Community Stories

145.022-69, a worthy one?

L
Posts
34
Likes
36
Found this piece for sale locally, and I was wondering if it’s worth the premium the seller is asking because of condition and fading brown dial/blue bezel.
“Tropical” is a slippery terrain to say the least, where the line between attractive and damaged is very thin, and the asked premium is often arbitrary, so I’ll let the pics speak for themselves.
Thanks








 
Nla91
Posts
206
Likes
737
It's an attractive one for sure. I've never actually seen a '69 with a bluish bezel. Maybe some experts can elaborate on this?

Also if it's an early serial, it should have a 1039 bracelet.

What is the price?
 
eugeneandresson
Posts
5,059
Likes
15,583
All depends on price. Some see blue, others see gray. Tropical is a stretch...it may be turning, but thats 98% black..
 
zwjk
Posts
295
Likes
387
The bezel is very nice in my opinion. The rest of the watch appears to solid too.

I wouldn’t call it a tropical/brown dial though, there may be a slight tint but it looks black to me even in the harsh sun. I would not pay a premium if the seller is pushing this as a tropical/brown dial.

I would also question whether the dial has been relumed. The plots are a bit too perfectly applied and “fully filled” in my opinion.
 
Davidt
Posts
12,965
Likes
22,482
No premium here for a 'blue' bezel or 'tropical' dial for me.
 
Larry S
Posts
13,504
Likes
53,065
Lovely but not tropical. Don’t pay more for that.
 
befobe
Posts
1,551
Likes
9,984
👍
May we know the price range you got this nice one?...
 
Dan S
Posts
23,485
Likes
52,211
I do think that this dial probably fits into the general category of brown dials that show up predominantly in two serial number batches. However, the dials represent a spectrum, with some being very noticeably brown in all types of lighting, with others only being brown in bright sunlight and the brown tint is not really apparent under typical ambient lighting indoors. I think this dial is probably one of the latter. That said, there are enough people who like the brown dials, that it would still probably sell for a slight premium, but not much.

The bezel is more just a matter of taste whether you like it or not, and frankly I'd be a bit worried about how it would look in person. It's so easy to manipulate photos. The bezel is definitely faded (which is not necessarily a positive), but I don't know if it will really look very blue to the naked eye. Overall, I would try to buy the watch based on its general condition, certainly with no more than a 10% premium. We can't really help you with price, since you've just shown a bunch of photos of the dial, so we can't judge the overall condition. The 1175 bracelet is one of my favorites.

Below are three 145.022-69 examples. The dial on the left is black. The one in the center is quite noticeably brown. The one on the right is much less noticeable; easily seen to be brown in direct sunlight but it's obviously not like the one in the middle. You will notice that the brown dials have variations in tone across the surface, which is typical. Perhaps the OP watch is like the one on the right. It's hard to say.

omega_speedmasters.jpg
Edited:
 
L
Posts
34
Likes
36
Lovely and super useful comments, thanks!
The watch is offered for Eu13,500/usd16,000, which at this point seems a bit steep...
 
Cuttysark
Posts
965
Likes
4,031
L Luca79
Lovely and super useful comments, thanks!
The watch is offered for Eu13,500/usd16,000, which at this point seems a bit steep...
It's a lovely watch but very expensive!
You can easily find an excellent 145.012 or 105.012 for this price.
 
Dan S
Posts
23,485
Likes
52,211
L Luca79
Lovely and super useful comments, thanks!
The watch is offered for Eu13,500/usd16,000, which at this point seems a bit steep...

Quite honestly that is roughly double what I would pay.
 
Davidt
Posts
12,965
Likes
22,482
I think that bezel May look slightly tired in real life so it’s at least 2x overpriced for me.
 
Marsimaxam
Posts
1,430
Likes
2,955
In regards to tropical dials... if you have to ask, it probably isn't so. I don't see the varying colors of brown on the dial which is often typical. It is solid looking watch. The hands don't match the plots which isn't unusual, but, as another poster mentioned, I wonder if the plots have been relumed? This is one watch I would like to see in person and have a closer look at the dial, bezel, case, movement and the plots.

I agree with the others it's worth about half the asking price.
Edited:
 
NotAClue
Posts
278
Likes
356
Normally when I want to know if a watch is worth the asking price I ask myself 2 questions?

1- Does it pleases so much that I could even consider pay more for it?
2- If I need to sell it tomorrow will I recover at least 90% of my money?

At least one of these questions should be YES and the more knowledgeable members already gave you a hint regrading the response to the second question. Up to you now to decide 😉
 
J
Posts
521
Likes
410
and another reference point to consider: @ $16k that is on par with what was recently paid for an excellent 145.022 -68 transitional.
 
Sign up or log in to reply...

Similar threads

hansaboy

Omega Speedmaster 145.022-69 on an auction (nr 6)!!

hansaboy Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
hansaboy
hansaboy
Posts
28
Views
731
hansaboy

Omega Speedmaster 145.022-69´s on auctions!!

hansaboy Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
hansaboy
hansaboy
Posts
16
Views
543
jpmcg

145.022 69 movement loose. Am I missing a part?

jpmcg Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
jpmcg
jpmcg
Posts
14
Views
739
hansaboy

Omega Speedmaster 145.022-69 on an auction (new pictures) !

hansaboy Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
kewteddington
kewteddington
Posts
37
Views
5K
moonwatchmoon

Introducing my 145.022-69 (220 bezel) and me

moonwatchmoon Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
SOG53
SOG53
Posts
10
Views
969
hansaboy

Omega Speedmaster 145.022-69 SW on an auction!

hansaboy Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
hansaboy
hansaboy
Posts
19
Views
3K