Are DON bezels being overrated?

The price they are going for is utterly ridiculous. Pulsation bezels are where it's at anyway.

I don't know how rare they are, but they are nice.

I also have the original DON bezel but I like the look a lot more in blue.

I agree. We're splitting hairs here with the position of a dot. I get that to have a 100% correct vintage watch you would need every detail correct. But this DOT/DNN bezel thing is out of control. But hey, what do I know? I bought a modern co-axial Speedmaster so clearly this is not a priority to me.

Folks are getting THOUSANDS of dollars for extremely beaten up DONs. Some of them look like they were run over by a tank!

That doesn't actually look that bad.

Does it make sense to me, NO it does not. Do I see why people would want their watches to be as original as possible, YES. Would I ever pay 3 k and up for one , hell NO.

I would agree, most collectors would want it untouched, even preferring a distressed insert to one that has been worked on. Looks like I made the right decision.

As an outside observer, I'd posit that the increasing cost of these bezels is a direct result of the growth of the "collector" culture with regard to Speedmasters. The increasing demand for examples that are completely period correct and a (presumably) diminishing supply of these bezels means price inflation. To a large extent the collector community is reaping what it has sown.

And also, whenever I see a post bemoaning the cost of obtaining one of these, I always think of both sides of the transaction - the buyer, who maybe through gritted teeth and possibly not entirely happily, has paid for the bezel, and the seller, who is probably a very happy bunny. It all depends on which side of the transaction you are on.

I make the above observations without conclusive proof of my opinion. For all I know there is some horological oracle who bought up piles of DON bezels years ago and is slowly releasing them onto the market to fund his rockstar lifestyle 😎

Since I started the thread, I might as well hijack it a bit and gloat over my own DONs 😁

My Ed has an aged DON, not that damaged but showing age.



My 145.012 has a fresh one, goes very well with the overall look of the watch.



My 145.022-69 should be happy to don a DON in the first place, and not complain too much it wasn't snatched.