I hope I don't bother you all too much, but this is a new interest and really want to learn before spending money. As with anything else, I feel that research is best done on the front end. I am, it seems, a rare woman who likes vintage watches. From what I have seen, my ideal would be a 1960s (men's) Seamaster. That being said, the women's Seamaster (and any other model/brand for that matter) seem to be selling for a great deal less...why?

 

Women's watches are not very collectible.

 

Why though? Do people not like them? Are they lower quality?

 

Not lower quality, just not collected. If you like them, start collecting while they're cheap. @Syrte does some collecting of ladies watches. She can properly guide you.

 

Supply and demand. There are more men collectors and woman, like you, that want larger watches over the small ladies watches. I always thought the vintage market for men's old 30MM would be a prime place for woman to purchase. Think of all of the smaller men's Bulova watches. They would look great on woman but they seem to want the big Michael Kors watches. My wife actually takes my Rolex Datejust to wear over her own smaller Rolex. I recently saw a lady that took old vintage ladies watches and strung them together as a bracelet. Sad but at least they are not being thrown away.

 

I don't know that I necessarily like the size of the Men's Seamaster as much as the simple, timeless look. I think the new, blinged out watches are hideous. That is what started me down this rabbit hole. I have to have a watch for work and I looked everywhere and couldn't find anything new that I liked.

 

It's a simple case of supply and demand. Fewer women than men collect watches, so watches geared towards women fetch lower prices. The difference in price is in no way correlated to quality or what is "good" - it's just old-fashioned economics and, frankly, places you in a very enviable position.

I've often cursed my 7.25" wrist while admiring all of the incredible sub-36mm vintage pieces out there.

My suggestion is get out there and start buying! It's the Wild West still for the women's segment of watches.

 

Courtesy of our dear @Syrte , some timeless looks for your consideration:

 

Yes, yes, and yes. I love all of these!

 

+1 for the Longines!!!

 

Maybe tone deaf or too obvious on my part, but if I was a woman, this model would be #1 on my grail list:

 

Yeah, it's gorgeous, but every one I have seen has either looked like it has been through a garbage disposal or, sadly, been way out of my price range. Doesn't mean I can't hold out hope!

 

For the record, I did say grail list

The lower variant Must De Cartier has a similar look and appeal at a much lower price. They can be found on eBay for well under $1K in gold, but with a quartz movement.

 

I feel like that is the equivalent of buying a designer's "for target" line. I also like mechanical watches...so, all in all, I would rather wait for the real thing.

 

First, welcome to the forum.

Second, you might like this thread. There's some good stuff. You might see some vintage women's watches you didn't know about. Granted, they are smaller but some of them are really pretty.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/vin...differentiate-the-collections-opinions.41203/

 

That's the beauty of vintage watch collecting. Finding a good piece at the right price is very rewarding. Takes time, but truly rewarding.

 

Welcome @Brooke, there are several important questions for you to resolve:

1/ are you looking for just one watch, or are you prepared to start dedicating some of your overall budget (and time) to several watches / straps/ repairs etc. That's a key question.
If the former and not the latter, you probably should just sign off, never come back to a watch forum, and go get yourself a nice Tissot 1853 which has good quality and timeless design at what's considered a decent price as far as watches go (about 200 euros a piece). This one can be purchased with a leather strap in 30mm or 38mm and it's quartz. And if so, don't look into vintage watches any further.


2/ If you just want one nice watch, do you want it low maintenance, which would be quartz, or are you prepared to engage in the search for a mechanical vintage watch? It will take time to search and learn, it will cost more to maintain, and it may give you the taste for more -- revert back to question 1/ for the answer.

3/ what's your preferred watch size in millimeters?
- Only you can find out by going to a store and trying out things on your wrist. Whether you buy new or vintage it's important to do so.
On a small wrist a one millimeter difference can look huge. A two millimeter difference is considerable enough that a wrong description by the seller is valid grounds to cancel a sale.
- Even in the US, if you're going to engage in a search you have to get used to this decimal system which is the international standard, and sellers should be able to provide those specs.

4/ If you still want to look for a vintage watch, once you figure out your preferred size, this will tell you what's best for you in the vintage realm:
smaller men's watches (30 to 35mm?), or ladies' watches which are much smaller (20-28mm). (I'm not even including the cocktail watches which are microscopic and more at 1.1mm).
My Longines watches @Vitezi posted above are 32mm without crown, I have a very tiny wrist even amongst women. The black Hamilton is 35mm wide (without crown).
You also need to measure the circumference of your wrist in millimeters using a string or a measuring tape.

5/ what's your budget? There are two pretty cool threads about vintage watches people have purchased for less than $500 -one focuses on Omega, the other on other brands.

6/ if you like men's Seamasters, then it seems like a pretty good place to start as you will see there are models from several eras with different styles, and some of them are pretty affordable.
You should also take a look at the "Devilles".
Omega specialists here will be able to advise you more than me as my interest in Omega is somewhat accidental and spotty.

Good luck and best regards,
S

 

And thus the journey begins.

You show great promise young Jedi, but temptation by the dark side, resist you must.

 

Thank you for your response and guidance. I, unfortunately(?), know that this is something that I am very interested in/am willing to spend money on. I have been lurking for a while here and other online resources trying to learn - I am still not remotely confident enough to even consider buying anything on my own. I do actually need something fairly soon and I would be willing at this juncture to pay a little more just to know I was getting a quality piece since I am not knowledgeable enough to evaluate and take the plunge myself. Then, that would give me time to learn and collect without pressure or time constraints. I would love it if you could give me some "safe" places to start looking?