Fratello’s Top 5 Pre-Owned Sleeper Watches: Part 5 — Featuring Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Tudor, And More
Another Friday, another Top 5! Today, we continue our quest to find more great pre-owned picks you might love. This is the fifth article with a selection of watches that deserve your attention. As always, we try to find the best pre-owned watches from bigger and smaller brands. They can be vintage, neo-vintage, or modern. It’s all about the watches you would not immediately consider when mentioning the brand. Let’s find out what this week’s picks are.
As mentioned in previous articles in this series, we love finding the hidden gems. There is nothing better for us at Fratello than finding watches to surprise our colleagues with. These daily expeditions into pre-owned watch territory are fun and might even tempt us to buy watches we hadn’t thought about. As we like to dig up some of our favorite picks, why not share them with you? No brands are off limits here, but the most popular and particularly expensive models are. This week, we tried to mix things up again with watches at different price levels. Let’s jump into this week’s selection!
Image: Shuck The Oyster
Omega Seamaster Chronograph 105.005
This pick had to show up at one point in this series. Part of that is because I love this watch. I wrote an article about the Omega Seamaster Chronograph 105.005 and explained the love story that I have with it. So consider this a personal favorite pick out of the five in today’s list. But there are more than sentimental reasons why it is worth your consideration. If you ever wanted to own an Omega with the legendary caliber 321, the first watches that come to mind would be the Speedy references with that movement. However, as most of you know, they go for a pretty penny these days. The great thing is that you can buy this Seamaster Chronograph ref. 105.005 for half the price or even less!
Image: Shuck The Oyster
The watch was available in the mid-1960s and has that typical ’60s Seamaster charm. It has a 35mm round-shaped stainless steel case that is 12mm thick. Omega also produced a gold-capped version that you will see for sale quite often. While both are tempting, the stainless steel model wins because you can buy it with a beautiful stainless steel beads-of-rice bracelet that perfectly matches the case. I adore the case shape with its straight lugs and the large pump-style pushers. Matched with a bracelet, it’s pure vintage bliss. Omega offered the watch with either a silver or a black dial. The first is more common and, therefore, easier to find. As it is rarer, a black one goes for a premium.
Image: Shuck The Oyster
A legendary watch with an iconic movement for a decent price
Inside the slim case, Omega equipped the watch with its legendary caliber 321. The manual-winding column-wheel chronograph operates at 18,000vph and offers 44 hours of power reserve. The brand introduced the caliber for the Speedmaster CK2915 when that came out in 1957. But Omega also used it for several Seamaster chronographs, including this 105.005, the succeeding ref. 145.005, and the Seamaster refs. 145.006 and 145.016. When it comes to the prices for the Seamaster ref. 105.005 models, expect to see them start at roughly €4.5K. They move up to €6.5K for one in good condition. Considering the prices for 321-powered Speedmasters, that is a bargain. And what you get in return is the classic ’60s Seamaster style combined with an iconic movement. That is why it’s the perfect first pick for this list.
Image: Vintage Seiko
Seiko Lord Marvel ref. 5740-8000
A lot of the fun in searching for vintage gems is finding affordable options that offer great value for money. If you are into that, vintage Seiko, Grand Seiko, and King Seiko models might be the right watches for you. Gerard and I love discussing all the different affordable options you can find. He mentioned this Lord Marvel last week, and it’s such a great pre-owned option. Some might know that Seiko introduced the Lord Marvel series in 1959 as the first high-end Seiko range. Those first-generation models featured movements with an 18,000vph beat rate. But in the late 1960s, Seiko introduced the third-generation Lord Marvel with a high-beat movement.
Image: Vintage Seiko
The Lord Marvel 5740-8000 was manufactured between 1967 and 1978 and is considered the pinnacle of the Lord Marvel line. The watch was produced by the Suwa Seikosha factory, which also produced the Grand Seiko watches of that era. The watch has a 35mm case that is 10mm thick and 41mm from lug to lug. The modest dimensions make it perfect for people with smaller wrists. Finding one with a stainless steel bracelet adds to the overall wrist presence.
Image: Vintage Seiko
From low-beat to high-beat as an experiment
Inside the case, you will find the manual-winding caliber 5740C, which Seiko transformed from a 2.5Hz movement (5740A) to a high-beat 5Hz caliber. It was a no-frills, time-only movement that can be seen as an experiment in cranking up the beat rate. Complications like a date or day/date for high-beat movements were introduced with the newly designed 61GS caliber that came that same year. The Lord Marvel 5740-8000 is a straightforward watch with that typical ’60s style. Seiko also created different dial variations. You can find dials with stick indices and others with Arabic numerals. Besides the stainless steel versions, there are also gold-plated ones. Prices for this pre-owned vintage gem start at roughly €300, but if you want one in good condition, expect to pay between €500 and €1,000.
