For vintage watch collectors or those looking for their first vintage watch. Japanese vintage watches are very approachable in terms of availability, price and reliability. If you are shopping for your first vintage watch or looking for an every day watch with a vintage character, Obsolete Inventory is a good place to start. Also, for anyone interested in vintage watches it is encouraged to build a relationship with a local watchmaker.

Waches that find their way to the inventory have been imported from Japan and restored so that they may have a second life as a daily wearer. Pricing is based on restoration costs associated with getting the the timepiece in good running condition, rather than “market value.”

All watches on Obsolete Inventory are restored: movements and cases are cleaned, serviced, and reseals. Crystal are always replaced as are some movement parts for better reliability. Pieces on ebay are typically “as-is” or unrestored. A restored vintage watch can easily double or triple the cost of an unrestored or unserviced watch. Additionally, ebay fees are often passed on to the buyer and international shipping fees can be quite high for a single item.

All of the inventory is restored vintage, previously used. Obsolete Inventory doesn’t sell complete new or old stock pieces. The mission of Obsolete Inventory is to return old, abused, discarded, or forgotten watches back into circulation.

New Old Stock typically carry a significantly high price tag than those previously worn, and in additional their perceived preciousness discourage daily use. Obsolete Inventory is meant to be worn and enjoyed, not fretted over or bought only to be sold again.

Each watch in the inventory has been taken to pieces, both case and movement, inspected and cleaned, reassembled, oiled and resealed with new gaskets. Worn out or broken parts are sourced and replaced. Crystals are always replaced and often crowns and stems as well; these parts tend to take a lot of abuse, especially if not stored properly. Crowns will always be New Old Stock however crystals will sometimes be a replicas or high quality third party replacements that are as close to NOS if the original crystal is no longer available. Please check the quirks section for details on regarding replacement crystals. specs will also have a note if there has been a NOS replacement case part.

quirks are characteristics of a watch or restoration which Obsolete Inventory believes a potential owner should be aware of before purchasing. Disclosure is important to us and we prefer a buyer pass because of a quirk rather than be disappointed later. Although Obsolete Inventory restores watches to function for daily use there will be instances in which either some functionality may he diminished or irregular or a generic part used(crystals typically). In some rare instances, typically some quartz based watches will only receive a case servicing if the movement is deemed to be clean and functional. This will be in the description and quirks section.

Yes and No. We encourage our patrons to buy complete watch and bracelet/strap sets however if you would like just the watch head without a bracelet/strap we will honor a $10 discount off the stated price. If we have a watch that is paired with it’s original bracelet we wont under any circumstances separate it from it’s set. We encourage all collectors to keep original bracelets with their watch and if they are to be resold, it be done as a set.

Obsolete Inventory strongly recommends that vintage watches, even dive watches, NEVER be submerged in water. Moreso, vintage watches should be kept away from any possible water intrusion generally speaking, as replacement parts are scarce or completely unavailable if water damage does occur. Regardless, Obsolete Inventory reseals all restored watches to protect the movement, dial and hands from potential moisture intrusion.

In short, no. We do not make any guarantees as any single watch’s deviation in time keeping, beat error or amplitude. However all watches are serviced and regulated in dial up position to assure a minimum consistency in time keeping. Whats most important to us is that our watches can preform well in a practical setting.

movements are regulated at the time of service in a single position(dial up) to insure a minimum of consistency in time keeping for practical daily use. We do not make any guarantees as far as any individual watcher’s accuracy or timegrapher reading. We encourage all vintage watch collectors to find and foster a relationship with a local watchmaker.

watches are sourced and imported directly from Japan and often from private sellers.

watches are primarily selected for their potential to be worn and enjoyed for daily use, and had at a reasonable price. Our ideal candidate is typically well love, forgotten about and in need of a refresh. Variety and attainability are more important to us than “what sells’ or “has resale value.”

As all of the inventory is made of unique vintage pieces, we will never have two of the same watch. We will from time to time have the same or similar models, however no two vintage watches will ever have the same patina. If a watch you like has sold, please be in contact and we can arrange to assess whether another may be had and the costs involved. Please keep in mind this process can last a log time, 6 months to a year depending on the piece.

we try our best to maintain orginal parts, be it cases, dials, hands, or movement parts. The one exception we make is crystals. Crystals in the 60s and 70s came in a staggering variety of shapes and profiles, from third party high end manufactures and from the original watch manufacture as genuine replacements. However, New Old Stock is ever diminishing and has in many instances become unreasonably priced. The price of some New Old Stock crystal can fetch twice the price of some of models. For Obsolete Inventory, a suitable aftermarket crystal is one that has a similar profile or is accurate in spirit. In another way, it is more important for us to bring a watch to market at a reasonable price than to scrap a watch or overcharge because of the cost of a single part.

Obsolete inventory doesn’t list or sell modified or mismatched case-dial-hand-movement combinations that are not described in the catalogue. The only instance that Obsolete Inventory will deviate from a catalogue is the crystal. If a genuine New Old Stock crystal cannot be sourced a high quality generic crystal with similar profile will be fitted. Please refer the the previous question for a complete answer on non New Old Stock crystals.

No. All of the inventory is vintage and time has absorbed any documentation and packaging. Further, the practice of keeping boxes and papers is relatively new and wasn’t common the the 60s and 70s as attitudes towards watches was primarily practical and not “collector” focused. All Inventory will be packaged and shipped in a sturdy box.