Vintage mechanical wrist-watches have seen a growth of interest in the last 10 years, as collectors and many others have focussed on this area.
Collectable brands include, Patek, Vacheron, Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Longines and Zenith. As with everything you really get what you pay for in the area of wrist-watches. A short list below gives some useful pointers for the 1st time buyer.
1. Check the return policy of the seller, if there isn't one, avoid!
2. Whilst many of us love a bargain, and you can find them on Ebay every day, avoid the many sellers, who are breaking Ebay rules and of course the law by selling fake watches.
3. Check that the watch you are wanting to bid on has been serviced and over-hauled. Otherwise you may get a nasty surprise, after purchase. High-grade Swiss wrist-watches can often be very expensive to service and overhaul, if you have to take them back to official agents.
4. With vintage wrist-watches it is normal to find them with restored dials. Do check that this has been done professionally, if so, this will ensure the watch retains its value. However, do avoid those watches with incorrectly restored dials using dreadful colors or changed to increase the value of the watch.
5. Check that the movement is also in good condition and there is a clear picture of this on the listing. Many vintage wrist-watches have suffered in the past, with earlier repairers using ammonical cleaning solvents which has often stripped the finish off movement plates. Also check to see the screws and plates are not mauled or scratched.
6. Final point - workingvs non-working - unless you are a capable restorer avoid watches which need work or cleaning. There are always gremlins and further problems the seller may not have seen or even known about. Unless very rare, there will always be another watch in better condition
No comments:
Post a Comment