I spotted this on The Saleroom the other day and figured it would be worth a look... https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/...0087/lot-76e402d9-10dc-4d8e-a414-a7f20105b941 but on checking this morning, saw there were 105 people watching it, so there was no way it would slip under the radar as a bargain. It looks a bit grubby but otherwise straight and honest (to my eye) but maybe the bidders saw something I didn't. Hammer price was £32,000 so just over 40 grand including buyer's premium & tax!! That's $52k, American peeps! That's against a SM101 "collector" price guide (head only, right enough) of $30k.
I had a sneaky bid on that, wrong hands I think. Went for way too much money unless it had a famous owner or something i missed
Well wow. I think that is fully paid, but who knows. It's higher than trades I know about, but the first big price jumps in a rise always look nuts at the time, then we all regret not buying.... I am hesitant to call this a benchmark, but I am not surprised if we see a few more Base500 2998's selling for $40+ As ever devil is in the detail. This looked a one owner watch with a great dial. This is always worth paying a premium for. Often these auctions attract the whales, who also take into account the time and effort they have spent on sniffing out a hidden country sale lot. They don't like to leave something behind, after all the effort. And of course they only spend the effort on a watch like this, with originality and private ownership oozing from the lugs and links....literally.
So there is nothing special about this example, and the minute hand is suspect, and it went for $52k usd? That's fantastic
Well I wouldn't say it's nothing special, try finding a 2998 with a dial and bezel that good for starters.
The issue with the hands aside, I think that is a stunning watch and I'm not overly surprised at the price. Given the choice, I'd acquire all my watches in this condition. The crud is like a wax seal that shows no ones messed with it during the recent period when prices have escalated, but equally, you can see that under the bezel crap and crystal scratches the dial and bezel are amazing.
For the money I’d rather have this one https://www.chrono24.co.uk/omega/speedmaster-pre-moon-ref-2998-61-aus-dem-jahr-1961--id4574417.htm
By not special I mean that Omega made thousands of them. Dial is nice yes but how many tens of thousands is that worth. Anyways I'm happy to see a strong result. My point is that if I was going to spend $50k on a speedmaster(s), I could find a lot better
The dial on the C24 one isn't as nice to me, but I get your point - still a good example. Surprised that hasn't gone tbh.
i have to jump on the bandwagon and say this feels mighty frothy, particularly in the context of this recent 2998-4 sale less than a month ago. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Vin...rofessional-1960-with-DON-Bezel-/232494374463Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network yes, the lume is more attractive across the board, and the DON is in slightly better shape, but that hardly seems to justify a ~$30k premium, to me at least. if you asked me which i'd prefer, i wouldn't even have to think once. just my 2c...