Just wondering if someone on here got this beauty?

I was watching this for quite some time but the bidding went crazy and way above my funds.

Spotless DON, mint brown dial and a case that makes you weak in the knees.

( Edit: As @Winston 1984 pointed out it seems that the case may have been refinished. Good example for how one can get easily carried away when only giving a watch a quick glance. Always take a second look!

Edit/Update 2: Angled brushing is accepted on -69's )

So, is the lucky one amongst us?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tropical-Omega-Speedmaster-SS-40MM-Ref-145022-69ST-Cal-86-Circa-1969-/163313870224?hash=item260643e590:g:TEMAAOSwBBpbwpwD&nma=true&si=WkcyoXBBQ2HM1l73M7iTQc%2FXEKI%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

Cheers,

Max

 

That is one beautifull watch! Its stated as unpolished. Is that circular finish on the back case how it came out original?

 

Wow. Almost $13k for a 861 Caliber Speedie with a printed logo.

 

My feeling exactly. Will be curious to see if the sale will go through.

 

Seems to be the new 'asking norm' for a brown dial (regardless of the rest of the watch)...BUT that dial...and that bezel...and that case...and that bracelet...

 

Any concerns regarding the gaps between the 516 end links and the lugs?

 

@Masterofkarate

not sure what's going on but if I click the link it sends me to a different listing now, but it seems you guys are seeing the correct one.

Yes, I believe that finishing to be correct for a -69 caseback.

Yeah @gemini4 I also find that quite high, but given the perfect DON, the bracelet and the over all condition plus the brown dial it doesn't suprise me in todays market. Also cudos to the seller to let this one run through and not end it early, I'm sure he got more than one offer to finish this outside ebay.

 

Interestingly everyone’s saying this is a step change in prices for an 861 but I’d actually say it’s less than you might expect.

Top condition tropical -69’s have traded towards 10k$ since 2013/14 so taken in context with how other references have jumped up I don’t think they’ve actually moved as much as they perhaps should.

Incidentally if I wasn’t skint from moving and renovating 3 houses in 4 years I’d have exceeded this bid.

 

Not realy, I think this is just a fitting issue. Depending on how I hold / where I apply preassure to my 1171/633 bracelet I also have a noticable gap between the endlinks and the case/lugs. Last time I attached the links it was a better fit, I should refit it, but I'm not bothered by it atm.
The next summer circle from steel to nato/perlon and back I'll handle this problem.

 

Looking at this picture I think that at least this part of the case has been 'rebrushed'.

 

I have seen several -69's recently with exactly this diagonal sort of brushing. They appear otherwise unpolished. Anyone know if this kind of brushing common for this period?

 

I think it should be horizontally. And then the geometry of that flank looks not really symmetrical for me. Maybe just the picture.

 

Classic swipe with a bit of sandpaper trick, as the brushing is not uniform and horizontal.

 

The -29.11x.xxx -69 I’m wearing right now has exactly same brushing on it’s sides.



Edit: here's the crown side. Shows the same brushing. This side would be a bit harder to refinish by the average person, since it would require removing the crown pushers entirely. For what it's worth...

 

Good eye, I wasn't paying too close attention to detail as I was not actively bidding on this. You have a point here, I think the brushing should be completely horizontal.

My -69, which I believe to be untouched, I just hastily took this pic with a hand held magnifier and my phone ... feel free to compare:

 

But sure it is not the same watch?

 

Comparing this one:



to this one:



means that the cases have different shapes of the flanks.

The upper one looks more like a -67 or -68 case.

 

Look at this one:



Normal lugs?

 

Do your lugs look the same like the watch in ebay?

 

Was the brushing originally applied by hand or with a machine? I think it's machine finished now, but I'm not sure if it was back in the 60's.
As far as I know, there are only a few high end manufacturers left that do case finishing by hand.
Maybe brushing that's not entirely horizontal was within the norm back in the day?

Cheers,

Max