Is there a list of watch makes I should look out for?

[dazzystar]

Hi All,

As a newbie to the hobby I see dozens of different brands of watches / movements on eBay but most of these names mean nothing to me. Is there a guide somewhere which shows me a list of brands I can then use to gauge whether it's something I should potentially buy?

Cheers
Daz

[markr]

Stay away from anything coming out of India.

[dazzystar]

I wouldn't have a clue of the brand names from that region which goes back to my original post about names I should look out for or a guide somewhere to read?

[eccentric59]

I'm sure I missed a few but here's what can consider vintage brands.

> A. LANGE & SÖHNE WATCHES
> ALPINA WATCH COMPANY
> AUDEMARS PIGUET
> BALTIC WATCHES
> BAUME & MERCIER, WATCHES
> BELL & ROSS
> BENRUS WATCHES
> BLANCPAIN
> BREITLING WATCHES
> BREMONT WATCH COMPANY LIMITED
> BUCHERER WATCH COMPANY - LUCERNE
> BULOVA
> BUREN WATCH COMPANY - SWITZERLAND
> CAMY WATCH COMPANY
> CARTIER
> CASIO WATCHES
> CERTINA
> CHRONOGRAPHE SUISSE
> CITIZEN WATCHES
> CWC CABOT WATCH COMPANY MILITARY WATCHES
> CYMA WATCH COMPANY
> DOXA WATCHES - SWISS MADE - 1889
> EBERHARD AND CO SA
> ELGIN WATCH COMPANY
> ENICAR
> ETERNA WATCH COMPANY
> FORTIS
> GIRARD-PERREGAUX WATCHES
> GLASHUTTE
> GLYCINE
> GOTHAM WATCH CO
> HAMILTON WATCHES
> HANHART 1882 GMBH
> HEUER WATCHES
> INGERSOLL WATCH CO. 1892
> INVICTA WATCH
> IWC - INTERNATIONAL WATCH COMPANY - SCHAFFHAUSEN
> JAEGER-LECOULTRE
> JAQUET + GIRARD
> JUNGHANS
> LACO WATCHES 1925
> LANDERON WATCH COMPANY
> LEMANIA WATCH COMPANY
> LONGINES WATCHES
> LORIER
> LORSA
> MONTBLANC WATCHES - SWITZERLAND
> MOVADO WATCHES
> NOMOS GLASHUTTE
> OMEGA WATCHES
> ORIENT
> ORIS
> PANERAI
> PATEK PHILLIPE
> PORSCHE DESIGN
> RADO WATCH CO. LTD
> RAKETA
> REVUE THOMMEN, SWITZERLAND
> ROLEX WATCHES
> ROTARY
> SEARS ROEBUCK & CO.
> SEIKO
> SEKONDA WATCH CO
> SINN SPEZIALUHREN GMBH
> SMITHS WATCHES
> STOWA WATCH COMPANY
> SWATCH
> TAG HEUER WATCHES
> TAVANNES WATCH COMPANY
> TECHNO-MARINE
> TECHNOS WATCHES
> TIMEX
> TISSOT
> TUDOR
> UNITAS WATCH COMPANY
> UNIVERSAL GENEVE WATCHES (UG)
> VACHERON & CONSTANTIN WATCHES
> VENUS
> VERTEX WATCHES
> VOSTOK
> WALTHAM WATCH CO OF AMERICA
> WITTNAUER WATCHES
> ZENITH WATCH COMPANY

I specifically left off the AliExpress brands like Pagani and Corgeut and Designer-only brands like Michael Kors or Guess, which are pretty much all quartz in a bling covered case. Also missing are microbrands which you won't find very often on eBay.

[dazzystar]

Brilliant. Thanks so much!

[eccentric59]

Keep in mind that a name on a dial doesn't necessarily mean that's what it is. Be wary of sellers who don't post pictures of the movement and/or post blurry pictures. You should also see if there's a legible case reference in one of the photos and look up to see if the movement is supposed to be what's in there. That's what markr was getting at. India is notorious for "frankenwatches" where they'll cobble together whatever parts they have on hand and sell it as whatever the dial says it is.

