1972 Omega Speedmaster 145022-71 Purchase Advice

billfromsb · Tues. 7:51pm

Hello,

I’m making my first post after spending the afternoon lurking on this forum. I’m having trouble determining whether this omega Speedmaster ref 1455.022- 71 I was offered the other day is worth the $2.5k usd it has been offered to me for. I’ve been wanting one for a while. It needs a service, could probably use a new crystal (this one’s been extensively polywatched), the gasket is tar, etc. The chrono hand and crown are clearly replacements. The watch runs and the chrono hand is smooth/ quickly jumps back to 12:00 when prompted.

The dial has white marks near the sub seconds, hands are missing lume, and the remaining lume is grubby. I’ve looked at the Speedmaster 101 price chart and 2.5k seems to be relatively in line with a fair example of this model. I would only be getting the head and an aftermarket strap, unfortunately no bracelet. I wore it the other day and enjoyed it.

I can’t decide if it’s worth it to buy this watch and pay for a service, or wait until another one comes along.

Cheers, Bill

Dan S · Tues. 8:05pm

I agree with your assessment. It's a rough example, but if that's your budget, and you want an early Moonwatch, I don't think you'll do any better. I think it's really a personal choice for you. Accept this condition, increase your budget, or consider later models.

I predict that you will get mixed opinions here. Personally I find it totally unappealing. But I guarantee that some others will say "for $2500, I'd buy it and wear the hell out of it." 🤪

If you buy it, you could easily put $500-$1000 into a service, depending on what is needed, and at that point you will be upside down on the watch. And if you tire of it, it's not going to be easy to sell.

billfromsb · Tues. 8:49pm

Dan S
I agree with your assessment. It's a rough example, but if that's your budget, and you want an early Moonwatch, I don't think you'll do any better. I think it's really a personal choice for you. Accept this condition, increase your budget, or consider later models.

I predict that you will get mixed opinions here. Personally I find it totally unappealing. But I guarantee that some others will say "for $2500, I'd buy it and wear the hell out of it." 🤪

If you buy it, you could easily put $500-$1000 into a service, depending on what is needed, and at that point you will be upside down on the watch. And if you tire of it, it's not going to be easy to sell.

Thank you for your opinion, I appreciate it

SOG53 · Tues. 9:01pm

Agree w Dan S I think you will regret buying this one.
Its 2500 for a number of reasons, none of them good.

masteroftime · Tues. 9:08pm

I think if you can get it for $2000, then definitely buy it. You can send it to Omega and they can make it like new and you’ll probably break even if you sell it

At 2,500 it’ll depend how much you like it.

Davidt · Wed. 2:39am

It’s no bargain and I’d only consider it if you’re on a really tight budget and know a watchmaker who can do the required work at a reasonable price. Otherwise it will cost you significantly more in time and money than simply buying a better one to start with.

I personally wouldn’t buy it as it’s just never going to be an attractive watch to me.

hansaboy · Wed. 6:21am

Our Dear @Spacefruit who is the author of Speedmaster101 did have a column before regarding his price chart that was Poor.
And I am sad to write this, but that is the assessment (by me) regarding the watch that you show.

The indices has lost most of its lume, the hand are very tired, and it has the wrong cronohand (maybe not a biggy....?).
But you also wrote about the condition of the dial, and that is not a good thing.

It also looks like that there is some work to do with the movement, and a service should fix it (chrono creep).

You need a new crown, crystal and the pushers could be cleaned and reused - but who knows?
The case has lots of dings and scratches, this could be a bit charming, but not on this one.

The bezel looks like a fair bezel.

And the final question - Do You Like The Watch?
😉

Because you might have to spend more money than you plan to do…

I would skip this one, take some more time, and also save up more cash to find a better one!

But please let us know how you think/plan.

Good luck, and enjoy the hunt!

Donn Chambers · Wed. 6:57am

masteroftime
I think if you can get it for $2000, then definitely buy it. You can send it to Omega and they can make it like new and you’ll probably break even if you sell it

At 2,500 it’ll depend how much you like it.

My thoughts exactly. Without an original bracelet and in poor condition, this isn’t worth the asking price.

ATWG · Wed. 7:52am

I'd pass as well, the amount of money you'd need to sink into it far exceeds the future value. There is nothing worth salvaging on this watch to warrant a total overhaul. If the dial, hands and case were in better condition, I'd consider it.

billfromsb · Wed. 11:09am

SOG53
Agree w Dan S I think you will regret buying this one.
It’s 2500 for a number of reasons, none of them good.

hansaboy
Our Dear @Spacefruit who is the author of Speedmaster101 did have a column before regarding his price chart that was Poor.
And I am sad to write this, but that is the assessment (by me) regarding the watch that you show.

The indices has lost most of its lume, the hand are very tired, and it has the wrong cronohand (maybe not a biggy....?).
But you also wrote about the condition of the dial, and that is not a good thing.

It also looks like that there is some work to do with the movement, and a service should fix it (chrono creep).

You need a new crown, crystal and the pushers could be cleaned and reused - but who knows?
The case has lots of dings and scratches, this could be a bit charming, but not on this one.

The bezel looks like a fair bezel.

And the final question - Do You Like The Watch?
😉

Because you might have to spend more money than you plan to do…

I would skip this one, take some more time, and also save up more cash to find a better one!

But please let us know how you think/plan.

Good luck, and enjoy the hunt!

Thank you for your response. The overwhelming amount of No’s I’ve received have only confirmed my initial doubts. I’m going to wait a bit, do more research, and find one that really I like. It seems that there are some pretty good options out there for roughly the same price when I factor how much this watch would be with a service.
Cheers,
Bill

1972 Omega Speedmaster 145022-71 Purchase Advice

billfromsb

Dan S

billfromsb

SOG53

masteroftime

Davidt

hansaboy

Donn Chambers

ATWG

billfromsb

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