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Watchco - What Happened?

  1. MSNWatch Ω 2

    MSNWatch Vintage Omega Aficionado Staff Member Jan 18, 2014

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    Watchco was a source of parts for many of us - routinely listing a few hundred omega parts (mostly vintage or replacement for vintage parts) and then gone? If I knew they were going to vanish I would have bought more! Anyone know what happened to the company? abouttime-ch is selling similar items in the same format but inventory is much smaller.
     
    gr8adv likes this.
  2. cicindela Ω 2

    cicindela Steve @ ΩF Staff Member Jan 18, 2014

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    One of the Aussie members may know, and if not they should be able to give a try at ringing them up.
     
  3. Alpha Ω 2

    Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Jan 18, 2014

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    abouttime-ch invoices as watchco2 ?
     
  4. ulackfocus

    ulackfocus Jan 18, 2014

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    I thought they were bought out. I know the person I used to deal with hasn't been there for over a year and now different person answers my e-mails.
     
  5. Alpha Ω 2

    Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Jan 18, 2014

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    Marcus certainly is still involved with abouttime-ch.
     
    persco likes this.
  6. MSNWatch Ω 2

    MSNWatch Vintage Omega Aficionado Staff Member Jan 18, 2014

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    But has the business model changed with less emphasis on eBay (much fewer listings)?
     
  7. ulackfocus

    ulackfocus Jan 18, 2014

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    Yes, it used to be Robert I think, and now Marcus and somebody else.
     
  8. rolexfantastic

    rolexfantastic Jan 18, 2014

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    Marcus is still operating though changes were made last year and the inventory is re-sorted, etc.
    Watchco and abouttime is the same thing.
    They were not bought out.
     
    persco likes this.
  9. gatorcpa Ω 2

    gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Jan 18, 2014

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    Someone here can correct me on this if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that Watchco is no longer an authorized parts supplier for Omega. They had been selling off their stock on eBay for a number of years.

    My guess is that they've sold most, if not all of their remaining Omega parts.

    Particularly the commonly requested items like dials, cases, balances, etc.
    gatorcpa
     
  10. rolexfantastic

    rolexfantastic Jan 18, 2014

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    Not even close.
     
  11. persco

    persco Jan 18, 2014

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    I have a SM300 cal. 552 on order with Marcus for end of February right now. I got in touch with him by emailing the address on Watchco's long-defunct website. He also referred to abouttime-ch sales on eBay, as well.
     
  12. Alpha Ω 2

    Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Jan 18, 2014

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    Oh they still have some nice bits and pieces, expecting this through the letterbox any day :)

    Screen Shot 2014-01-18 at 19.23.19.png
     
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  13. watchyouwant

    watchyouwant ΩF Clairvoyant Jan 18, 2014

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    watchco is the umbrella for a few ID`s. to my knowledge they have never been an authorized supplier. marcus travels a lot to buy whatever he can find. the stock is huge; just ask what you need. the watchco website would be too big to update daily. the split in different ebay ID`s makes sense rgd. management. there are more ID`s.....specialized in different fields. sometimes it can be a tax reason to split things..... kind regards. achim
     
    Alpha likes this.
  14. Charles@UW

    Charles@UW Jan 18, 2014

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    Could you kindly let me know how to contact watchco or abouttime? Thanks in advanced.
     
  15. watchyouwant

    watchyouwant ΩF Clairvoyant Jan 18, 2014

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  16. persco

    persco Jan 18, 2014

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  17. Patrick Dixon

    Patrick Dixon How do these messages get here? Jan 19, 2014

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    I once asked watchco about a specific item and never even got the courtesy of a reply. If I recall, their eBay listing also said they wouldn't answer questions about items not listed.
     
  18. MSNWatch Ω 2

    MSNWatch Vintage Omega Aficionado Staff Member Jan 19, 2014

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    Agreed, I get inconsistent responses from them in the past and I have spent several thousand dollars on their eBay store! I think their stock is not sorted well and they probably don't really know what they have - but that doesn't excuse not being responsive.
     
  19. rolexfantastic

    rolexfantastic Jan 19, 2014

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    Let me know if there is something on your mind exactly.
    Ref. no. / part no. etc...

    /F