I just don't get it.....why does every ad for a vintage Omega watch......when you ask when the last time it's been serviced? how fast or slow is it? what's the movement? what year is it? is it all original? no one can ever answer any of these questions. none, not even one would you sell a car and not know when you changed the oil last? do you not know how many kms are on the car? any accidents? are you the original owner? what year is the car? what's the engine? the model? is this too much to ask? if you're trying to sell something......is it too much to ask that you know a little bit about the item? it's frustrating when all you get is.....I don't know but I've seen them on Ebay for this much so that's what I'm asking too
I assume if you ask and they can't answer they don't know.... Simple really!! Walk on by and look at another.....
What an excellent post title Who could resist it. I figure it's a fairly plaintive, rather than whiney, "why?" too. You're certainly asking the right questions, and the fact that many sellers can't answer them speaks volumes. Though, every now and then a gormless seller lists a watch and the punters will have a go and possibly secure it below market. So it's not all bad, and can certainly work in the favour of those who have a lot of knowledge.. One consensus around here is that unless you see the paperwork assume the watch will need at least a clean and oil. It the best tack to take. Cheers Desmond
The seller can say absolutely anything and you have no way of knowing whether it's true or not, so any assurance they might give you is irrelevant. If it's running and the condition looks good, that's all I need to know - fast or slow can be fixed. For the rest, I make my own judgement and gamble if I think it's merited. Relying on whatever a vintage watch seller on ebay might say is absolutely not recommended.
Every ad? No one can ever answer? None, not even one? I think that is quite inaccurate. Most of the ads in fact do address many of these issues. Often the service history IS unknown. The seller usually is not the original owner, and honestly does not know that history unless he serviced it himself. And unless a reciept is provided, the assurance of a service is worthless. Most vintage buyers assume a service will be needed. Most vintage sellers honestly say the history is unknown. Again. Most ads can tell you the movement but if the seller is not a hard core vintage guy, he may not know the movement ref or serial and may be uncomfortable opening the case. They don't even realize these are important. I find most go out of teir way to provide this info when asked.. Same with the all original question. If seller not the original owner, he can never say for sure if all original. Even if he is the original owner, parts may have been replaced at a service that he is unaware of. The seller saying all original in the vintage world often means very little. The onus is really on the buyer to do his homework and determine originality regardless of seller assurances.
OP you're talking rubbish. Many watches in the FS section here are listed with details of the most recent service.
Any description by a vendor can only be based on their relatively short term ownership. Inevitably a 'vintage' watch will have had some form of service and consequently replacement parts sometime during it's life. So it's highly unlikely that it's not 'all original'. I don't see this as a problem as long as replacements are correct era and 'official'. Furthermore, what is a 'service' ? The watch could have had a quick check over and lube (or less) by a local watchmaker, or a full blown job by an AD. In my opinion, specific 'history' descriptions are a bit irrelevant unless backed up by paperwork. I've found that a bit of due diligence and assuming the worst when buying results in fewer disappointments.
With time and experience you get to be able to make safe assumptions, like if it is vintage then it always needs servicing unless it has a recent receipt from someone trustworthy you carried it out. The car analogy doesn't work as they're not even close in terms of how they're used and maintained / passed on. Mind you I've also bought cars off people who knew none of the answers to the questions you list in the original post either.
OP...unless there is a receipt for service, assume you will need to have it done and factor in the cost. However you've laid out criteria that say two things...you are not really comfortable with vintage and your needs might be better served by a new watch. You will never find absolute assurance in a 60 -100 year old timepiece.
Regarding the fast or slow question: Does it really matter if you you know the watch likely needs service?
I guess the thing about Omega vs Rolex.....there's so many variations of each model......way too many with Omega Rolex is a lot simpler. I've bought half a dozen vintage Rolex not knowing the service history but I have to see the watch in person I don't have confidence buying a watch online that I cannot see in person. especially when the seller can't answer any of your questions. I have never bought a watch off the internet, only in person this might be unrealistic but I don't want to buy a car that needs an engine overhaul right off the bat
I'm not sure what this has to do with whether is serviced or not. If you're buying vintage, be it Rolex, Omega, Seiko etc, unless it comes with proof of recent service, it's generally best to assume it needs one and get it sent to your watchmaker for an inspection. If they think it's ok without a service, then it's a bonus.
Much simpler? I see more pieced together Rolex for sale then any other maker. More fakes, more obviously misrepresented watches, and more mid level educated traps then anything else out there. Buying Vintage Rolex models correctly takes way more knowledge then buying Omega... I also fail to see how service history on a Rolex is different then service history on any other watch. If you can tell if a watch needs service on a Rolex you can on any other manufacturer...
well, if the watch belonged to your father and you remember him dropping the watch and damaging the crystal but he couldn't find an original crystal......it'd be nice to know sometimes you see a watch and the crown doesn't look the same as every other picture you see on the internet......it'd be nice to know what happened to the original crown I see a lot of Rolex with aftermarket crystals that are about 2mm higher than a factory original crystal but you can't tell unless there's a side view of the watch......it'd be nice to know sometimes the pics are taken with a cell phone and it's hard to see if the watch dial has been refinished or relumed........it's be nice to know it'd be nice to know that the watch is losing 5 mins a day I guess I'm just a bit more anal than others
I understand your pain, but..you're simply hanging out with the wrong sellers other advertisement platforms
I'm not trying to be a whiner or complainer. just a little help from the seller is all I ask I've seen my friend get burned too many times because he doesn't ask questions before he buys, he just asumes the seller would disclose all the negatives about the watch......then he gets the watch and finds out the date doesn't change, the watch only works sometimes, the bracelet is broken and it's an integral bracelet, the crown doesn't match the watch......a frankenwatch
Well a lot of what you're describing has nothing to do with whether the watch is serviced and is just originality and condition. If you've been having these issues it sounds like you've been dealing with the wrong sellers.
