Vintage watches

[Lil' Joe]

Hacing spent all last night browsing for watches there seem's to be lots of vintage watches that are within my grasp price wise. What I would like to know is how these watches compare to their more modern relations. Are they accurate, are the still solid and reliable, do they need more upkeep etc, things like that. I have seen some nice older Omega's and Rolex's but would be very open to other suggestions.

My criteria are;
a - around a 30mm - 40mm face (although a 40mm watch would have to be pretty thin for my puny twigs wrist's)
b - any strap, although metal may be more longer wearing and durable?
c - not too chunky (girly wrist's, see point a)
d - automatic winding
e - up to £300, only pushed in the case of something really special
f - It needs to be smart and stylish to impress in daily wear but also cut it at night if need be. The examples given, I feel, do this well both neither reasonably understated and also impressive when seen.

Some examples to help convey what I like
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

Thanks guys.

Edited by Lil' Joe on Thursday 30th April 09:56

[ShadownINja]

You'd better do your research if you're buying vintage premium watches off ebay... I don't mean "ask on a forum". Proper research to identify fakes.

That said, my recent Omega purchase is surprisingly good. +/-10 seconds a day for a 1960s watch. Maybe it's got a Seiko 72S6 movement.

PS how small are your wrists? I found 34mm is a bit too dainty and looks odd with "baggy" sleeves (probably fine on a shirt). 40mm is just right for my slim wrists.

Edited by ShadownINja on Thursday 30th April 11:08

[Lil' Joe]

My wrist measures 6.5 inches round. Puny. Are the Powersellers to be trusted on aBay? They are the only people I would buy something this expensive from on eBay I think.
Also, are Raymond Weil watches any good?

[ShadownINja]

Mine are similar in size; 34mm looks like I'm wearing a shiny bracelet. 40mm is better. Try one for size. I tend to wear 40-43mm diver's watches which look fine. The watches which are just glass and have a big face relative to the size of the case ie 42mm case with 41mm face a la flieger watches will look ridiculously huge but my 45mm G-shock with all the cushioning and therefore a tiny face looks fine.

PS don't know much about ebay. There's one guy on here who buys a lot of vintage watches on ebay so best to wait for him to reply.

Edited by ShadownINja on Thursday 30th April 13:57

[Lil' Joe]

Do vintage watches stand up to dauily wear? Or are they special occasion jobs?

Thanks for the help 'Ninja

[Fittster]

Lil' Joe said:

Do vintage watches stand up to dauily wear? Or are they special occasion jobs?

Thanks for the help 'Ninja

I wear my 1970s Heuer as an every day watch, no problem on that front.

[AlexKP]

Lil' Joe said:

My wrist measures 6.5 inches round. Puny. Are the Powersellers to be trusted on aBay? They are the only people I would buy something this expensive from on eBay I think.
Also, are Raymond Weil watches any good?

Clearly established dealers on ebay are perfectly trustworthy in my extensive experience of buying and selling watches on ebay.

Very, very few vintage or classic watches are fake - it isn't worth the effort to the forgers.

As for Raymond Weil, well, they are a lower mid-range brand but clearly have aspirations. If you like the watch go for it - but it is not really a financial investment as they aren't a maker that is likely to appreciate.

For £300ish you could get a vintage or classic Omega - a much better bet.

[ShadownINja]

One guy on thewatchforum.co.uk was pointing out out non-authentic vintage Omegas on ebay, though... not fakes but those built from other bits so not entirely straight. Certainly interesting, although it seemed mainly to be divers.

http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic...

Edited by ShadownINja on Thursday 30th April 15:44

[Lil' Joe]

Yeah, I think I'll give RW a miss. A vintage Omega was what I was thinking. I've seen some nice Rado's too, opinions?

[SVX]

Lil' Joe said:

Yeah, I think I'll give RW a miss. A vintage Omega was what I was thinking. I've seen some nice Rado's too, opinions?

I bought a 1977 RADO Voyager automatic off eBay, and apart from needing a new strap, it worked perfectly. I wore it on and off for a summer then sold it on for a small profit I'd recommend the vintage RADOs. Also if you are looking for vintage, pre-Swatch Certinas can be had for surprisingly little.

[olic]

Tudor oystrdate I bought one last year for £240 from the 70's, with rolex strap keeps great time 36mm. I think they will be a good collectors item in the future.

[Lil' Joe]

Lovely, thanks guys. What is the relationship between Rolex and Tudor, as the Tudor's do not seem to have the Rolex badge? Are they just another Rolex model? and to have avintage watch refurbised; polished etc, is it expensive?

OT, I've seen two rather nice ceramic rado's recently; One in the PH classifieds, when I asked if he would meet me at a jewellers to have it's authenticity confirmed, he sent a one word email back..'replica'

I then sent the same message to a guy on eBay, who said he wouldn't meet me because of safety. Fair enough I said, but I am still interested so if you can prove the authenticity to me another way, I will buy it now.
No reply.


Is a bit of honesty to much to ask?

[ShadownINja]

Lil' Joe said:

OT, I've seen two rather nice ceramic rado's recently; One in the PH classifieds, when I asked if he would meet me at a jewellers to have it's authenticity confirmed, he sent a one word email back..'replica'

I then sent the same message to a guy on eBay, who said he wouldn't meet me because of safety. Fair enough I said, but I am still interested so if you can prove the authenticity to me another way, I will buy it now.
No reply.

I hope (1) wasn't selling at a real price. I hope (2) didn't think it wasn't safe to meet at a jewellers.

[RichB]

Nice to hear from someeon else who doesn't like these ginormouse oversized watches that are all tha fashion these days Don't listen to them Lil'Joe, small wrists are not puny they are a sign of breeding and a normal sized watch at 34-35mm looks fine

[AlexKP]

Lil' Joe said:

Lovely, thanks guys. What is the relationship between Rolex and Tudor, as the Tudor's do not seem to have the Rolex badge? Are they just another Rolex model? and to have avintage watch refurbised; polished etc, is it expensive?

Tudor are Rolex's long established "budget" brand. They often have similar or identical cases, however they use an ETA movement (not Rolex). They are still very good watches and have slowly become desirable and more collectible in their own right. Up until twenty years or so ago they often had the Rolex crown on their buckles or even faces.

Refurbishing a watch can be expensive - often more than the watch is worth - just like with restoring vintage cars. Depends entirely on what needs doing, and if spares are available or have to be machined.

[Lil' Joe]

Number 1 was selling at £400, although after my emails the ad changed to £250.
Number 2 was indeed suggesting that meeting at a jeweller's wasn't safe. So, one can only assume he is a monumental pussy, or more likely, the watch is fake.

Thanks for the advice, I will look into some of the Tudors as I quite like the look of some of them, and I guess overhauling a watch needs to be decided on each case's individual merits.

Thanks guys.

[ShadownINja]

WTF. Report his ad. And ask him if the reason is because the jeweller would point out that it is a fake.

[Lil' Joe]

Asked question, no reply. We shall see....