Well, it was me. I took probably the biggest gamble in my time of buying Speedies (or vintage watches...period) on this one. I'd love to say I was incredibly diligent, but I'll be honest...it was purely a gut play. This will be a long post, but the past four days have been a roller coaster, so it's worth spelling out the various highs and lows.
For posterity, I
did email the auction house prior to the auction to ask about the watch's origin (I was told it was consigned by the original owner) and to ask how the lume reacted to UV light (I was told it glowed for ~20 seconds before fading out)...but that was the extent of my diligence. Perhaps it was laziness or hubris, but those two variables piqued my interest and were enough for me to register to bid.
With that said, I thought the watch would go for $18-20K hammer, as it was up to $10K before the auction even began. I set a personal limit of $14K (knowing it was $17K all-in) and never thought it would actually be in play. As the day unfolded, I ended up going out for a couple of beers with an old friend and was checking in on the auction's progress to see when the Speedy would be up. As the time arrived, I told my friend "there are a ton of people watching this one and I won't get it, but I want to see where it goes." Then it stalled out at $13K...and I had to make a decision. I slid the bid toggle over for $14K, and then, as the auction closed and virtual confetti showered my screen (yes, that's what happens when you win on Invaluable), a silent moment of panic washed over me.
The next four days before it arrived were pretty nerve-wracking, but the logic was sound, if not circumstantial. The case was among the best I'd ever seen, bezel was very good, serial was correct, and the watch still had detritus caked in multiple places. As others in this thread pointed out, the crystal was scratched to hell as well, and while I do think that the most unsavory of watch personalities could potentially piece together an authentic looking "barn find" parts watch...it would take a
lot of effort to do it for this Speedy and for a low likelihood of financial riches. In my mind, the juice simply wouldn't have been worth the squeeze to try to fake this example and pass it through a more niche auction house.
With that said, I had confidence in my assessment, but I don't think I've ever been as nervous to open a watch delivery. As soon as I unwrapped the package, I (literally) shouted "YES!" as I saw the hue of the lume and confirmed that the auction pics were overly saturated. Under a UV light, the lume reacts exactly as it should, and the watch is the picture of "honest" when in-hand. In the end, this is one of the best Ed Whites I've seen in a long time and I'm proud to say it will have a prominent place in my collection. And yes, I've asked the auction house to put me in touch with the consignor so I can fully flesh out its provenance.
Without further ado...some better pictures:
