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fizz
·Background:
I tested positive for COVID at the beginning of this month (February 2022), which meant home isolation from the family in my room. I was formally given time off from work as well (yay), and, with a healthy, idle mind (I was largely asymptomatic) and plenty of time on my hands coupled with a raging desire to constantly and relentlessly continue to learn more about vintage watches, their history, meaningful references, etc. meant it was only a matter of time before I became trigger happy during this time away from it all and made a purchase. I almost knew at the start of my quarantine that this was almost inevitable because I'm almost always on the lookout for something that's of interest to me and keep detailed notes and Excel sheets full of my observations so that I can reference them in situations when something becomes available and I need to make a spot or quick decision. It's then that I stumbled (or re-stumbled, since I had seen it before but didn't find much that aligned to my tastes) upon Eric Ku's new venture Loupethis, an auction site specifically for watch collectors.
Process:
Long story short, I bid and eventually won a watch that I've always wanted in my collection but which I think was now priced out of my consideration, the Ed White 105.003 (this is the 65 variation). The bidding process was easy and I had an inkling that with the distraction posed by the plethora of Modern Rolex, AP, and other happening, hype and "investment" pieces, many would find good ol' Ed to be a mere distraction and nothing to chase and pursue with a bidding war to drive up the hammer price at the end. My hunch proved right (I had spent hours scouring previous wins including an incredible condition 2914 which sold for 7.5k USD with its extract) and the overall sales (with buyers premium) came in at a respectable 9.9k USD, which was slightly below the ceiling I had set for myself.
Thoughts:
During the process (the bidding cycle is one week), I brushed up my knowledge of the particular reference, read as much as I could about others' experience here on the forums in buying or finding it, and also consulted some known collectors both here and on Instagram. I am especially thankful to @Spacefruit for being very, very patient with my barrage of unsolicited questions and his expert analysis and discerning eye with regards to its condition and what was good (or not so good) about it and also to @Archer for his recommendations of whether a service is required (it is!). The combined views given were in no way an endorsement of this piece since the choice to pursue it was ultimately entirely mine and only I could decide whether with its known flaws (the completely aftermarket bracelet) it was worth what I was willing to pay. To me it's a great example and using the speedmaster101 Price chart I'd subjectively put this in the "very good" category. The case is obviously polished, the bezel faded with nicks, chips and yes, on closeup, some gunk but the dial I think is fantastic and in the 2 days I've been wearing it, I've found its lemon yellow patina to be very pleasant and right in the sweet spot of what I like. In fact, the combined package (with that greyish bezel) really appeals to me (hey, I started this vintage thing with vintage Rolex submariners and ghost insert watches).
I've attached some pictures from the site here (they are not mine) which I think are meant to be a warts and all, unflattering, non-sexed up honest depiction of the watch, not to lure but to allow scrutiny. I found this to be rather refreshing and to be honest, in-person the watch is really fantastic on my wrist.
Link to the original listing:
https://loupethis.com/auctions/omega-speedmaster-105-003-ed-white
What now?
I'd like to hear the thoughts of other forum members here as well. The good and the bad (it's ok, I'm open to knowing the truth about my acquisition even if it may not be what I may want to hear and especially if anyone suspects it's some sort of a closet dud, which I doubt). I was especially concerned about the condition of the pushers, which I think are original to the watch, but I understand these can be changed/replaced during service. I've also applied for an EoA so let's see what happens when (and if?) that comes through. Finally, in addition to the listing pictures I've attached some images based on the one day that I've worn it on my wrist in the sunny outdoors, which is how I usually get to see my watches!
Thanks for listening and making this place and community what it is.
The first 7 images from the listing (much better and more detailed than anything I could manage, hence reproduced here). As always, click to see enlarged view:
I tested positive for COVID at the beginning of this month (February 2022), which meant home isolation from the family in my room. I was formally given time off from work as well (yay), and, with a healthy, idle mind (I was largely asymptomatic) and plenty of time on my hands coupled with a raging desire to constantly and relentlessly continue to learn more about vintage watches, their history, meaningful references, etc. meant it was only a matter of time before I became trigger happy during this time away from it all and made a purchase. I almost knew at the start of my quarantine that this was almost inevitable because I'm almost always on the lookout for something that's of interest to me and keep detailed notes and Excel sheets full of my observations so that I can reference them in situations when something becomes available and I need to make a spot or quick decision. It's then that I stumbled (or re-stumbled, since I had seen it before but didn't find much that aligned to my tastes) upon Eric Ku's new venture Loupethis, an auction site specifically for watch collectors.
Process:
Long story short, I bid and eventually won a watch that I've always wanted in my collection but which I think was now priced out of my consideration, the Ed White 105.003 (this is the 65 variation). The bidding process was easy and I had an inkling that with the distraction posed by the plethora of Modern Rolex, AP, and other happening, hype and "investment" pieces, many would find good ol' Ed to be a mere distraction and nothing to chase and pursue with a bidding war to drive up the hammer price at the end. My hunch proved right (I had spent hours scouring previous wins including an incredible condition 2914 which sold for 7.5k USD with its extract) and the overall sales (with buyers premium) came in at a respectable 9.9k USD, which was slightly below the ceiling I had set for myself.
Thoughts:
During the process (the bidding cycle is one week), I brushed up my knowledge of the particular reference, read as much as I could about others' experience here on the forums in buying or finding it, and also consulted some known collectors both here and on Instagram. I am especially thankful to @Spacefruit for being very, very patient with my barrage of unsolicited questions and his expert analysis and discerning eye with regards to its condition and what was good (or not so good) about it and also to @Archer for his recommendations of whether a service is required (it is!). The combined views given were in no way an endorsement of this piece since the choice to pursue it was ultimately entirely mine and only I could decide whether with its known flaws (the completely aftermarket bracelet) it was worth what I was willing to pay. To me it's a great example and using the speedmaster101 Price chart I'd subjectively put this in the "very good" category. The case is obviously polished, the bezel faded with nicks, chips and yes, on closeup, some gunk but the dial I think is fantastic and in the 2 days I've been wearing it, I've found its lemon yellow patina to be very pleasant and right in the sweet spot of what I like. In fact, the combined package (with that greyish bezel) really appeals to me (hey, I started this vintage thing with vintage Rolex submariners and ghost insert watches).
I've attached some pictures from the site here (they are not mine) which I think are meant to be a warts and all, unflattering, non-sexed up honest depiction of the watch, not to lure but to allow scrutiny. I found this to be rather refreshing and to be honest, in-person the watch is really fantastic on my wrist.
Link to the original listing:
https://loupethis.com/auctions/omega-speedmaster-105-003-ed-white
What now?
I'd like to hear the thoughts of other forum members here as well. The good and the bad (it's ok, I'm open to knowing the truth about my acquisition even if it may not be what I may want to hear and especially if anyone suspects it's some sort of a closet dud, which I doubt). I was especially concerned about the condition of the pushers, which I think are original to the watch, but I understand these can be changed/replaced during service. I've also applied for an EoA so let's see what happens when (and if?) that comes through. Finally, in addition to the listing pictures I've attached some images based on the one day that I've worn it on my wrist in the sunny outdoors, which is how I usually get to see my watches!
Thanks for listening and making this place and community what it is.
The first 7 images from the listing (much better and more detailed than anything I could manage, hence reproduced here). As always, click to see enlarged view:
