Selling watches

londoncommuter

Not bike related at all so sorry about that (I'll spend the proceeds on bike bits though so it almost counts). Has anyone got any tips on UK forums or the like to sell watches? As I never wear mine (don't want scratch it in any of the inevitable commuter crashes) I thought I should send it to a better home and free up some cash.

Spotted this site but it's mainly full of US people so will cost more to post and am wary of sending things overseas:

http://forums.watchuseek.com/forum.php

I guess there's ebay but I've no idea how much the watch is worth and if not a lot then I'd rather just hang on to it.

andyparker

I'm a member of watchuseek as well as here.

There are a healthy number of UK members there also and don't underestimate the lurkers who aren't regular posters but may well be regular posters. As far as I recall it has one of the biggest memberships of all the watch forums.

In addition to this shipping abroad isn't prohibitively expensive.

Aside from that there is ebay of course but depeneding on what you are selling the fees may soon add up.

There are watch dealer websites but in my experience they offer you stupidly low valuations as they are also looking to make a margin.

What exactly are you looking to sell? I think establishing your selling price needs to be the first port of call. Watchuseek generally do not give valuations - they will however tell you more about the watch and you can then use the extra info to do some digging on potential sale value.

guinea

http://www.tz-uk.com is good.

Howver, you need 250 posts before you can put up a sales post.

MarksMintness

Yes mate, watchfinder are very good, all UK based. Will value your watch and buy it for cash off you or sell on your behalf as a commission sale.

jordan_217

What watch is it?

londoncommuter

Thanks guys. It's a not worn much 2006 Sinn 656. Sinn have discontinued these so it's hard to get an idea of how much it would be worth. Not very realistic but I was hoping for a site with hundreds of London based Sinn fans! Would save postage, fees and having to try and take decent photos of tiny scratches.

andyparker

Link below is a search on "Sinn 656" in the sale section of watchuseek. There are quite a few sold Sinn 656 watches on there which should give you an indication of pricing.

There is also a specific Sinn forum within watchuseek

There are also a number of would like to buy threads for your watch which should mean there is some decent demand at the right price.

Apologies i can't be more specific as i am no Sinn expert.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/search.php ... id=3866832

Stevo_666

MarksMintness wrote:

Yes mate, watchfinder are very good, all UK based. Will value your watch and buy it for cash off you or sell on your behalf as a commission sale.

+1 for Watchfinder. Pretty efficient - they sold one of mine on commission in about 10 days from listing it for ony £250 less than I paid for it 5 years before (that's before their 15% cut but still not bad).

mrushton

try www.chronomaster.co.uk and see if he is buying?

londoncommuter

mrushton - he was but a slightly poor offer (half of what others have now offered). I suppose he has to make a profit selling on again but I thought that was a bit cheeky.

McBain_v1

This is an excellent thread. I have a 10-year old Omega Seamaster Professional that I am just about to send off for a service (£250 - damned expensive). I have my eye on either a Planet Ocean or a new Seamaster with the co-axial movement. Dunno what an old Seamaster would fetch, but it is always good to have an idea.

MarksMintness

McBain_v1 wrote:

This is an excellent thread. I have a 10-year old Omega Seamaster Professional that I am just about to send off for a service (£250 - damned expensive). I have my eye on either a Planet Ocean or a new Seamaster with the co-axial movement. Dunno what an old Seamaster would fetch, but it is always good to have an idea.

Hi McBain, that sounds expensive for a service?
I sent away my Seamaster Professional for an entire battery change and professional reseal (they totally clean the watch as well) and it only cost £70 from Ernest Jones.
Who quoted that and what are they doing for the service?
Watchfinder will quote you for a part-ex on your Seamaster no probs.

de_sisti

That price is cheaper that what Rolex quoted me for a service of my Explorer II, £435. However,
I found a Rolex service engineer in Manchester (with all of the right tools and access to genuine
parts) who services mechanical Rolexes from £150.

McBain_v1

@MarksMintness
My Seamaster is the purely mechanical self-winding version (with helium-release valve), not battery operated. I was quoted by the Omega boutique in the Trafford Centre. For that the engineer will totally dissassemble the watch, clean all the jewels, replace any worn gearing, replace the clasp (the bit that is most scratched) and polish the bracelet. The only thing that is making me pause is the fact that I will be without my watch whilst it is getting serviced. Mustering the £4,000 for the Planet Ocean might also cause a few marital issues as well, but since I already have 5 bikes I am not sure that I can legitimately direct it toward another...

