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Spacefruit
··Prolific Speedmaster HoarderThis is a watch that has its attractions, and its by no means a perfect, perhaps not even 100% correct example, but if we only talked perfection this would be a dull forum. I for one learn far more looking at imperfect watches than museum examples. And I can't thrash about in a Museum Quality watch.
I bought this 2915-3 in 2013.
First glance we see the short indices sub dial. We can also ascertain the dial has no step, though it does change plane, and so these dials sometimes get called domed, perhaps incorrectly. One thing we can say, is that it is not a flat dial, like the MkII dials.
The dial is not in great condition. The body of it is quite blotchy. We can also see clearly this dial has a round O in Omega, and I think this is correct for a 2915. The other correct dials are those with oval O in Omega, and they come in two text positions, high and low. For all its faults, this is an original and legible dial that while decayed, it is not restored or modified, and therefore desirable. I find the body colour interesting. The overall look is one of age and originality.
The print is damaged in places around the minute track. Some plots are also missing some paint or lume. It is true that if I was shown a later speedmaster with a dial this damaged I would find it harder to accept.
So overall the dial is degraded, but original, and correct.
The 2915-3 has a few unique features, and the alpha hour hand is one. Note the hour hand is longer and almost reaches the hour plot.
This hand in the 2998-1 was reduced in size - note in the following photo the distance from the tip of the hour hand to the hour plot.:
Back to the 2915-3. Lets have a look around it under harsh, assessment lighting:
This is the lighting I like to use to really bring out all the characteristics of a watch. Note the BASE1000 bezel is hard to read. I have noticed this, that the print often fails to reflect in photographs the way the DO90's do, and so I am thinking they might be made using a different process. This BASE1000 bezel is in acceptable, and commensurate condition.
The pushers and crown look to be original specification but it would be unfounded speculation to call them original.
Note how dry the dial appears, and it is off black. Possibly tropical, but not in a valuable brown way, although as I have said I do find this dial attractive. The central chrono hand is the needle type. I have seen several lollipop hands on these early watches and I have no idea if that is original - I like them too.
Here again we see the difficulty of imaging the bezel, and we also have a clear and honest representation of the dial. The lugs show loss of definition, but so do almost all straight lug speedmasters to some extent. This particular example looks pretty good compared to some I have seen where the lugs have been apparently machine polished and the outlines completely worn away.
What about the case condition?
Well this example has issues with corrosion. This is something I see often in these early straight lugs - its almost as though the early steel Omega used was not as good as that used in the 2998-2 forwards, but it could just be that the watches I have examined have had more exposure to damaging environments.
Let's look at the case, starting with the back. From here we can get pointers where to examine closer.
Well the lugs are not bad overall, for a speedmaster of this age. This watch has considerable corrosion. What causes this I do not know, as this is meant to be steel. It is especially bad near the lip between the mid case and back.
There is considerable pitting.
When I buy a watch like this I really won't get to study it as much as this before or during purchase, and so often I am discovering more after the sale is completed. However, I do this in great depth as soon as I can. I accept that a watch I buy may have some hidden flaws, but I want to discover them immediately. Knowing a watch's faults from the start of my ownership is preferable to noticing it some years later. That often leads to me selling it fast and cheap. If I know at the start what is wrong, I can live with it for a long time.
I can live with flaws caused by natural ageing much more readily that a watch that has been restored or altered to try and improve it solely for the purposes of selling.
Some more images of the case
Note above the small notch in the case, under where the "60" mark will align. I see this up to 2998-1 and -2. This lighting really highlights any blemishes. We can also see how the case lines are degraded. However, note the position of the spring bar holes which are central, indication no metal removal.
We can see lots of corrosion. As I said, I don't know if I can even halt this, let alone reverse it. Mind you, with my non-invasive ideas of watch preservation, I am not going to do anything.
Lets take the back off.
Note the two holes in the movement ring. I have only seen this in 2915-3's.
Let's look at the movement. It has a number that has successfully passed an extract, but I do not think the horseshoe bridge is original, what do you think? For me the colour is different.
Now should that stop me buying the watch? Well I did notice it and I bought with knowledge of it. So clearly it does not stop me.
The rest of the movement is not too bad - but it's not great. People often neglect the movement and that is fine, if you are just buying to enjoy the watch. But if you are a collector who is paying top dollar for a particular reference, then this watch illustrates what to look for in terms of minor things in the movement that will stop the watch being worth that top collector dollar. We have already noticed the bridge colour difference.
Below we see an image showing very clean white metal parts, and a complete column wheel. However, note the scratched clutch bridge, and the pockmarks deep in the middle on the main plate(?). There are also other scratches on the lower plates.
So there you have a look at one of my rare, but not especially valuable watches.
2915-3's are slightly harder to evaluate and verify as very few people know the original spec for them. There is debate about the correct execution - that is they carried both Alpha Hands and broad arrow, as well as a metal BASE1000 and a Black BASE1000. But in all combinations? I do not know.
For me this watch was inexpensive enough to accept the problems it has. The big quality I like about this is that I do not think it was put together to be sold as an original one owner watch. It may have been added to, but I think it is honest enough for what it is.
I added the 7077 bracelet, and the two reproduction end links. Currently, genuine No6 end links are between 2000 and 3000 EACH. That's absurd. So I use mine that I made.
The 7077 is un marked. Note the larger stretch links. This bracelet is not in great shape but it is serviceable.
