Fakes and Frankin watches, a very interesting topic, but one which needs to be filled out a little with regard to price paid. The price you paid is also a good indication of the integrity of the seller, was he intentionally trying to mislead the potential buyers, or just throwing something out there at a cheap price, letting the buyer decide the authenticity of the item. People do like to own conversation pieces, (Frankin and Knock off) there is a market for such items. It is OK as long as these are valued accordingly.
@Ligia Gom Yes a dial can be a good red flag as to an item's originality, as long as you know the brand history, of course the quality of dial is linked to the observers own knowledge of what to look for. Take the Indian brand HMT for example, it is very difficult to spot fakes and franklins if one is looking from outside of India and not sure of the brand history or back catalogue. My general rule of thumb is ; if it is too good to believe, then take a closer look. 🧐Something is probably wrong.
It's sad to say but I just avoid some sellers based on location, there's probably good sellers in India, the Philippines and South America but it's not for me to write a guide (;
@@jerseyneil1 HMT of India ? Lovely watches and I had to buy just one for my collection. Yes, I know it is an old movement in a new case, that is why it was so cheap. Knowing before you buy is the only way.. BTW I learned my watchmaking on old Vostok movements, even cheaper !
Nice observation! But maybe the watch is original. I can tell you that there were thousands of small workshops with thousands of brands in the 50's to 80's. They assembled watches and worked with the parts they had. So they f.ex. already had dials for the next Incabloc series and combined it with old movements. Or during a while, Incabloc was like a magic word and was printed on everything, since no buyer knew what Incabloc meant and wouldn't be able to control the truth of it. They cheated a lot on the new watches, so don't be to sceptic!
Just to add: I own a Swiss Quartz watch putting "Incbloc" on the back! They just used old cases or even only old backs to combine them with new movements instead of throwing thousands of cases away.
I bought an Omega seamaster on ebay and was saved from making a mistake because the watch was first sent to an authentication service and they notified me of problems and sent the watch back to the seller. So I do suggest doing this if buying an expensive watch. This is a common service offered by ebay now.
I became a watch hobbyist because my partner bought me a lovely vintage watch from ebay. Once I was confident enough to open it up we found it was actually 2-3 lovely vintage watches cobbled together!
I don’t mean to be rude,but hopefully he didn’t spend too much.I love watches and a lot of vintage are cobbled together.It’s not a big deal unless it’s(I hate the term “Investment”)listed as genuine and worth money or meant to be an heirloom.Its a great hobby.
I've done a little poking around eBay. But I quickly determined that I do NOT have even the minimum expertise required to play in the vintage watch game. I slowly backed away from the computer, happy to still have my wallet intact. 😅
Well it is still possible to find bargains, with lots and lots of research the mistakes will be fewer than the bargains. Sometimes taking a risk pays off too!
Hahaha!! The police megaphone in the back ground;: Sir.... Sir.... Step away from the watches... Look away and Interlock your fingers behind your head.... And step away.... Come toward the sound of my voice.... We will help you.....
hahahaha!! Police megaphone::: "SIR!! SIR!! STAND UP AND BACK AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER!!! RAISE BOTH HANDS UP AND TILT THE CREDIT CARD SO WE CAN SEE IT!! SLOWLY PLACE THE CREDIT CARD ON THE GROUND AND KICK IT TOWARDS US!!!hahahahahah!!!❤❤😂😂❤😂
You should put out a video or discuss the following 2 topics. 1: your training. How did you learn and update your knowledge base. Fascinating. And 2: the factory machining of the parts. There are really no good videos of watch manufacturing out there. Precision lathe and mill work to make these movements is astounding. Thanks in advance
I try to undersell so hopefully the buyer will be pleased. I have bought quartz watches that 'need battery' that have been totally useless. I like joblots as usually something has value.
I only buy expensive items from people with a LOT of positive sales. But you gave me a good idea: before pulling the trigger, look for other sellers with the same item and compare. If they don’t match, something is up. BTW I could live with a wrong caseback.
If I had confidence that it was the only thing out of place, that would be easy...but (if I knew enough to notice it, a big if) something like that would just make me worry too much about what else was out of place on the watch.
Been lucky to find a few reputable sellers who have done right by me. AND videos like yours as well as some digging on my own part saved my wallet numerous times. Thanks for the information!
Thanks Stian, useful information. We probably all buy our watches from eBay, so helps us look out for these. I actually think I’ve seen some of these last watches or just like them! I recently bought a watch, so now I’m going to have a closer look🤞
I have bought watches on eBay and similar for over 20 years. Some times I have made mistakes of course, that's what you learn from. But often I have had bargains and that's what counts, in time you learn, so mistakes are fewer and the bargains are more frequent. Having said that it was easier to get bargains pre 2010 as nowadays more people are more aware of the importance of researching what watch you actually have before posting for sale, and supporting this with good photos. The best bargains I had was to buy from sellers that were not in to watches and knew nothing about them, often posting old watches with badly scratched crystal, with bad photos. Often buying those paid off big time. I actually got a proper bargain last year buying a 1950's Omega with a badly scratched crystal, the seller believing something was wrong as the crown "only could set the time in one direction", I diagnosed this as probably a loose crown which turned out to be the case. So when I received the watch it was just a question of taking out the crown/stem, re-attaching the crown with locktite and sourcing a NOS crystal. Otherwise the watch was in pristine condition with a fantastic dial under the scratched crystal, in fact the best I have ever seen, all original dial, hands, movement, crown etc. I paid £300 for the watch, now I would not sell it for less than £1500....!
I was very lucky to discover ebay about 20 years ago and make my purchases then. Three omegas and a tissot, all from between 1965 and 1975, all genuine. I couldn't possibly be so fortunate today.
If you can be fooled this much Stian then God help the rest of us. My ebay purchases have generally been as expected but the odd bit of camera trickery has caught me out on occasion with cases. Cheers, Howard
I would venture to guess that Stian has purchased hundreds if not more watches on Ebay so the dud to gem ratio is probably not as high as this video may suggest ;)
I found mismatch with other sellers for my Smiths but still pulled the trigger cuz my previous purchase with the same seller was perfect. But this time it was a heart ache. Watch doesn't work like how it should
The pat two months I scored an amazing deal on a new Tissot III DAY/date for my son from one seller and a new Tissot couturier day-date for me from a different seller. Recently I got an awesome deal on a 2013 Rolex Yacht-master with box/papers(cheaper than any watch dealer in the world would sell it for). You have to use your intuition and take chances. Feebay provides allot of protection nowadays to sellers.
The Felipe Rene chronograph has Incabloc on the dial--a spring loaded jewel for the balance wheel. The actual movement doesn't have that kind of jewel protection over the balance?
A great vid on the issues with buying on line. A lot of research is needed to be sure you're buying what you think you are. Thanks again for your insights
Thank you for your sharing, It can be difficult to purchase when you don't have the knowledge to know what you are looking at, hence you end up trusting the individual you are purchasing from.
Without looking at comments it doesn’t have the Incabloc shock springs on the balance jewel. 😬 I’d like to think I’d catch that if the movement was shown but there’s a strong chance I’d miss it. I can tell you I’ve never counted jewels so this is a much needed wake up call for me. It’s common sense to check those things but it’s just so easy to get lulled by the shiny. Thank You for this! Liked, subscribed, & commented. 👍
I'm not sure how to feel about this. Most of those watches actually seem pretty nice, even if they are not fully original... It's just sad that they are used to scam people.
I'm guilty of buying good looking watches that aren't what they say they are. If it's cheap and looks nice, it's worth playing with. Sometimes it's cheaper to get the entire watch to learn on than the movements alone.
I just buy them sometimes for the looks if they're pretty cheap. I don't care if they're fakes or not good at timekeeping. I wear quartzes when I want accurate time.
After watching this video I realize that its nearly impossible to buy anything proper on ebay. I mean you have to be a watch specialist to spot things like on the video. Thank you for sharing.
Very nice video, one of so many of yours that I have watched and enjoyed. I am amused by the ones that you chose for the not-quite-right examples, as a couple are so close to being OK that it is no wonder that they got by you. As far as the ones from India...they are all tampered with---they can't help themselves. The one example which you have branded a franken, that I don't think is, would be the Seamaster Deville chronometer. I can't say for this particular case style, but the early Seamaster chronometers definitely are real, and demand a premium. They are more available from the Japan market, and when they become available are quickly snapped up. In the fifties and sixties Omega created so many combinations of cases, dials, and movements that you almost need an extract to be 100% sure it was shipped that way. Not only am I a fan of your servicing regimen, but the smattering of humor is always appreciated. Keep up the good work.
My daughter won't go through eBay, rather to advertise her watchmaking skills in local newsagents, and being lucky in buying a timepiece to restore before selling on, or, to repair and be paid for her services. We particularly appreciate your honesty and skill in detecting unusual timepieces and commenting. As for me, being a professional I use a Breitling Emergency that twice saved my life and replaced by Breitling each time; and for leisure / travel, a Rolex GMT. Recently I bought a lovely Seiko 5 Sport automatic, so happy i am because it works very well and, I bought it very reasonably priced. All the best to you, Wendi 🌻
Friend, thank you for making this video. I just reported a fake IWC on eBay that perfectly matched the "very nice handwriting" and sloppy painting on the dial in your example (with very inconsistent minute marks to boot). Dozens of unsuspecting bids! Without seeing this video beforehand I would have just gone about my day... Hopefully my report does something before some poor soul gets scammed out of a big chunk of money!
I don't know how you gained so much knowledge on so many brands. I have no I idea what movements comply with which Cal Numbers . I could not tell which watches were the wrong font or if thy were hand painted. I like watches ut at 74yoa I don't think I have timeto gain the knowledge
Very informative and helpful video as well as an important reminder about being careful when buying vintage watches. It was very helpful to see the various ways the watches were problematic with both obvious and subtle changes having been made. Thanks for the education! (Regarding the Felipe Rene watch, the dial said "Incabloc", but there was no Incabloc shock protection on the balance wheel pivot.) ~ ml
I liked the video. At least the movements in the watches were properly Swiss Made originals. You learn a lot abot history of watch brands and history of watch making dealing with the Franken pieces. I found the video very enjoyable as I will consider most of the pieces having some value. Depends on what was the requested price compared to the market value of fully authenticated originals.
Uh-huh. So define for me what is meant by 'very careful'. Seems the only way to avoid the possibility of being a victim of fraud is if the watch is passed thru E-bay's authentication program. Otherwise there's virtually no way to be sure. Even this guy got took and he's a pro.