Have always liked Omega watches. Tried on a few Tags, a lovely Patek Phillipe (that would have meant at least six mortgages on the house - but who wouldn't want a tourbillon minute-repeater??!) and a rather interesting IWC but I still keep coming back to Omega. Rolex are just too vulgar

MarksMintness

McBain_v1 wrote:

@MarksMintness
My Seamaster is the purely mechanical self-winding version (with helium-release valve), not battery operated. I was quoted by the Omega boutique in the Trafford Centre. For that the engineer will totally dissassemble the watch, clean all the jewels, replace any worn gearing, replace the clasp (the bit that is most scratched) and polish the bracelet. The only thing that is making me pause is the fact that I will be without my watch whilst it is getting serviced. Mustering the £4,000 for the Planet Ocean might also cause a few marital issues as well, but since I already have 5 bikes I am not sure that I can legitimately direct it toward another...

Have always liked Omega watches. Tried on a few Tags, a lovely Patek Phillipe (that would have meant at least six mortgages on the house - but who wouldn't want a tourbillon minute-repeater??!) and a rather interesting IWC but I still keep coming back to Omega. Rolex are just too vulgar

Hi mate, agreed - love Omega's and in particular the Planet Oceans!
Ok sounds like a pretty thorough service, so maybe not so bad a price after all. Hope mine never needs a full service like that! I have the humble Quartz Seamaster Professional, about 8 years old. Never skipped a beat

de_sisti

The Omega Planet Ocean is a nice watch. It weighs a ton. My Rolex Explorer II is being serviced at
the moment. I've been informed that it will be ready by Friday.

I'm due to start shift work soon, so the extra £500 per month (yes, £500) will help me fund the
Omega Railmaster that I'm after. I know they aren't made any more, so it'll have to be pre-owned.
This will add to my collection, which includes a couple of other mechanical watches
(which have the reliable ETA2824-2 movement).

McBain_v1

@De Sisti
Thanks for not rising to my daft Rolex comment

Don't you like the current Omega Railmaster (http://www.omegawatches.com/spirit/hall ... railmaster) or are you really hankering after a 1957 original? I must confess that I am also mooning after a Roger W Smith pocket watch for the ultimate in foppishness, but the price of that timepiece would beggar a 3rd world country (no wonder he's on the Isle of Man - more millionaires there than at one of Berlusconi's 'Bunga Bunga' parties!). Mind you, with an output of one per year I reckon that even if I win the lottery tomorrow I'll still be an ancient old fart before one comes my way.

de_sisti

McBain_v1 wrote:

@De Sisti
Thanks for not rising to my daft Rolex comment

Don't you like the current Omega Railmaster (http://www.omegawatches.com/spirit/hall ... railmaster) or are you really hankering after a 1957 original? I must confess that I am also mooning after a Roger W Smith pocket watch for the ultimate in foppishness, but the price of that timepiece would beggar a 3rd world country (no wonder he's on the Isle of Man - more millionaires there than at one of Berlusconi's 'Bunga Bunga' parties!). Mind you, with an output of one per year I reckon that even if I win the lottery tomorrow I'll still be an ancient old fart before one comes my way.

Yes, the one in your link is what I'm after. A jewellers on the High Street had a pre-owned one a couple of years ago.
I faffed about for a couple of weeks pondering if I could justify it. I decided that I could live on bread and water* for a while.
Eventually I went to the jewellers, but it had been sold. A visit to Goldsmiths some months later confirmed that Omega
had stopped producing them (after only recently re-introducing them).

*Only joking, but I would have made some economies somewhere.

Don't rule out Christopher Ward of London. His brand had some rave reviews on radio 4's "In Business" last year.

MarksMintness

De Sisti wrote:

I'm due to start shift work soon, so the extra £500 per month (yes, £500) will help me fund the
Omega Railmaster that I'm after. I know they aren't made any more, so it'll have to be pre-owned.
This will add to my collection, which includes a couple of other mechanical watches
(which have the reliable ETA2824-2 movement).

Love the Railmaster, big fan of the big old classy looking face. We are men, we like our things.

de_sisti

londoncommuter wrote:

Thanks guys. It's a not worn much 2006 Sinn 656. Sinn have discontinued these so it's hard to get an idea of how much it would be worth. Not very realistic but I was hoping for a site with hundreds of London based Sinn fans! Would save postage, fees and having to try and take decent photos of tiny scratches.

This model is being sold on chronomaster for £545

MattC59

MarksMintness wrote:

McBain_v1 wrote:

This is an excellent thread. I have a 10-year old Omega Seamaster Professional that I am just about to send off for a service (£250 - damned expensive). I have my eye on either a Planet Ocean or a new Seamaster with the co-axial movement. Dunno what an old Seamaster would fetch, but it is always good to have an idea.

Hi McBain, that sounds expensive for a service?
I sent away my Seamaster Professional for an entire battery change and professional reseal (they totally clean the watch as well) and it only cost £70 from Ernest Jones.
Who quoted that and what are they doing for the service?
Watchfinder will quote you for a part-ex on your Seamaster no probs.

I've got the same watch as McBain, the Co-Axial Chronometer. The £250 service is for a full strip down to component parts. It's also sent back to Switzerland so that their engineers can carry it out. The £70 from Ernest jones is exactly what you describe, a battery change, clean and re-seal, done by Ernest jones.

