# ebay Indian sellers - are "serviced" watches actually serviced decently?



## unwatched

I see a lot of "vintage" watches from ebay selelrs in India/Singapore. They look like the dials are repainted/replaced and I suspect the hands may not be original on at least some of them, which is OK. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money or become a serious collector, just something like a $50-$60 dress watch from a lesser-known Swiss brand like a Titoni or Favre Leuba that looks nice and I can wear on occasion, even if it is not all-original. 

Most of the sellers claim their watches are serviced. Any experience with these types of sellers? Are the watches actually serviced? Was the service done competently so the watch will actually run for a while? Can anyone recommend a reliable seller for something along these lines?

Thanks


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## JohnF

Hi -

On eBay, you really have to buy the sellers. I can't recommend one here...perhaps that says it all. 

JohnF


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## Erik_H

If you were to buy a vintage (say, Favre Leuba) that has been competently serviced in Singapore, it would be substantially more expensive than $50-$60.


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## ulackfocus

Regardless of the country the watch is being sold from, I would be VERY skeptical of a claim of "recently serviced". Recently? How recently? Is the seller using galactic terms? Recent in space is within the last 10,000 years! 

Also, we have members from India who have ranted about the proliferation of fakes & frankens on eBay. I'd stay far away from any listing originating there. While I'm sure there are legitimate watches being sold, the odds are not in your favor so why risk it? If the deal sounds too good to be true, it is.


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## Marrick

You don't say where you live. Assuming its North America or Europe, bear in mind the shipping/postage costs as well as import duties that might apply. Should a watch prove to be unsatisfactory, you then have to return it to India. The sellers usually offer a refund for the watch - but not for the shipping costs. 

One of the major considerations, though, is that the standard and authenticity of the dial refinishing leaves much to be desired. You will see Favre-Leubas with bright orange, yellow, or turquoise dials that are somewhat grotesque - and nothing like the real thing.


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## jimw

My first rookie mistake was to buy a Cyma (pictured below) from one of these outfits in Mumbai. It did arrive quickly, and was (is) a beautiful piece with an original dial.

Problem is, it immediately started losing 4-5 minutes a day. I took my Seamaster into a watchmaker to have that serviced, and he asked to look at the movement of my Cyma as well - in short, he indicated that parts had 'been made to fit', and that he couldn't service it aside from replacing the movement.

Too bad, really. They showcase their watches rather well in the eBay ads, and probably some of them are good values; still, I won't be making that same mistake again.










Marrick said:


> You don't say where you live. Assuming its North America or Europe, bear in mind the shipping/postage costs as well as import duties that might apply. Should a watch prove to be unsatisfactory, you then have to return it to India. The sellers usually offer a refund for the watch - but not for the shipping costs.
> 
> One of the major considerations, though, is that the standard and authenticity of the dial refinishing leaves much to be desired. You will see Favre-Leubas with bright orange, yellow, or turquoise dials that are somewhat grotesque - and nothing like the real thing.


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## newmedia

major buyer aware!....;-)


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## unwatched

I think I get the picture.:rodekaart


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## tumas

well I just ordered a vintage omega watch yesterday from a seller out of Mumbai.

http://host.jwcinc.net/4194080/december/kehelkhelmein1.JPG

I will let you know how it is when it arrives. I ordered it because he had pretty flawless feedback.


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## unwatched

Man, that is one beautiful watch. Do report back. 

Most of those sellers do have flawless or close to it feedback. Which makes me think I might risk a few bucks. At worst, I'll be out $40-50 bucks, at best I'll have a nice-looking watch to wear for a couple of years. If it ain't all authentic, I'm OK with that.


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## ulackfocus

tumas said:


> well I just ordered a vintage omega watch yesterday from a seller out of Mumbai.
> 
> http://host.jwcinc.net/4194080/december/kehelkhelmein1.JPG
> 
> I will let you know how it is when it arrives. I ordered it because he had pretty flawless feedback.


Just because a seller has good feedback doesn't mean that his customers can tell a franken from an original. Are you okay that it's a redial at the least?


