105.012-66 CB - Would you have rolled the dice?

Been reflecting on this a little more...

I'm pleasantly surprised by the feedback about the watch and I'm glad to hear the differing takes. Certainly not in a critical way--I've found over the years that most of the speedmaster feedback posts advocated against risks/projects unless they were really cheap.

This watch is not without undue risk and I still don't think it was very cheap, but priced in a sweet spot. Despite being from an estate-type reseller, most of these big sellers have connections with dealers and collectors who usually jump on things if obviously undervalued before they even hit ebay. I thought that could be a sign but maybe not.

Obviously, the tricky thing with these older speedmasters is the cost of parts. A watch like this only makes sense if you have resources. Over the last few years, I found that the only way I've been able to collect these watches and restore them reasonably is to buy and sell parts. Same goes for my restorations of SM300s

I think this watch makes sense for a collector because the case and bezel appear so nice. But If the dial is bad and the movement is written off, I think a buyer will struggle a little to break even outside of collector circles. I've seen unpolished CB cases sit on ebay for a few grand. I haven't seen a DON on its own, sell for more than 2k on ebay over the last two years. Granted, prices on ebay in the US are a little lower than in the EU/UK. But selling parts is a long term endeavor unless you underprice them.

The tariff situation and economic conditions have made the market erratic...I think if this watch was listed at this time last year it would have sat for a week at least.

Ultimately, I came to the same calculation as Dave--