Hello everyone. I new to the forum but after reading several post and links you all have helped me with tips on spotting a fake Omega. I started on the forum after bidding on a couple early 60's Seamasters but after losing out on them I have decided to focus on something I have always wanted. I am trying to find a modern 1861 3570.50 Speedy. I know ebay can be a great site to find one but with all the fakes on there i'm very unsure about using it. I know the forum as a great sales area and I've been talking with ashleysteadman about maybe getting one of his from the land down under. Here are my questions, one is it possible to get a good to great example of a Speedy for around 2500US. Second any ideas on where else maybe a good spot to look. And third I know the seven major things to watch for when spotting a fake but is there any other tips you all can give me so i'm sure i'm getting a real speedy and not fake. I haven't worn a watch in almost 20years (i'm left handed and hair armed) but I've always wanted an Omega I might as well shoot for the moon. Thanks in advise for any tips or advice.

 

Watchrecon.com is probably your best friend for this. There are many 3570.50 for sale, and continue to pop up often, though 2500 is a tad low. You might be able to find an imperfect example of such for around that, but expect it to be fairly well-used. A good example tends to run around 2650 or so these days, plus another 1-200 if you want it to come with box and papers.

If you're less patient - feel free to message @Kringkily here, who can track one down for you. There are other sellers in the Sales forums here who can do so as well. Good luck!

 

Better buy brand new from Omega store or AD, preferably Omega. However, if you want used do not buy from eBay or online. Find a reputable pre owned dealer, don't believe it when people tell you how wonderful they are and they have been in the business 100 years. One dealer in the UK has been in the business 100 years and he was selling Omega vintage with wrong hands etc... It was verified by established members on this site. BEST BUY A USED WATCH FROM A PRE OWNED DEALER THAT IS AN APPROVED OMEGA SERVICE CENTRE. So when the offer warranty it is done correctly, no nasty funny parts in you watch. You get what you pay for, piece of mind costs, but then you don't waste more money to fix problems.

 

The box is of little concern to me unless by some stroke of luck it had the extra bands and the book about the Speedys. My ballpark budget is around 2,500US and I would go up a bit for one that has been serviced and it 100% correct. The case, internals and the crystal are what i'm most worried about. The metal band is pretty much useless for me. Been left handed and trying to wear a bigger watch on that wrist is a pain, add the fact i'm hairy and have early stages of fibromyalgia i'll be limited to Nato or leather band when I wear it. There is watch dealer in Atlanta called SwissWatchExpo that has three Speedy Pros for around 3k. That would be the very top of my budget right now (I have a 9 month old little girl that I adore but is bleeding us dry) but I don't know a lot about them. In North Carolina there are very few vintage watch dealers and only six stores that carry Omegas. Ideally i'd love to find a great Speedy pro without the metal band or with nato strap so maybe I could get a better quality watch for the price I can spend. Again, thanks for all the advice. It is very easy to get overwhelmed or ripped off and its nice to know there are still people that look out for one another.

 

Please don't take this as a criticism, but surely a watch at the price point you are contemplating is not a no.1 priority at the moment? Maybe wait a bit to when (hopefully) finances are less tight and you can buy exactly what you want.

 

Be patient pay more and wait, do it properly. Buy from an Omega Authorised service centre that sells pre owned. They would be very foolish to risk their status. I am not saying everyone else is bad, but how do you know who is good or bad. Your choice and I respect all members opinions, my position is why take the risk.

 

I'd say if you're patient, and willing to go with a slightly older Speedmaster (ref. 145.0022 , or 3590.50, from the 1990s or early 2000s, same watch as the 3570.50 pretty much, just with tritium lume instead of Luminova) you could easily find one for $2500 or less. Most of them still have their bracelets attached; I'd hang onto it in case you ever feel like moving on. Check what's for sale and do your homework on sellers; even brick-and-mortar shops can be untrustworthy (and often charge more as they have overhead to cover!).

 

Normally I would agree but I just got a promotion at work and a one time bonus of 2,500US. I know this isn't that much for some of you but for me it was a very nice surprise. I had the chance in the early 2000's to get one of the 20th bond Seamasters from an Omega dealer for around 1300US. At the time as a 23 year old I laughed and turned them down and got a Titanium Seiko watch for around 400. Looking back I regretted not getting the Omega everyday since. I've had a couple of bad health scares in the past couple years and i'm in the process of losing a massive amount of weight (40 pounds gone so far 100 to go) and yes I have several life insurance policies just in case something does happen to me. I am looking at this bonus as the one time maybe just maybe I could do something for myself and if something did happen to me I'd have my dream watch to take with me. Sorry for long story, I have a problem with running on much longer then I should sometimes.