FWIW, the Co-Axial Chronometer may look good, but it keeps sh*t time. The 'humble' Quartz Seamaster, in my opinion keeps better time and looks the same. The 'Chronometer' certificate applies to the accuracy of the time keeping of a mechanical time piece. The fact that a quartz watch (or a £10 digital Casio) will keep better time, appears to have escaped Omega !! Still, I guess it depends whether you want a mechanical watch or not.

de_sisti

MattC59 wrote:

FWIW, the Co-Axial Chronometer may look good, but it keeps sh*t time. The 'humble' Quartz Seamaster, in my opinion keeps better time and looks the same. The 'Chronometer' certificate applies to the accuracy of the time keeping of a mechanical time piece. The fact that a quartz watch (or a £10 digital Casio) will keep better time, appears to have escaped Omega !! Still, I guess it depends whether you want a mechanical watch or not.

Matt, you're stating the obvious. Yes, a cheap Casio will be more accurate than a mechanical chronometer. However, lots of people
just love the craftsmanship that goes into making a mechanical watch.

MattC59

De Sisti wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

FWIW, the Co-Axial Chronometer may look good, but it keeps sh*t time. The 'humble' Quartz Seamaster, in my opinion keeps better time and looks the same. The 'Chronometer' certificate applies to the accuracy of the time keeping of a mechanical time piece. The fact that a quartz watch (or a £10 digital Casio) will keep better time, appears to have escaped Omega !! Still, I guess it depends whether you want a mechanical watch or not.

Matt, you're stating the obvious. Yes, a cheap Casio will be more accurate than a mechanical chronometer. However, lots of people
just love the craftsmanship that goes into making a mechanical watch.

Exactly, hence my last sentence.
However, that's not stating the obvious if you're not into watches.

mrushton

Mike Wood at www.theoldwatchshop.com is v.good and can often find things (once got me a stunning IWC ceramic Fliegerchron). Also he is a Rolex trained agent.

jordan_217

My brother is always picking up secondhand Omegas, Rolex and Ebels. He's recently got hold of a late 70's/80's Omega with an absolutely horrid yellow cordura like, fabric strap. The bezel and face are absolutely beautiful though.

I didn't realise there's such a strong market in secondand (higher end) watches. I suppose when you think of it though, a lot of them are more expensive than a secondhand car!

I would love the Omega Aquaterra (white face/blue markers) or Planet Ocean - they are absolutely stunning.

Has anyone ever used these guys for servicing?:

http://www.watchdoctors.co.uk/price-guide/

My Rado packed up last year (two weeks outside warranty) and Goldsmiths advised that I get it serviced every 18-24 months as the tension spring is prone to going on my particular model. They charged £130. The watchdoctor price list looks a bit cheaper.

de_sisti

I know what you mean Matt. But when you wrote;

The fact that a quartz watch (or a £10 digital Casio) will keep better time, appears to have escaped Omega !!

it came across as a bit disengenuos to Omega. I'm sure they know a thing or two about watches.

APIII

If someone were looking for a Panerai, what dealers would you suggest?

Pokerface

APIII wrote:

If someone were looking for a Panerai, what dealers would you suggest?

Any authorised dealer for Panerai - they are hard to come by.

ALso, check out Paneristi.com - they have the best selection of new and pre-owned Panerais for sale (it's a discussion forum but has a sales corner. I was big into this brand and the forum is the best resource for these watches. You can buy there with 100% confidence.)

rolf_f

De Sisti wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

FWIW, the Co-Axial Chronometer may look good, but it keeps sh*t time. The 'humble' Quartz Seamaster, in my opinion keeps better time and looks the same. The 'Chronometer' certificate applies to the accuracy of the time keeping of a mechanical time piece. The fact that a quartz watch (or a £10 digital Casio) will keep better time, appears to have escaped Omega !! Still, I guess it depends whether you want a mechanical watch or not.

Matt, you're stating the obvious. Yes, a cheap Casio will be more accurate than a mechanical chronometer. However, lots of people
just love the craftsmanship that goes into making a mechanical watch.

Quite! I just can't understand why anyone would pay £100s or £1000s for a watch with a quartz movement; you are getting (unless you get into really serious money) a stainless steel case and a bit of glass encasing a mechanism that cost 50p to make. Either keep it below £100 with a battery (which is all you need to pay for a nice looking quartz watch) or get a nice watch with a proper movement. Expensive watches with batteries are all fur coat and no knickers; you may as well just get a fake and have done with.

Incidentally, Bentley make a big deal about how their clocks are made by Breitling but they never seem to mention that the clocks are identical to those in a VW with only the dial being different. That neatly manages to trash the images of both companies

PS my 1967 Omega Constellation is far nicer than anything Omega make today (sadly, taste and high end watches seem to be mutually exclusive nowadays). What you can get on Ebay are all sorts of relatively unknown brands with decent movements for only a few quid - that's were the sensible money goes!