[maxrieke]

Hi Forum!
This is my first post here. I am new to mechanical watches and but I fell in love with them quickly. I bought an Orient Blue Ray and now I'm looking at Flieger watches. I like Steinhart watches a lot but this offer is on the second hand market in my country at the moment. Its a Stowa Flieger Handwind Unitas 6498-1 no seconds 41mm. It's supposed to be in mint condition and warranty until march 2017. He is selling it for 649.- EUR and supposedly has a total value of 1480.- EUR if bought directly from Stowa (1290.- Euro + Steel Caseback 90.- and FL 23883 engraving on the side 80.-). Here are some pics:

650 Euros is a lot of money for me so do you guys think this is a good purchase and does it have good resell value? Would you buy it yourself?

Cheers
Max

 

[StufflerMike]

No, since it is too good to be true.

 

[CM HUNTER]

A flieger with no seconds hand would be an absolute no go for me, regardless of how good of a deal it is. This seller is taking the hit on resale (and a major one) so I wouldn't worry about that. But that should be somewhat of an indicator of the lack of desirability for this model.

 

[maxrieke]

No second hand bothers me too to be honest. The unitas 6498 would have a seconds hand at 6 o'clock which would ruin the clean style i think. And a handwound movement is truer to the original rather than the ETA 2824 automatic. There is the ETA 2801 which would be the model I would choose if i bought new. But it's still over 900.- ? so i think I can live with no second hand for the price drop.
Why is the unitas 6497 model 300.- ? more expensive than the ETA 2824 on the stowa website?
To good to be true you say? That sounds like an encouragement because I am pretty certain it's a legit offer

 

[StufflerMike]

Why is the unitas 6497 model 300.- ? more expensive than the ETA 2824 on the stowa website?

Pre-eminently it is the movement. The Unitas 6498 is beating the ETA 2824-2 by far. First: It´s handwounded. Second: It´s fairly finished. You´ll not find the swan neck and the screw balance with the ETA 2824-2. For a inewbie this probably doesn´t mean much but it mean a lot to,watch afficionados.
The 2824 watch is 40mm in diameter, the Unitas is 41mm. There are a lot of threads here on the forum explaining the "why" and "how". Just do a search.

Re: Too good to be true. If you are certain it is a legit offer and the seller has corresponding references, well, go for it.

 

[maxrieke]

Than you mike! I will go for it and post pictures here when i have it.

 

[omeglycine]

No, since it is too good to be true.

My first thought as well.

OP, I would be cautious and use PayPal if you're not buying in person.

 

[hidden830726]

Nothing wrong without the second hand, I love my Unitas flieger.

To ts: go for it uf legit, cod if can.

 

[senna89wc12]

Buy with caution, but I would say go for it. It's a great deal.

 

[RedSilver]

Yea, it's a good deal. If you don't go for it I will.

Sent from a phone or a computer.

 

[maxrieke]

Update: I bought the watch after the dealer send me a picture of if with my name written next to it (to confirm he actually had the watch). The watch will arrive on tuesday and I'll post some pictures.
Not sure if i will like it though, I feel like I rushed buying it. But we'll see

 

[debasercl]

Update: I bought the watch after the dealer send me a picture of if with my name written next to it (to confirm he actually had the watch). The watch will arrive on tuesday and I'll post some pictures.
Not sure if i will like it though, I feel like I rushed buying it. But we'll see

Good decision and if you don't like it let me know and I'd gladly buy it!

cheers

 

[maxrieke]

The watch finally arrived! I am very happy with the condition of it, looks almost new with few very small scratches. It came with two black original flieger leather straps. [edited by mod, please re-read our rules & guidelines]

My first impression was very positive. It's a beautiful watch from all angles. I took some macro shots to show this.

The winding feels very solid and pleasing and the movement have a very noticeable ticking sound. Even though its a nice slow ticking it is very loud. I can hear it even when watching a movie. Not sure if I like that:think:...

The case size is just right. I wouldn't get anything larger for my wrist. It wears very comfortable even on the not worn in thick leather. The strap has two layers of leather and is very long. Maybe to long for my wrist:-s?

The missing second hand doesn't bother me at all. It's easy telling if the watch is stopped or not because you can hear it.

I have to spend some more time with the watch to decide if I want to keep it. I haven't quite fallen in love with it yet but it is without a doubt a beautiful made timepiece.

 

[hidden830726]

Ok, welcome. You are now a Stowaristi

I love my Stowa Unitas too.

 

[omeglycine]

Glad it worked out, congrats! And wonderful photos. They really highlight the terrific finishing Stowa provides for the money spent.

 

[dantan]

Congratulations! Handwinding (manual) is the way to go!

 

[Tha Baron]

Congrats on the deal and great piece!

 

[thevenerablelars]

Nice macro shots. Hope you enjoy the new purchase.

 

[maxrieke]

Thanks for all nice comments. But it turns out I cant seems to fall in love with this watch. The movement is way to loud for me. It even annoys the people around me. Is the Unitas known to be noisy or could it be only my watch? Maybe switching from the sapphire to the steel case back helps keeping the noise down?
Is it smart to sell the watch now while it's still under warranty or wait a few years and treat it as an investment?

 

[hidden830726]

Thanks for all nice comments. But it turns out I cant seems to fall in love with this watch. The movement is way to loud for me. It even annoys the people around me. Is the Unitas known to be noisy or could it be only my watch? Maybe switching from the sapphire to the steel case back helps keeping the noise down?
Is it smart to sell the watch now while it's still under warranty or wait a few years and treat it as an investment?

Ya, Unitas is generally louder. Some (including me) like it (loud) as it is because you can hear every tick of the movement. Its the signification ( if there is this word) of a mechanical manual movement....

Give it another week I would say, if by then still dont like it then sell it. No point keeping watch that you dont wear.