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## Somewhere else

I've bought several watches from India. Three Favre leuba and one Universal Geneve microrotor. I purchased from different buyers in each instance.

All the watches were rubbish. Mechanically, all three Favre Leuba were in very bad condition, and their case backs in particularly were so badly damaged that even buffing wouldn't help.

The Universal Geneve had a case that was very heavily sweat damaged. The movement was very costly to repair.

Don't was your money. Don't buy from India.


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## radger

I bought an Omega Seamaster 30 from India once and was amazed
at the corrosion on the stainless steel back, deep pitting was left in
areas after their attempt to polish out.

The movement was badly tarnished with corrosion on polished parts, poorly
maintained.... 
and the dial, well it looked good in the pics but it turned out to be the worst
dial repaint I ever saw....

I was less wise and naive when I bought this watch but I learned a lesson...warm,
humid climates and sweat, eat vintage wristwatches.


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## Chascomm

I just got a late-model Allwyn from India 'recently serviced'. The watch looks better than the photos and runs great.










The seller had a big variety of made in India (HMT, Allwyn, Ricoh, Timestar) and made _for_ India (West End, Anglo-Swiss) watches, as well as the usual Swiss big names with vividly repainted dials. There was one very bright Favre-Leuba that looked nothing like original, but the movement was a genuine Twin-Power. I'd consider buying from him again, but probably only another Indian-made watch.


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## Silent Speaker

I don't know about Singapore, but from what I could see myself (and what I've been told and read on here) these 'vintage/serviced' jobs from India are mostly frankens.

I see so many "omega seamasters" from one or two particular sellers which have such obvious (terrible) re-dialling. I remember one "easter special" seamaster with a vivid violet dial  - I don't know if Omega actually made these but _damn_, that thing was hideous!)

Despite all these signs one wonders why so many scramble to bid on them? I think I remember one that went up to about 500USD ; so itching for brand recognition that they don't stop to do their homework first and get in a bidding war for essentially junk (or at least, what is very most likely junk).

If you're gonna buy from India, get something _Indian_, like HMT. And probably not off ebay, as a precaution. From all accounts they're rather good


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## fireal

ask for pictures of the movement and u'll get a clue as to whether the watches are really serviced .From my experience , they arent.


im from singapore and yes you're right , most of these high volume vintage watch ebay traders from singapore get their stocks from india/pakistan. most common issues so far are fake or poorly repainted dials , faulty movements , and fake cases ( manufactured in vietnam)


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## tumas

ulackfocus said:


> Just because a seller has good feedback doesn't mean that his customers can tell a franken from an original. Are you okay that it's a redial at the least?


im fine with a redial, but can you guys help me tell if this is a franken?

http://host.jwcinc.net/4194080/december/kehelkhelmein7.JPG


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## fireal

here u can prolly compare it with this

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Omega_26_5_2


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## Somewhere else

fireal said:


> ask for pictures of the movement and u'll get a clue as to whether the watches are really serviced .From my experience , they arent.
> 
> im from singapore and yes you're right , most of these high volume vintage watch ebay traders from singapore get their stocks from india/pakistan. most common issues so far are fake or poorly repainted dials , faulty movements , and fake cases ( manufactured in vietnam)


As well as having bad experiences with India I've also had bad experiences with watches from Singapore. While the case and dials were acceptable to good, the movements were in very poor condition.


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## Barnaby

tumas said:


> im fine with a redial, but can you guys help me tell if this is a franken?
> 
> http://host.jwcinc.net/4194080/december/kehelkhelmein7.JPG


It looks like it contains some mismatched parts. Also, the condition of the screwheads suggests some very sloppy work in the past. I'd avoid it except as a super-cheap project watch to muck about with. Still - I'm not an expert. The poster above me is, so they'd be the best person to answer.


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## ulackfocus

tumas said:


> im fine with a redial, but can you guys help me tell if this is a franken?
> 
> http://host.jwcinc.net/4194080/december/kehelkhelmein7.JPG


Ooof! That's seen some hard times. The gilt finish is practically worn off. :-(


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## tumas

ulackfocus said:


> Ooof! That's seen some hard times. The gilt finish is practically worn off. :-(


I prob should have consulted you guys before pulling the trigger, oh well, wasnt that much $.


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## rx2man

Same with South America, humid there as well, I got a couple I wish I did not get.


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## mazdamx594

Hi All,

I am fairly new here and was intrigued by this particular thread, as I _was_ about to pull the trigger on a favre leuba sandow from one of those Indian ebay retailers. I guess my question is very similar to the original post, however, here goes... I realize the dial is repainted, I am fine with that. While some repaints are certainly horrific, the one listed below seems to be tasteful (no wild colors, poorly done lettering, etc) and I am not concerned about originality, just a vintage winder that works. According to this particular seller they claim the watch was "serviced" and keeping accurate time, but after reading several threads here I know that may not always be the case. However, this particular seller does not charge for shipping and will refund if not keeping time. The cost to return would be about 8.50. So after all that, should I or should I not pull the trigger??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...4379&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_12567wt_1032

Thanks!
Chris


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## pacifichrono

mazdamx594 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I am fairly new here and was intrigued by this particular thread, as I _was_ about to pull the trigger on a favre leuba sandow from one of those Indian ebay retailers. I guess my question is very similar to the original post, however, here goes... I realize the dial is repainted, I am fine with that. While some repaints are certainly horrific, the one listed below seems to be tasteful (no wild colors, poorly done lettering, etc) and I am not concerned about originality, just a vintage winder that works. According to this particular seller they claim the watch was "serviced" and keeping accurate time, but after reading several threads here I know that may not always be the case. However, this particular seller does not charge for shipping and will refund if not keeping time. The cost to return would be about 8.50. So after all that, should I or should I not pull the trigger??
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200454944379&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_12567wt_1032
> 
> Thanks!
> Chris


*ALERT!*
While this looks like a decent watch, especially for the price, it is only *30mm* in case diameter. That is VERY small, even by vintage standards.


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## mazdamx594

Thanks Tom, 

I noticed that too, but I actually have one that is 26.5mm and while that one looks a bit small on me, it is only slightly so as I have small wrists. You think otherwise it looks solid?

Chris


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## radger

The watch looks to be in nice condition.


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## JohnF

Hi -

Terrible redial, at least from the picture. The "B" in Leuba is wrong, and "ALRESIST"?

All Resist I could understand, even ALL RESIST, but what do they have against Al?

JohnF


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## Roland Ranfft

Hi ladies,

after lots of discussions I wonder why still people waste their bucks for 
such trash: Primitively printed dials (lucky if without misprints), cases 
polished down to formless chunks, seriously corroded movements.

And sorry, I can't read the excuse "not many $$$" any longer, because 
these items aren't even acceptable as donor watches.

Anyway, it is still worth while to watch the offers of these sellers. Most are 
quite honest, and the photos usually don't hide the whole desaster. And if 
among 100 made up cadavers there is one jewel, it will still remain cheap 
because many bidders simply click further after reading Mumbai or similar.

Regards, Roland Ranfft


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## pacifichrono

JohnF said:


> Hi -
> 
> Terrible redial, at least from the picture. The "B" in Leuba is wrong, and "ALRESIST"?
> 
> All Resist I could understand, even ALL RESIST, but what do they have against Al?
> 
> JohnF


Yes, the "B" does look bizarre! I did a little checking on the "ALRESIST" and found several examples with this same spelling. Some were on old watches that were obviously not redialed. One owner said his had an inside "dust cover" that may have been the inspiration for the "ALRESIST" branding. :think:


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## MikeTheWatchGuy

I liked the earlier post that says *you're buying the seller*. Great way to sum up buying on ebay - watches, watch parts, tools, anything else watch related.

Sometimes I've been able to take a gamble and be OK, but anytime I hear a little voice in my head, I stop myself immediately (I'm only talking about the ebay little voice, not the other ones :-d ). Some sellers I buy from I *know* already, in advance, that what I'm getting may be of questionable quality. But if the price matches my expectation, I go ahead with the purchase since he's at least reliable and I know him.


