Burgeoning vintage addiction .....

[luckyal]

I've started getting a hankering for some older watches & have bought a few but would appreciate any comments or observations on these -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

or

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

Also if anyone had any indications about how much servicing these might be, that would be great.

Understand that it'a about personal tast but grateful for any advice.

Alex

[ShadownINja]

NFI but that JLC is nice. Too small for me, though. I like to wear my watches, not just look at them.

[bikerPaul]

The IWC is beautiful.

Paul

[eccles]

bikerPaul said:

The IWC is beautiful.

Paul

But that face certainly doesn't look 100 years old!

[bikerPaul]

eccles said:

bikerPaul said:

The IWC is beautiful.

Paul

But that face certainly doesn't look 100 years old!

I don't have the knowledge to question its authenticity but i do think it is a gorgeous watch.

[luckyal]

Thanks all, i did love the IWC & also wondered whether the JLC would be a little small on my wrists. Shall bid away i think.

Next time i should try typing slower/checking more thoroughly before i hit submit!

[andy_s]

That JLC is tiny, I'm definitely not an expert at all, but those hands are a little different to the normal 'pilot' sort of hand or the slimmer JLC/WWW hands - they look like Chronometre hands but they were later than the 1940's. The sub-dial hand also seems smaller than normal and the lack of case/dial markings rules out a military connection - I'd either do some more research or steer away personally. I'd say it was prudent to check watches through specialist forums if you're after the real deal.

[eccles]

luckyal said:

Thanks all, i did love the IWC & also wondered whether the JLC would be a little small on my wrists. Shall bid away i think.

Next time i should try typing slower/checking more thoroughly before i hit submit!

You get used to the size thing though.

Vintage watches are my 'thing' and if you wear one regularly you get used to the size of it. Stick a large, modern sized watch on one day and you end up thinking 'why am I wearing a wall clock!'....... but you then get used to it's size. Stick your vintage back on and it looks tiny again... and repeat!

[deejuic]

Just an FYI, that IWC is not in an original case and the dial is also not original (I'm pretty sure of this).

I think that the proper term for these is frankenwatches. I've got one, but you need to be careful buying these from the eastern European companies. A friend bought one and it was a mess. Pay careful attention to the pictures of the movement. You can tell how far out of whack the timing could be or how much the work the watch may need by looking at the condition of the parts.

That said, I'm a fan of these. I like the old movements and don't necessarily mind the updated cases and dials as long as they keep to the styles of the times.

I would be interested on others opinions on these types of watches.

[andy_s]

deejuic said:

Just an FYI, that IWC is not in an original case and the dial is also not original (I'm pretty sure of this).

I think that the proper term for these is frankenwatches. I've got one, but you need to be careful buying these from the eastern European companies. A friend bought one and it was a mess. Pay careful attention to the pictures of the movement. You can tell how far out of whack the timing could be or how much the work the watch may need by looking at the condition of the parts.

That said, I'm a fan of these. I like the old movements and don't necessarily mind the updated cases and dials as long as they keep to the styles of the times.

I would be interested on others opinions on these types of watches.

I think it depends on how they are sold and what the buyer expects primarily - if you know what you're getting, like the look of it, it works and it makes you happy then why not - that's why a £50 Seiko is as 'good' in a lot of respects as a £3,000 Rolex.
If it comes down to you wanting, for example, a birth year watch and you end up buying a watch which is actually from 1980, 1976 and 1982 then you'd be a bit disappointed.
If you want a vintage 'original' (as they hold value better than a 'new' watch and you have an appreciation of watches so want something of historical, military or horological value) then again, I think you'd be disappointed if you learnt that you'd got a mixed bag.

[corporalsparrow]

andy_s said:

deejuic said:

Just an FYI, that IWC is not in an original case and the dial is also not original (I'm pretty sure of this).

I think that the proper term for these is frankenwatches. I've got one, but you need to be careful buying these from the eastern European companies. A friend bought one and it was a mess. Pay careful attention to the pictures of the movement. You can tell how far out of whack the timing could be or how much the work the watch may need by looking at the condition of the parts.

That said, I'm a fan of these. I like the old movements and don't necessarily mind the updated cases and dials as long as they keep to the styles of the times.

I would be interested on others opinions on these types of watches.

I think it depends on how they are sold and what the buyer expects primarily - if you know what you're getting, like the look of it, it works and it makes you happy then why not - that's why a £50 Seiko is as 'good' in a lot of respects as a £3,000 Rolex.
If it comes down to you wanting, for example, a birth year watch and you end up buying a watch which is actually from 1980, 1976 and 1982 then you'd be a bit disappointed.
If you want a vintage 'original' (as they hold value better than a 'new' watch and you have an appreciation of watches so want something of historical, military or horological value) then again, I think you'd be disappointed if you learnt that you'd got a mixed bag.

You're both right of course. They look suspiciously unoriginal to me. However they're both very pretty watches and I'm sure that, as long as you get the for the right price, they'll give the OP some pleasure. But if you're thinking of becoming a collector of vintage watches you're going to discover that this an area of collecting loaded with pitfalls.