The repro endlinks lack the underside ridges that SOME genuine links have, but not all of them do.
Finally, just to show that the watch looks better in real life than my harsh photos, here:
I bought this 2915-3 in 2013.
First glance we see the short indices sub dial. We can also ascertain the dial has no step, though it does change plane, and so these dials sometimes get called domed, perhaps incorrectly. One thing we can say, is that it is not a flat dial, like the MkII dials.
The dial is not in great condition. The body of it is quite blotchy. We can also see clearly this dial has a round O in Omega, and I think this is correct for a 2915. The other correct dials are those with oval O in Omega, and they come in two text positions, high and low. For all its faults, this is an original and legible dial that while decayed, it is not restored or modified, and therefore desirable. I find the body colour interesting. The overall look is one of age and originality.
The print is damaged in places around the minute track. Some plots are also missing some paint or lume. It is true that if I was shown a later speedmaster with a dial this damaged I would find it harder to accept.
So overall the dial is degraded, but original, and correct.
The 2915-3 has a few unique features, and the alpha hour hand is one. Note the hour hand is longer and almost reaches the hour plot.
This hand in the 2998-1 was reduced in size - note in the following photo the distance from the tip of the hour hand to the hour plot.:
Back to the 2915-3. Lets have a look around it under harsh, assessment lighting:
This is the lighting I like to use to really bring out all the characteristics of a watch. Note the BASE1000 bezel is hard to read. I have noticed this, that the print often fails to reflect in photographs the way the DO90's do, and so I am thinking they might be made using a different process. This BASE1000 bezel is in acceptable, and commensurate condition.
The pushers and crown look to be original specification but it would be unfounded speculation to call them original.
Note how dry the dial appears, and it is off black. Possibly tropical, but not in a valuable brown way, although as I have said I do find this dial attractive. The central chrono hand is the needle type. I have seen several lollipop hands on these early watches and I have no idea if that is original - I like them too.
Here again we see the difficulty of imaging the bezel, and we also have a clear and honest representation of the dial. The lugs show loss of definition, but so do almost all straight lug speedmasters to some extent. This particular example looks pretty good compared to some I have seen where the lugs have been apparently machine polished and the outlines completely worn away.
What about the case condition?
Well this example has issues with corrosion. This is something I see often in these early straight lugs - its almost as though the early steel Omega used was not as good as that used in the 2998-2 forwards, but it could just be that the watches I have examined have had more exposure to damaging environments.
Let's look at the case, starting with the back. From here we can get pointers where to examine closer.
Well the lugs are not bad overall, for a speedmaster of this age. This watch has considerable corrosion. What causes this I do not know, as this is meant to be steel. It is especially bad near the lip between the mid case and back.
There is considerable pitting.
When I buy a watch like this I really won't get to study it as much as this before or during purchase, and so often I am discovering more after the sale is completed. However, I do this in great depth as soon as I can. I accept that a watch I buy may have some hidden flaws, but I want to discover them immediately. Knowing a watch's faults from the start of my ownership is preferable to noticing it some years later. That often leads to me selling it fast and cheap. If I know at the start what is wrong, I can live with it for a long time.
I can live with flaws caused by natural ageing much more readily that a watch that has been restored or altered to try and improve it solely for the purposes of selling.
Some more images of the case
Note above the small notch in the case, under where the "60" mark will align. I see this up to 2998-1 and -2. This lighting really highlights any blemishes. We can also see how the case lines are degraded. However, note the position of the spring bar holes which are central, indication no metal removal.
We can see lots of corrosion. As I said, I don't know if I can even halt this, let alone reverse it. Mind you, with my non-invasive ideas of watch preservation, I am not going to do anything.
Lets take the back off.
Note the two holes in the movement ring. I have only seen this in 2915-3's.
Let's look at the movement. It has a number that has successfully passed an extract, but I do not think the horseshoe bridge is original, what do you think? For me the colour is different.
Now should that stop me buying the watch? Well I did notice it and I bought with knowledge of it. So clearly it does not stop me.
The rest of the movement is not too bad - but it's not great. People often neglect the movement and that is fine, if you are just buying to enjoy the watch. But if you are a collector who is paying top dollar for a particular reference, then this watch illustrates what to look for in terms of minor things in the movement that will stop the watch being worth that top collector dollar. We have already noticed the bridge colour difference.
Below we see an image showing very clean white metal parts, and a complete column wheel. However, note the scratched clutch bridge, and the pockmarks deep in the middle on the main plate(?). There are also other scratches on the lower plates.
So there you have a look at one of my rare, but not especially valuable watches.
2915-3's are slightly harder to evaluate and verify as very few people know the original spec for them. There is debate about the correct execution - that is they carried both Alpha Hands and broad arrow, as well as a metal BASE1000 and a Black BASE1000. But in all combinations? I do not know.
For me this watch was inexpensive enough to accept the problems it has. The big quality I like about this is that I do not think it was put together to be sold as an original one owner watch. It may have been added to, but I think it is honest enough for what it is.
I added the 7077 bracelet, and the two reproduction end links. Currently, genuine No6 end links are between 2000 and 3000 EACH. That's absurd. So I use mine that I made.
The 7077 is un marked. Note the larger stretch links. This bracelet is not in great shape but it is serviceable.
The repro endlinks lack the underside ridges that SOME genuine links have, but not all of them do.
Finally, just to show that the watch looks better in real life than my harsh photos, here:
