Guidance for a Speedmaster 145.022 purchase

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BenBagbag

·Jun 5, 2017

Hey guys,

I haven't had much to do with the Speedmasters but I have a bit of a weird opportunity to buy what I presume to be a 145.022-78 (no accesories) and was wondering if you guys could guide me. I know it comes with an 1171 bracelet which alone is $300-$500 (right?)

I see it has a period correct DN90 bezel.

He is an older man who is the original owner and says he has worn it only 1-2 dozen times and says it is in like new condition and he really sounds like an otherwise honest guy. I'm not sure what to do because the pictures he sent make the watch look a bit worn and the bezel doesn't look near mint (see 70 and 300)- but maybe that is just dirt... He also said he just had it serviced in the past couple of years because he believes that is what you are supposed to do.

He started the watch at close to $4000 but I don't think he feels too strongly about keeping the watch at that price though he thinks he saw ebay sales that corroborate that... (Speedmaster101 says this is worth $3100 in good condition, head only)

Is my assessment good? What do you think this is worth?

Thank you in advance!

 

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Foo2rama

·Jun 5, 2017·Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...

Well that's not a -78 dial. 74 or 76. Needs service it has Chrono creep. Price seems good imho with the bracelet.

Edited: Jun 5, 2017

 

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BenBagbag

·Jun 5, 2017

Foo2rama

Well that's not a -78 dial. 74 or 76. Needs service it has Chrono creep.

Thanks for getting to me so quick! Edited title!

 

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BenBagbag

·Jun 5, 2017

Foo2rama

Well that's not a -78 dial. 74 or 76. Needs service it has Chrono creep.

Upon closer inspection it looks like it may be a stepped dial - is that why you say it can't be 78?

 

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Foo2rama

·Jun 5, 2017·Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...

BenBagbag

Upon closer inspection it looks like it may be a stepped dial - is that why you say it can't be 78?

Dome with the early font from the step dial. Only -74 and some -76

 

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BenBagbag

·Jun 5, 2017

So he said that he would go down to $3500 and that he didn't accept that it had chrono creep because he just serviced it, oh well... I'm assuming not worth it at that price?

 

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oddboy

·Jun 5, 2017

Still a decent price for a date stamped speedmaster.. Factor in a service, but for me, that's the cost of peace of mind.

Edited: Oct 8, 2017

 

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Foo2rama

·Jun 5, 2017·Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...

No Chrono creep? Oh really? It can clearly be seen on the hour sub dial and then he calls it the wrong reference. I'd want to see movement shots and a caseback shot.

I think the price is fine AFTER you get a serial number and case back shot. I'm betting it's a -76 as that stamping can look like an 78.

Bracelet, nice dial and bezel seems like an ok pre service price.

 

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wsfarrell

·Jun 5, 2017

If you send the watch to an independent for a service (advisable, as Omega would likely replace dial and hands), make 100% sure they can deal with chrono creep. I've had a couple of disappointments in this regard.

 

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BenBagbag

·Jun 5, 2017

He's a retiree who doesn't seem to know what he has, he just said he bought it in 1978... I doubt I'm gonna be able to get him to open up the watch. Is chrono creep fixed with a good service or it requires a standalone repair (when factoring in costs)?

 

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WatchArt

·Jun 5, 2017

I agree, see if he will let you get an independent watchmaker to examine, or if he says he had serviced, contact the repair shop and ask about the chrono . . it's still a good value if movement in ok shape. Case dial look very nice. You will need to invest in a service but it could give you years of enjoyment.

 

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Foo2rama

·Jun 5, 2017·Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...

BenBagbag

He's a retiree who doesn't seem to know what he has, he just said he bought it in 1978... I doubt I'm gonna be able to get him to open up the watch. Is chrono creep fixed with a good service or it requires a standalone repair (when factoring in costs)?

Then it's a -76 then. If he is first owner and you trust him then go for it.

 

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Archer

·Jun 6, 2017·Omega Qualified Watchmaker

BenBagbag

Is chrono creep fixed with a good service or it requires a standalone repair (when factoring in costs)?

It's not in any way a challenging thing to fix, and usually doesn't require any new parts. It's usually just a small adjustment (can sometimes be more complicated, but that's rare), but of course the watchmaker needs to know what they are doing. It is a normal part of servicing this movement to check that this isn't happening and repair it if it does...

Cheers, Al

 

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BenBagbag

·Jun 6, 2017

Small update...

I called him a few times yesterday and he stayed firm at $3500. I'm going to wait a week or so and then ask him about who serviced the watch and if I can get a look at the inside only because he seemed kind of irritated when I mentioned the chrono creep.

Thanks for the help guys and I'll hopefully keep you posted!

 

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BenBagbag

·Jun 13, 2017

So... Apparently the watch was serviced 15 months ago by a reputable jeweler. The manager just hit the pusher and he says the hour chrono reset back into place. Does this mean that there is no chrono creep? Would you still recommend I get it serviced?

 

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ewand

·Jun 13, 2017

That feels like a pretty good price to me for a nice, original watch and bracelet. When you get it, you'll know if it needs servicing or not - and even if you factor in another $400 or so, you'd still have got it for <$4k, which feels like a not bad price. Does he still have B&P too 😁?

 

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BenBagbag

·Jun 13, 2017

 

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Archer

·Jun 13, 2017·Omega Qualified Watchmaker

BenBagbag

So... Apparently the watch was serviced 15 months ago by a reputable jeweler. The manager just hit the pusher and he says the hour chrono reset back into place. Does this mean that there is no chrono creep? Would you still recommend I get it serviced?

Of course it will reset - the issue is not resetting. The problem is that the counter moves away from zero even though the chronograph is not running. If he waits a while, he will see the counter move off zero again...

Still needs to be addressed, and if it was serviced 15 months ago I would question the quality of the work since it's creeping now.

Cheers, Al

 

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dennisthemenace

·Jun 13, 2017

BenBagbag

Does this mean that there is no chrono creep?

Chrono creep is not uniform between different watches. some can register an hour after six hours, others might take up to forty-eight hours to show one hour on the register. If the hour register hand is set properly it should always reset to zero so you can't just reset the watch and be sure there is no creep.

Edit, Al beat me to it again.

 

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BenBagbag

·Jun 13, 2017

So frustrating that the jeweler doesn't know what he is talking about! The guy doesn't understand why I am so critical of it's servicing. He just doesn't get it. He also can't see well (it appears) and won't even admit that there is any damage to the watch, and the jeweler was skeptical of his claim that he only wore it about a dozen times... I told him to wait a week and see if the hand creeps again - but he literally never saw the problem to begin with.