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## hctaw

wow...lots of great info here...unfortunately,most comments seem to indicate the risk would not be worth the disappointment, in what a buyer would likely receive...I think I will continue to just look....good to hear that some were happy with their purchase|>


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## mrsnak

The watch did sell for relative peanuts. Someone got a decent buy, redial and all.


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## geoffm

unwatched said:


> I see a lot of "vintage" watches from ebay selelrs in India/Singapore. They look like the dials are repainted/replaced and I suspect the hands may not be original on at least some of them, which is OK. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money or become a serious collector, just something like a $50-$60 dress watch from a lesser-known Swiss brand like a Titoni or Favre Leuba that looks nice and I can wear on occasion, even if it is not all-original.
> 
> Most of the sellers claim their watches are serviced. Any experience with these types of sellers? Are the watches actually serviced? Was the service done competently so the watch will actually run for a while? Can anyone recommend a reliable seller for something along these lines?
> 
> Thanks


Hi there,

I am gathering that you are viewing the listings of the seller Limra24 on ebay, based in Mombai? Well all I can say is steer clear..
I am not well versed in watch collecting but joined this forum to find out the authenticity of an Edox watch I purchased off him recently (see my post Edox AS 1950/51 in this section). The general view was that it is not authentic and I am inclined to to agree since when I contacted him , without hesitation he offered me a partial refund - which I accepted since it would be too much bother to return it to him. I have just put it down to experience. I have kept an eye on what he is selling since and he now has a flood of Edox watches for sale. I can not say that all his watches are not genuine since I am not educated in vintage watches, but spot the difference in these 2 Omega watches,( 1 of them has the same hands as my counterfeit Edox) - I know I would not have been happy if I had spent a few hundred GBP. I would say steer clear of this seller on ebay, if he will lie to me he will lie to you, happy watch hunting,
Geoff:-!


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## ulackfocus

geoffm said:


> spot the difference in these 2 Omega watches


Geoff, the first picture may very well have Omega hands but they are not original to the watch as you suspect. They're called dauphine style and were commonly used on older Geneve and Constellation models that were more suited for dress watches. The second picture does appear to have the correct hands - but you never know if they are truly original to the watch as they may have been replaced with the correct style somewhere in the watch's lifetime.

I'm sorry to hear you got scammed by a franken watch, but it was a valuable lesson. You certainly aren't likely to make that mistake again, huh? It happens to all of us once in a while.


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## Erik_H

It all comes down to two things to avoid disasterous buys. First: Study all information you can find about the watch you want to buy. Do not buy the first one you see if you have no knowledge about it at all. What may look like a too good to be true deal may just be that. Get some knowledge on a few models that interest you and focus on them. Buy a book that is applicable for what you want. Sooner or later you will be able to see the good, the bad and the ugly. Second: Qualify the seller, do not trust people with lower percentage (ebay). If it is a vintage watch that you are unsure about, avoid Ukrainian sellers, and Indian sellers with any colourful dials among what they offer.


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## geoffm

You are right about that ulackfocus - once bitten twice shy. However the watch does keep remarkably good time!! & thankfully I didn't lose too much $$ so I havent got too much to grumble about. I have noticed he put a few Rolex Oyster watches up which do show signs of corrosion on the case etc and to the untrained eye look like a safe bet. The buyers of these have made no complaints. Maybe he just throws a couple of franken watches in here and there. I have got to say he was quick to respond and settle things. but you are right:
that's what I get for buying off eBay!!! o|
lol, Geoff


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## mazdamx594

Hey All,

Thanks for all of your responses, and I apologize for my delayed response. I ended up bidding on the watch and won. I have since received it and was pleasantly surprised to find it running at +15-30sec/day. As far as the redial, in person it looks great, shy of the "B" as noted in an earlier post. The spelling of alresist turns out to be correct, given other models I found (it struck me as odd at first) however I have not popped the case yet as I don't have the proper tool for a watch this size. As expected, the strap was terrible, which I promptly replaced. Overall a good purchase. Thanks again for all of your kind advice.

