Damn son...that is fricking killer!

 

This is a great outcome and congratulations for playing a role in the recovery!

 

Fantastic result, and this relic goes back to where it belongs! Well done!

 

This story came across my Facebook page so I read it. As I'm reading it, I'm thinking to myself if the watch collector mentioned in the article who reported it possibly is a member here. Low and behold, my next stop was here and I open this thread and yes you are! Awesome job! Just one more reason why this is the best watch forum out there! Very, very cool!!!

 

If an extract was ordered what would it say?

I am glad you found it, and more importantly knew what you were looking at. This is an awesome watch collecting story. I guess not all engravings are created equally.

 

Very cool story! Good job gdupree!

 

Fantastic story with a fantastic result. The odds of everything falling into place like this would be so small. It would be great to have some of this background story on display with the watch. Well done.

 

Great job and a fantastic result for all concerned. Must be the story of 2017!
Now if we can only come up with some sort of connection to the missing Buzz Aldrin watch.
Lets all keep looking. Wishful thinking maybe
Once again well done and thanks for sharing.

 

Inspiring tale. Thank you for your efforts and for sharing them with us.

 

Wonderful story, Thank you

 

Amazing story, you got my full respect

 

Of course, that will always be the big ticket item. However there are five other watches that have gone missing from the Smithsonian over the years, of which I am trying to get a confirmed list. I know that Aldrin's is not among those five, as it technically went missing in transit. Of course, when I first learned of this watch, my heart did skip a beat at the possibility of it being Buzz's. However I was not in the least disappointed to find that it was instead Donn's.

My hope, along with Robert's, is that the finding of this watch might raise some awareness of these missing artifacts and lead to some info shaking loose that could lead to another recovery. So, to that end, I'm simply doing my due diligence in sharing the story here.

If nothing else, I think we can all take away the renewed realization that these things can happen to anyone, and it never hurts to ask question, talk, or just strike up a friendly conversation. As was the case here, you really never know what might shake loose.

 

Yeah seriously. These things can end up anywhere. However, I believe that all of the other 5 did go missing from different museums located in the U.S... Most, if not all of those went missing within a period of a few months.

And yes, good catch. I had noticed that initially, but forgot to mention it. It surely just got knocked off at one point or another.

 

Really, five?? Can you start a list? I knew about Aldrin's. Who else? If this has been covered exhaustively already, a pointer would be fine.

 

It would be remarkable if this forum could help track down more of them. Be one of the greatest uses of minds of any forums

 

For various reasons, the specifics concerning the other missing watches are not public.

But suffice to say, anyone offering to sell or sharing information about the whereabouts (outside of a museum) of an Omega Speedmaster with NASA part and serial number engravings should be reason enough to do as @gdupree suggests, and engage the person to learn what you can. Then, as appropriate*, do as @gdupree did and reach out to the authorities. (And if we, at collectSPACE, can help put you in touch with the right people, we are happy to do so.)

 

Amazing story. That watch is apart of history and now so are you. Cheers my friend.

 

What a story! What a watch! What a honest collector!

 

I'd be interested to know what other watches are also mission from the Smith. Started to research it last night and couldn't come up with any other than Buzz's famous missing watch. We should start a thread documenting as much info on the missing pieces as possible including photos.

Almost like an online wanted poster. Could be a fantastic resource for helping locate them!

 

It turns out that the information is private for various reason, so that would be why info hasn’t been found on that subject. However, for all practical purposes, it doesn’t really matter. The caseback SEB Number was shared across many artifacts as a more generic part number, with the S/N # being the unique engraving. So if an individual finds a Speedmaster with these engravings, it’s reason enough to engage and relay the info to the appropriate personnel.

Truthfully, the only reason that I found the information that helped me come forward with S/N 34 was a the decade old thread posted on spacecollect.com. I likely would not have found the thread if not for specifically searching for the SEB number and only including results with “S/N 34”. So, sure, it would be great if that information were public so that if a future person that has come in contact with an curious watch, much like i did, can find enough info to get them in touch with the proper people. It’s possible that this thread could be the proverbial ‘thread’ that unravels a mystery for another recovery, perhaps decades from now. Of course, for that reason i wish that the details could be public, but I understand that there are factors involved that are well beyond our pay-grade.