refinished dials - antique watches - advice required

[jonnylayze]

Hi all, I'm starting to put together a small collection of watches and am interested in adding some vintage/antique watches.

I really like the Omega Seamaster etc. - particularly watches from the 50s and 60s but a lot of the ones available from a certain auction site seem to have refinished dials - as do other seemingly collectable and attractive watches.

Can anyone tell me whether there is an impact on resale value etc. out of buying a watch which is not original and where the dial has been refinished?

Any advice much appreciated.

[sparkyhx]

i'm no expert, its my take on things.

It depends what you want - an original dial untouched - original movement watch will be worth more to collectors. If it looks tatty to them they don't care - I think cleaning it probably reduces the value.

for me I don't want a tatty looking watch - refinished dial is fine by me - they will be cheaper to buy and will command less when you sell. - are you a wearer or a collector?

There is a good possibility that some of the 'aution' watches may be franken ones - ie. the face the hands and the movement or any combination thereof may not be the original. But as long as its an manufacturer case with a manufacturer movement etc thats ok with me I don't really care if its been assembled by taking the best from a variety of watches.

[HereBeMonsters]

There's a difference between "refinished" and "restored". Generally refinished means they have been painted back up, or had parts (batons etc.) replaced. Restored can just mean a good clean.

[sneijder]

I'd rather have a watch that looks its age, with a bit of character.

Over on one of the cheapo forums there were some guys modifying watches to look old. They were heating the dials in ovens and all sorts to crack the paint and age chap and cheerful watches.

Can't find the thread anywhere now, it was great, think it was on WUS somewhere.

[blueg33]

HereBeMonsters said:

There's a difference between "refinished" and "restored". Generally refinished means they have been painted back up, or had parts (batons etc.) replaced. Restored can just mean a good clean.

I have a couple of vintage seamasters. I prefer the one with the unrestored face, its a sort of greyish champagne colour (hard to describe) My Mrs thinks it looks old and horrid (women!) other people compliment me on it! I never wear the re-finished one, it just seems too new for the style of the watch, so I have lent it to my brother. I also have two 1950's Tissot's both with faces that are not refinished and they look great too.

I bought 3 of the watches from a well known auction site, all came from overseas and all have been described by my watchmaker as original except for the seamaster which is an auto but the face doesnt say auto (the movement and case match but the face is from another watch). One of the Tissots is 18ct gold, cost me £120 and has been valued at £1200-£1500 so I am pleased.

If I can get decent pics, I will post them here

Edited by blueg33 on Friday 13th November 18:11

[HereBeMonsters]

blueg33 said:

I have a couple of vintage seamasters. I prefer the one with the unrestored face, its a sort of greyish champagne colour (hard to describe) My Mrs thinks it looks old and horrid (women!) other people compliment me on it! I never wear the re-finished one, it just seems too new for the style of the watch, so I have lent it to my brother.

I understand totally where you are coming from. I have four vintage Omegas, and by far and away my favourite is the one with the dial all tarnished. I sent it away for a service, and got a call saying it was just almost ready, just about to have the dial cleaned and I could pick up tomorrow. "NOOOO! Don't clean it!!"

[jonnylayze]

thanks everyone - really useful advice and points of view

I'm really more interested in owning and wearing the watches than their ultimate value.

If I pay a bit less and have to sell for a bit less when I sell it on I think I'm happy with a refinished dial

[blueg33]

jonnylayze said:

thanks everyone - really useful advice and points of view

I'm really more interested in owning and wearing the watches than their ultimate value.

If I pay a bit less and have to sell for a bit less when I sell it on I think I'm happy with a refinished dial

My seamaster is my everyday watch but I wear the others often too. I like the fact that they are older than me, hand made by craftsmen and keep excellent time. The only downside is that they are not as waterproof as they claim! But thats simple to deal with.

[eccles]

To me the whole attraction of vintage watches is their style and a bit of patina.
There are lots of tarted up vintage watches on ebay from India and personally, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
The cases are really over polished and the refinished dials are just too clean (and quite a few of them are inaccurate). They just looks brand new, and if I wanted a brand new watch that's what I'd buy.