So what does "serviced" mean when you buy a watch on eBay?

Tet · Dec 1, 2018

Andreas
not just any ed white... a polished/ like brand new ed white 🙄
i like his finishing lines at the end after brushing in with the toothbrush : "customer will be happy with that one... i think... yeah"
"this is as good as it gets"

And when one of his toothbrush bristles gets stuck and he says "don't want to make a pigs ear of it in front of the camera", haha a bit late for that.

I'm gonna have nightmares tonight.... Wait what's that sound I'm hearing in the distance ....oh God please no .... Can it be ..... Ians polishing kit?😲😲😲

S.H. · Dec 1, 2018

Seeing this at the end of a work week, ugh. Now I want to punch those guys in the face, hard.

ahsposo · Dec 1, 2018

Guy does car repair, too:

eugeneandresson · Dec 1, 2018

ahsposo
Guy does car repair, too:

I'm certain he's a skilled dentist as well...

JimInOz · Dec 1, 2018

Archer
Most of the time I guessing it's something like this example...

Painful to watch for anyone who actually appreciates watches I'm sure.

Painful is an understatement Al.

I literally shuddered when he "fixed the hour hand, and then again when he "aligned" it.

airansun · Dec 1, 2018

So what does "serviced" mean when you buy a watch on eBay?

Rodent hairs in the movement? Happened to me. A nice early 50’s 321. I wouldn’t have believed it if my watchmaker hadn’t shown me with a loupe, upon opening the case up.

This came from a European seller who was also a watchmaker. A watchmaker in his own mind. He asserted he’d serviced it. Maybe he ran out of lubricant and decided to substitute mammal hair.

Millenary Watches · Dec 2, 2018

Oh god please no😡😁😜 Would not call that a service!

S.H. · Dec 2, 2018

Best serviced watch I ever saw was a small Rolex auto : train bridge was not even in place (1 broken screw, 1 missing) resulting in a nice salad of gears inside. Also, missing escapement cap jewel and broken antishock device. 🤨

Sold by a big pro seller, they have all access to an ex-rolex service guy if you believe them 🤦

ConElPueblo · Dec 2, 2018

I have a pretty Eterna chronograph from 1940, which I bought from a seller who had it serviced at a reputable Danish watchmaker - the watchmaker even recognised the watch when I later brought it in - which I stupidly had an accident with, knocking the hairspring out of shape and so on.

@ChrisN had a look at it and discerned that apart from being pretty filthy, there was a missing jewel in the balance assembly! 😲

asrnj77 · Dec 2, 2018

On eBay “serviced” means that they acquired it in non-working condition probably in a grab bag from goodwill and the local watch repair guy got it running again. I would always assume it’ll need some work when I bid and bid accordingly

ChrisN · Dec 2, 2018

ConElPueblo
I have a pretty Eterna chronograph from 1940, which I bought from a seller who had it serviced at a reputable Danish watchmaker - the watchmaker even recognised the watch when I later brought it in - which I stupidly had an accident with, knocking the hairspring out of shape and so on.

@ChrisN had a look at it and discerned that apart from being pretty filthy, there was a missing jewel in the balance assembly! 😲

I remember it well - we both thought it had a broken staff until I looked more closely. The top through hole jewel was completely missing and there is no way that you lost it as you can't get to it. Easy fix if it's an Incabloc as I have a selection and you can still buy virtually any model they've ever made. Not for an 1950s Eterna specific shock protection though🤦. Two attempts to work out the right one with a US supplier and the first correct one went missing in the post so, after resolving the hairspring over the first couple of days, I ended up keeping the watch for an age. Sad to see it go as it looked a great watch😉.

Cheers, Chris

Canuck · Dec 2, 2018

I’ve never bought a watch through eBay, but this is a common occurrence pretty well anywhere antique and vintage watches are offered for sale. Unfortunately, a lot of these vendors get away with it! I don’t recall ever having been shown a watch that had recently been “serviced”, and I actually believed it.

Dan S · Dec 2, 2018

I guess there is some thread drift going on, but here's a sad story. I bought a serviced watch from a very well-known dealer in Europe who sells things at premium prices. When it arrived, the movement rattled around in the case and the watch kept stopping. Well, I thought maybe something just came loose during shipping, so I asked my watchmaker to take a look (after getting permission from the seller). He said that there was a loose screw. But there were also other missing screws, rust that hadn't been addressed, etc. When I asked the seller about it, he said he was really going to give his watchmaker a piece of his mind because he was told it was serviced. He offered me some money to address the problems, but I decided to return it.

Om3ga321 · Dec 3, 2018

airansun
So what does "serviced" mean when you buy a watch on eBay?

Rodent hairs in the movement? Happened to me. A nice early 50’s 321. I wouldn’t have believed it if my watchmaker hadn’t shown me with a loupe, upon opening the case up.

This came from a European seller who was also a watchmaker. A watchmaker in his own mind. He asserted he’d serviced it. Maybe he ran out of lubricant and decided to substitute mammal hair.

But he got the Omega sign on the hesalite lined up perfectly.

Om3ga321 · Dec 3, 2018

One must by a watch with the cost of a service by your own watch repairer built in to the purchase price.

kelev_ra · Dec 3, 2018

"Serviced" means nothing without a bill...
And if I got a bill I know what "serviced" means,,,
Simple as that!

Darlinboy · Dec 3, 2018

Archer
So what does "serviced" mean when you buy a watch on eBay?

Means nothing - the same as “original”, “unpolished”, and “rare”, etc.

Waltesefalcon · Dec 3, 2018

Well I have always considered myself to be a bit of a clod when it comes to servicing my watches, but these guys make me almost look like a pro.