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Old 16 February 2020, 11:18 AM   #31
oysterquartz17000
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I got my 16803 (avatar picture) off gumtree too, a few weeks ago. It was $5500USD for a full set box papers.
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Old 16 February 2020, 11:19 AM   #32
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Make friends with a good undertaker.
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Old 16 February 2020, 11:32 AM   #33
Kingsking
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Ive had good sucess with estate sales myself , got a old Breitling on a mismatched bracelet about 6 years ago for about $400 Canadian and i ended up selling the bracelet for more than $400 by itself, got an old Oyster perpetual 5501 last year for $900 , many many lower brand watches in lots like seiko,citizen,tissot etc that i paid pennies for and flipped for good money. 3 months ago i picked up a large lot of watch parts,boxes,reading material,papers,dealer trays etc for mostly Rolex watches, i paid $700 for the lot and ive already sold about $2000 worth of the stock with abot 60 items still to go. The good stuff is still out there , its just a matter if putting in the time and being lucky.
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Old 16 February 2020, 11:37 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by larryccf View Post
I've toyed with the idea of running ads in local or market specific newspapers - if you're looking for divers, and you're in Philly, you might try advertising in the navy base publication (if they have one specific to Philly), otherwise local papers, ie "Watch addict looking for old watches" - that will generally get some attention, especially from the older, as in retired, population, and who knows what will turn up.

2nd idea, i forget who, it might have been Steve Mulholland, but a forum member and seller here one day admitted he dumpster dove in his local Rolex RSC or service center's dumpster - considering how Rolex SVC centers act like older rolexes are still the property of rolex when sent in for repair, and will change out parts you don't want changed - you might turn up some interesting parts.

3RD SUGGESTION, i can't recall his name, but another poster here that i haven't seen here on the forum since my return, had a pawn shop in Manhattan and was something of a rolex expert with some exotic pcs always showing up. And apparently he had pawn shops around him who also dealt in vintage rolexes - that might be a good spot to look -- but be careful you know what you're buying is authentic

FWIW
Thanks for the thoughtful ideas! Helpful to think through..!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickn View Post
I found a mid 80’s ladies bi-metal in a charity shop last year
£10 ,I think, in a bag of cheap watches
I did post photos
And around 10 years back I found a 76 5513 at the kempton antique fair for £20
I can honestly say I was more excited finding the 5513 then the birth of my two soms
I was expecting them!
Wow awesome!! That’s like the grail of vintage watch hunting!! Who needs sons anyways....!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by larryccf View Post
another suggestion that just came to mind - i used to go to estate sales

you can call the auction houses that handle them and ask to be notified when they've got an estate sale with watch related items

i went to one where i picked up a shoe box of rolex parts, 4 diver's bracelet extensions, a sub case back and a 1665 caseback (that has proven to be questionable) - plus a number of small hand sets & a few rolex dials - apparently the former owner was a rolex watchmaker. But that box sold for far more than the $12 i paid for it

fwiw
I love that! Thank you!

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Originally Posted by Hkspwrsche View Post
I’m still seeing reasonable priced vintage Omega and Breitling. Seems the vintage Rolex market is already fully covered.
One of my biggest regrets was to let go a vintage Breitling Top Time. One of the most beautiful and unique specimens I’d come across. I was you and impressionable...

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Originally Posted by harry in montreal View Post
I got a Tudor 7017 ona 7206 five years ago on eBay for $140. That was my best score. I also turned down a 6263 Daytona back in 1998 for 12 grand. A genius I am not
Oh boy!!


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I had to google the Vlix one. Why is it so special or loved, limited and ...? I didn't even know about this character.



https://www.thebeardedtrio.com/2019/...ot-afa-85.html
Is this Fat_Ninja???


