aBlogtoWatch has been producing some buying guides for eBay, and we’ve got a fresh new batch to share. Now, we know that many “watch people” know the ins and outs of how to buy, sell, and trade watches online. However, more casual or beginning people who don’t have the confidence of experience can find themselves overwhelmed, intimidated, and plain stressed out about the process. We hope our guides, which are designed to answer broader questions about watch buying as well as provide watch brand- and model-specific guides, provide a good frame of reference for anyone on the hunt for a timepiece. Click on the images to view the articles on eBay.
One of our favorite Rolex watches is the Explorer, the entry-level sports watch that has seen the peaks of mountains and the sleeves of dress shirts. In our guide to buying a Rolex Explorer, we focus more on the entry-level Explorer but will be writing a followup guide for the Explorer II as well. The watch of choice for real historical figures like Sir Edmund Hillary and fictional ones like Don Draper from Mad Men, we would recommend the watch to most anyone.
While as a publication, aBlogtoWatch likes to avoid sweeping statements about the vintage market because of its generally unstable nature, it’s nearly impossible to really talk about buying watches on eBay without breaching the vintage market. Here, we have two new posts discussing some vintage pieces. First, we discuss the merits of buying a new TAG Heuer Carrera or a vintage Heuer model. Now, there are pros and cons to both, and while we won’t tell you what to do, it’s a start in helping you make a decision you’re happy with. Secondly, we take a look at vintage Omega De Ville watches, which have come in a vast range of models and styles over the years. And we can’t say it enough with vintage watches: do your homework and research so you 100% know what you’re getting into.
As divers worked and lived at ever-greater depths, Omega started work on the famous “Ploprof” (PLOngeur PROFessionel, or “professional diver” in English) Seamaster 600, launched into the public in 1970 after four years of research and testing. During the R&D process, Omega analyzed the PloProf into 600 meters in the mill, and to 1,000 meters off the coast of Marseilles. Back in September, 1970, three COMEX anglers wore the PloProf for eight days, working in the water four hours per day, at a depth of 250 meters. Cousteau’s anglers employed the watches from the coast of Marseille during a pair of experiments to test the effects on divers working at depths around 500 meters. To this day, the Omega Seamaster title is synonymous with snorkeling. (For our test of the contemporary Omega Ploprof, click here.) Omega manufactured its first chronograph in 1898, and within 10 years, the timepieces had been used to quantify time at over 16 sporting contests. This was the first time in Olympic history which one brand had been given the responsibility to time all occasions. The newest provided 30 high-precision chronographs effective at measuring 1/10th of another (an Olympics first), all of which had been certified as chronometers from the Observatory in Neuchâtel as well as the National Physics Laboratory in the USA. (The timekeepers at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam utilized their private stopwatches.)
Finally, we introduce Longines to the buyer who may not know enough about the brand to even start looking. Of course, one guide can’t cover the entire brand and models, but we think it’s a good start.