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First Vintage purchase - help authenticating

742 views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  pacifichrono 
#1 ·
Hello all,

New member (so please ignore my ignorance)

I am just starting to collect watches and have always loved the Omega brand. I am looking at purchasing a vintage (1960's) Omega Seamaster and have found the following on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fantastic-1960-S-S-Omega-Seamaster-Automatic-NR_W0QQitemZ150309334346QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Jewelery_Watches_Watches_MensWatches_GL?hash=item150309334346&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1326%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308

To me it looks legit, but I would hate to start my collection off by purchasing a fake. So if anyone can lend a hand that would be great.

Also in future what should I look out for in terms of authenticating a vintage watch myself?

Thanks in Advance
 
#2 ·
Hi -

First of all, welcome to the forum. :)

I'd seriously not recommend buying Omega via eBay until you've really done your homework and learned what is right and what isn't: this is something that will take time, and it's better to spend that time and maybe miss a great deal, rather than go for that deal and have it turn into a nightmare. When dealing with eBay, I apply the same rule that I apply for all online purchases: I buy the buyer, not the item. In other words, only buy from those who you really, really trust. Omega on eBay? Too many fakes, too many scams, too many "Frankenwatches" that are made up of various bits and pieces and which may look okay, but are in reality just bits and pieces thrown together.

Being able to authenticate a vintage yourself means simply learning, learning, learning. There are lots and lots of vintage sellers out there, and I'd hope that spending time here would help inform you as well to find that perfect vintage you're looking for.

The Omega forum here on WUS is also a great place for further information on Omegas.

And a small aside: we tend to disapprove of linking to an eBay auction, since it generates extra traffic for that auction and if you want to bid, that's the last thing you want ('cause someone else will bid for it, driving up the price!:-().

This time it's okay because you are asking whether it's legit or not: but next time you might want simply to grab a picture from the auction and post it here to ask the same question. If you find something great, don't advertise it until after you get it! :)

JohnF

PS: And please read the sticky messages at the top of the forum, especially on valuations... :_)
 
#3 ·
Agree with JohnF that buying the Vintage seller is the most important eBay thing. I believe that in the case of most Vintage watches you are more likely to be faked out by a Frankenwatch (mariage) than an actual counterfeit itself.
I stick to buying inexpensive watches on eBay.
That said, this particular seller looks pretty bona fide. Long time member, lots of good feedback. However if you are starting out buying Omegas I think a reputable online or "bricks and mortar" watch dealer is a better bet. Pay more but get piece of mind.
 
#4 ·
My two comoderators are not big eBay fans... I buy darn near everything there, including about a half dozen of my cars.

I agree if you have no feeling whether it is real or not, you shouldn't be buying it. Asking us and, maybe more importantly, the Omega forum is part of the process of acquiring that kind of feeling.

I see nothing that makes me fear this watch. It is an early automatic that looks to be in fairly good shape. I have never seen an engraved 'waterproof' on a caseback before and suspect it a wee bit... might have been added by a jeweler.

The watch itself does nothing for me. If I wanted that look I'd buy a Tissot and save money (hey, I did that!)... but that is one of the nice things about vintage collecting, you can reflect your own taste and ignore what others think!
 
#5 ·
Hi -

Actually, most of my watches were acquired on eBay. But I largely know what I'm looking for/at, and have had some great buys. But also some serious disappointments, and that's to be avoided when you are just starting out.

And I just bought my daughter a Christmas present on eBay: a new old stock Olympus E-300 body (the very first of the 4/3 cameras from Olympus), from Olympus Germany's on-line store for a paltry €140...have about 200 transactions (100% of course), and most of them are watch or photography-related. Had 4-5 problems, 2 never really resolved...

JohnF
 
#6 ·
Oh I've bought a fair bit of stuff on eBay too, Eeeb...I just stick to lower priced Bulovas and Elgins. I did get a Hamilton there but I knew my watchmaker friend could fix any problems with it - and it had some.
eBay is great for computer junk as well. Bought lots of Ethernet and wifi adapters there as well as memory and hard drives. Right now I don't have to do that as there is a good computer recycling shop 10 minutes away.
 
#7 ·
I pretty much agree with these guys. I have bought (and mostly sold) hundreds of watches on eBay with very few regrets. As John says, buy the seller. I was just looking at a watch ten minutes ago and I checked the seller's detailed feedback, looking at pages and pages of comments, mainly from eBay purchasers with high feedback themselves as they are likely to be more discerning. Be wary of any seller with a rating <99%.
 
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