This is with the old strap:









And with the new one:









Regards, 
Chris


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## Madprof

I bought a cheapie from watchmenspro in India for $35. They maintain they reprint the old dials with radium paint, but the one I got was NOT glowing in the slightest in the dark. If you put it in the sun they glow for awhile. I suspect they just use luminous paint and think its radium paint. Also loses about 5 minutes per hour!!! Real JUNK. I could buy a watch from the market at $5 that glows and keeps good time!!!


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## Hartmut Richter

Welcome to Watchuseek and thanks for the info. That about sums it all up quite nicely..... :roll:

Hartmut Richter


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## mike184

Yes, we all should buy a watch from the market at $5 that glows and keeps good time and forget those vintage watches! ;-)


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## pithy

Madprof said:


> I bought a cheapie from watchmenspro in India for $35. They maintain they reprint the old dials with radium paint, but the one I got was NOT glowing in the slightest in the dark. If you put it in the sun they glow for awhile. I suspect they just use luminous paint and think its radium paint. Also loses about 5 minutes per hour!!! Real JUNK. I could buy a watch from the market at $5 that glows and keeps good time!!!


Could you tell us more about the specifics of your watch and perhaps post a picture or two?

Thanks in advance!

p


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## parrotandpitbull

I was interested in purchasing an Indian made watch and bought a supposedly NOS Timestar ( which I wrote a post about it when I got it.) I believe it is NOS. It was from the infamous Limras. Unhappily it stopped working soon after I wrote my positive post. His response was to tell me to take it to my watchmaker, as it was sure to be a cheap fix. Well 40 bucks is a cheap fix by U.S. standards, but not Indian. This didnt sit well with him, but he offered me a watch of comparable value from his new site. I figured that was the best I could do and an HMT Kohinoor is on the very slow, slow boat to me. Ironically, my very dependable watch guy lost a gold colored hour marker while repairing the watch. The works were not the one depicted in the photo, being rusty as opposed to the photos clean works. Ive learned my lesson, but Im not sure what it is. I still want an HMT Pilot but where an I supposed to buy it? Ill let you know how it works out with the Vintage Kohinoor. The Timestar after its cheap fix is fine, though slightly marred. Night all.


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## Ptarmigan

But it is easy to get a nice vintage watch from ebay at a reasonable price from a seller in your own country. Keep an eye out for the make and model you want and keep bidding at auctions but only up to a reasonable price. 

You will probably lose the auction in 90% of cases, but that is fine. If you are winning often, then you are paying too much. 

Eventually you will win one of the auctions at the right price, and voila - you have a nice authentic watch (probably). The odds are much more on your side when you bid in your own country - no import duty, the watch is easy to return if it isn't as advertised, and the creation of frankens isn't cost-effective in Europe, North America and Australasia.


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## mike184

Ptarmigan said:


> the creation of frankens isn't cost-effective in Europe, North America and Australasia.


That´s right and therefore the "better Frankens" are sold to vintage dealers in "your country". So you can buy a Franken, presented with nice pics, a colourful description,often with a "moonprice" as BIN-option and hard to recognise for much to much money. In Germany, there are several ebay-dealers offering this "wonderful" service. The quantity of Rado Silver Stars and Horses in "near mint condition" for example is tremendous.
Buying from private sellers is also no longer a guarantee for "the real thing" - meanwhile there are large quantities of these watches here and many collectors resell those watches after having recognised what´s wrong with them.
But one argue indeed remains - it´s definitely easier to return a watch and you don´t have to pay customs´ fees and import taxes.


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## pithy

mike184 said:


> . . . . The quantity of Rado Silver Stars and Horses in "near mint condition" for example is tremendous. . . . .


Were Rados particularly popular in Germany? In the land of Glashutte and Lange I wouldn't have expected that.

p


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## mike184

pithy said:


> Were Rados particularly popular in Germany? In the land of Glashutte and Lange I wouldn't have expected that.
> 
> p


Germany was and is surely a good market for Rado. Rado is a particular brand - in the vintage sector you have an unbelievable selection of great designs with high quality movements(as a former ebauches factory, the bought, finished, mounted and adjusted the movements inhouse). From 1962 on, you can find scratchproof models still looking fine after 50 years, though often worn.
The "land of Glashütte and Lange" didn´t exist as long as the GDR existed, only GUB watches and the cheap Ruhla stuff had been available 1945 - 1990 and so they are the vintages of today. And most Glashütte-brands of today as Lange are definitely in another market and price segment.


