Hi everyone. First and foremost i want to thank everyone for a wonderful community here. I've learned a lot from you all in my relatively short time here. Kindness and information seem to be offered freely to in comparison to other locations on the web and so i appreciate any thoughts people might offer and i want to say thanks in advance. I am running an evaluation exercise on a 145.022-69 i am considering purchasing. I have consulted spacefruit's speedy 101 as well as a copy of MWO, and have attached pictures for those to view (taken by me, so please forgive the quality). At fist glance i see: step dial, correct hands with consistent patina / hue, and correct premoon caseback. Some questions arise when looking at the serial number: 27718843. This seems to fall prior to the MWO serial range of 145.022 - 69's (suggested to be 28,420,xxx - 31,629,xxx) and rather seem to indicate a 145.022 - 68 (transitional?) listed from 26,555,xxx- 27,719,xxx. Does this suggest that watch has the incorrect dial and caseback for the movement? If this is perhaps a "fuzzier" serial range than i am interpreting, and is not a red flag, my evaluation continues. The earlier serial (for the range) also seems like it would suggest it should have a DON bezel (which certainly could be sourced). The current offer is "ballparked" around $3k, as we have yet to really discuss pricing. However, as i consult speedmaster101 as a reference, i would peg this as a "running" example bench marking it at aprox $3300. On the plus side, the sale will include a 1171 which should bump the number up a bit. But i also want to make sure i am understanding that the $3300 figure should include a watch WITH a DON bezel. Is that correct? In summary, i suppose my questions could boil down to: Is the serial number an issue? For evaluation purposes, does placing this in the "running" example of Spacefruits chart seem accurate? or am i being harsh? Seems like there might be a bit of over polishing as well. Opinions on the $3000 price point? (One additional thing to note, the hour register does not currently reset to zero, but this would be repaired prior to purchase) Thanks again for everyone who read this.
I'm not into this one, I think it may be a put-together. You're spot-on in your assessment of the serial number range and the bezel - this should have a serial in the 28.42-30.00 range, with a DON bezel; or in the 31-32 range with the bezel it's got. It also looks really heavily polished - is that a mirror finish on the sides of the case?
Do the hands look that yellow in person? Or is it the lighting? Regardless of correctness I'm not digging the patina on this. The paint is coming of the subdial hands and the lume on the chrono second is too white.
Yes, it certainly does have a mirror like quality. Definitely dirty looking, but this has been the first vintage speedy i have physically handled so i wasn't sure how it stacked up at the price point offered.
This does seem to be one where the aging process has not resulted in something consistently attractive and to some extent the 'grubbiness' is a bit off-putting. That's not serious of course, but the amount of polishing could be, and the question mark over serial#/bezel would tip me over into walk-away posture. With a Speedy of this age I'm sure we're best advised to look for the very best we can afford. It can't surely be worth buying 'cheap' and having to live a watch that produces any feelings of uneasiness?