Image: The Watch Club
Tudor Black Bay “Steel” ref. 79730
Let’s move on to something a bit more modern. It is interesting to speculate whether the different Tudor Black Bay models will become collectibles over time. Some have already dubbed the first-generation “Smiley Face” Black Bay references modern classics. I can’t wait to see what happens with the current generation once that has been discontinued.
Image: The Watch Club
One of the models that has already disappeared from the collection is the Black Bay “Steel.” It’s a watch that quite a few Fratello team members like a lot. Mike said it was his favorite series in a Two For Tuesday article. I know that Nacho is a fan of this watch as well, and I quite like it for its all-steel look.
Image: The Watch Club
The watch reminds me of the Tudor Submariner Prince Date ref. 79190 with its polished steel bezel insert. This Black Bay has a 41mm stainless steel case that is 14.8mm thick, 50mm long, and 22mm between the lugs. Compared to its siblings, the watch looks distinct because of its stainless steel bezel insert and the date window at 3 o’clock. It makes this a standout for more than one reason.
Image: The Watch Club
Inside the chunky case, you will find the COSC-certified caliber MT5612 that also powers the Pelagos, offering a healthy 70-hour power reserve. Tudor introduced the Black Bay “Steel” in 2017 and discontinued it in 2022. Currently, prices start around €2K and rise to roughly €3.5K. This standout Black Bay is a great affordable pre-owned pick at the lower end of that price range.
Image: The Watch Club
Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Grande Taille ref. 270.8.62
A list like this also deserves a nice Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. Over the past few weeks, my colleagues and I have been looking for great pre-owned Reversos because there are so many. Laurits has his eye on the Reverso Classique ref. 250.8.86 on a bracelet that looks super cool. With its 38mm × 23mm case, it is also a very modest Reverso that can be yours for well under €4K.
Image: The Watch Club
Ultimately, we looked for a slightly bigger model and picked the Reverso Grande Taille ref. 270.8.62. The watch has a bigger 42mm (length) × 27mm (width) stainless steel case. If you search the reference, you will see it is available on a leather strap or a stainless steel bracelet. I adore the bracelet, but we wanted to give you both options.
Image: The Second Hand Club
The dial has the typical Reverso design that we love. The large Arabic numbers, blued hands, and sub-seconds register are all crucial elements in making the Reverso instantly recognizable. You will find the manual-winding in-house caliber 822 inside the rectangular case. The movement operates at 21,600vph and has 45 hours of power reserve.
Image: The Second Hand Club
The Reverso Grande Taille ref. 270.8.62 was produced from the early 1990s until the mid-2000s and is one of those Reverso models that never gets old. Asking prices start under €4K and increase to €6.5K for one in excellent condition. This is a great pre-owned Reverso, especially on the brilliant seven-row stainless steel bracelet.
Image: Ticking Way
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Rose Gold ref. 102912
Our last pre-owned pick is a remarkable and potentially divisive one. Most of you know the hype surrounding the record-breaking Bvlgari Octo Finissimo models that came out every year in the past. Despite all the incredible watchmaking magic of the different models, the Octo Finissimo Automatic that came out in 2017 is my favorite out of all of them. More specifically, I am a big fan of the original concept with sandblasted materials and dials in matching materials. That is the Octo Finissimo in its purest and best form. In 2018, a stainless steel model and an 18K pink gold version joined the titanium one.
Image: Ticking Way
The pink gold model stood out immediately because we rarely see a fully satin-finished gold watch. Gold is usually here to shine, to show wealth and luxury in its purest form. However, the Octo Finissimo in pink gold showed that it still has that luxury feel while respecting the unique Octo Finissimo concept. The result is a watch with an angular 40mm case measuring only 5.15mm thick. Inside it, you will find the caliber BVL 138. This automatic movement with its platinum micro-rotor operates at 21,600vph and provides 60 hours of power reserve. It’s a beautiful movement and integral to the unique Octo Finissimo concept.
Image: Ticking Way
The pink gold Octo Finissimo is the ultimate proof of concept
This pink gold Octo Finissimo was discontinued in 2022 and replaced by different models in pink gold with a different dial color. On top of that, Bvlgari decided to change the finish by adding subtle polished parts. The titanium and steel versions are the more affordable options with this design, but the pink gold one is the spectacular ultimate proof of concept.
Image: Ticking Way
Whereas the titanium and steel models can feel technical and cold, this pink gold one has a beautiful, warm, satiny feel that makes it unique. Asking prices start around €25K and move up to €35K. Knowing that the watch had a retail price of €45K creates a good perspective for the current prices of this former record-breaking pre-owned option.
Image: Ticking Way
Final thoughts on this week’s top five pre-owned sleeper watches
There you have it — five more picks showing that the world of vintage and pre-owned watches has much to offer. It has become a mix of different styles representing different ages in watchmaking. It is proof that there are so many great pre-owned options. Again, these references are probably not the first watches that come to mind when considering their respective brands, but that’s precisely why we wanted to give them a place in the spotlight. Let us know in the comments section which of these is your favorite, and we will see you next week for another installment in this series!
