Hi Everyone,
I purchased a 145-012 off ebay a while back, it came with an odd stainless bracelet that I have not seen before. It doesn't even look like quite the right size (a little too small at the lugs?). I'm the third owner, second owner was quite sure first owner purchased the bracelet with the watch, completely original.






Bracelet says Omega USA No 12 on the clasp, and 47 on the endpieces.

Because of the fit, and also because I just have never seen it before on a speedy, I replaced it with a 1171 from Ofrei. I held onto the "original" not sure if it should be kept with the watch even if I don't intend to use it.

Researching online I have only seen this bracelet once, on the following thread, same exact watch and bracelet, owner wondering the same thing as me, doesn't seem like they were able to resolve anything...

Help identifying speed pro bracelet | Omega Watch Forums

Anyhow I am trying to figure out if...

A) I should keep or sell this bracelet
B) If I do sell it, what is a fair price.

If anyone has any info or suggestions, I appreciate it.
thanks
Ben

 

The bracelet is not correct to the watch. It's from 70's and it can be found on Seamaster collections.
This bracelet does not sell for top prices but it looks nice.

 

The bracelet is completely original.
See a SM F300 that i have, originally delivered with the same bracelet:

 

Yes. THAT bracelet may b completely original BUT not to the 145.012 above

cheers

 

Sell. Sell. Sell. Or just put aside ... BTW the watch looks nice imo. A period bracelet say 1039 getting expensive these days too.

Check the FS threads here for alternative leather straps, if that's a possibility.

 

"Daddy" loves new shoes ;-) Better than a new Easter Bonnet!

 

I'd say dealers may have had them available, but they may have been customer's choice... instead of leather.
This is a SP 145.012-67, which means it was originally delivered on a leather strap.
The bracelet is nice indeed and it has quite a sports look... but if it wasn't for that smooth finish...

 

Thanks, I'm super happy with the watch. The dial, bezel, case, patina, everything is outstanding. I got really lucky and picked it up for a very reasonable price.

 

THANK YOU. I strongly suspected this and have been searching for the "correct" model without any luck to date. IMO it fits the Seamaster perfectly, both in terms of physical fit and appearance.

While I do think it's an interesting bracelet, I don't like it on the Speedmaster because of the large gaps between the endpiece and the case, and even some slop between the bracelet and the endpiece. And also because of the polish.

I've had the watch on a 1171 for a while, but recently switched to this 98000010, which IMO is AMAZING....

 

Is this Seamaster 20mm at the lugs?

If so, I wonder if dealers just had a range of 20mm bracelets for people to choose from, and they chose this particular bracelet more often for the Seamaster than the Speedmaster? Or do you think this bracelet could be said to be "correct" for one model over another? Not sure how it worked back then.

 

I was under the impression that SP stood for Special, meaning increased water resistance. See below.......

At last, I think we have the answer to this question. The SP stands for Special.

It was a designation used for a short time around 1967 to indicate a 145.012 watch that was a 105.012 case which had been enhanced for water protection. So it looks like this was another transitional watch of limited numbers. [Edit - actually the table makes it look like the 145.012 SP was the standard watch & those with just ref 145.012 are the uncommon ones]

If your wondering where I got this from, it's the tables in the back of A Journey Through Time:​

 

I though SP was for leather. A few "posts" ago i said i was missing the AJTT, but i'm glad there is an answer for that, and thank you for the correction.

This SM is 19mm between lugs.

Good question...
The answer is a bit nuanced actually. Sometimes, "correct" may be simply because of the specimens seen with a specific bracelet.
Omega did not confirm/say in the old extract what was the bracelet model the watch was retailed with.
There is a variety of bracelets used exclusively for specific lines. But others were interchangeable.
Ie: the extendo bracelets that are now considered rare, and that were retailed with early Speedmasters were found on Seamasters, Railmasters, etc.
Even the 1170/1 can be found on various models. Sometimes the end links make the only difference.
So i imagine that when having the bracelets and correct size end links, the dealers may have sold as an alternative these Omega bracelets specifically to the watches that came with leather straps. Your bracelet could have been a customer's choice in the 70's...
As you have a steel 1171 bracelet and a leather strap, i can't see why a Speedmaster owner back in the 60's couldn't have owned a strap and at least a bracelet.

 

Searching around online for vintage Seamasters I'm seeing other examples that look exactly like my bracelet, except they are marked bracelet #1069 and end pieces 524. My bracelet doesn't have a number and the endpieces are 47, but perhaps this is just an early evolution.

Anyhow if I sell this bracelet do you guys think I should identify it as a vintage Seamaster bracelet, or would it have been on anything from that time period with 19mm lugs? Searching around using the above reference (1069 and 524) I see it mostly on seamasters but also constellations and other things.

Any idea on a fair price?

Thanks for all the help, you guys are awesome, I've definitely figured out more this morning than in the past year. I've posted this bracelet twice over in omega forums on WUS, and no one ever had any ideas, so I'm definitely feeling the knowledge over here at omega forums !

 

PS...... Ofrei sells 524 end pieces (which look like mine even though different number) and lists the following case reference numbers as a match, I guess I can look at those up and will probably give me an idea for which models it was intended with:

135.027
136.027
145.017
145.018
165.027
166.027
166.028
168.022
168.023

 

Yes... this bracelet (ref 1069 endlinks 524) is from a Seamaster 120 (i.e. 166.027) and is 19mm between lugs

It perfectly fits a straight lugs speed... here on my CK 2998



Ciao, Gino

 

wow nice speedy. the 19mm lugs on that early version definitely works better than my 20mm case with the bracelet.

 

In the Seamasters bracelets the ref 1069 is stamped on the clasp



The number 12 indicates the type of clasp as in bracelet 1175



Ciao, Gino

 

that makes sense that the 12 refers to the clasp, not the bracelet, since you see so many different bracelets all marked No 12.
my bracelet is not stamped with any numbers, and the endpieces are 47 (not 524), but everything looks and is sized identical to the photos above, so I assume it's just due to variations in production.
I've already had people ask to buy the bracelet and endpieces, but I don't have any idea about a fair price. Any suggestions on how to research setting the value?