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bazamu
·I’m offering up for sale a very rare watch that I had the pleasure of reviving a few years ago. It's been a fantastic watch to own but I need to raise some funds for a side project, hence my reluctant offer here. I would love to see this stay within the OF community, and as such, I'm refraining from posting it further on social media, etc. at this point. See below for details on its condition:
Dial: Dial is original / correct and in very good condition. The radium luminous material has flattened over the years but is present, complete, and matching on all plots. At the top of the dial (on the step, in between 11 and 12 plots) there is a very minor amount of wear. It is barely noticeable when not viewed under a macro lens. Otherwise, dial has no degradation, bubbling, or scratches.
Hands: Handset is in good overall condition. The hour hand still retains its original radium and I had the minute hand professionally matched when it was served by Simon Freese in Sept-17. The chrono hand is an OEM service replacement that I opted to have painted as well to match the aging of the rest of the watch. Leaf subdial hands are all in excellent condition.
Case / Pushers / Crown: Case is in good overall condition, still thick and retaining its original shape. The watch has been lightly polished at some point in its life and has plenty of surface swirls and scratches. Compared to many other early 2998s, however, I would rate the case shape as "good." Double-stepped caseback is in good condition as well as the pre-moon Hippocampus engraving, which is still visible although slightly faint. Pushers are correct (early Speedmasters had smaller diameter pushers than subsequent generations). Over the past summer, the original top pusher fell off while I was out grabbing coffee and unfortunately could not be found. I subsequently sourced an original vintage pusher (correct for -3 and same as the prior one). Crown is a replacement, which was likely swapped in at some point years ago (I have left it as found).
Bezel: "Dot over ninety" ("DON") bezel is in good condition, with some minor scratches and dents but no loss of paint. The 2998-3 marked the transition from a Base 1000 bezel to a DON bezel and the bezel on this example is correct for this reference.
Movement / Servicing History: As mentioned previously, the watch was serviced in Sept-17 by Simon Freese (a renowned Speedmaster expert). The movement, with correct serial for this reference (17762112), is in good condition and pictured in detail below. There is minor wear on two of the levers and a small stain on the balance cock, though there was no prior corrosion (other than this stain) when originally acquired.
Functionality: The watch has been worn in a rotation for the past three years. Timekeeping is accurate, winding is smooth, and all chronograph functions work correctly / accurately. As mentioned above, I lost the top pusher over the past summer. I believe the small pusher spring was not installed when the replacement pusher was put back on, as there is a bit of a "double hitch" in the action when depressing the chronograph. Despite this hitch, it functions correctly and I have not wanted to track down a spring or pursue a correction for additional cost.
Accessories: READ THIS CAREFULLY! I am selling the watch on the Hodinkee strap shown in some of the pictures below. The asking price below only represents the watch head and strap. SHOULD THE BUYER SO DESIRE, I would be willing to also sell a mint 7912 bracelet with original #6 end links. This will obviously increase my asking price, so to the extent this is a prerequisite for any buyers, please reach out to me and we can discuss the additional cost.
My asking price is $18,500, which includes fully insured Fedex Priority shipping worldwide. A cursory search online will reveal how seldom 2998-3's are offered for sale, and how seldom they are found in aesthetically pleasing condition!
Payment via direct bank wire is preferred. Face-to-face in Denver is also welcome for local buyers. Finally, I have plenty of references available as a buyer and seller that I can provide if necessary. Thanks for looking and thanks to OF for the space, as always.
Dial: Dial is original / correct and in very good condition. The radium luminous material has flattened over the years but is present, complete, and matching on all plots. At the top of the dial (on the step, in between 11 and 12 plots) there is a very minor amount of wear. It is barely noticeable when not viewed under a macro lens. Otherwise, dial has no degradation, bubbling, or scratches.
Hands: Handset is in good overall condition. The hour hand still retains its original radium and I had the minute hand professionally matched when it was served by Simon Freese in Sept-17. The chrono hand is an OEM service replacement that I opted to have painted as well to match the aging of the rest of the watch. Leaf subdial hands are all in excellent condition.
Case / Pushers / Crown: Case is in good overall condition, still thick and retaining its original shape. The watch has been lightly polished at some point in its life and has plenty of surface swirls and scratches. Compared to many other early 2998s, however, I would rate the case shape as "good." Double-stepped caseback is in good condition as well as the pre-moon Hippocampus engraving, which is still visible although slightly faint. Pushers are correct (early Speedmasters had smaller diameter pushers than subsequent generations). Over the past summer, the original top pusher fell off while I was out grabbing coffee and unfortunately could not be found. I subsequently sourced an original vintage pusher (correct for -3 and same as the prior one). Crown is a replacement, which was likely swapped in at some point years ago (I have left it as found).
Bezel: "Dot over ninety" ("DON") bezel is in good condition, with some minor scratches and dents but no loss of paint. The 2998-3 marked the transition from a Base 1000 bezel to a DON bezel and the bezel on this example is correct for this reference.
Movement / Servicing History: As mentioned previously, the watch was serviced in Sept-17 by Simon Freese (a renowned Speedmaster expert). The movement, with correct serial for this reference (17762112), is in good condition and pictured in detail below. There is minor wear on two of the levers and a small stain on the balance cock, though there was no prior corrosion (other than this stain) when originally acquired.
Functionality: The watch has been worn in a rotation for the past three years. Timekeeping is accurate, winding is smooth, and all chronograph functions work correctly / accurately. As mentioned above, I lost the top pusher over the past summer. I believe the small pusher spring was not installed when the replacement pusher was put back on, as there is a bit of a "double hitch" in the action when depressing the chronograph. Despite this hitch, it functions correctly and I have not wanted to track down a spring or pursue a correction for additional cost.
Accessories: READ THIS CAREFULLY! I am selling the watch on the Hodinkee strap shown in some of the pictures below. The asking price below only represents the watch head and strap. SHOULD THE BUYER SO DESIRE, I would be willing to also sell a mint 7912 bracelet with original #6 end links. This will obviously increase my asking price, so to the extent this is a prerequisite for any buyers, please reach out to me and we can discuss the additional cost.
My asking price is $18,500, which includes fully insured Fedex Priority shipping worldwide. A cursory search online will reveal how seldom 2998-3's are offered for sale, and how seldom they are found in aesthetically pleasing condition!
Payment via direct bank wire is preferred. Face-to-face in Denver is also welcome for local buyers. Finally, I have plenty of references available as a buyer and seller that I can provide if necessary. Thanks for looking and thanks to OF for the space, as always.
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