I came across this listing which fortunately included a few out of focus pictures to scare away the "so pretty and shiny" crowd. With those facets, there was no mistaking the case reference. The price was below market value and included a 1039/516 bracelet so I figured it was worth the risk to buy quick and hope that the dial would pop after a decent spit shine. It already looked promising. Here is the before: I got the watch and quickly gave up on polishing the hesalite - too far gone for my skill level. Instead, I replaced it with a new one from Ofrei. Here is the after: Looks shiny and pretty to me! The dial appears to have spots but you can see that the minute hand blew up at some point. This is all lume particles that should brush right off. Don't want this stuff floating into the movement so my new find is away for a service. Hopefully, the lume on the minute hand can be matched. Either way, I'm happy. I always wanted a CB. Amazing what you can uncover if you're able to see through crappy pictures and a scratched crystal.
Awesome, great work! Truth be told, I actively look for pictures exactly like you described. Tells me that the seller usually isn't very refined and it'll scare away more risk averse purchasers. As long as you know what's there, that's the only important thing. Well done.
what search terms can you use on ebay? I've tried 'crappy photos' and 'scratched crystal' and even 'cant be arsed about selling' and all I came up with was a recent listing here....
As an aside, it really really annoys me when people use abbreviations as if everyone else knows what you mean... and it's a way to say "screw you" to those who don't. What the heck is a "CB"? Tom
CB is for central boites. Its the name of the company that made these speedmaster cases for these models that give them a distinctive look becuase of the faceted lugs.
I understand your point, VetPsychWars (wow - what a name). That's exactly how I felt, when I started to follow this forum. But after a certain time I startet to like it because it is part of the whole self-educating process that happens here. A good ressource to fill the blank gaps is Spacefruits site (www.speedmaster101.com) where you find information on the CB case (assessment guide - 105.012-66) or the search site from this forum.