Wow, i often shop eBay for vintage Swiss watches. I've always been a bit skeptical and have held back my urgency to buy. After seeing your video, I'm glad i did.
Although you have watches that have faults, there really are some lovely watches there! NOT really the style that I'd go for, but as always that's purely a matter of personal taste. That Venus movement is absolutely gorgeous as is the movement on that first JLC that you show! REALLY a shame that the sellers don't have the integrity (Or knowledge) to be honest about the watches! That Omega movement at 8:40 (ish) is lovely too! For me it's the quality of the finishing and sheer complexity of a decent quality movement that really amazes me, and is a huge part of the enjoyment of owning mechanical watches, and as such an exhibition caseback is a real bonus on a watch for me. It really is so difficult to tell from photos on a lot of ebay ads if a product is actually as it is claiming to be, so many sellers have pics that look like they were taken using a potato instead of a camera, and I assume that it's deliberate in many cases! Thank you for the info that you've provided, and yet another great video!
My father wore a similar Seamaster/ Constellation but with a gold case. It had the "Hippocampus" on the back, just as the one you have has. He bought that watch in the mid- 60's from a cousin who owned a jewelry shop in Woodstock, Ontario. I don't think it's a prototype as you mentioned though. I'm wondering if it wasn't a "transition" model or something maybe for the Canadian market.
I have seen a lot of videos about the Rolex Marconi with the Marconi name on the dial. I do not have a problem with well repainted dials as long as the rest of the watch is original. I have over 70 vintage watches. I have gotten great deals and have been took on EBay
I’ve had a Ricoh with an old AS movement with Ricoh engraved on the bridge, and a Seiko 5 with a Russian Slava movement, but none of this has cost me much money!
Hmmm. Buying vintage wristwatches online or on eBay is a gamble. This is my reasoning for not attempting to buy. If such a man can be fooled who am I? 12:22
If you can get scammed/stumped when purchasing a watch online, what chance do we mere mortals have? Thank you for helping us become more informed purchases; it's greatly appreciated.
I tried for years to pick up a few untouched, original HMT watches from India on eBay, and after a few well crafted duds I gave up. These weren't the obvious Frankenwatches but old military models that had been restored using salvaged parts.
Sir, genuine HMT watches are available with original HMT dealers in Bengaluru (Bangalore). Also you can buy from Company's website, but sticks are limited. I am also hunting for HMT Jubilee which is a class watch.
@@kswaminathan5439 I was under the impression that they would not ship to the United States? I was trying to get an untouched Jawan model but it appears that I was getting aftermarket casebacks with fake Broad arrow watermarks
HMT Jawan models are with black dials and the numerals have glow paints which are very prominent at night. Yes, only original HMT Jawan has the arrow mark on the case back. But duplicates are available in plenty as this iconic Indian brand is virtually out of the market. I own 3 HMT Janata, 2 lovely HMT Sona, 1 HMT Vijay, I HMT Avinash, 3 HMT Pilot- all hand wound. In automatic I own Kajal, Sourav and Kanchan. Accuracy is awesome and I will cherish these lovely watches. Prices of these watches have trebled now.
HMT army models are awesome mechanical watches. A long history and legacy. Shame on India they could not save that real brand and now some people are just wasting time on restoring frankenwatches.
@@megakuli I would say that case condition be a priority. Gold filled or solid is secondary(for me) to condition. If you plan on buying 40s and 50s the odder the case the better. Some of those have previously small production runs. You will find that you are the only one wearing such an item for 1000's of miles in any direction. Prepare to answer questions about your watch as they seem to Garner compliments. One owner or estate sales watches usually mean draw queens with no service but excellent states of preservation. Stainless steel tanks are much harder to find. If you see a nice one Grab it.
thanks for sharing! i usually go diving at c24 for tripple calendars and the like from the 40s and 50s but never know how to be sure how much of the watch is still original...
Venus 188.....dial says incabloc and there is no shock protection...also on Cal 188 the minute jumper spring is made in one piece from solid...Valjoux 7730 two piece with spring steel blade..... as always a good informative video....
It makes my blood boil that people would deliberately set out to fool (defraud) people, especially so call Jewellers. They should be named and shamed and the respective manufacturers should deploy the fall force of the law.
there are seamasters from that era that are chronometer rated....never saw one in a unicoc case though. The dial is a premium dial, hence consistent with the premium cal 551. Seamaster Deville co-branding is applied opportunistically and is related to the marketing needs of a specific market...Having said that, I have never seen one in this combination...then again but Seamaster-Deville documentation is sketchy so it might have just escaped the factory in this way...
Same. Saw some that I thought, wow these must be a bargain price. But it's too good to be true. Most likely frankenstein with incorrect movement, or even a no name brand movement, incorrect hands, etc. Some people would never know but I want to make sure the watch is correct.
that's a great video I also started this year to build a watch collection on Ebay, but I really don't trust some sellers from India or south east Asia where there is a lot of replicas in the market but some are good to analyse. Btw stay carefull on each detail is essential ! You have a pretty collection.
I'll buy from E-bay but only if it's gone thru the authentication process. If not I may still get it, but only if it's inexpensive, I like the style, and am not concerned about whether the provenance is genuine or not.
Thank you for this, Stian. It is really surprising to see what lengths sellers will go to cheat you out of your money. Then again, is it? Buying via your mobile phone should be OK though, as you can always enlarge the pictures and at least spot some formidable handwriting or amateurish painting on the dial as well as some really fresh "Rolex" engravings.
Great video Stian, incabloc but it wasn't, that FL twin-power i belive was an st 96 india moast likely, those Rolex n Britling may have been Russian Frankensteins but i may be wrong, great video.
You have to watch eBay, I recently purchased what I thought was a 2014 Mini Cooper S, but I found out it was actually a Morris Minor from 1969, damn was I annoyed!.
"Contra Agua" is spanish for "WaterProof" Estanco ...... well, that was some Felipe Rene rubbish. jajajajajajjaa Love the vid, and cheers from Mexico City !
Geez.. buying on Ebay have some risk all the time the maximum I paid is around 30$ or 40$. I don’t know if I can take the risk to expenses 200, 300 or 400$ on Ebay and have surprises that you don’t see on picture !! Thank you for this video I’ll learn other tips !!
eBay is trying to address this problem with their new authenticity guaranteed program… I’m usually just buying vintage swatch or cccp watches so I rarely worry about fakes anyway.
You can easily be screwed over on Soviet watches if you don’t know Russian or Soviet rules on political speech.You’ve got no idea how many fakes there are out there as there’s a cottage industry of making fake Soviet style watches to sell to tourists. Namely the ‘death to spies’ watches.
I always look for a photo where the case back is removed. I won’t bid on the watch unless I can see the movement. You might pay a little more that way because the seller has at least a small amount of knowledge about watches but it’s better than getting a watch that’s either rusted or broken/missing parts.
Its vacation! ITS vacation!!! Gotta love their enthusiasm! I love vacations too! Sadly we all fall for one or two of these in our lives. In the end it all balances out though. You buy a dud here and sometimes you score over there. Such is life!
If you find a reliable seller, obtain the watch at a good price and condition, and wear and enjoy the piece I say jump in. Great to see these pieces getting a second life. Definitely don’t purchase these if you think they will maintain or grow in value.
Well clearly not incabloc. I would say that old chrono are often swapped because of their compatibility. Sometimes I found Landeron inside Venus marked cases...
i asked somone on a watch forum about why there's so many for sale from India and his response was they're called the Mumbai specials because they just throw anything into them to get them working
Fakes and Frankin watches, a very interesting topic, but one which needs to be filled out a little
with regard to price paid.
The price you paid is also a good indication of the integrity of the seller, was he intentionally trying to
mislead the potential buyers, or just throwing something out there at a cheap price, letting the buyer decide
the authenticity of the item.
People do like to own conversation pieces, (Frankin and Knock off) there is a market for such items.
It is OK as long as these are valued accordingly.
@Ligia Gom Yes a dial can be a good red flag as to an item's originality, as long as you know the brand history, of course the quality of dial is linked to the observers own knowledge of what to look for. Take the Indian brand HMT for example, it is very difficult to spot fakes and franklins if one is looking from outside of India and not sure of the brand history or back catalogue.
My general rule of thumb is ; if it is too good to believe, then take a closer look. 🧐Something is probably wrong.
It's sad to say but I just avoid some sellers based on location, there's probably good sellers in India, the Philippines and South America but it's not for me to write a guide (;
@@jerseyneil1 HMT of India ? Lovely watches and I had to buy just one for my collection. Yes, I know it is an old movement in a new case, that is why it was so cheap. Knowing before you buy is the only way.. BTW I learned my watchmaking on old Vostok movements, even cheaper !
Franklin? Do you mean Frankenstein?
regarding the Felipe Rene chronograph, it says “incabloc” on the dial but the movement had no shock protection so someone is lying. In my opinion.
Beat me to the punch!
@@red75v67 It’s all good.
Spotted it too! Also, the O ring for the case back waterproofing is sticking out, close to the crown.
Nice observation! But maybe the watch is original. I can tell you that there were thousands of small workshops with thousands of brands in the 50's to 80's. They assembled watches and worked with the parts they had. So they f.ex. already had dials for the next Incabloc series and combined it with old movements. Or during a while, Incabloc was like a magic word and was printed on everything, since no buyer knew what Incabloc meant and wouldn't be able to control the truth of it. They cheated a lot on the new watches, so don't be to sceptic!
Just to add: I own a Swiss Quartz watch putting "Incbloc" on the back! They just used old cases or even only old backs to combine them with new movements instead of throwing thousands of cases away.
I bought an Omega seamaster on ebay and was saved from making a mistake because the watch was first sent to an authentication service and they notified me of problems and sent the watch back to the seller. So I do suggest doing this if buying an expensive watch. This is a common service offered by ebay now.
Thanks for the info. I recently bought two Oris watches that were sold as new old stock. They didn't have original parts so I sent them back.
I became a watch hobbyist because my partner bought me a lovely vintage watch from ebay. Once I was confident enough to open it up we found it was actually 2-3 lovely vintage watches cobbled together!
then you had a great deal!
@@ryeshyes2552 Yes! 2 or 3 watches for the price of one!
In the car business they call that a “marriage”.
@@jackochainsaw I will share that with them, its much more romantic than the watch term "frankenstein"!
I don’t mean to be rude,but hopefully he didn’t spend too much.I love watches and a lot of vintage are cobbled together.It’s not a big deal unless it’s(I hate the term “Investment”)listed as genuine and worth money or meant to be an heirloom.Its a great hobby.
I've done a little poking around eBay. But I quickly determined that I do NOT have even the minimum expertise required to play in the vintage watch game. I slowly backed away from the computer, happy to still have my wallet intact. 😅
Well it is still possible to find bargains, with lots and lots of research the mistakes will be fewer than the bargains. Sometimes taking a risk pays off too!
Hahaha!! The police megaphone in the back ground;:
Sir.... Sir.... Step away from the watches... Look away and Interlock your fingers behind your head.... And step away.... Come toward the sound of my voice.... We will help you.....
i just buy refurbished citizen brand that looks cool to me.
...no guts no glory....
hahahaha!! Police megaphone::: "SIR!! SIR!! STAND UP AND BACK AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER!!! RAISE BOTH HANDS UP AND TILT THE CREDIT CARD SO WE CAN SEE IT!! SLOWLY PLACE THE CREDIT CARD ON THE GROUND AND KICK IT TOWARDS US!!!hahahahahah!!!❤❤😂😂❤😂
I love your no nonsense comments on the watches your used in this session. Your insight as a watch expert is great
Ive bought some good stuff but also i got my fingers burnt a few times.If i take a punt always stick to the price you want to pay.😊
You should put out a video or discuss the following 2 topics. 1: your training. How did you learn and update your knowledge base. Fascinating. And 2: the factory machining of the parts. There are really no good videos of watch manufacturing out there. Precision lathe and mill work to make these movements is astounding. Thanks in advance
I"ve been burned more than once on ebay purchases. Apparently, the description of "good" condition is much more subjective than I had imagined.
Like Pyatlov comment during the Chernobyl crysis. Not good, not terrible.
I try to undersell so hopefully the buyer will be pleased. I have bought quartz watches that 'need battery' that have been totally useless. I like joblots as usually something has value.
I only buy expensive items from people with a LOT of positive sales. But you gave me a good idea: before pulling the trigger, look for other sellers with the same item and compare. If they don’t match, something is up.
BTW I could live with a wrong caseback.
I could also live with a caseback putting "bezel gold plated 20 microns" on a stainless steel case!
If I had confidence that it was the only thing out of place, that would be easy...but (if I knew enough to notice it, a big if) something like that would just make me worry too much about what else was out of place on the watch.
Been lucky to find a few reputable sellers who have done right by me. AND videos like yours as well as some digging on my own part saved my wallet numerous times.
Thanks for the information!
Good stuff Stian!
My favorite sellers claim "freshly serviced" when the pictures show there is crap all over the movement. Sheesh...
I've been really close to buying a couple of vintage watches on eBay. Now I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger. Thanks for great, informative video.🤜🤛👍
One of my first rookie buyer mistakes was an inexpensive Oris. It was all glued together inside the case.
As a seller on ebay I absolutely love this video! Good job 👏🏼 👍
Thanks Stian, useful information. We probably all buy our watches from eBay, so helps us look out for these. I actually think I’ve seen some of these last watches or just like them! I recently bought a watch, so now I’m going to have a closer look🤞
I have bought watches on eBay and similar for over 20 years. Some times I have made mistakes of course, that's what you learn from. But often I have had bargains and that's what counts, in time you learn, so mistakes are fewer and the bargains are more frequent. Having said that it was easier to get bargains pre 2010 as nowadays more people are more aware of the importance of researching what watch you actually have before posting for sale, and supporting this with good photos. The best bargains I had was to buy from sellers that were not in to watches and knew nothing about them, often posting old watches with badly scratched crystal, with bad photos. Often buying those paid off big time. I actually got a proper bargain last year buying a 1950's Omega with a badly scratched crystal, the seller believing something was wrong as the crown "only could set the time in one direction", I diagnosed this as probably a loose crown which turned out to be the case. So when I received the watch it was just a question of taking out the crown/stem, re-attaching the crown with locktite and sourcing a NOS crystal. Otherwise the watch was in pristine condition with a fantastic dial under the scratched crystal, in fact the best I have ever seen, all original dial, hands, movement, crown etc. I paid £300 for the watch, now I would not sell it for less than £1500....!
Thanks for this great video! Glad to know I'm not the only one who let emotion override reason and ended up getting scammed. Live and learn......
I was very lucky to discover ebay about 20 years ago and make my purchases then. Three omegas and a tissot, all from between 1965 and 1975, all genuine. I couldn't possibly be so fortunate today.
I have a book about antiques. One of its first phrases says: "Do not trust anyone but yourself".
If you can be fooled this much Stian then God help the rest of us. My ebay purchases have generally been as expected but the odd bit of camera trickery has caught me out on occasion with cases. Cheers, Howard
I would venture to guess that Stian has purchased hundreds if not more watches on Ebay so the dud to gem ratio is probably not as high as this video may suggest ;)
I found mismatch with other sellers for my Smiths but still pulled the trigger cuz my previous purchase with the same seller was perfect. But this time it was a heart ache. Watch doesn't work like how it should
The pat two months I scored an amazing deal on a new Tissot III DAY/date for my son from one seller and a new Tissot couturier day-date for me from a different seller. Recently I got an awesome deal on a 2013 Rolex Yacht-master with box/papers(cheaper than any watch dealer in the world would sell it for).
You have to use your intuition and take chances. Feebay provides allot of protection nowadays to sellers.
A wake up call to everyone that there are lots of con artists and dishonest people out there. Love your content.
