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The watch thread: pocket, wrist, sporty, showy? You name it!

Chaps - can I ask, has anybody had any dealings with this eBay watch seller, or perhaps know him in the real world ?

He has a very large stock of second-hand watches for sale on there - some 1300+
I'm interested in one of the watches. The seller has a 100% positive feedback history - but I have had a couple of odd replies in response to a query.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30401920...d=link&campid=5338728743&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

Trades as 'haldancoln' on there, operating out of Newport.
Anybody know or know of him/her ?
 
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He's managed to spell "Kinetic" wrong five times in that listing, which doesn't inspire confidence if you're a grammar/spelling Nazi like myself.
 
narabdela said:
He's managed to spell "Kinetic" wrong five times in that listing, which doesn't inspire confidence if you're a grammar/spelling Nazi like myself.
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Seeker_UK said:
Buy a new one for £205?

https://www.francisandgaye.co.uk/seiko-5-sports-mens-automatic-watch-SRPD53K1-p28752/s34836
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Yes indeed :)

It was actually a different watch I was looking at:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30402169...d=link&campid=5338728743&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

(Advertised 3 times at two different prices incidentally. And btw If anyone can find one of that exact model for sale elsewhere - do please let me know: I really do like that one.)

Anways, the ad states "The capacitor has been replaced with new Seiko parts and it has been resealed." Given the thing was advertised at nigh on NOS price, I messaged him asking if with the work done, would it still be safe to use in water ? The response I got back was literally "That depends on the skill and expertise of the watch-repairer". Well No Sh1t Sherlock :)

Biting my tongue.. I followed up with a polite query as to whether it had been rebuilt 'by an expert' - and got simply in response "What is rebuilt ?"

I'm out at this stage anyway - but just curious as to what is going on, whether there is an actual person behind the account, or if it's some kind of clearing house for used watches bought and sold in large numbers on various sites around the web ?
 
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I'd take that response to assume no pressure test has been carried out. If it had, a reputable watch repairer should be able to provide the pressure test results.
 
If you’re into Seiko mods, this guy, also in Thailand, is worth looking at. I’m not sure about the AP copies, but some of the obviously Seiko cosmetic tweaks are impressive.
 
jimbob75 said:
I'd take that response to assume no pressure test has been carried out. If it had, a reputable watch repairer should be able to provide the pressure test results.
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My take on those responses was that the person who replied had no actual knowledge of the watch in question. This would reinforce the clearing house theory.
 
Full exchange, for info's sake..

Me: Hi. Does the watch still retain its waterproofing after having been rebuilt and sealed ?
Seller: That would depend on the expertise of the person rebuilding the watch

Me: Was it rebuilt by an expert ?
Seller: I have no idea if it was rebuilt? What is rebuilt?

Reaching the end of my tether (I only ever use the word 'mate' with those who for one reason or another have managed to annoy me intensely.. )

Me: Dont worry mate, you've told me enough. Ciao
Seller: Sorry mate, I just have no idea about this rebuild stuff....no worries


The second exchange made me think it was either somebody being coy/dodging the question or perhaps genuinely not familiar with English as a first language. The last exchange looks a bit more colloquial, so more likely the former. Either way though - somewhat of a long stretch to believe that a seller can sit on a stock of over a thousand used watches for sale on eBay and not be familiar with the term 'rebuilt' :)
 
Omega-HS8-W0206-scaled.jpg

I have recently been clearing out my late Mother's house and came across my Father's old wrist watch, identical to the one in the picture above apart from the strap.

It's a government issue Omega HS8, Case No. 4868 Movement No 9917936. My Father was in the Parachute Regiment and I remember him telling me years ago that the watch was issued to him in 1944 (I think) when he got his "wings" and just before he was dropped over Nijmegen as part of Operation Market Garden. He also wore it on active service in Palestine, so it has seen some action!

There is a small card with the watch bearing the Omega logo saying it was checked and reconditioned by the Omega Watch Co in 9/47. I don't think it was ever serviced again, and has lain untouched in a box for the last twenty years or more.

The watch goes a bit but keeps stopping. What would be the best way of getting it fixed: send it back to Omega again, or take it to a local watch repairers? They aren't rare and seem to sell on eBay for anything between around £1,500 and £2,500, so worth fixing, but not spending silly money on. I won't be selling it but I'd like to get it going again and wear it.
 
I'd be careful about sending a watch like that with such sentimental value to Omega simply because I've heard stories of them replacing 'worn' dials etc and folk getting back a watch that's not quite their watch anymore.
 
MikeMA said:
Omega-HS8-W0206-scaled.jpg

I have recently been clearing out my late Mother's house and came across my Father's old wrist watch, identical to the one in the picture above apart from the strap.

It's a government issue Omega HS8, Case No. 4868 Movement No 9917936. My Father was in the Parachute Regiment and I remember him telling me years ago that the watch was issued to him in 1944 (I think) when he got his "wings" and just before he was dropped over Nijmegen as part of Operation Market Garden. He also wore it on active service in Palestine, so it has seen some action!

There is a small card with the watch bearing the Omega logo saying it was checked and reconditioned by the Omega Watch Co in 9/47. I don't think it was ever serviced again, and has lain untouched in a box for the last twenty years or more.

The watch goes a bit but keeps stopping. What would be the best way of getting it fixed: send it back to Omega again, or take it to a local watch repairers? They aren't rare and seem to sell on eBay for anything between around £1,500 and £2,500, so worth fixing, but not spending silly money on. I won't be selling it but I'd like to get it going again and wear it.
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What a lovely thing. Don’t think I’d send it to Omega. Have a chat with the likes of Watch Doctors in Tring about how it could be sympathetically restored.
 
Lovely watch!

Definitely don't send it back to Omega for the reasons stated above. Although the current value is not that high, bear in mind military watches have really appreciated over the last decade or so. This particular model was probably worth about GBP500 earlier.

You need to find a good watch tech to service and if needed, fix/change the worn mechanical parts. I don't know the cosmetic condition of yours but vintage watches, especially military ones, retain their value (both sentimental and monetary) only when kept as original as possible. Many fully 'restored' old watches are worth a lot less to collectors. Hence, unless the condition is very bad, do not redo the dial or change the hands, polish the case or otherwise change any of the non-mechanical parts of the watch. The patina and scratches are a testament to the age of the watch and the battle scars (literally!) of your father's. The strap can of course be changed and the crystal given a light polish to remove bad scratches.
 
That is a very vauable, both in personal family history, and in the market watch. You need to document your fathers military action when he wore the watch and keep it with the watch. I would use a non Omega service agent with access to Omega parts. A good choice might be Watchguy for the pictures he takes whilst he services watches. They would go with the documentation of the watch showing it is authentic in and out.
I think if it was mine I would display mount it with details of its military action and keep it in the family handed down the generations.
 
Sicura Watches..

Can anybody tell me - why these are being pitched at such large prices on online web-sites.. ?
Have been idly browsing them, as I had one when I was a teenager - which must mean they weren't that expensive at the time - and half fancied seeing if I could pick up another one relatively cheaply.

https://www.chrono24.com/sicura/wordtimer--id19244214.htm

Mine was not unlike this one. Ran ok for a couple of years, then stopped working. I entrusted it to another sallow youth from school who worked in Saturdays in a local jewellers to see if he could get the man that owned the shop to fix it. Got handed it back 3 weeks later by a sheepish looking mate, with the back well and truly chewed to bits after successive attempts to open it with the wrong tools failed (belated thanks Melvyn :rolleyes::)) Hadn't the heart to give out to him as he had been trying to do me a favour.

Anyways..here's another couple:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32418708...d=link&campid=5338728743&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/17488827...d=link&campid=5338728743&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

Simple mechanisms (not chronometers) - the top one not even working, and at the time of posting being advertised at £430 plus. The Breitling connection you see on some of the listings is bollox btw - Sicura rescued Breitling when they ran out of money at one stage, but never incorporated Breitling mechanisms into any of their own lower priced range.

The cheaper ones like the last one above either seem to have lots of wear and pitting on the cases, or have seemingly been 'polished' with a wire brush by a semi-trained gorilla, but either way definitely do not exude 'quality'. They seem to be asking huge prices for what look to me to be slightly interesting, but otherwise not very well made watches that have unexciting mechanisms, and often with badly worn cases.

Am I missing something - why would anybody pay such relatively large sums of money for these things ?
 
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I would wait for a UK sourced one to appear at a more sensible price. It's the sort of thing you can pick up at a car boot for a fiver.
 
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