Quote:
Originally Posted by oysterquartz17000 View Post
I bought a 'fake' rolex off gumtree a year ago. The thing was, you could tell in the photos it was real. I went and collected it and sure enough it was a real Rolex date.
Awesome story!! Let’s hope my fake purchases are that lucky!!
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Old 16 February 2020, 12:02 PM   #35
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Originally Posted by oysterquartz17000 View Post
I got my 16803 (avatar picture) off gumtree too, a few weeks ago. It was $5500USD for a full set box papers.
wow that's cool..
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Old 16 February 2020, 05:52 PM   #36
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Are you serious? eBay is loads of fun. Total hodgepodge of nuts, crooks and fakers. It’s that one dumb dumb that you have to have to try to locate. I just love it. I’ve been ripped off before, but I cant stop. The only bigger group of nuts, crooks and idiots have to be antique shop owners and garage salers. You can try garage sales, but the net has simplified valuation so much so that even complete morons can ballpark their uncles datejust.
The allure of ebay distilled into a few brief sentences. Brilliant. You should write their ad copy.
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Old 16 February 2020, 11:30 PM   #37
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I've bought exactly 2 rolexes off the bay. One was a black dial 6694, that if flipped with better photos for a tidy profit, I didn't even get it serviced.

The other was a well worn DJ i restored at rsc to use as a daily dress watch.

In both cases, I had to know what I was seeing.

With recent models, you need to worry about super fakes. Too scary for me tbh. At least on most older models, the fakes are generally easier to spot and you more just need to know if anything was replaced at a service.

My best luck, though generally a little pricier than Ebay, I befriended a guy who turned out to be a watchmaker which owns a local shop that takes in trades. I sometimes get to see stuff before it goes in the case, which is priceless.
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Old 16 February 2020, 11:56 PM   #38
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a few years ago you could still pick up a bargain over on the Vintage Rolex Market, If you knew your stuff and watched the listings like a hawk, but you had to be quick, deals would vanish in an instant.
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Old 17 February 2020, 01:49 AM   #39
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My first date with this one, (pun intended). Just picked it up Friday, for south of 4 figures. Deals are out there
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Old 17 February 2020, 04:29 AM   #40
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My first date with this one, (pun intended). Just picked it up Friday, for south of 4 figures. Deals are out there
Great deal on that one.
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Old 19 February 2020, 01:49 AM   #41
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It seems to me that having real knowledge about vintage is a better advantage than knowing where to look. A guy who, for example, really knows vintage Omega- the models, which were cases in Suisse and which in the US, the original dials vs. service vs. refinished, - that guy can look at online auctions and find real value for less money. And if that guy knows how to do a little watch repair, it’s even better.

I really don’t see a substitute for knowledge in this game. I wish I had more.
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Old 19 February 2020, 09:49 AM   #42
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I really don’t see a substitute for knowledge in this game.
An alternative is to pay someone who has much more knowledge than you. There are some really good sellers whom you can trust absolutely and who make a living based on their reputation.
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Old 8 July 2020, 06:09 AM   #43
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Hey Travelair007,

Like yourself, I am a big advocate for tracking down and collecting vintage items, specifically watches. From my experience, I can tell you that being a vintage watch collector is no simple hobby due to the complexity of these high-quality timepieces, especially with the increasing number of counterfeits saturating market.

If we take just one example, possibly the most famous sports watch of them all, the Rolex Submariner. It is believed there are now more counterfeit Subs in circulation than there are of the real thing. So, where is the best place to buy from?

There are really only three main possibilities:
* Professional watch dealers (both online and offline)
* Private individuals
* Auction houses

Among them all, a dedicated online, reputable dealer will probably offer the best all round options of convenience, choice and protection for a novice buyer.

Before starting your hunt for a vintage timepiece of your own, I highly recommend learning as much as you can. Something I recently read that I believe you may find very helpful was reading buying guides for vintage watch articles. Good luck in your search!
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Old 8 July 2020, 06:14 AM   #44
ronricks
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Originally Posted by harry in montreal View Post
Are you serious? eBay is loads of fun. Total hodgepodge of nuts, crooks and fakers. It’s that one dumb dumb that you have to have to try to locate. I just love it. I’ve been ripped off before, but I cant stop. The only bigger group of nuts, crooks and idiots have to be antique shop owners and garage salers. You can try garage sales, but the net has simplified valuation so much so that even complete morons can ballpark their uncles datejust.
I have been on the search for something 'vintage' to buy for a good price and have restored but I always get cold feet when it comes time to pull the trigger even when I know the watch is legit. But, like you said it is fun to search.
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