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## pithy

mike184 said:


> Germany was and is surely a good market for Rado. . . . .


It just seems a little incongruous that Rado would be to Germany's liking when you consider the tastes reflected in the current (and previous) offerings from the likes of Chronoswiss, Dornblueth, Glashuette(s), Lange, Meistersinger, Schauer, Sinn, Stowa and Wempe.

p


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## mike184

pithy said:


> It just seems a little incongruous that Rado would be to Germany's liking when you consider the tastes reflected in the current (and previous) offerings from the likes of Chronoswiss, Dornblueth, Glashuette(s), Lange, Meistersinger, Schauer, Sinn, Stowa and Wempe.
> 
> p


Germany may be smaller and populated with a higher density than the USA, but it´s as well a country of individuals with different tastes. ;-)
The almost classical and high priced watches of the companies/watchmakers above represent almost one small segment, the luxury segment of the watch market - in Germany and elsewhere. 
The "normal watch wearer" makes the market, not the watch enthusiast. And many buyers in Germany, who buy in the higher middleclass segment of the market, seem to like to buy a watch with a reasonable cost/performance ratio, a unique design and a high longevity and durability of the product.


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## Hartmut Richter

...and one should not forget that Germany once had probably more _ebaucheries _(generic movement makers) than any other country except Switzerland - Otero, Osco, Förster, Kasper, AHO, HB, PUW, Durowe.....

Hartmut Richter


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## pithy

mike184 said:


> Germany may be smaller and populated with a higher density than the USA, but it´s as well a country of individuals with different tastes. ;-) The almost classical and high priced watches of the companies/watchmakers above represent almost one small segment, the luxury segment of the watch market - in Germany and elsewhere. The "normal watch wearer" makes the market, not the watch enthusiast. And many buyers in Germany, who buy in the higher middleclass segment of the market, seem to like to buy a watch with a reasonable cost/performance ratio, a unique design and a high longevity and durability of the product.


Much of the design inspiration from the second and third tier brands relects a similar skew (classicism, nostalgia and even retro). I am sure that you are correct with regard to the diversity of the market and the factors driving it, but if you looked only at what the Germans were making - you could draw other inferences.



Hartmut Richter said:


> ...and one should not forget that Germany once had probably more _ebaucheries _(generic movement makers) than any other country except Switzerland - Otero, Osco, Förster, Kasper, AHO, HB, PUW, Durowe.....Hartmut Richter


A jillion PUWs and Durowes wound their way to North America, the others - not so much.

p


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## parrotandpitbull

Ptarmigan said:


> But it is easy to get a nice vintage watch from ebay at a reasonable price from a seller in your own country. Keep an eye out for the make and model you want and keep bidding at auctions but only up to a reasonable price.
> 
> You will probably lose the auction in 90% of cases, but that is fine. If you are winning often, then you are paying too much.
> 
> Eventually you will win one of the auctions at the right price, and voila - you have a nice authentic watch (probably). The odds are much more on your side when you bid in your own country - no import duty, the watch is easy to return if it isn't as advertised, and the creation of frankens isn't cost-effective in Europe, North America and Australasia.


 I think you have missed my point: Hmt is an Indian Brand/made watch. They are pretty much sold as new {which they are , with vintage styling}So the only place to buy them is from India 99.5%. So its pretty much a catch 22.


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## o.v.e

Just got a Favre Leuba in from India. The "paint job" is among the poorer ones - indexes not removed before painting, but it actually has a rather decent print of the log - however, I have seen worse (on pictures only ). Anyways, I don't care, I bought the watch because of the hands, that I need for a restoration project, and the rest of the watch comes to the spare parts. 
From my experience, there may be a few white sheep, but 99% of the vintage watches coming out of the subcontinent are pure junk, on the other hand they are cheap. Working in the IT industry, I start seeing this as a general concept down there. This is not meant to be offensive, we are just living in different worlds, when it comes to what is "good enough". :think:
When it comes to "serviced" however, I have learned not to trust anyone but my own watchmaker. Only if he says it is "good enough", then it is (happened in 3 out of 10 cases in the past years, when I bought a watch that had "recently been serviced". Completely independent of where it came from.)


