Yet Another Real or fake Question

[SMP89]

Good morning WUS members,

I came across a sale and wanted to know if i should go for the gold (literally) or walk away.
This would be a local sale so i'm meeting in person.
This particular gentleman is willing to meet at an authorized dealer, which is a plus, just to verify that this omega seamaster is in fact real.
No papers, no box, it's from the 1950's (says the seller)



Besides the fading (water damage?) not sure...
i was told it still ticks along like it should. accurately is another question but i'm not concerned about that at the moment.

price he's asking is 295 or offer. now, to me, it sounds good. is it worth it? that's why i'm here asking
that's all i'm wondering, if anyone has more info on the piece please don't hesitate, i'd love to know more about what i might possibly purchase.

thank you.

[ASRSPR]

My first observation is that I would not be surprised if there did not exist a single Omega authorized dealer in the world that would be able to authoritatively determine the authenticity of a vintage piece, particularly one that falls outside of the pantheon of the most famous models.

My second is that $295 seems, ah, quite steep for a watch in such seemingly poor condition with no service history.

[SMP89]

My first observation is that I would not be surprised if there did not exist a single Omega authorized dealer in the world that would be able to authoritatively determine the authenticity of a vintage piece, particularly one that falls outside of the pantheon of the most famous models.

My second is that $295 seems, ah, quite steep for a watch in such seemingly poor condition with no service history.

There's no way a jeweler could open it up, and i could look for a sign of authenticity? The seller is willing to negotiate. i just figured if it ticks thus far, perhaps a service in the future could tune it up a bit. i'm not worried about walking away either. just looking for any advice since this will be my first vintage purchase.

thank you very much for your response.

[Drop of a Hat]

There's no way a jeweler could open it up, and i could look for a sign of authenticity? The seller is willing to negotiate. i just figured if it ticks thus far, perhaps a service in the future could tune it up a bit. i'm not worried about walking away either. just looking for any advice since this will be my first vintage purchase.

thank you very much for your response.

Ticking doesn't necessarily mean working. If its losing an hour a day....it needs a service. Which can cost 200+ dollars (and probably will)

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[SMP89]

Ticking doesn't necessarily mean working. If its losing an hour a day....it needs a service. Which can cost 200+ dollars (and probably will)

Sent Via Tapatalk

i understand. i just got off the phone with a shop around the DC area. Continental Jewelers. I just wanted to make sure everything is in order, nothing damaged beyond repair and what not. regulation and service is a different story. They mentioned that they could open it up and take a look at the movement for authenticity sake. I just didn't know if ~$300 for a vintage piece would be worth it. even if it does (worst case scenario) need work.

thanks.

[ASRSPR]

There's no way a jeweler could open it up, and i could look for a sign of authenticity? The seller is willing to negotiate. i just figured if it ticks thus far, perhaps a service in the future could tune it up a bit. i'm not worried about walking away either. just looking for any advice since this will be my first vintage purchase.

thank you very much for your response.

It was a bit of hyperbole, since some of these people actually do attend the WUS forums. But given the many stories of sales staffs' lack of knowledge on the modern models that they actually sell, there's not much hope when it comes to vintage models from long ago. Additionally, "authenticity" when it comes to vintage models isn't a binary proposition - it's a continuum that goes from "see if the movement says Omega on it" to "are all the parts authentic or has it been modified/repainted, potentially to turn it inauthentically into a more desirable model" to "the serial number on the movement does not match the model reference." These are details that require a depth of knowledge and a variety of references that are unlikely to be at hand in an AD.