eBay Finds: Full Kits, Pie Pan Dials, & More

eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at [email protected] for potential inclusion!

Longines Grand Prize

Longines made so many great lines of watches, including the Conquest, Flagship and Admiral. However, there is one lesser known line that is under the radar, and that’s the Grand Prize. This example has a clean and simple approx. 35mm steel case with understated straight lugs. But the dial is anything but understated. The faceted applied steel hour markers are in a fantastic Art Deco font that is truly gorgeous. I have a similar watch to this with the same markers and let me tell you, it looks even better in person. The hands are what I like to call ‘skyscraper’ style, and they compliment the hours perfectly. There looks to be a very mild patina on the dial, but it still looks great. Original small Longines signed crown. Seller states the watch runs. Sadly there is no picture of the movement as the case is of the front loading type.

View auction here.

Vintage Hamilton

Next up is this minty fresh vintage Hamilton automatic with box. The 35mm steel case is another clean and simple round case with simple yet elegant angled lugs. The caseback is engraved with a 30 year service award from Youngstown Steel from 1975. The dial is really nice silver with radial brushed finish and applied steel stick markers and an unadorned date window at 3 o’clock. It comes on a period correct vintage stretch band that is likely not original but nonetheless looks decent on it. The crown is signed with the Hamilton H logo as it should. This one comes in what looks to be the original box, but no papers. Seller states the watch runs well. Really clean looking piece that has a lot of character.

View auction here.

Helbros Invincible Chronograph

How about a little classic bling? This vintage Helbros panda dial chronograph is a beauty! The 37mm gold plated case is in excellent shape, and looks unpolished with no wearthrough on the plating that I could see. The gold dial has black dual chronograph subdials and looks super clean. The chronograph is powered by the tried and true manual wind Valjoux 7733 workhorse movement. The movement looks clean as a whistle, and the seller states it runs and functions properly. This chronograph looks classy, I’m not a fan of gold cased watches, and even I like this one. I mean, how can you go wrong with that dial and movement?

View auction here.

Omega Seamaster 

Pretty much every vintage watch collector is (or at least should be!) familiar with the classic “fat lug” Seamaster of the 1950’s. But Omega made plenty of other killer Seamaster models, including this gem here. I had this exact model at one time, and this should be circa 1967 ref 166.08 with a caliber 563 automatic movement. The unpolished 37mm steel case is big and bold without being clunky, with a nice wide bezel and nice original brushed finish. The gray dial is really nice, with the simple stick markers and hands and a date window at 3 o’clock. Large oversized crown signed with the Omega symbol and tall crisp acrylic crystal. The black hour and minute hands combined with the orange second hand really pop. This is a great looking vintage Seamaster with a modern size and look. 

View auction here.

Gruen Precision 

For the last two we have some classy dress watches. The first is this vintage 1950’s Gruen Precision with original box. This yellow gold plated beauty has a great stepped-bezel case with fantastic pointed lugs. Seller doesn’t state the size, but I’d guess it should be a smaller one around 30-32mm. The case looks in good shape with no wear through on the gold that I could see. The dial is two tone, darker in the middle and lighter on the outer track. Roman numerals at 12 and 6 with simple stick hour markers for the rest and narrow hands, with a nice sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock. Comes on what could very well be the original gold stretch band, and what looks to be the original box, always a nice touch.

View auction here.

Omega Constellation

I saved the best for last this time, with this gorgeous circa 1962 vintage Omega Constellation. The Constellation was Omega’s high end flagship dress watch, and this watch is a perfect example. The 35mm gold cap case with steel back is excellent, with the classic gold observatory medallion on the back looking good. The classic pie-pan dial is champagne in color with crosshairs and stick markers. There is a very slight patina on the dial which is actually a good thing. The vast majority of these show some patina on the dial, which is a very good indication that the dial is original. So many Constellations on eBay have repainted dials, some horrific in execution and some really really good to be honest. I believe this one is original. Classic dauphine hands with black lines complete the look. The caliber 561 Chronometer grade movement looks clean, and the seller states it runs well. These are getting harder and harder to come by in their original condition, if you’re pining for a pie-pan Constellation, take a close look at this one!

View auction here.