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Buy the Ed White 321 before its too late

Archer
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M'Bob M'Bob
The appeal for new is this, at least for me: since I have an old one, I would wear it with impunity, never once getting a blood pressure escalation form the first major scratch.

I think this is also the appeal of the Watchco SM300's. One you can wear without worry about damage to a vintage watch.

Oddly enough, I have the Watchco SM300, and have little interest in a vintage version, but for the Speedy it's the opposite.

For me the appeal of the Watchco is about having the design and the fact it's a dive watch means it's a beater for me. I wouldn't consider the homage 321 Speedy in the same way.
 
texasmade
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M'Bob M'Bob
Would be interesting to see how many folks want vintage only; how many want new only; and how many would buy both.
I'm a new only type of person. I appreciate vintage watches but I just don't like buying used watches.
 
cvalue13
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M'Bob M'Bob
Would be interesting to see how many folks want vintage only; how many want new only; and how many would buy both.

I’m an all-the-above guy. I don’t own a vintage 321, yet.

Here was a for me unique consideration RE the NEW321: my 2nd son was born October 2019, and I’d been considering what heirloom watch to buy “for” him. I want such an heirloom watch to be new to me, and so decades later (fingers crossed) passed on with only history (and only scratches) made by me.

Just two months later, the NEW321 was announced, and were I lucky enough to get one it seemed the perfect marriage of an icon nonetheless worn (and scratched) only by me when one day passed along.

A vintage 321 couldn’t quite scratch this particular itch.
 
M'Bob
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cvalue13 cvalue13
I’m an all-the-above guy. I don’t own a vintage 321, yet.

Here was a for me unique consideration RE the NEW321: my 2nd son was born October 2019, and I’d been considering what heirloom watch to buy “for” him. I want such an heirloom watch to be new to me, and so decades later (fingers crossed) passed on with only history (and only scratches) made by me.

Just two months later, the NEW321 was announced, and were I lucky enough to get one it seemed the perfect marriage of an icon nonetheless worn (and scratched) only by me when one day passed along.

A vintage 321 couldn’t quite scratch this particular itch.

I completely understand your perspective, but let me throw another little wrinkle into the mix: unlike many others here, who are justifiably committed to keeping a watch in completely original condition, I have no problem doing sympathetic spiffing to my watches. I look at them like a house, or car - I may not be the first or only owner, but I’m going to make changes to it that suits me, and one day, someone else can either leave it be, or tweak to suit their tastes. To wit: this Ed White came with the lug tops brushed. Many have said, “Ah, just leave it, it’s part of the watch’s history now.” I totally get that, even though it wasn’t original to the watch.

A130201A-C1E7-48A1-965D-29AD5768A6D5.jpeg


But I didn’t like the way it looked, and it bugged me, so I carefully removed it.

7C5AEF3B-D9ED-470F-8DB3-7D833D91AD45.jpeg 17DC10A9-698A-4F94-A474-94227C0F2C5C.jpeg


The long-winded point: this light refurbishment sets the stage for a new history, for a new set of dings and scratches, that I make, and could pass down. So in this way, vintage can potentially fulfill that need.
 
cvalue13
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M'Bob M'Bob
So in this way, vintage can potentially fulfill that need.

It sure can. To employ the vintage car analogy: I’m sure my boys would appreciate owning a classic car I bought used, refurbished, and they remember me driving and enjoying. Surely that’s all the sentimentality one might ever need.
 
R
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I think it's fine to consider but wish we had perhaps a specific sub-forum for it to better separate it.

I"m on the wait list for a 321 and the last thing I want is for it to become a hype watch like the Daytona. I'd much rather be able to buy one, have it depreciate some, and actually wear it, than for it to be even harder to get and increase in value so much that I might think twice about wearing it as many have reported happened to them after the stratospheric rise of the 5711.
 
YY77
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R rand8086
I think it's fine to consider but wish we had perhaps a specific sub-forum for it to better separate it.

I"m on the wait list for a 321 and the last thing I want is for it to become a hype watch like the Daytona. I'd much rather be able to buy one, have it depreciate some, and actually wear it, than for it to be even harder to get and increase in value so much that I might think twice about wearing it as many have reported happened to them after the stratospheric rise of the 5711.
I wouldn't be afraid of that, how many people outside watch forums will distinguish a new 321 from an FOIS of regular Speedy?
 
R
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YY77 YY77
I wouldn't be afraid of that, how many people outside watch forums will distinguish a new 321 from an FOIS of regular Speedy?

I was referring to the OP discussing watches as an investment. I agree, very few would recognize a new 321 from a vanilla Speedy.
 
djmusicman
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They certainly are hard to get hold of at the moment, Omega did a great job on this one.
Edited:
 
Walrus
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IMO the movado museum is going to make a massive comeback and you are all gonna miss out. I just saw this one for a cool 16k I’m gonna flip these like burgers on the Fourth of July. Yolo movado
FD65845E-3BDD-48B1-ADFE-AE717542B016.jpeg
 
7enderbender
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Hard pass for me. I had told an OB in Switzerland that I might want one when they were first announced. They called me when it came in. For me it was about the 321 movement. Turned out I didn’t like the rest of the watch one bit and declined.
Bought a pre owned Rolex Sea Dweller and a Speedy 1861 instead. Couldn’t be happier.
The case and bracelet missing the mark for me on all counts. Waste of a wonderful movement in my view.
 