I would also specifically ask the seller if a watch listed for parts/repair actually has all its parts. I've been burned more than once where there is a part missing, which indicates that it was sold FOR parts and the hardest part to find is the one that's missing.

[Nucejoe]

 Newbies or old timers risk a faint when they see the price tag on an A.LANGE&SOHNE or Audmars Piguet not to mention Jaeger LeCoultre.

 I take it you mean something to practice on and perhaps wear eventually, so you want to look into something cheap and one to which spare parts or donor movements are easy to find and wouldn't hurt the wallet if theres a mishap.

SEIKO 5 is the junk that meets these  requirments, works like a mule, looks like a watch and doesn't hurt your wallets much. 

Buy two or more of the same calibers of Seiko 5 and save £ & $ .

Show us a pic of the movement and ask questions before you buy.

Good luck pal.

 

 

[HectorLooi]

9 hours ago, markr said:

Stay away from anything coming out of India.

Why? Don't you like a watch that has :-

1) been overpolished

2) an ill fitting crystal

3) a generic crown that leaks

4) a garish refurbished dial

5) non original balance and hairspring 

6) damaged escape wheel 

7) pallet fork with loose stones

missing screws

9) homemade movement rings 

These are some of the things I've found in Mumbai specials. 

But don't get me wrong. I love Mumbai specials. I'll get one every six months just to test my diagnosis and repair skills. But it isn't great for my blood pressure and thinning hair. 

 

[Juleswatch]

I might add Hebdomas, A. Schild and Freyres to the list in my humble opinion

[spectre6000]

I think you'll find that between the laundry list of names (and the prices associated with them) and the potential for fraud, you might be barking up the wrong tree...

Name brands only really mean anything for the fashion conscious, and this (mostly) ain't that crowd. If you're new to the hobby, the first thing to do is throw out the fashion hat, and put on your engineer's hat. The name on the machine doesn't matter, it's a machine. What does one look for in one of these machines? 

Condition is obvious, and has been touched on. The "mumbai special" is slang for a severely polished severe turd, but the same concept applies to watches from anywhere (and they can absolutely come from anywhere). 

Beyond that, look for fully jeweled movements; that means there are jewel bearings on the escapement and all of the wheels. Often the barrel is excluded from this, but bonus if it's jeweled as well. Decoration is a nice thing to find, and often (but certainly not always) indicates a nicer movement. 

If it's something you want to wear or resell, or something beyond just learning to dis/assemble a movement, pay attention to the case. All stainless cases tend to hold up, look better with wear, and be recovered from wear better than any flavor of plating. They also tend to get at least mid-grade movements.

Budget is your last thing. There's a whole long thread called "404 club" that's nothing but watches found for dirt cheap (under £4.04/$5 + nominal shipping). You don't have to spend a fortune on "victims" to the altar of learning this stuff.

Seriously, that's about it. Condition and appointments. Name on the dial is pretty much meaningless, and name on the movement is often difficult to impossible to divine from your typical auction (especially now that Ranfft is down).

Bonus: Beyond that, I personally like to focus on a particular "school". Russian watches are robust, but simple and not very precise. They're cheap and hard to kill. Japanese watches are like more precise Russians. Accordingly, they're almost as cheap, and almost as hard to kill. European watches tend to be better quality with some finishing. As the most common point of origin, they tend to run the gamut, and you can end up with anything from gold to garbage; kinda have to have a bit of a clue for what you're looking at, but not much more than the pre-bonus outlay. American watches are like European watches, but with gold lettering and harder to find. The US was where the good watches came from until the Swiss picked up the mantle (there was a brief period of Swiss watches being faked up to look like they were American), so the nice American watches tend to be of the pocket watch era, and get more and more rare as time goes on.

Edited September 1, 2023 by spectre6000

[tomh207]

I think @spectre6000 has covered the reality, really it would be much easier to ask “what to avoid “

 

Tom