I've had a few running through my head and wanted to post. Please add yours! ~Rare- One of 28,624 watches on Ebay. ~Not a watch expert- I know more than I'm telling you. ~Overwound- Needs service (As per Archer). --- Others that need translations: ~Recently serviced ~Patina ~From a Watchmakers Estate
- Recently Serviced - I have no idea what state it's in but it seems to work fine and I have no intention of pre-servicing it for you- Or- please don't send it to a service center that will open it and find out it's a fake. - Patina- Same as above but - I can't be bother to polish it, you do it, to me this is just beautiful aging. - From a watchmakers Estate- Found it at an antique store in the east village.
Patina dials (1) = if it is a Rolex it is suddenly worth a lot more because an Italian has written a book about it. Patina dials (2) = any other make - it has some damage and I am trying to pass it off as extra unique - but no one really buys it.
Tropical dial = damaged dial with a hefty pricetag. See last post. Needs a battery = I've tried one and it didn't work.
I posted this many years ago on Timezone: For the benefit of those who have not yet figured out the precise meanings of words used to describe watches on the Sales Corner, I've put together a handy quick reference guide: RARE = obscure, and probably undesirable MINTY = leaves a fresh feeling in your mouth if you suck on it for several minutes (remember though: sucking on a non-waterproof watch could cause damage to the timepiece; conversely, the safer diver's models tend to be very big, and the large crowns may scrape sensitive tissue) VINTAGE = manufactured sometime prior to 2000 CLASSIC = smaller than 40mm (without crown) REDUCED = the seller either initially priced the item ridiculously high, or it's unlikely to be sold at any price REDUCED AGAIN = see above (and probably the latter) FINAL REDUCTION = seller will probably accept 70% of the stated "final" price, and pay postage plus the Paypal fee SPRING CLEANING = seller will likely accept $50.00 for the whole lot STUNNING = just remember that's it's quite possible to be stunned by ugliness BEAUTIFUL = perhaps in the eye of the beholder, who happens to be the seller COLLECTIBLE = somebody in the world owns more than one LNIB = cosmetically fine, but less accurate than a $19.00 quartz watch LIKE NEW = mint condition (at best) MINT = excellent condition (at best) EXCELLENT = very good condition (at best) VERY GOOD = good condition (at best) GOOD = fair condition (at best) FAIR = unsalvageable condition Finally, for most efficient browsing, keep the following tip in mind: the more exclamation points there are following a description, the less likely it is to be accurate! Regards, Tony C.