Gents...I do not own a lot of watches....a Submariner is my go to watch now, and I have a Cartier Panther I wear for dress as it works so well with cuffed shirts. I figure if it is good enough for Nasa....and James Bond I would also like to have one Omega. I see lots of nice Speedmasters, and I want a manual winding, probably with the 861 movement, stainless steel band watch. They seem to be fairly common. I know that it is best to find one with box and papers. I would like for the tritium hands to still glow, and I do want to make sure I have one with the same dials as had the authentic moon watches. Going rate appears to be $2500 -$3k. Any thoughts? Thanks so much for your help.

 

You can certainly have a Speedmaster on a stainless bracelet for $2500-3, but the more specific conditions you lay out complicate that somewhat. The only Cal. 861 watch with the same dial as the Cal. 321s worn on the moon is the 145.022-68 "Transitional" , any worthwhile example of which will be out of that price range.

However, even though a more modern (i.e., post-1978) Speedmaster won't have the exact same dial as the 321s and Transitionals, they're still actually flight-certified by NASA and bear a strong resemblance to their predecessors. Nobody who knows anything about watches would ever disrespect you for wearing a modern Speedy

As for tritium that still glows though, you'd be best-off searching for a late 3590.50 or early tritium-dial 3570.50 I think. They're well within your price range and are wonderful watches!

 

Well, if luminescence is important to you, I don't think tritium will be of any use to you, since Omega hasn't used them in years - but they'll probably have turned a lovely golden colour

I wouldn't fuss over box and papers, those things aren't as important as you would believe.

 

Gents thank you for the replies. I think a non tritium 3570.50 may be the best fit for me....were all of these models 42mm? That seems the "standard size" from what little I have read.

 

Yep, all Speedmaster Professional Moonwatches from the first 105.012s to the latest 311.whatevers, are 42mm

 

So start looking as no one is going to give you a lead. It's up to you to research and study and buy. Your going to pay a bit mor than your quoted prices.

 

Your title says you are looking for vintage, and then you want a glowing handset.....

Vintage is all about the patina, or lack of it depending on your persuasion, not about usability and lume glow.

If you are looking for a superluminova watch, then post 1995(?) or a watch that has no T marks will serve you well. Your unlikely to enjoy any vintage "uplift" for the foreseeable future, but you will have a good watch, just not a vintage one by any definition used around here.

Also there are very few genuine box and paper watches out there, and most speedmaster watches were bought by people who used them, often quite hard. Many have subsequently had boxes married to them, and blank or dare I say it forged papers.

For me pre 1978 has the most appeal, but up to the loss of the T marks the watches still have appeal. Right now the mid 1980's watches are a nice mixture of value, patina, value and condition.

Best of luck in the hunt.

And read this: www.sp101.net

 

thank you all so much! My apologies for using the word vintage incorrectly. At least I know I want a 42mm black face watch that has a manual winding movement with black face, stainless band, three sub dials, probably a model 3570.50 or maybe 3590.50....and It may cost a bit more than my price point mentioned earlier.....I just wanted something similar to what the astronauts used, that while not likely to appreciate, but might hopefully preserve its' value somewhat, but be a good, functional watch....that is not so valuable that I am not afraid to use! Many Thanks to everyone!

 

Take a look on the sales forums here and you will most likely will find something in that range.
Good hunting

 

thank you so much will do.

 

It seems like you might not have fully made your mind up and could be persuaded by anything from the late 60's (vintage but no lume) to almost the present day.

Take your time to read up what's out there, so you can decide what you want and then go hard at it when one rears its head.

 

The lume on my modern (2002) speedmaster is not all the great, probably due to the thin indices and hands. Not the best watch for reading at night in my experience.

 

thanks! I know they are not state of the art in that regard! I just hoped they were better than the previously tritium fired ones....or at least have a longer half life, so to speak!

 

Thank you so much....will do!

 

I found a nice used 145.022-71 down the street with a local jeweler who services my existing watches. The bezel has a fair amount of wear, but the band seems correct, everything functions correctly, it keeps very good time, and it was recently serviced by the seller, and guaranteed by my dealer for one year. I paid $2300 out the door, which is, hopefully, an OK deal. I thank everyone for their help in purchasing my first speedy. I will buy some others, as I do love the functional elegance of this timeless timepiece.

 

Photos photos please?
Very keen to see what you found.

 

Without pic's we don't believe anything...

 

oops....here is the photo!

 

Congrats.

 

I like that watch, particularly at the price you paid. The bezel is kind of cool, not sure if I've seen a fade like that before.