Hello all. Not my first time asking for help here, and all responses I've received so far have been extremely helpful. I'm trying to find a nice vintage speedy and don't yet have the eye to recognize a good deal from a bad one. At the end of the day, I'm looking for a nice example that I will be proud to own and wear as often as I please (I have 2 more recent Speedy's so it would be a rotation). I've had my eye on this eBay listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/254448857753Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network (photos posted in comments below), which looks pleasing to me despite the bracelet being a recent issue. However it's been listed before and didn't sell so I'm thinking there may be some red flags. Thinking about offering $4,500. At the same time, I've been offered a 145.022 from 1979 (pics attached), also for $4,500 that looks in nice condition, coming from a NYC dealer with a recent service history. I've been promised it's all original but wanted some confirmation. It has a bump on the bracelet and some chips on the bezel, on top of some regular wear and tear for a 40 year old watch. Would love some insight as to which looks like a better deal for the price! Thanks in advance.
Not a lot right about the eBay watch. Wrong bezel wrong bracelet. The big red flag is the dial plot at 7. Now look at the rest of the plots, they show the same leakage. This watch is someone’s attempt to make good something that is not. Your idea of $4500 is not wrong per se , though I would not pay it. It’s just a watch with a lot of issues that will become more and more obvious to you in ownership. The NY dealers watch is more honest. I didn’t catch the price.
This is all I have unfortunately. Dial and hands appear to be original, and wear and tear doesn't seem excessive. 1979 is also my birth year which has some appeal to me. So far it has my preference.
One locally as well: https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-speedmaster-professional-145-022-76.105631/
I'd avoid the ebay watch. $4500 for the NYC dealers watch seems high as well, thats probably a decent price if it in better condition and was a complete kit. The watch itself looks to have a fair amount of wear and tear that (for me) would bring the value down to somewhere in the neighborhood of $3600 -$3800. Case looks just ok. Some dings and wear on the lugs is to be expected but again its got alot of wear. 1171/633 bracelet looks to have alot of stretch and wear. Does the NYC watch come as a complete kit (i.e. box, papers, etc)? In contrast here is my 1979 that I bought a few years back and wear weekly. I'm wearing it today actually (the nato strap pic I just took). So there are better examples out there. I'd hold out.
I fully agree to the answers that have been given here before. I wouldn't buy any of these watches. I'd recommend you to take your time to find the right watch. It's getting more and more difficult, but you'll succeed if you have the patience.
Truth be told if I was in need of another older speedy I'd buy either of Kringkily's two for sale options right now for under $4K before I'd buy anything off ebay. Not quite as vintage as the 145.022 you're looking for in your birth year but killer dials on both! And he's a trusted seller! FYI hard to pin down the exact birth year too. My serial # indicated a 1979 but extract ultimately confirmed it was 1978. https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-speedmaster-professional-3590-50-tritium.105942/ https://omegaforums.net/threads/ome...al-3592-50-tritium-with-gilt-movement.105941/