The Felipe Rene chronograph has Incabloc on the dial--a spring loaded jewel for the balance wheel. The actual movement doesn't have that kind of jewel protection over the balance?
Damn I will be careful the next time I go for vintage watches
A great vid on the issues with buying on line. A lot of research is needed to be sure you're buying what you think you are. Thanks again for your insights
They may be fake or tampered with but they're all incredibly beautiful watches.
The best I saw was an A.Lange & Söhne printed as A.Lange & Böhne. Genuine movement too.
🤣
That's very funny, but printed well , right?
I have an A. Lange & Sohne replica which is lovely. Not sure what to do with it though.
Great video! I must admit I have gone off buying from eBay. Risk is too great … I have been lucky, but much like a casino, know when to leave. 😂
Thank you for your sharing, It can be difficult to purchase when you don't have the knowledge to know what you are looking at, hence you end up trusting the individual you are purchasing from.
Without looking at comments it doesn’t have the Incabloc shock springs on the balance jewel. 😬
I’d like to think I’d catch that if the movement was shown but there’s a strong chance I’d miss it. I can tell you I’ve never counted jewels so this is a much needed wake up call for me. It’s common sense to check those things but it’s just so easy to get lulled by the shiny.
Thank You for this! Liked, subscribed, & commented. 👍
I'm not sure how to feel about this. Most of those watches actually seem pretty nice, even if they are not fully original... It's just sad that they are used to scam people.
This was very instructional. Thank you!
I'm guilty of buying good looking watches that aren't what they say they are. If it's cheap and looks nice, it's worth playing with. Sometimes it's cheaper to get the entire watch to learn on than the movements alone.
I just buy them sometimes for the looks if they're pretty cheap. I don't care if they're fakes or not good at timekeeping. I wear quartzes when I want accurate time.
I tend to buy broken vintage watches that look like they might be repairable. Sometimes I can fix them...sometimes I can't.
After watching this video I realize that its nearly impossible to buy anything proper on ebay. I mean you have to be a watch specialist to spot things like on the video. Thank you for sharing.
Very nice video, one of so many of yours that I have watched and enjoyed. I am amused by the ones that you chose for the not-quite-right examples, as a couple are so close to being OK that it is no wonder that they got by you. As far as the ones from India...they are all tampered with---they can't help themselves. The one example which you have branded a franken, that I don't think is, would be the Seamaster Deville chronometer. I can't say for this particular case style, but the early Seamaster chronometers definitely are real, and demand a premium. They are more available from the Japan market, and when they become available are quickly snapped up. In the fifties and sixties Omega created so many combinations of cases, dials, and movements that you almost need an extract to be 100% sure it was shipped that way.
Not only am I a fan of your servicing regimen, but the smattering of humor is always appreciated. Keep up the good work.
😊👍
Really liked this video. Especially liked those examples you found at the end. I'd watch more videos of this nature. :)
My daughter won't go through eBay, rather to advertise her watchmaking skills in local newsagents, and being lucky in buying a timepiece to restore before selling on, or, to repair and be paid for her services.
We particularly appreciate your honesty and skill in detecting unusual timepieces and commenting. As for me, being a professional I use a Breitling Emergency that twice saved my life and replaced by Breitling each time; and for leisure / travel, a Rolex GMT. Recently I bought a lovely Seiko 5 Sport automatic, so happy i am because it works very well and, I bought it very reasonably priced. All the best to you, Wendi 🌻
Thanks for sharing that Wendi :)
I would be ecstatic for you to create an entire Channel to comparing real versus fake movements side by side!
Thanks for the warning in the last portion we learn to avoid these traps....on ebays
Friend, thank you for making this video. I just reported a fake IWC on eBay that perfectly matched the "very nice handwriting" and sloppy painting on the dial in your example (with very inconsistent minute marks to boot). Dozens of unsuspecting bids! Without seeing this video beforehand I would have just gone about my day... Hopefully my report does something before some poor soul gets scammed out of a big chunk of money!
I don't know how you gained so much knowledge on so many brands. I have no I idea what movements comply with which Cal Numbers . I could not tell which watches were the wrong font or if thy were hand painted.
I like watches ut at 74yoa I don't think I have timeto gain the knowledge
Sadly, Ebay doesn't seem to care about fakes.
No incabloc on that lovely chronograph!
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Handwriting on a dial is true craftsmanship. 😎
It is! :)
A couple of them might still be genuine and worth quite a lot, even if sold for spares. Big love ❤️
Very informative and helpful video as well as an important reminder about being careful when buying vintage watches. It was very helpful to see the various ways the watches were problematic with both obvious and subtle changes having been made. Thanks for the education! (Regarding the Felipe Rene watch, the dial said "Incabloc", but there was no Incabloc shock protection on the balance wheel pivot.) ~ ml
Glad it was helpful!
I liked the video. At least the movements in the watches were properly Swiss Made originals. You learn a lot abot history of watch brands and history of watch making dealing with the Franken pieces. I found the video very enjoyable as I will consider most of the pieces having some value. Depends on what was the requested price compared to the market value of fully authenticated originals.
You do have to be very careful of what vintage watches you buy on eBay. This was very instructional. Thank you!
Uh-huh. So define for me what is meant by 'very careful'. Seems the only way to avoid the possibility of being a victim of fraud is if the watch is passed thru E-bay's authentication program. Otherwise there's virtually no way to be sure. Even this guy got took and he's a pro.
