We are in SF next wk and wondering if there are any cool watch shops we should check out? I'm in the hunt for my first vintage speedy, but also nice just to browse. thanks konadoc
hqmilton. they are located in the Mission. you need to make an appointment. would be a good idea to browse their site before your appointment. http://www.hqmilton.com/used-rolex/san-francisco-watches
Seregin's in Union Square area. http://www.seregins.com/ They are actually in the lobby of a building that serves as a downtown drop-off point for rental cars. Very weird to see a collection of bubble-back Rolexes with tourists lined up in front of the display waiting for their cars. Some of the pieces I saw there were outstanding. gatorcpa
Another vote for Seregin. Not long ago they had a pretty nice Aero Compax. You don't see it from the street, just enter the door for Hertz.
I did! https://omegaforums.net/threads/any-good-vintage-watch-hunting-in-sf.15269/#post-169981 gatorcpa
Just seeing this thread now. I went to Seregin a couple of years ago and was duly unimpressed. Yes, they had a very nice selection of vintage pieces, some quite rare, but all their cases were heavily polished to death, by the owner's direction was my understanding. It was actually tragic to see. When I told him I would not be buying any watches from him because they were all over-polished, he seemed surprised, and did not seem to understand what the problem was. He also seemed to have very limited knowledge about watches (called a Breitling Compax a "Compack," even though we were both looking at the dial that said Compax, and he had never heard of Universal Geneve or a Polerouter, which I was wearing). He does not seem to be targeting the serious collector market.
So what I have learned from this thread is that between April 2015 and now, Seregin has gone downhill, and HQ Milton are still worth a visit.
LOL unlike watches, forum posts look NOS, even if they were from a few years ago. I visited Seregin a few months ago, Rolex seems to be more his expertise, he had some nice bubblebacks, he was very transparent about those that were still works in progress (looking for correct crown, etc). He seemed like a nice guy, it was a pleasure chatting for a bit. HQ Milton will have great stuff obviously, I think if I ever want to trade up my sub I could do so there.