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## parrotandpitbull

Better late than never. I said I would report back on my slow shipped Kohinoor from Limras Watch Studio as part of recompensation for a broken Timestar (now working brilliantly with lost hour marker found and watch worked on by my watch guy) The vintage Kohinoor is in great (original dial and hands) shape and is keeping perfectly accepable time.I posted a pic in last months WRUW. While Im not sure Ill do business with him again, I love the original dials with brilliant colors of the Timstars, so that might change. An HMT Pilot is on my wish list.... New. So one more trip to Indian territory is my future. By all accounts the new Pilots are neat watches. P&P


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## Smoking Joe

I bought a 1958 Omega Seamaster from India. New crystal and new or repainted dial which I was aware of before buying. Case was polished, etc. which I was aware of. It's a stunning looking watch in as new condition. To be honest I don't care if it is a franken watch or not once the bits all fit together as they should and work as they should. The movement serial number matches the year 1958. I would say that I am 80% happy with it as the one let down is that the case polisher didn't polish inbetween the lugs. No visible but I know.


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## drefhill

Smoking Joe said:


> I would say that I am 80% happy with it as the one let down is that the case polisher didn't polish inbetween the lugs. No visible but I know.


I've sent a watch to Rolex and they did't polished between the lugs, i would have appreciated it but i think it's normal that they dont polish that part.


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## Mike_1

My best answer to the original question: not usually, but you can be lucky. Keep expectations low and never pay more than you are prepared to lose. 

I am asking myself how the current situation compares with the prevailing one at the time the thread was started. My experiences suggest some overall increase in the prevailing prices for cheap watches from India without obvious evidence of a commensurate increase in quality. I also see an increase in the number of Swiss names on obviously very non-Swiss watches, which are very much to be avoided unless you find ownership of them amusing for some reason.

In essence, if a watch appears to run at all, that will probably be deemed sufficient to get it sent out. What is described as "servicing" is generally no more than a quick flush or squirt with solvent to get it going, and some oil if you are lucky. And of course some movements will have been fixed up using parts from other movements. Some of any of these will run pretty well, though nobody knows for how long...and watch out for badly-fitted crowns which will break off.

I avoid any non-Indian watches (the few Swiss ones I tried weren't successes) but will sometimes try an attractive-looking Indian watch, although I try not to. 

One real annoyance is that many of the sellers routinely close their accounts and open new ones with different names, while others use multiple accounts.

One final plus...even the worst sellers may occasionally have decent cheap watches (but you'll have to buy to find out!).


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## Hartmut Richter

Mike_1 said:


> Keep expectations low .....


Always remember the 9th beatitude: "Blessed are they who expecteth nothing - for they shall never be disapppointed!"

Hartmut Richter


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## Fjohnston

unwatched said:


> I see a lot of "vintage" watches from ebay selelrs in India/Singapore. They look like the dials are repainted/replaced and I suspect the hands may not be original on at least some of them, which is OK. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money or become a serious collector, just something like a $50-$60 dress watch from a lesser-known Swiss brand like a Titoni or Favre Leuba that looks nice and I can wear on occasion, even if it is not all-original.
> 
> Most of the sellers claim their watches are serviced. Any experience with these types of sellers? Are the watches actually serviced? Was the service done competently so the watch will actually run for a while? Can anyone recommend a reliable seller for something along these lines?
> 
> Thanks


Man if your going to do that I usually buy two of them. Then I use the best of two parts. You'll get a descent watch then. You kind of have to look at the history of India I mean was it a great Mecca of Swiss watch makers that had to get away from persecution from Switzerland. The answer is no. So to answer your question yeah you can get a decent Swiss watch for 60 bucks but you'll have to put your time and money (or just money) into it. It's worth it because you did it.


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