@@kevinh5349 very astute observation…..🤨
The LeCoultre has a crown from an Eterna. The five-ball logo commemorates the Eterna-Matic.
Nothing better than first day of any vacation! I’m with your boy!! Lol
Wow, i often shop eBay for vintage Swiss watches. I've always been a bit skeptical and have held back my urgency to buy. After seeing your video, I'm glad i did.
That's healthy skepticism right there :)
Although you have watches that have faults, there really are some lovely watches there! NOT really the style that I'd go for, but as always that's purely a matter of personal taste. That Venus movement is absolutely gorgeous as is the movement on that first JLC that you show! REALLY a shame that the sellers don't have the integrity (Or knowledge) to be honest about the watches! That Omega movement at 8:40 (ish) is lovely too! For me it's the quality of the finishing and sheer complexity of a decent quality movement that really amazes me, and is a huge part of the enjoyment of owning mechanical watches, and as such an exhibition caseback is a real bonus on a watch for me. It really is so difficult to tell from photos on a lot of ebay ads if a product is actually as it is claiming to be, so many sellers have pics that look like they were taken using a potato instead of a camera, and I assume that it's deliberate in many cases! Thank you for the info that you've provided, and yet another great video!
Thanks for watching!
Wow. Thank you!! I was looking at some of the same watches you show from eBay and had questions and concerns you have verified!!!!
👍
My father wore a similar Seamaster/ Constellation but with a gold case. It had the "Hippocampus" on the back, just as the one you have has. He bought that watch in the mid- 60's from a cousin who owned a jewelry shop in Woodstock, Ontario. I don't think it's a prototype as you mentioned though. I'm wondering if it wasn't a "transition" model or something maybe for the Canadian market.
I have seen a lot of videos about the Rolex Marconi with the Marconi name on the dial. I do not have a problem with well repainted
dials as long as the rest of the watch is original. I have over 70 vintage watches. I have gotten great deals and have been took on EBay
Thank you for this very informational video. Seems the scammers become more and more professional.
This is my favorite topic, I love wasting money on eBay!!!
Please post more videos like this, very educational! Thanks
I’ve had a Ricoh with an old AS movement with Ricoh engraved on the bridge, and a Seiko 5 with a Russian Slava movement, but none of this has cost me much money!
I love retro and vintage watches and would have easily fallen for some of these but I was always a bit wary of buying from EBay.
Bought a mint condition cartier and 1974 Timex Marlin on eBay . Multiple watch guys said both are very nice watches and very good deals.
My entrance into vintage watches was Indian Seiko 5’s. They were $10-$15 back then, and probably the reason I’ve a drawer full of 6309 and 7009 bits.
thnkx: this made me much more cautious about e bay and stuff in general
No chance for the rest of us if you get fooled.
Hmmm. Buying vintage wristwatches online or on eBay is a gamble. This is my reasoning for not attempting to buy. If such a man can be fooled who am I? 12:22
No incabloc?
If you can get scammed/stumped when purchasing a watch online, what chance do we mere mortals have? Thank you for helping us become more informed purchases; it's greatly appreciated.
Oh, these are old purchases, not recent ones 😎
I tried for years to pick up a few untouched, original HMT watches from India on eBay, and after a few well crafted duds I gave up. These weren't the obvious Frankenwatches but old military models that had been restored using salvaged parts.
Sir, genuine HMT watches are available with original HMT dealers in Bengaluru (Bangalore). Also you can buy from Company's website, but sticks are limited. I am also hunting for HMT Jubilee which is a class watch.
@@kswaminathan5439 I was under the impression that they would not ship to the United States? I was trying to get an untouched Jawan model but it appears that I was getting aftermarket casebacks with fake Broad arrow watermarks
HMT Jawan models are with black dials and the numerals have glow paints which are very prominent at night. Yes, only original HMT Jawan has the arrow mark on the case back. But duplicates are available in plenty as this iconic Indian brand is virtually out of the market. I own 3 HMT Janata, 2 lovely HMT Sona, 1 HMT Vijay, I HMT Avinash, 3 HMT Pilot- all hand wound. In automatic I own Kajal, Sourav and Kanchan. Accuracy is awesome and I will cherish these lovely watches. Prices of these watches have trebled now.
HMT army models are awesome mechanical watches. A long history and legacy. Shame on India they could not save that real brand and now some people are just wasting time on restoring frankenwatches.
Beautiful movement on that JLC!
This is why I buy Longines tanks. No one bothers to fake or Frankenstein them.
Been considering buying my first longines the last dayes, what’s your’e expirience with the brand? Anything I should know before I pull the trigger? 🤨
@@megakuli I would say that case condition be a priority. Gold filled or solid is secondary(for me) to condition. If you plan on buying 40s and 50s the odder the case the better. Some of those have previously small production runs. You will find that you are the only one wearing such an item for 1000's of miles in any direction. Prepare to answer questions about your watch as they seem to Garner compliments. One owner or estate sales watches usually mean draw queens with no service but excellent states of preservation.
Stainless steel tanks are much harder to find. If you see a nice one Grab it.
@@NitroModelsAndComics
Thank you so much dude 😀👍🏼 Im gonna write this down and keep it in mind for when Im heading out to get my first piece 🤩
thanks for sharing! i usually go diving at c24 for tripple calendars and the like from the 40s and 50s but never know how to be sure how much of the watch is still original...
