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dhg
·Hoping for help identifying an inherited Speedmaster before I have the caseback opened.
Provenance: it belonged to my grandfather, an engineer who used it for factory timing work. It passed to me and has sat in a drawer for several decades. I can say with confidence that no money was spent servicing or refurbishing it after the early 1970s.
Condition: heavily scratched hesalite, degraded gasket residue around the bezel and crystal seam, some green corrosion at the pusher tubes and between the lugs. Scratches on the outside of the caseback.
Photos attached.
My questions:
Can you narrow the reference from the exterior? Asymmetric case, crown guards, applied logo, "Professional" dial, pre-moon caseback with seahorse and no NASA text. I'm reading it as 145.012 or an early 145.022, and the pushers look like the taller straight-sided type rather than the short 105.012 pushers. Does that hold up?
Bezel: I read it as an accented TACHYMÈTRE with dot over 90, dropped dot at the lower right of the 70, and a serif on the 7. Can you confirm DON, and confirm it's a period insert rather than a later replacement?
Dial and hands: does the dial read as original tritium with no relume or refinishing, and are the hour, minute, subdial and central chronograph seconds hands all correct for the period?
Bracelet: 1116 with 575 end links, clasp stamped STAINLESS STEEL / 1116 / OMEGA with a circled 11. What does the circled 11 date to, and is the bracelet plausibly original to this watch?
Anything I'm missing or getting wrong?
Once the reference is narrowed I plan to have an independent open it for the caseback stamp and movement serial.
Thank you.
Provenance: it belonged to my grandfather, an engineer who used it for factory timing work. It passed to me and has sat in a drawer for several decades. I can say with confidence that no money was spent servicing or refurbishing it after the early 1970s.
Condition: heavily scratched hesalite, degraded gasket residue around the bezel and crystal seam, some green corrosion at the pusher tubes and between the lugs. Scratches on the outside of the caseback.
Photos attached.
My questions:
Can you narrow the reference from the exterior? Asymmetric case, crown guards, applied logo, "Professional" dial, pre-moon caseback with seahorse and no NASA text. I'm reading it as 145.012 or an early 145.022, and the pushers look like the taller straight-sided type rather than the short 105.012 pushers. Does that hold up?
Bezel: I read it as an accented TACHYMÈTRE with dot over 90, dropped dot at the lower right of the 70, and a serif on the 7. Can you confirm DON, and confirm it's a period insert rather than a later replacement?
Dial and hands: does the dial read as original tritium with no relume or refinishing, and are the hour, minute, subdial and central chronograph seconds hands all correct for the period?
Bracelet: 1116 with 575 end links, clasp stamped STAINLESS STEEL / 1116 / OMEGA with a circled 11. What does the circled 11 date to, and is the bracelet plausibly original to this watch?
Anything I'm missing or getting wrong?
Once the reference is narrowed I plan to have an independent open it for the caseback stamp and movement serial.
Thank you.
