I am looking at buying my first vintage Speedmaster, a Ref 145022-69 The watch is with a reputable vintage watch dealer in the next state (so I haven't seen the watch in person) , and a couple of things don't quite look right , but being a newbie to vintage Omega's I am not sure. Firstly serial number, the reference number inside the back plate is 145022-69 as per photo (and the dealer explicitly states the case back is original), but the serial is 31003XXX range, which dates it to 1972 maybe. Is this a concern, or just part of the inexact number of serial that happens with them? (or something done at a later service, like the movement swapped?) Secondly, the crystal seems to encroaching on the text of the bezel, usually photos I have seen of early speedmaster's, the text (TACHYMETRE) is not encroached in any way by the crystal. but this one seems odd to me. Please see photo. Bezel is DN90 which would be right as the serial is 31003xxx range. The watch is listed as being Near NOS condition, with only very light patina. I cant see any variations to the dial and hands, they appear legit for model /age and not replacements (???), but again limited in my experience, but dial is stepped, marked correctly as far as I can tell etc. Lume seems to have aged evenly from hands to dial, but seems to be very ie "too" good to be original? To go with the condition the rest of the watch looks very good as by the photo of the back and sides, but maybe a little too good, not sure of the side profile of the watch and whether its been polished, any thoughts? Same with etching on the case back, looks too good maybe? My last issue is the bracelet , claims to be an early (screw type) 1711 with 633 end links. But the clasp looks to be off an earlier series band (1610 maybe?). is it possible this was done at service at some time, or more likely the bracelet is a fake? dealer is asking approx $4300 US. no box or papers. My interest is pre moon , but also is it is a true 69 build, (and not 70) it and I are the same age, and I find that quite appealing to have a watch the same age as myself. In the long term also in the market for a 145.012 down the track I intent to ask for the movement serial and watch serial in full and see if I can get the Build data from Omega, but that will take time Looking to buy as near original as I can for long term ownership as I I mentioned pro moon is the horizon for collecting. All comments and help appreciated.
In my opinion it looks like quite a nice example, but it is relatively expensive so it's got to be 100%. This ref is seen with a 31......... Serial number quite often. I find it hard to say if this one has had a little polish without seeing it in the flesh, but it's certainly not heavily polished. The buckle is correct for the very early 1171 bracelet, these are quite rare and were manufactured in the 1960's so it's quite possible it was delivered with the watch, however I have more usually seen this reference come with a 1035. The crystal is not encroaching on the bezel insert, it's just a trick of the light showing the thickness of the crystal.
Looks a nice, clean example. Almost too good for daily wear, if you consider an average example can be had for half the asking. bezel looks correct, as does the rest. The bracelet could be correct, I have observed original late model -69 watches with it. By the same token, if I had to bet, I Omega would say this was actually made after 1969 if you asked for an extract. Not that I would care on this model, or this example as it is very nice in its own right. box and papers are a red herring. Unless it is a NOS time warp. Most, nearly all, B&P sets I have been offered are put together. I am always an advocate of fine examples of anything being worth a lot more than a standard example, but these fine examples need a bit of coddling to keep that large premium. have a look at www.speedmaster101.com