Quote:
Originally Posted by greekbum
I have been buying watches for over 25 years and NEVER have I seen a watch for sale where the seller went down a list of every part to give a description like you have asked for as they cannot be 100% certain. They try and say as much as they know sometimes more than others though. I have also attended many live auction and also never noticed this.They usually let the watch speak for itself. Is this a new trend in collecting or buying and selling watches? Learning the most you can and asking questions before you buy is a must on anything.I would like to say that there are not many people in this hobby that can answer the questions you are asking with 100% certainty and be able to back it up with anything other than a refund if your not happy. Not even Rolex can answer some of those questions so is it a list to ask all sellers? On a 40 year old watch that has been serviced and bought and sold numerous times the answers you will get will be nothing more than opinions or made up stories as they don not know 100%. Unless they are the original owner and never had it serviced can you be sure. Everything else revolves around time spent learning ,experience and if needed opinions of others to make a buying decision on a watch that is acceptable to you. When I buy a watch I look at it 1st and then if I am interested ask questions if I have any. Example :My 1st question is how long have you owned it? Dealer says I bought it an hour ago from another dealer. Do you think he can answer those questions with anything other than his opinion? LOL. I say buy from a reputable dealer your comfortable with or know what you are buying. Happy Hunting
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Hi Nikos, point taken. Is true that we might never be able to tell if a watch had period correct parts put into it over 40 years and so is more a matter of expert opinion. However if for example, I bought a red sub that had service replacement parts or parts that were not period & reference correct and I wasn't explicitly informed about it by a seller because I didn't ask and bought in good faith, think anyone has a right to feel they were let down if was later discovered to be unoriginal. Moreso since a newbie buyer would place all his trust in a seller more than an expert buyer would, when it came to evaluating vintage watch attributes. Offcourse there are some attributes that many of us would overlook or take more lightly compared to critical requirements like having a original dial, case, hands, insert so I don't expect all the questions to be asked to the seller only, but to fellow forumers too out here by way of pictures, etc. based on what's important to them. At the end of the day, the buyer has a right to a watch that he intended to buy be he a newbie or a seasoned expert as much as the seller the right to receive his well earned money.
As for the trend for seeking out originality, I have just collated what has been repeated in these forums over the period I have been here into one place so that we have an idea of what the ideal attributes for an original collector grade watch are. Offcourse as in life, we might have to make compromises on what we finally buy, but atleast have knowledge of the compromises we have made so we don't end up disappointed but happy with our vintage and hence the list above:).