Got this watch for a song from a trusted vintage watch dealer; love the white dial look so I just had to grab it!

Also, does this belong in the vintage thread? Or should it be modern? AFAIK this watch was made around 1988, so...

Anyways - doing more research into this has just added more confusion, Let me list a few points:

1) As far as I can tell, this is a 3810.20 speedmaster reduced, white dial.

2) The inside of the case is engraved with "ST 175.0032", and the rotor has "1140" written on it. According to the internets, this is a 1988 watch? But some internet places are saying this should instead be a 375.0032 which confuses me.

3) Is the dial tritium or luminova? I was told it was tritium; and it looks like it and is dead at night. However, if I hold an LED torch over it for a few seconds, it glows brightly for about 10 seconds before fading out. Only luminova "charges" like this, no?

4) The photos I see of the 3810.20 caseback always shows the speedmaster seahorse. Mine has a smooth back (see attached photos)

5) The bracelet is weird - one end link is hollow, and one end link is solid (811).

6) How many of these were produced? They seem rare enough that I can't find good information about them online; also, purchased this yesterday for $1350 (no box and papers) and that seems like a steal to me?


So, I'm trying to find out more about this watch, and wondering if this was a black dialed speedy reduced from the late 80s, with a white dial swap? Or is this legit?

Either way, loving the watch - the smaller reduced size is perfect for my skinny wrists and is likely going to be my daily for a long time. Time to give the other speedies a rest

 

Oh and some shots of the caseback and movement from the dealer:

 

The lume sounds like tritium, and the behaviour sounds correct as well. Even radium lume will glow for a short while after exposure to bright light. However, what matters is that both the radium will fade within seconds, while modern luminova will last for at least an hour.

 

Thank you for that - I didn't know tritium/radium could also be "charged"; learned something new today!

 

I'm not well-versed with the speedy automatics, but I'm glad I was able to help with something