seamasters than here. You just have to work through the threads to find the ones you want. Before buying it's a good idea to have an idea what style you like most - calendar or plain, auto or manual, bumper or rotor, dial type, case material... Odds are that any bargains will very quickly be snapped up at a fair, but even if you can't find what you want, meeting the right dealer and getting them to look for something on your behalf can work. The real benefit however IMO lies in meeting other collectors, and lots of them are on here!
Many thanks for the replies guys. These watch fairs sounds interesting, almost like a Black Friday sale in an antiques store haha. Seems like doing a lot of research is needed of both the watches and current market trends .
So I thought I'd report back here to this thread. The watch fair today was quite interesting, not as much modern stuff as I was expecting and much more 50s, 60s stuff. I had a great time looking round at everything though. I did also purchase a watch, an automatic Seamaster (alas I did not see a polerouter there). It has been running fine since I purchased it (lets see how much it gains/looses over the next week) and it has been recently serviced apparently. However, I'm not sure that the hour hand is the right one. Am i correct in this assumption? It was also £410 so hopefully I haven't paid too much for it ?