Vintage Omega Seamaster 300 - What to do?
Discussion
My first post in the watch forum, hello.
I have a bit of a dilemma. Short version of the story...
I treated myself to a 1968 Omega Seamaster 300 for my 30th birthday (2010) and I love the watch greatly.
I wore it almost daily until couple of years ago when it ground to a halt and, unable to afford a service/repair at a reputable specialist, I put it away in a drawer.
Having been out of work most of last year and only back in steady employment now, I'm a bit skint. I can't see me being able to justify spending £400+ to have the watch serviced/repaired in the foreseeable future (same cost for a major service for my 996 at the main dealer!).
So, do I keep it in a drawer and let it do its appreciation thing, or do I try to sell it?
It's a fair asset to have sitting doing nothing when the money could be put towards other things (the aforementioned 996 probably).
I guess if were to decide to sell I would need to find the right type of buyer. I know these watches are often faked or franken'd but I am assured (and online guides seem to confirm it's an honest example) that the watch is all original and had one previous owner. It certainly has a nice, fairly even patina and doesn't seem to have even been polished up.
Would a prospective buyer be put off by the fact it needs a service/repair?
Possibly the best thing to do would be to agree a deal with a prospective buyer whereby I send the watch to a specialist for appraisal/service/repair as part of the deal?
Or is it better to wait until I can afford to have it appraised/serviced/repaired by a reputable specialist and get that all done so I can advertise it as "guaranteed genuine/original and freshly serviced"?
I have had one offer from a vintage watch trader who wanted it for his own collection (it's his birth year) - he offered a bit below what I think it's worth currently.
Opinions please!
I have a bit of a dilemma. Short version of the story...
I treated myself to a 1968 Omega Seamaster 300 for my 30th birthday (2010) and I love the watch greatly.
I wore it almost daily until couple of years ago when it ground to a halt and, unable to afford a service/repair at a reputable specialist, I put it away in a drawer.
Having been out of work most of last year and only back in steady employment now, I'm a bit skint. I can't see me being able to justify spending £400+ to have the watch serviced/repaired in the foreseeable future (same cost for a major service for my 996 at the main dealer!).
So, do I keep it in a drawer and let it do its appreciation thing, or do I try to sell it?
It's a fair asset to have sitting doing nothing when the money could be put towards other things (the aforementioned 996 probably).
I guess if were to decide to sell I would need to find the right type of buyer. I know these watches are often faked or franken'd but I am assured (and online guides seem to confirm it's an honest example) that the watch is all original and had one previous owner. It certainly has a nice, fairly even patina and doesn't seem to have even been polished up.
Would a prospective buyer be put off by the fact it needs a service/repair?
Possibly the best thing to do would be to agree a deal with a prospective buyer whereby I send the watch to a specialist for appraisal/service/repair as part of the deal?
Or is it better to wait until I can afford to have it appraised/serviced/repaired by a reputable specialist and get that all done so I can advertise it as "guaranteed genuine/original and freshly serviced"?
I have had one offer from a vintage watch trader who wanted it for his own collection (it's his birth year) - he offered a bit below what I think it's worth currently.
Opinions please!
Would a prospective buyer be put off because it's broken? I imagine so, yes. Price offered would reflect the potential repair cost so expect a bit of a kicking I'd say. Having said that the Omega watch forum is very active and full of enthusiasts many of whom are happy to get stuck in themselves so worth a mosey over to see if there's interest. I expect you'll need a minimum number of posts before you can advertise though so you'll need to get active on there.
https://omegaforums.net
https://omegaforums.net
There are some good independents that have been recommended on this forum who will service that for much less than £400, especially as it is without complications. For example I had my Omega Speedmaster serviced at a cost of around £160 by Stephen Burrage http://www.rytetimewatchrepairs.co.uk/
Yeah as above - an independent all the day - as above or I've used Duncan before who was very reasonable @ https://thewatchbloke.co.uk/prices/
(doh - he's not taking anything at the moment it appears)
I'd be patient if financially possible - you seem to like it and quite rightly too.
(doh - he's not taking anything at the moment it appears)
I'd be patient if financially possible - you seem to like it and quite rightly too.
Edited by andy_s on Friday 14th April 16:13
They seem to retail at 5-7k depending on condition and papers etc...
So I'd imagine a trade bid would be 1.5-2.5k under that for a working watch? A broken one is asking for a bid in the nether regions, I'd get it fixed and then sell, pop the price of the service on a 0% credit card and then pay off once sold?
So I'd imagine a trade bid would be 1.5-2.5k under that for a working watch? A broken one is asking for a bid in the nether regions, I'd get it fixed and then sell, pop the price of the service on a 0% credit card and then pay off once sold?
Thanks very much for the input folks, helpful stuff.
I think i'll send it off to an independent specialist such as one of the above, get it sorted and see if it sells for what I think it's worth (I agree with the figures above and was offered £3k as-is).
Hopefully by the time it's fixed i'll be earning more again and won't need to sell it!
I think i'll send it off to an independent specialist such as one of the above, get it sorted and see if it sells for what I think it's worth (I agree with the figures above and was offered £3k as-is).
Hopefully by the time it's fixed i'll be earning more again and won't need to sell it!
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