WTB First Vintage Swiss Made Watch

The vintage market is fraught with danger for the inexperienced WIS. A lot of research is needed for those entering the market for the first time. Be wary of scams and false information. Compare the watch with others on the market. Allow for service costs after purchase. Never put much faith in a watch purported to have been recently serviced. Same goes for tha all too common phrase that " all functions work as they should"

And keep in mind that  vintage watch accuracy can be very disappointing for some one looking for modern day accuracy.

Look at 1000 pictures on the internet. Go to one of your local dealers (you live in a city that has them). Look at the watches in person.  Gauge the range in prices for what you like.

Vintage can mean anything from a trench watch to a 1980's quartz.  What era? Stainless or gold. I have vintage Swiss from the 1940's through the 1970's.  They are all as different as different could be.  The WRUW feed is a good one to check out.  See what @chronotriggered , @MrBloke , @WatchYourIntruder , @SimplyVintageWatches , @ChronoGuy have been wearing (sorry if I left out any of the vintage crew).

Do you prefer the 1960's clean look:

Or something older and fustier:

I have been on a generic Swiss kick recently.  They are inexpensive and have good movements. They are also less expensive to repair.

In addition to the names that you listed explore Eterna, Cyma, Atlantic, Rado, Titus, Mido, Longines, Nivada, even Invicta and Movado. There are a thousand of them.  The heavy hitters like Omega and Rolex bring a premium, but there is no wait.

I couldn't provide any better advice than @Aurelian or @foghorn 

What I would suggest is that you find those of us who have been collecting vintage watches for many years and let us know what you are thinking about buying. The good news is that this group on WatchCrunch has a vast collective knowledge and should be able to steer you in the right direction.

My simple advice is as follows: don't buy anything off of Etsy - it is a minefield filled with the worst excrement on the internet, don't buy anything from Bulgaria, India or Turkey - there are surely honest watchmakers and dealers in those countries, but these locations are where you will find "brand" name Swiss watches that have been redialed, reassembled from spare parts, frankensteined or worse. You rarely can rely on them as being proper vintage Swiss watches with good pedigree.

If you message me, I would be happy to share with you some of the dealers I have worked with who have sold me proper quality vintage timepieces.

I have written several posts on lesser known vintage Swiss brands that you might find helpful in building your knowledge before handing over your hard earned cash. 

Here are some links you might find of interest:

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-choisi-5235

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-titoni-5104

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-favre-leuba-4665

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-festina-4370

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-wakmann-5481

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-nivada-grenchen-croton-5583

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-dugena-4060

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-pontiac-5725

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-enicar-5918

https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-the-caribbean-7053

In full disclosure folks, this is not my first experience with vintage pieces. I have bought 20 to 60s watches from collector friends, had some gifted by family. Some are great, like my Hamiltons, Bulovas and Elgins...and some not so good like the Timex pieces gifted by folks. However, the target of the ask was to find a good reputable seller and get suggestions.  And thank you folks, all of you have provided me with excellent device.  And ChronoGuy, I'll be DMing you. :)  Thanks folks.

I am also looking for, and sorry for being vague in the beginning, a non diver, dress watch with no date complication. I've got my eye on Chrono24 for a early 70s Tissot Seastar. I love dauphine hands, thinking that they look really bold and beautiful.

Let me add a few countries to be suspicious of:  South Korea, Israel, Poland, Argentina, and Mexico.  My "spidey senses" go off when I see a 1950's Omega with a lavender dial (S. Korea) or an Eterna Kontiki without its distinctive case back (Mexico). I may being unfair to Poland.  It seemed to be one guy who came and went.

This is one of @ChronoGuy recommended websites: https://watches83.com/en/vintage-eterna-matic-watches/3320-eterna-matic-vintage-swiss-automatic-watch-cal-1472-u-beautiful-patina-.html 

I choose an Eterna listing because if given the choice I would choose vintage Eterna over Tissot nearly every time. But, tastes vary.

It is amazing how close to the Alpinist from Seiko this looks.

Great choice! That Eterna is beautiful and reasonably priced.

A lot of good info. I can only echo buying through a reputable dealer for the first time. You don't want to ruin the experience with a sketchy e-bay purchase.

Good Luck!

Or don’t - not trying to make this sound like an exclusive club (it’s not), or not fun (it is), but it can be a lot of hassle and a bad choice will knock you back many steps.

The key is movements, and therefore always pop the back and check. With higher grade pieces ( UG, Omega, etc…) always ask about service history.

Avoid pin-pallets, and you can not go wrong with a vintage Smiths.

Yes, I owned a vintage Smiths and it ran beautifully for a few hundred dollars. There are some very reputable dealers out of the UK.

And - be prepared to walk away from watches you fall in love with. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Lastly, avoid vintage complications, too much stress.

This is always great advice for starting out in vintage watches. A manual wind, time-only watch will be cheaper and easier to get serviced. 

Unless the seller provides documentation stating otherwise, assume any vintage watch will need to be serviced and factor that into the price you are willing to pay.

Folks, I have found a great dealer thanks to you folks and will be making a few purchases in a few days. :)  Thanks folks,