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When it comes to shopping for vintage watches on eBay, it can be a gold mine, but it can also be a minefield. Our very own Christoph McNeill (you all might know him as Instagram’s @VintageDiver) wrote a must-read, common sense guide to buying vintage watches on eBay (check out Part 1 and Part 2). Today, we have another installment of eBay Finds, where Christoph will highlight some great vintage gems looking for a new home. Happy hunting!
Listing: Enicar Seapearl Automatic (circa 1967)
Enicar is known for their Sherpa line of divers and chronographs, but these lesser-known Seapearls are real gems. The 34-millimeter, steel EPSA case appears to be unpolished and features sharp lugs. Furthermore, the case has the correct crown signed with Enicar’s logo. The silvery white dial has a desirable, even patina (the sort you’d want from a vintage piece) and the arrow indices are in good condition. Likewise with the hands. Overall, this is a good example of this model and a steal at the going price.
Listing: André Bouchard Nautoscaph Diver Produced by Alstater Watch Co.
This vintage André Bouchard diver made by Alstater Watch Co. has everything you’d want in a vintage diver. The unpolished, 36-millimeter skindiver case retains much of its original factory finish, and the oversized screw down crown also appears to be orignal. The steel diver’s bezel is in excellent condition, too. The black dial has large, coffin-shaped lume plots that look a lot like the ones you’d find on the Alsta dive watch made famous in the movie, Jaws. But best of all are the large lume-filled hands, with the fat arrow hour hand and big dauphine minute hand really pulling in the eye. Overall, this one’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Listing: Seiko Lord Matic Ref. 5606-8050
The Lord Matic is a really cool family of watches from Seiko, and the uncommon example seen here comes with a gorgeous green sunburst dial. It also has an unpolished steel case (can you tell I’m a stickler when it comes to overworked cases) that measures 36 millimeters across, so it’s a great vintage size. The seller states that the quickset day/date does not work, which sadly is a fairly common problem with the caliber 56xx family of movements. If this matters to you, then this one might be worth avoiding, but if you can live with it then it’s not really a big deal. One of the best things about this listing is that this watch comes with its original bracelet. This bracelet is similar to a beads of rice bracelet, but the beads here are much thinner. The clasp is signed with LM.
