Dear Omega afficionados,

Any advice on the Speedmaster 145.0022-76 in the pictures below would be greatly appreciated.

I inherited the same model from my late grandfather, but that just got stolen and I'm looking for a worthy replacement.

The pictures are from a private seller who's asking 4000€/4300$ and claiming the watch is in good shape with original parts. Can someone judge by these pictures how much of that is true?

No pics of the movement - but I bought a case back opener and will be able to take a look at it before buying. The movement was recently serviced - he sent me the receipt together with an extract of the archives from Omega with a movement number on it. That should match the one on the movement, I suppose? Other apparent clues as to quality of the movement I could look for?

Many thanks to all who can help me out.

 

Very nice looking watch i think. Looks all correct to me. I don’t notice anything incorrect. Movement number should be 37.870.xxx - 39.946.xxx. Others can advise on what to look for in a movement, there are probably several threads on it already.

Lume loss on the minute hand a bit of a black eye. I like the bezel, but it’s damage by some standards. That said I think the value is fair for a correct and attractive watch.

 

Thank you gdupree. Movement number on the archives paper falls within these margins.

Is it possible to have it relumed or would you advise against it? Would you get it serviced if the movement has been serviced mid 2019 for 400$?

Thanks for your contribution.

 

Looks correct to me. Not sure about the pushers and crown, but If they are service replacements that wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me. Definitely an original 1171/633 bracelet. Hard to tell from the photos, but possibly polished at some point - the bracelet in particular. Bezel and hands are in fair condition. The price is in the ballpark for the overall condition. There are better examples out there, but you would likely pay more.

 

I would not say that the watch is in "good shape", no. The dial, hands, bezel, and bracelet are worn and damaged, and I would say the overall condition is FAIR. I don't like the missing lume in the minute hand, and the dramatically mismatched lume in hands and dial is not very appealing to me. Price is on the high end in today's market, but if you truly believe that the movement has been fully serviced and it comes with a warranty, perhaps that convenience might make up for it.

 

I don't find it very attractive, at least in these photos.

 

I want to see the bezel in natural light... ghosts are very hard to judge in pics, sometimes they look epic others meh in pictures, most in person look better then the pics suggest. I would want natural light pics to see if it has that purple hue in real life.

This is a late 1977 production watch, case looks sharp with a few dings..

That looks like a period correct 1171/633 which adds to the price a bit...

Not a fan of the hands... dial is average... candidate for hand relume in a greenish tint to match these late 77 dials.

I'd want to be USD $3,800-4,000 tops for this piece, assuming the bezel looks good in natural light and the bracelet has enough links to fit a 7.5 inch wrist. the hands really bring it down.

 

Thank you gbesq. I don't t really understand what "the price is in the ballpark means", but I think I get the picture.

 

It means that the asking price is in the range that I would expect for this model in this condition. That being said, the asking price is definitely at the high end of that range. If I were you, I would be inclined to look around a bit. It’s always better to pay a little more for a good example than to pay less for a fair example.

 

Ok. I might look around a bit longer. Any suggestions are welcome of course. Preferably in Europe, as I want to avoid the heavy Danish customs charges when shipped from outside of the EU. I'm a total newbie.

 

Does anyone know whether this would be a good option. It's a nineties 145022 without Tritium, but in better condition. Asking price is 2950€/3200$. It doesn't come with papers.

Thanks again for the help.

 

Pass on this one. That serial should have cal 861 and tritium dial.

And it needs service...chrono hour hand is not placed on 12 when restart

 

Thank you omegasaso12. Much appreciated.

 

And it needs service...chrono hour hand is not placed on 12 when restart[/QUOTE]

I checked the serial number on one of those lists and apparently it's from a transitional year where both 861 and 1861 movements where installed. So his claim having a 861 could be legit. He's a local seller, so I wouldn't buy without opening the case back.

He also claims it's been serviced by 'a friend' recently. Are you sure it needs service? The hand doesn't seem off on this pic he also provided.

 

Your best bet for obtaining a period correct example in good condition at a fair price is the private watch sales forum on OF. There have been 1974 and 1976 Speedmaster Professionals for sale there in the not too distant past. You may also want to do a search on Crown and Caliber. Chrono24 and eBay are other possible avenues, but I would be more cautious about making purchases on those sites.

 

I disagree about the serial, it’s fine for a ~1997 3570 but it can’t have an 861 and SL dial, it should have been an 1861 movement if the dial is original. I do agree it shows chrono creep so either the seller is lying (they often do) or his ‘friend’ isn’t much of a watchmaker.

 

I thought very late 861’s could have the Luminova dial. Or is it the inverse? The lume change over was 1999.

 

I think our timelines differ very slightly but my take is that the 1990s 3590 Moonwatch became the 3570 in late 1996. At this point it continued with the tritium dial but gained a newer 1498/9 bracelet design and got the 1861 cosmetic movement upgrades. Around a year later, ie late 1997/early '98 the tritium dial was replaced by the SL version which continues to this day. Around this time, the 1998 bracelet (coincidentally model number and year of intro) was rolled out with its wider clasp, this ran until the screwed link version and suitcase kit were introduced around 12 years later.


This is why I say a SL dial Moonwatch can't have a 861 movement, the timeline wont allow it. The 1861 was already in use for around a year before the SL dial was in use.

I wont argue with you if you think I am out by a year or so but as I say, this is my take on it.

 

nope I’m with you. I had it inverted in my mind for some reason. I know there was overlap of one model and i forgot if it was the end of one or the start of another.