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Why are so many Speedmaster Professionals listed on eBay from Japan?

gbesq
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Case in point. There are currently 19 eBay listings for Speedmaster Professional reference 3590.50 and only one is not from a Japanese seller. Just curious whether it is this particular model and, if so, why, or whether this is common with many Speedmaster references on eBay.
 
w154
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Maybe you need to tweak your search functions. I can see around 30 and there’s one seller in Germany who seems to have more than five currently listed. Also I wonder if it’s connected to how you’re searching. Perhaps it’s business sellers that mainly add the reference in the listing title, and perhaps the majority of business sellers are in Japan. Im sure there must be private listings for these, and I bet none of those would be in Japan.
 
gbesq
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Perhaps so. I’ll check. Doesn’t seem to happen with some other Speedmaster references or with references for other Omega product lines that I’ve searched for.
 
M
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Today, Japan is in a slump. At the time when the Speedmaster 3590.50 was sold, the Japanese economy was booming.
It was said that the whole nation was middle class, and Rolex and Omega watches sold well at affordable prices.
That's why there are a lot of used Omega Speedmaster 3590.50 and Rolex Submariner 16610.

Also, There are a number of Japanese sellers on eBay who sell without inventory.
Each seller may sale the same watch in without inventory.
 
G-Web
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I think there might also be a Japanese cultural preference towards having the latest, greatest model of a given item. It's been about 20 years since I lived there, but I remember it wasn't uncommon to see perfectly good electronics stacked outside on trash pickup day, their only flaw being that they were a little outdated. There are indeed no shortage of Speedmasters on ebay from Japanese sellers, and I've wondered if many of their former owners have simply sold them to pawn shops and jewelry stores in order to get something newer. Perhaps some Japanese (or gaijin living in Japan) forum members will weigh in.

Cheers,
-GW
 
texasmade
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One thing I've noticed on Chrono24 is that it's not uncommon for Japanese sellers to list watches significantly below sellers from other countries.
 
Doc Savage
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M mountainunder
...Also, There are a number of Japanese sellers on eBay who sell without inventory.
Each seller may sale the same watch in without inventory.
I hate that. To me, it's a misrepresentation tantamount to lying. I've seen a lot of sellers on Chrono24 do this (from many different countries).
 
lindo
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I would not rush to judgement. I have bought really nice watches from a Japanese dealer on eBay who describes himself as a wholesaler, and usually has over 6000 watches on his site. Maybe he acts as a broker, but his despatch response to a purchase is so fast that he must have them in stock rather than getting them from a third party. I have been very happy with every single purchase, both from a quality and value point of view.

The only downside is that he will not negotiate: prices are take it or leave it, but that's fine with me when I know exactly what I am getting for the money.
 
Dan S
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M mountainunder
Also, There are a number of Japanese sellers on eBay who sell without inventory.
Each seller may sale the same watch in without inventory.

Yes, very common to see the same watch listed by several sellers and I generally suspect that none of them actually has the watch in hand.
 
Rado63
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My experience with Ebay is that it is hard to say why there are so many listings from a certain source. A possible explanation, Omega like many brands, have Japan only editions of some watches. Also, if for or a specific reference you find on C24 there will be many listings from multiple sellers, but on Ebay not all the same dealers post their watches. Not all the same watches can be found for sale on watch recon either. So different platforms suit different sellers or the watch may have been limited to a certain country or sold more in a certain country.
 
dsio
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Rado63 Rado63
My experience with Ebay is that it is hard to say why there are so many listings from a certain source. A possible explanation, Omega like many brands, have Japan only editions of some watches. Also, if for or a specific reference you find on C24 there will be many listings from multiple sellers, but on Ebay not all the same dealers post their watches. Not all the same watches can be found for sale on watch recon either. So different platforms suit different sellers or the watch may have been limited to a certain country or sold more in a certain country.
The number of Japan only LEs is actually pretty staggering and the funny thing is a lot of them are really cool variants that look better than the watch they are based on or are totally bespoke and brilliant.
 
mjb
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I've noticed other things on eBay like fountain pens, cameras & lenses as well as our beloved Speedmasters are usually below average in pricing from Japan compared to USA or European sellers. I assumed that it was due to a number of factors, including exchange rate, cheap shipping and just the disparity between markets and what is currently popular.
 
loniscup
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I've noticed that with Seikos but other brands too lately. A lot of Japan listings, when before (a few months back) it was so rare to see listings from there. And I search mainly on ebay.co.uk, not .com!
 
ken_hodson
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lindo lindo
I would not rush to judgement. I have bought really nice watches from a Japanese dealer on eBay who describes himself as a wholesaler, and usually has over 6000 watches on his site. Maybe he acts as a broker, but his despatch response to a purchase is so fast that he must have them in stock rather than getting them from a third party. I have been very happy with every single purchase, both from a quality and value point of view.

The only downside is that he will not negotiate: prices are take it or leave it, but that's fine with me when I know exactly what I am getting for the money.

Please can you share his details? It is useful to know recommended sellers...there are so many out there.
 
lindo
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Hi Ken
I am not sure I can directly recommend someone on the Forum site, so I will PM you.
 
riimar
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dsio dsio
The number of Japan only LEs is actually pretty staggering and the funny thing is a lot of them are really cool variants that look better than the watch they are based on or are totally bespoke and brilliant.

A reduced version you don't see to often
I think this is japan only also
3510.82

Last time I saw these at chrono24 the price was about half of what they are now. Like 1 year ago or so.
Now it's 3500-4000 usd 🙁
Omega_351082_42117_01.jpg
 
dsio
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riimar riimar
A reduced version you don't see to often
I think this is japan only also
3510.82

Last time I saw these at chrono24 the price was about half of what they are now. Like 1 year ago or so.
Now it's 3500-4000 usd 🙁
Omega_351082_42117_01.jpg
Thing is when watchco sold off their stock a few years ago they had a ton of these along with mitsukoshi dials, Gemini 4 dials etc, the Gemini 4s are easy to distinguish with their set and caseback but some of these Japan LEs have been made from NOS parts as those dials were like $250 each back in the day and were genuine from Omega.
 
maine-iac1
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I wonder if the Moowatch just doesn't have the same oomph in Japan. In the USA, watch folks are more likely to keep the Speedmaster for life because of its heritage/history/Apollo pride. Maybe it's not as big of a deal in other Japan?
 
Soulcreek
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I’ve been in Japan for a good few years. I’ve never seen that old cliche that gets spun about heaps of good electronics piled up for recycling collection, perhaps in the bubble era but not in over 20years.

Today, Rolex rules. A few years ago you could go to Nakano etc and see good deals on subs/GMTs and even better deals on Speedies. Not anymore. Japanese sellers are quick to predict the hype and even beat up pieces have big price tags.

Speedies tho can still be had. I got my tintin last Aug for $6k...not a bargain anymore but less than the $9k + they were going for in USA/EU.

I’ll reiterate, today in Japan Rolex rules.
 
alex_b
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Dan S Dan S
Yes, very common to see the same watch listed by several sellers and I generally suspect that none of them actually has the watch in hand.
I’ve noticed a fair number selling watches that are currently listed on Sweet Road and other Japan only sites. I presume the model is to put a margin on top of the domestic inventory and make it available internationally.
 
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