I see no incabloc shock protection. So wrong dial or wrong movement?
couldn't help but giggle when Your kid bust in singing "It's Vacation" ..Hahaha..I used to do VERY similar when I was a Sprog too.
😁👍
Venus 188.....dial says incabloc and there is no shock protection...also on Cal 188 the minute jumper spring is made in one piece from solid...Valjoux 7730 two piece with spring steel blade..... as always a good informative video....
Because I haven't read it in the comments: The second watch says incabloc but doesn't have an incabloc
It makes my blood boil that people would deliberately set out to fool (defraud) people, especially so call Jewellers. They should be named and shamed and the respective manufacturers should deploy the fall force of the law.
I got done once.
Bought a Sector golden eagle.
It should have had a valjoux but had a cheap miyota quartz movement. Seller disappeared.
The Le Coultre also had an Eterna Matic crown with the 5 ball bearing logo.
there are seamasters from that era that are chronometer rated....never saw one in a unicoc case though. The dial is a premium dial, hence consistent with the premium cal 551. Seamaster Deville co-branding is applied opportunistically and is related to the marketing needs of a specific market...Having said that, I have never seen one in this combination...then again but Seamaster-Deville documentation is sketchy so it might have just escaped the factory in this way...
Oh man, how difficult to spot. Thanks for this refreshing video. The incablock is missing by the way. So far reaches my expertise. Stay safe💵
I was considering a cheap vintage omega, now I am not 😂
Same. Saw some that I thought, wow these must be a bargain price. But it's too good to be true. Most likely frankenstein with incorrect movement, or even a no name brand movement, incorrect hands, etc. Some people would never know but I want to make sure the watch is correct.
I know you're not Christopher Heyerdahl but it helps me to envision him doing these videos 😂
Oh, if you heard Thor Heyerdahl, he didn't actually speak English, he spoke Norwegian with English words 😁
that's a great video I also started this year to build a watch collection on Ebay, but I really don't trust some sellers from India or south east Asia where there is a lot of replicas in the market but some are good to analyse. Btw stay carefull on each detail is essential ! You have a pretty collection.
I'll buy from E-bay but only if it's gone thru the authentication process. If not I may still get it, but only if it's inexpensive, I like the style, and am not concerned about whether the provenance is genuine or not.
Thank you for this, Stian. It is really surprising to see what lengths sellers will go to cheat you out of your money. Then again, is it? Buying via your mobile phone should be OK though, as you can always enlarge the pictures and at least spot some formidable handwriting or amateurish painting on the dial as well as some really fresh "Rolex" engravings.
we'll, you do have some "interesting" finds there. Thanks for that "cautionary tale." I 've been there and done that. Good vid. Keep at it!
BEST Video currently on RUclips! THANKS!
Wow, thanks! 😊
Great video showcasing some superb models.
Great video Stian, incabloc but it wasn't, that FL twin-power i belive was an st 96 india moast likely, those Rolex n Britling may have been Russian Frankensteins but i may be wrong, great video.
Incabloc on the dial, but no shock protection.
You have to watch eBay, I recently purchased what I thought was a 2014 Mini Cooper S, but I found out it was actually a Morris Minor from 1969, damn was I annoyed!.
😂
"Contra Agua" is spanish for "WaterProof"
Estanco ...... well, that was some Felipe Rene rubbish.
jajajajajajjaa
Love the vid, and cheers from Mexico City !
Geez.. buying on Ebay have some risk all the time the maximum I paid is around 30$ or 40$. I don’t know if I can take the risk to expenses 200, 300 or 400$ on Ebay and have surprises that you don’t see on picture !! Thank you for this video I’ll learn other tips !!
eBay is trying to address this problem with their new authenticity guaranteed program… I’m usually just buying vintage swatch or cccp watches so I rarely worry about fakes anyway.
You can easily be screwed over on Soviet watches if you don’t know Russian or Soviet rules on political speech.You’ve got no idea how many fakes there are out there as there’s a cottage industry of making fake Soviet style watches to sell to tourists. Namely the ‘death to spies’ watches.
I always look for a photo where the case back is removed. I won’t bid on the watch unless I can see the movement. You might pay a little more that way because the seller has at least a small amount of knowledge about watches but it’s better than getting a watch that’s either rusted or broken/missing parts.
Its vacation! ITS vacation!!! Gotta love their enthusiasm! I love vacations too! Sadly we all fall for one or two of these in our lives. In the end it all balances out though. You buy a dud here and sometimes you score over there. Such is life!
I learned my lesson. I won't ever buy anything from eBay or sell on eBay again.
Oh, it's easily the biggest marketplace for all kinds of things but do your research and buy the seller!
If you find a reliable seller, obtain the watch at a good price and condition, and wear and enjoy the piece I say jump in. Great to see these pieces getting a second life. Definitely don’t purchase these if you think they will maintain or grow in value.
Well clearly not incabloc. I would say that old chrono are often swapped because of their compatibility. Sometimes I found Landeron inside Venus marked cases...
i asked somone on a watch forum about why there's so many for sale from India and his response was they're called the Mumbai specials because they just throw anything into them to get them working
17 Jewels Rolex got me OMG can't stop loughting :D :D
hehe
The chronograf dosen`t have shock settings in the movement, but it says Incablock on the dial :)