Hi everyone
Sorry to do this but would you mind commenting on whether you think there is anything suspect about this watch? The bezel, hands and dial all look good to me... It’s meant to be a 144.022-71 and the price is reasonable. Are the pushers right?

Thanks in advance!

George

 

Checks out from what I can see.

 

Agree, I assume there was a dust cover in there too.

 

Yep although the seller concedes it’s a later replacement which I am ok with

 

Better question is, what about this made you question it wasn't legit?

 

@georgepalmer
Based on your pics it seems to be a nice, honest example.
The screw heads in the movement pic show little wear. Do you know the service history?

 

Assume it’s just a new member wisely asking for confirmation before buying.

Looks good btw - if the price is right and you like it, nothing I see to dissuade you.

 

Fair question. Combination of being relatively new to speedmasters and buying from an individual rather than a dealer. I was talking to Paul from Somlo (only authorised vintage omega dealer in London) and was trying to get him to take a look at it. He said no and then started reeling off a million ways a vintage speedmaster could have problems and it made me panic!

 

Unfortunately not. I asked the seller where he got it from and he bought it from a dealer and hadn’t got it serviced since.

 

Correct!

 

Don’t talk to Paul at Somlo and let it influence this purchase - that’s your only misstep so far. They also sell a lot of refinished stuff that isn’t particularly interesting or valued around here, so not somebody necessary held in high authority.

Dealers are mercenaries out for themselves- vintage watches can and will have issues but the Speedy isn’t more problematic than most others...

 

Agreed. He ended the conversation by explaining to me that I could rely on their watches and that’s what I should buy if I wanted to ensure quality and originality. Fair, but at literally double the price of anyone else

 

Ah but doing one's homework is half the fun of collecting vintage watches! For me it was always more fun to check it out myself against other examples / research, then confirm with those more experienced. That way, I got comfortable with what I already figured out to look for, while being able to brush up on the stuff I missed!

 

Given that it’s a decent -71 I presume he did do his homework and is merely checking his work given that it’s his first Speedy purchase.

Which is what we always suggest others should’ve done when they buy crap and only ask for an opinion here after the fact...

 

Yes, you actually learn more than you wanted to learn. I was able to say no to a Blancpain which was listed by a collector based on movement engravings. Once I started questioning the movement the collector started to avoid the question.

 

Watch looks 100% legit. But I would take note of the cracked/missing lume on the hands.

 

He noted it was.

 

Update: my offer was rejected and it sold for £200 more. The seller missed a trick by not letting me know. Dammit

 

Don't let that drag you down. This happens a lot and you get used to it. Also the more you learn by sticking around here and aquiring knowledge of the Speedmaster references, the faster you can act and buy with confidence next time .

Good luck on your hunt!

edit: Can't say much about the pushers, but the crown looks to be a later service replacement.