Wonder what this will eventually end at? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1960-Omeg...782164?hash=item2ee7858254:g:BiYAAOSwhcJWJwsRPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network
Interesting that he put this one on eBay instead of his website or the forums, as he's a well-regarded seller... wonder why that avenue? The incorrect bezel perhaps?
Ah yeah you're right, though I missed it here unless it was a while ago. Still, a watch like that would have sold on one of the forums rather quickly I'd think
It is an interesting one, that I have been discussing privately for a while. The obvious draw is the lollipop and the so called tropical dial. Brown dials are an arbitrary, subjective characteristic that can have some collectors battle to dizzying values. I myself have paid over double the market value for a 2998 that had a warm Galaxy chocolate dial in good condition. There is a fine line between attractive aged patina and damage. Sometimes damage can be attractive, but not valuable. Often the only test is to own it ! An attractive patina will look better, or more attractive each time you look at it or wear it. An unattractive, and hence not valuable dial, will not. Each time you look at it you think, "oh, I thought it was better than that!" The trick is to be able to see that before buying. Examine the dial of this watch. It shows a pale, faded brown, as though it has been heavily exposed to light. What I do not like is the "dry" look. The surface has many spots, and patches. I wonder if it has spent time out of a watch. There are other, intuitive things about the watch, were it to sell for a big price. The lollipop is very poor and may or may not be original to the watch. We cannot know. However we do know it received a new bezel at some point, so some sort of disassembly and reassembly is likely. It is a question of how much. It is an interesting watch, but not to me an expensive one. I think the market may prove me wrong! More on brown dials here: http://speedmaster101.com/blog/brown-dials/
Crown looks to be incorrect too, though I of course defer to you on such matters - but, shouldn't it be a narrow-foot logo on watches this early? My 105.003 has a narrow-foot crown, but I'm not sure if they went back and forth. I'm in agreement with your assessment, to which I'd like to add that this watch doesn't feature the warm hue of a nicely aged lume, especially on the hands - but I'd expect it'll still reach close to $20k, given the climate of the vintage chronograph world right now.
That dial is interesting.. two of a kind? http://www.lunaroyster.com/watches/1957-omega-speedmaster-broad-arrow-2915-1-w-tropical-brown-dial
I check Lunar Oyster often, and have seen both of these watches for some time. Although not in the market for either reference, I do enjoy the "degraded" look of these dials and the skeleton lollipop and Broad Arrow hands on the 2915.
Well, the dial, movement and case all seem correct and the lack of lume in lollipop suggest this may??? be original too. Crown a replacement but not a biggy. So even with wrong bezel and faded blotchy dial, I suspect this will go around 20k. Heady times!