WATCH POP

This watch sold for $180.00 and it's one that I would usually pay about $100 for.
Poor dial, dirty, non original crown and standard regulator and not even a Seamaster model.
Been seeing others paying $200 - $300 for bumper sub second models in similar condition.
Maybe I'm out of touch with prices, but some of these prices just seem too high.
Funny thing is it was bought by Seamaster Baron, but watch wasn't a seamaster model.
DON
I wouldn't have paid more than 50 bucks for that. You figure your time and money to get it back up to suff and you only got a $125 watch. I've seen other Omega's in worst shape than that selling like they were prestine examples! I'm still trying to figure out what they are seeing that I'm not. I love Omega's, but c'mon!! $78.00 for a movement and dial with a missing index and not running.
I used to buy these for $30 last year and in one auction I bought close to 8 movements + various bumper parts for $48.00 (guess no one saw that auction).
There was even a Chronometer bumper movement with RG regulator (main reason for bidding) in the parts and everything was there to complete the movement.
Getting tougher to bid on the watches and parts.
DON ...I have recently been looking at Hamilton 10 & 12 size pocket watches, (once again!), and noticed a lot of the prices are surprisingly high compared to what they were within only the past year.
The larger Railroad grade watches were already gaining high prices but now even the Grades 917, 910, 912, etc, often have very high asking prices even in gold-filled cases. For example I've seen GF Grade 917s in the region of US$300 - $400, when these were generally selling around or below US$100 (& often well below). You'll still find them at the lower price, but the ranks are growing thinner. Interestingly, condition is not necessarily the controlling factor. You can find the watches in just as good, or better, condition than the higher priced examples. In fact some of the ones with the high prices are quite rough and haven't had any value-added in the form of cleaning/servicing. They are just offered "as-is". The higher Grades 921, 922, 923, etc, are becoming hard to find at reasonable prices. It does appear that many sellers, (on ebay, at least), are simply trying it on. I suppose they do sell to uninformed buyers.
Mind you, even at the inflated prices being asked most of these watches, and particularly the higher grades, are still out & out bargains relative to most new watches. So, it could be said that these watches were overdue for such an increase in value..? Yes, I think some increase was likely due to collector demand, but the magnitude of the increases I am seeing seem to be well beyond that. Doubling or tripling of asking prices within a year or so is not a normal market increase. I see it as sellers "grabbing for all the gusto they can".
Paul. According to my parts supplier. Omega will be raising the price on some vintage parts 50%.
A screw now costs me $5.50 Canadian if I need for an Omega
A 3xx series balance is $125.00 and a number of bumper parts are now discontinued.
Glad I got what I got, but always looking for more, but how much is too much to pay for parts watches of movements?
Wouldn't pay close to $80.00 for a regular movement unless it was something special. I did pay $140.00 for a Constellation movement, but only as I had a NOS case to fit it in to. Movement alone I wouldn't have bought.
Still going to find the occasional deal, but not as much as usual.
DON About a couple of years ago. I just seen the same model go for twice what I paid, but still a bargain I guess if you tried to buy one in jewelery store. As for this craziness, I seen an Omega that was in rough shape like the one you pictured in your first post. I was watching it and it was at $20 with an hour to go. I thought well that'll be a nice watch to fix up. It ened up selling for $125!! There has been a lot of advertising for internet auction sites on TV and radio here in the UK and probably elsewhere.
This has resulted in lots of people signing up and bidding putting prices of vintage Omegas way up compared to a couple of years ago.
Its good for sellers but less good for buyers.
Cheers, Neil. ...comparing to some other currencies in last three years or so.
When I started collecting wristwatches in 2000, one US Dollar exchanged for 39 Czech Korunas (the local currency). Now the exchange rate is approx. 1:22. The descent of Dollar against Euro is not so huge (I think) but still significant. I am sure this factor affects the final prices fetched in US eBay auctions too. Nowadays I rarely look at the German eBay because buying from the United States is usually much cheaper, despite all the shipping costs, BidPay costs etc.
Martin it's not flippers, it's that most of the commonly needed 3xx parts are no longer available, and many of the ones that are available are ridiculously expensive. While searching for a crown wheel driving wheel for my 354 (still searching by the way), I saw that, while one parts house still has the shorter 330 series wheel, they want something like US$40 a piece for them! At that point, even these prices may be economical. ...wristwatches, and my viewing of the market for these particular watches on ebay over the past 3 years would indicate that the flippers are indeed affecting the prices.
If I had been adressing Omega wristwatches, (an area in which I do not have Don's experience), I'd have specified that in my post.
Paul. It's true, I have some omega pocket watches, I bought then 2,3 years ago at US$100, US$150, now I have seen the same models for US$200, US$300 (double) it's too high prices, I always look for damaged watches (it's not so expensive) in my off days I repair then (I'm watchmaker),
wilson
Aruba Island