Hi all,
I need help IDing a watch, but I don't own the watch so I cannot add it to my watches. It is currently for sale in a local shop and I want to buy it, but wanted others' opinions on whether the asking price is fair.
The watch is a ladies watch, with a small square face and a black cord band. The band is new. The metal around the watch face is white gold, with some small diamonds. The watch face itself is a cream color, with gold colored lines on the hour marks and gold hands. There are no numbers and it does not say Bulova on the face. The only way we knew it was Bulova is because it said so on the back of the metal housing the face. The watch is said to be restored and working well. The watch looks a bit art deco, but could be midcentury or even later judging by the photos I have seen on this site. Does this model sound familiar to anyone and can anyone help me ID/place it?
Also, the seller is asking $850 for the watch. Is this a fair price? I have looked on eBay for similar watches and it seems they are all going for $400 or under unless they are the really fancy dress watches with a lot of diamonds.
I would really appreciate some help and opinions.
Thank you very much.
For that much, it would have to be solid Platinum with some big diamonds...Most solid Gold Mens watches that have been professionally restored don't go for near that much.
Its hard to say what this watch is with out a picture, no Bulova on the dial would raise a Red flag for me, as all Bulova's have a printed or applied Bulova signature on the dial, and ...I would keep looking on e-Bay, you just might find a better bargain and save a bunch of $$$.
You might also want to look though the vintage ad database, maybe something will look familiar.
Hi all,
Thank you all so much for your help. From what I can remember, the watch looks similar to this one: http://www.mybulova.com/watches/1970-concerto-4292
The differences are that the watch I saw has no numbers (just lines for the hour marks), it does not say "Bulova" or "Swiss" on the face (the only things on the face were the hour marks and the hands), and there are small diamonds on the shell-detailed parts of the case. The watch is 18k white gold and was marked Bulova on the back of the case. That is the only information I have on it, except that the seller said it had been fully serviced.
I can call the store and try to get more information on it. However, based on the comments you all have made so far, it sounds like he is charging way too much for the watch and that all the parts may not be original. I know the band is new, but that didn't concern me since those cords can wear and break. Maybe the face has been replaced into a Bulova case?
I will keep looking on eBay as well. One thing about eBay is that many of the watches are not working. What is the approximate cost to get a non-working watch serviced so that it works properly?
I once asked about servicing an old Timex from the 1960s. It was a windup model and was working, but not keeping good time. I was quoted $100 for service to get it keeping good time again.
I'd also be interested if there is a sale section in this forum or anyone has some recommendations of where to buy or watches they are selling.
Thanks!
These are some average prices incurred to restore a Gents watch, a Ladies would be close to the same.
1. Refinish Dial....$40-60.00 for a average single color dial
2. Re-plate watch case...$40-60.00 (provided the case is re-platable) If it is solid Gold, no need to plate, just polish.
3. Service movement...$50-100.00 (most 7-21 jewel movements, excluding Chrono's & Electronic, and provided any parts if needed are available)
4. New band...$15.00 on up, depending on what kind of band you want
5. New Crystal...$10-20.00 installed
If you found a watch you like on e-Bay, and had it restored, you could expect to spend between $150-250.00 to get it restored to like new condition.
Just use some caution when buying a watch on the bay, ask a lot of questions and look for things like case wear, or re-cased watches (see Non-conforming Bulova category)
There are many bargains out there, especially on Ladies watches, but you kind of need to know what to look for. If you do find the right watch, there are many excellent watchmakers from all over the world that are members of mybulova that do excellent restoration work, so if you decide to go that way, the help you need is right here.
It's the gold that is commanding the higher price. However, even if this were 18k, it isn't worth more than say $175 as scrap, and probably much less, ladies watches of the period being fairly small. My guess would be the dial has been cleaned and the Bulova logo has come off, (common) or worse case, it is a different dial altogether. As a Vintage Bulova its value is diminished by the dial in this case. As already mentioned, a full service isn't that expensive, but it is rare that I find watches that are properly serviced, unless coming from a jeweller with a good reputation.
My advice would be to keep looking, there are many nice examples out there, as millions were produced. Even if this particular watch really grabs you, the price is totally out to lunch. If this had the proper dial, I wouldn't pay any more than $250- $300 for this, despite the gold and tiny diamonds.