 

That's a great idea about looking into (ref. 145.0022 , or 3590.50). While the luminova and sapphire glass is nice, I like the idea of wearing one that is similar to what was worn on the moon. Is the movement still the 1861 or 63 on those or is it the 861-863. I'm still trying to learn the differences?

 

Don't discount the many well respected sellers on ebay, mostly from Japan . I've bought several Speedmasters from them and every one has been exactly as described or better.
PM me if you want recommendations.

 

The 3570.50 has Luminova (the 3590 is tritium) so you may want to change your plans; I'm pretty sure both references have a hesalite crystal. The Cal. 863 / 1863 are the nicely-finished versions of the 861/1861 used for Speedmaster references with the display back (3572, 3573, 3592, 3593). There are minor differences between the 861 and the 1861 for your purposes, but if you're looking for something as similar to the original Moonwatch as you can go without buying vintage, I'd stick with 145.022s - the case reference is 145.0022 so be sure to search for both.

However, in your price range, your best bet is a 3570.50 - there are minute changes to it from the original Moonwatch, but they remained flight-certified by NASA all the same, and continued to serve in space all the way through.

 

I recently bought a near mint 3570 with bracelet and box from Kringkily for $2600.

While it was a good price it not like it was the deal of the century. There are 3 trusted sellers that come to mind that have speedmasters in this price range regularly. (Also elady.com) I certainly don't think it's unreasonable to expect to find one for $2500 or even a hair under.

 

I think for $2500 you can definitely find a modern (1995 or newer) 3570.50 in very good condition. Some of the more well-respected private dealers should be able to help you out, but if you're looking to purchase from a brick and mortar you can find one here in your price range (with the possibility to haggle down a bit).
And the reason why I preface "modern" is that anything older than 20 years will have a less-solid bracelet, will probably not have all the original items, and is less likely to be in good cosmetic and mechanical condition while the price will not be that much lower than a newer item.

 

Did you see this?

http://speedmaster101.com/blog/why-buy-a-145-022/

I still believe you can get home and dry for under $2500, with a full service.

 

Yea, that's the article that got me to believe maybe I could afford a Speedy after all. The more I look into them to more I know this is the watch I have always wanted. I have to admit I was in love with the Bond Seamasters when I was younger but the Speedy and its history is something no other watch can compare to.

 

Well There are a few things you need to line up to do it my way. A watchmaker is the big one. For the moment most seem able to be able to service and get hold of the parts for an 861. Then it really helps to be in the US - for some reason all the sub 1800 USD speedmasters have sold on ebay in USA last two years.

If you look at the one I bought, linked in the post above, it looks like sh1t. I prefer this for two reasons:
First, my workshop is going to do a full Omega Approved/Spec service and replace crown, pushers crystal and hands where appropriate - matching hands to the dial, so no glaring superluminova. They will clean up the case with a very light polish.
Second. if it is from a dealer it will look much better. Polished, tarted up and pushed onto ebay with very little essential work - which you will have to end up doing anyway, after you have paid for his supper.

My point is, when buying a cheap 861 to service and recomission, as long as it is pretty much original and the dial and case look nice, it will come out pretty good.

Things to watch are corrosion on the case, a poor or remade dial, and a bad or service bezel (The bezel is just a question of adjusting the bid).

 

Thats

 

Yea I don't have a great watch guy but I'm in the is so maybe I can borrow yours. Thanks again and if you run across a Speedy you think would work for me please let me know

 

I agree with Space fruit, I have seen some Speedmasters go for $1500-1700 on Ebay. Most of them have a leather strap only and have heavily scratched crystals, questionable internals but still wouldn't cost too much to make new again.

I was eyeing one that sold for $1300, but the chrono pusher were not working. Might have been an easy fix for my local watch maker, or might not have, i just wasn't willing to take the risk.

 

Ok so one last question to everyone. A local big name jeweler is one of only two Omega dealers in the state of North Carolina. I called just to see what a 1861 Speedy would be. The salesperson said they can take around 15% off retail for it. If it were you all would you pay for a new Speedy knowing that the watch wouldn't need service for a few years and was a real Speedy or would you save 1,500 plus and try and find a good used one?