High Hope
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Speedmastes don’t need any introduction or schilling. IMO, bugger off.
 
waggy
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7enderbender 7enderbender
Hard pass for me. I had told an OB in Switzerland that I might want one when they were first announced. They called me when it came in. For me it was about the 321 movement. Turned out I didn’t like the rest of the watch one bit and declined.
Bought a pre owned Rolex Sea Dweller and a Speedy 1861 instead. Couldn’t be happier.
The case and bracelet missing the mark for me on all counts. Waste of a wonderful movement in my view.

So are you basically saying the original is a waste of a wonderful movement given this is nearly a 1:1 reissue? "A wonderful movement" that you couldn't even see in the original that you were all "about"...
 
stevec14
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7enderbender 7enderbender
Hard pass for me. I had told an OB in Switzerland that I might want one when they were first announced. They called me when it came in. For me it was about the 321 movement. Turned out I didn’t like the rest of the watch one bit and declined.
Bought a pre owned Rolex Sea Dweller and a Speedy 1861 instead. Couldn’t be happier.
The case and bracelet missing the mark for me on all counts. Waste of a wonderful movement in my view.
It’s a good thing we all have different tastes. For me it’s the bracelet and case (along with movement) that make this watch so special.

if it had been in a pro case I probably would not have bought it and stuck to a 3861.

I think you did pretty well however. Sea dweller and speedy - good combo 👍
 
Davidt
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Archer Archer
IMO there’s nothing wrong with a discussion of buying well, and it happens here all the time and people do not complain or call it boring. It happens a great deal in the vintage section, where people offer their thoughts on prices pretty regularly.

But that is very different than talking about buying a watch purely as an investment, asking what watch will gain the most, etc. That is what I personally find boring, and I’m not uncomfortable saying it.

I think there’s a bit of a divide I’ve seen on forums. While it’s certainly not universal, people who entered the watch collecting world in the last few years tend to either be more interested in, or more tolerant of the investment type discussions. People who were in the collecting world before the market went crazy are generally less interested or tolerant of it. I suppose it’s human nature that people don’t like change, and I think most collectors who have been involved for many years don’t see these discussions as a good change, as it detracts from the actual watch talk.

YMMV...

I haven’t really followed this thread but reading through I was about to post the exact same response.

IMO buying well and not overpaying is a worthwhile consideration and discussion but completely different to investment which is an irritating distraction.
 
L
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7enderbender 7enderbender
Hard pass for me. I had told an OB in Switzerland that I might want one when they were first announced. They called me when it came in. For me it was about the 321 movement. Turned out I didn’t like the rest of the watch one bit and declined.
Bought a pre owned Rolex Sea Dweller and a Speedy 1861 instead. Couldn’t be happier.
The case and bracelet missing the mark for me on all counts. Waste of a wonderful movement in my view.
Similar experience for me. I love what Omega have done to bring back the 321 movement, and the way they make and service them. But I don’t like how the stainless steel 321 watch looks and feels on my wrist at all - partly because of the smaller dial. I’ve tried the 42mm platinum 321 and it looks and feels fantastic - but sadly far outside my price range.
 
L
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I’m new here, but I really don’t understand at all the people jumping down the OP’s throat for talking about watches as investments. Nowhere in the post do they mention that or anything to do with it. They’re only saying that if people would like to have a 321 then they should endeavour to do that now while they can potentially get one from an OB at normal prices, before supply dries up and demand then pushes the prices beyond what people may be able to afford. Seems like a completely reasonable suggestion.

I imagine many of us have examples of special watches we regret not buying when they were available directly because the second hand prices are now much higher, making them unaffordable. I certainly have examples of that. And that has nothing to do with investment.
Edited:
 
S
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Archer Archer
I think this is also the appeal of the Watchco SM300's. One you can wear without worry about damage to a vintage watch.

Oddly enough, I have the Watchco SM300, and have little interest in a vintage version, but for the Speedy it's the opposite.

Everytime I see one of these or even hear them mentioned, at best I feel a deep sense of regret and at worst, feelings of unhealthy, jealousy-induced rage that I didn’t pick one up when I had the chance. Easily my biggest watch related mistake.

For me, design-wise they are close to perfect and are basically a watch from a time capsule.
 
S
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YY77 YY77
I wouldn't be afraid of that, how many people outside watch forums will distinguish a new 321 from an FOIS of regular Speedy?

I needed a bracelet for my FOIS and the 321 bracelet works very nicely. Added in an exhibition caseback and I have my poor-man’s 321 😀

F5F18286-447E-4774-9469-BC677DBE9E71.jpeg 8D3C757D-8480-4C62-9E3B-553F4ADA4716.jpeg
 
Archer
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S SlCKB0Y
Everytime I see one of these or even hear them mentioned, at best I feel a deep sense of regret and at worst, feelings of unhealthy, jealousy-induced rage that I didn’t pick one up when I had the chance. Easily my biggest watch related mistake.

For me, design-wise they are close to perfect and are basically a watch from a time capsule.

I agree, it's unfortunate that Omega now limits the supply of cases, so you have to exchange a SM300 case to get a new one.

I've done a lot of these conversions over the years, and although these were allowed under Omega rules, there were people who were buying up movements and selling completed watches. That is competing directly with Omega,. and they do not like that - I suspect that's why they shut down the free purchase of cases.
 
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