What do you think the price difference is between the both bezels in the same condition?
Looking a speedmaster101 there is no allowance for the rather rare bezel

 

It is rare, but not many people care, yet.

It fits only a narrow range of serials, and is interesting but not valued.

As a comparison, a red emerald (Bixbite) is MUCH rarer than the green, but not valued nearly as much.

 

I suppose the only way to really find out is for someone to put one on ebay with no reserve... Any volunteers?

 

Are you asking for the complete watch or just the bezel?

I might be in the minority, but I wouldn't put a 220 -69 in between a DON and a DNN. All other things been equal, I'd put the 220 watch perhaps 10-15% higher than the DNN.

I don't really get the appeal of paying significantly more for a 220. With the DON you're not paying the money for the dot, you're paying the money as it's period correct for a valuable 1960's, likely 321 Speedmaster. The 220 is a minor error on a much less valuable watch. A quirk and nice to have for a collector, but worth anywhere near a DON? Not for me.

 

Thanks for the reply everyone. I'm asking as I have a 220 bezel on mine but it is outside the serial range for a 220 bezel as stated in MWO. How accurate are their figures? I would assume it would be rather unusual to have a 220 fitted at a service?

 

Your Speedmaster could easily have been factory fitted with the 220 bezel, even if the serial is different from the range stated in MWO. MWO is a great reference, but it is not and cannot be the only and absolute truth.

The references in MWO are based on a limited number of watches, which the authors have been able to identify in their research.

My '69 Speedy with 220 bezel, produced in august 1970, is within the correct production date range (Q3 1970), but the serial number 30.588.xxx is below the range identified by MWO (starting at 30589xxx as far as I remember)

 

This is absolutely the right answer... for now ... until the Rolex type of collector gets into Omega. See what a little bit of red ink can do for the price of a sub and we will see the same thing happening to Speedies in the future. I have no doubt about that. When is the only question.

 

The 145.022-69 has 3 bezels... DON, 220, DNN

But I think we agree. A145.022-69 with a DON is more money in parts not necessarily as a rare variation.

That being said if speedy values continue to rise, small variations are going to go up and the 220 is primed to rise.

As these go up in price the more fetishized these watches will become like Submariners.

 

Already here. Been collecting both makers in parallel for decades

 

Makes you wonder what kind of a person does something like that, don't it?

 

30588999 perhaps?

I believe MWO clearly states that their movement number ranges are not absolute and allow for +/- outliers.

 

Good humor. No serial is a bit lower, 30.588.5xx [emoji4]

 

I'm ready

 

Totally agree. The 220 bezels were used only for a few month between serial 3059 (end of 1970) and 31004xx (beginning of 1971). It is (at least for me) the rarest of the three main bezel types (DON, DNN, 220). Many of them were changed from Omega because of the 220 error. I would value it minimal like a DON variation of not higher.

 

Interesting. I did not know that - only that it was fitted to watches produced in the second half of 1970. Do you have any source for this information regarding the 220 bezel and its serial number range?

Thanks for sharing.

 

We're pretty certain on the serial number range. All were produced in the second half of 1970 (and from extracts it seems most were October). The currently accepted range is between 30,588,xxx and 31,008,xxx but some seem to have it tightened down further to two blocks of numbers within that range.

This is also the reason that the bezel itself doesn't really carry a premium. You can't take a 220 bezel and put it on any 145-022-69 and have a "220 Speedmaster". You could put a DON, 220 or DNN on a watch in that range and have it "correct" but not the other way around. That said, I am sure the 220 Speedmaster already has a premium over a DNN Speedmaster though it's priced less than a DON Speedy. Where the price differences will go is anyone's guess but spotting the difference will be tough because of the limited number of them that go for sale and the fact that @Barking mad and @Foo2rama own most of the true examples between them.

I have a good example of a ghosted 220 that's sitting on a gorgeous 1039. Now, if we go by speedmaster101's current price chart, that watch is going to be £4k and the bracelet £1.5k ... yet I can tell you for a fact that it's never going to come off my wrist for that sort of money.

 

@jimmyd13 absolutely correct! MWO says 30589xxx to 31000xxx but I've seen the 220 bezels up to serial 31005xx.

 

That's mine. Serial 31003xxx

 

Mr. Meister 220 and his friend want to play


Edit: 3059xxxx and 3100xxxx