Opinions on this Ernest Borel

shawnee

[URL="http://www.ebay.com/itm/SWISS-MADE-ERNEST-BOREL-DAYDATE-AUTOMATIC-MEN-WATCH-/230660718525?_trksid=p5197.m7&_
I like these Ernest Borel watches and was thinking of buying this one !

MiCr0

url is broken
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SWISS-MADE-ERNEST-BOREL-DAYDATE-AUTOMATIC-MEN-WATCH-/230660718525?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item35b4733fbd

Mr.Yerus

It looks good, but I've seen better~

shawnee

MiCr0 wrote: »

url is broken
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SWISS-MADE-ERNEST-BOREL-DAYDATE-AUTOMATIC-MEN-WATCH-/230660718525?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item35b4733fbd

Thanks for your help Micro. !;)

shawnee

Mr.Yerus wrote: »

It looks good, but I've seen better~

Not a lot to go on there !! there is nearly always a better one, what do you think of the quality of this watch and what how much is it worth ?

marcus1971

shawnee wrote: »

Not a lot to go on there !! there is nearly always a better one, what do you think of the quality of this watch and what how much is it worth ?

I wouldn't really rate it as worth much more than the $100 incl shipping it is at now- with 11 hours to run - It looks a bit like the generic Seiko quartz efforts from the 80's

Its a 2003, if you are really interested in a Borel watch I would be aiming at something more vintage like the Rolex style day-date, this watch was made under the new (Japanese) ownership - better going for an older Borel from the 70's or 80's, they are the ones with the Swiss heritage.

shawnee

Ah, thanks a mil Marcus for your advice, that was the kind of info I was looking for and didn't know that it was quite that modern. As was said before I will wait on

marcus1971

Try looking at vintage Rado from the 60ies and 70ies, do an international search on eBay, limit yourself to between $100 and $250 and you might see something to interest you, some are similar to the day/dates you like.

They usually have an ETA inside, so they are for the mostpart using practically the same movements that are in a lot of the mainstream quality watches today, you might have to factor in a COA service they always list "recentl;y serviced" but I wouldn't take that as gospel...or if it was serviced sometimes they will do a WD40 service which is easy enough to determine by whipping off the back and having a sniff.

They have some nice designs that have stood the test of time - a lot were designed specifically for the Asian market and have some strange names: Purple Horse, Green Horse, Golden horse....etc etc. There are also some way out there 70's designs: Voyager, Capt. Cook, Starliner etc. etc. I like them, but not maybe your cup of tea.

You can do some serious low ball offers on them or watch out for no reserve auctions as there is a huge supply of them from the East but not much interest in them there.

(they only like new stuff and have no interest whatsoever in anything vintage, even a 3 year old Rolex there is considered old)

I bought the wife one about 4 years ago for $20, Ladies Rolex Date styled - I think its a ladies Golden Horse, I never serviced it and its still running like a champ, I bought it for her as a beater for gardening etc. and honestly it looked almost new, kept time as well as any Rolex or Omega and you would feel guilty thrashing it

Cases are finished as well as any out there and my guide for deciding the quality of the watch is usually the clarity of the dial and they, if not repainted, are as crisp as anything you will spend 1500-2000 on today.
Check out the price of a new Rado and then compare it to the kind of money the used ones sell for, the quality is the same they just don't hold their value well at all.

Things to look out for: The "Rado Thing" is the fact that their anchor logo is mounted on a synthetic ruby jewel and should spin on its pivot depending on wrist movement....sometimes they seize up and no longer spin.

Dirty or mismatched day or date discs... sometimes the discs that show the day/date will have been changed or replaced over the years, sometimes they are dirty or sometimes one will be discoloured and the other is not... just a visual thing no big deal other than that, and they are easily replaced for a couple of extra euro during a service.

Chrome plated cases..... most should be solid Stainless Steel, but some could be chrome plated and it wears off or pits over the years.

Crowns may have been replaced, especially on manual winders, no big deal, they are not usually screw in so its really only down to how the replacement matches the look of the rest of the watch.

Crystals are usually acrylic on watches in this timeframe, but sometimes they will be mineral crystal, its tough and scratch resistant but will most likely have a few blemishes from a few decades use, the trouble is that the toughness of the glass makes it practically impossible to polich out scratches, acrylic easily polishes out even deep scratches, so should be preferable....also acrylic gives a softer look to the watch that suits certain styles better than mineral or sapphire.

The bracelets will be worn out on a lot of them and they are offered on leather straps etc., I have bought some of the generic/unbranded Rolex style Oyster or Jubilee bracelets and they fit them perfectly and are usually only 10-20 Euro on eBay.

Worth checking out....and there seems to be an endless supply of them on eBay for years now, so if you want one there should be no waiting around!!!