Useful Online Resources For The Watch Collector
As you research the large and often confusing world of horology there will often be many questions which arise that aren't always directly answered by a simple google search. This may be about a specific watch, a technical question or even seeing if a particular watch is available from another collector.
Below we provide some examples I have used and found invaluable in my education on this subject.
This website
Whether purchasing a watch from here or not, I am always more than happy to help anyone who needs advice on a watch purchase, repair and any general queries. I do not however know everything so here are some excellent places to head over to.
Omega Forums
This is my most used reference site, not only for Omega watches but most other brands too. This has thousands of threads on various topics from identifying fakes, technical questions, the history of certain pieces and generally great advice from experienced collectors.
Generally 'trolls' are not tolerated and blocked pretty quickly so the discussions are usually from genuine members. It's important to remember to not take everything as 'fact' but after a few answers and discussion I have always managed to find the answers I needed. Find the link below.
Facebook Pages
Facebook offers hundreds of pages on watch collecting, from pages for specific brands, watchmaking pages and general discussion pages too. A lot of these consist of people proudly showing off their latest purchases and seeking approval from fellow members. This means you often get a lot of uneducated opinions, wrong facts and 'trolls' criticizing everything that is put on the page.
There are however a few pages that are well regulated and are well worth joining.
Retro & Vintage Watches & Restorations - very knowldgeablw people, ideal for both vintage watch queries and technical queries.
Drinking Coffee and Talking Watches - a more relaxed discussion site, not formal and all typesof watches discussed.
Military Watch Resource Forum
This is the main site for any enquiries on military watches. This is one I have used a lot. With so many of these having wrong case backs, dials, hands, movements and so on, it's great to get a second opinion on here. Link below.
www.mwrforum.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?2-Main-Forum.net)
Be careful of any sites giving glowing reports on brands with no criticism at all. A lot of sites which originally set up independent reviews are either bought out or become paid market influencers. If an 'independent' site becomes an AD for companies or takes heavy investment for a watch retailing investor, that independent review style will be lost and generally biased.
