Hello OF
I'm a new.. what is it called? Omegist?
My father gave me this speedy. (There was some nagging from me involved.)
He bought it in 1961 due to his upcoming fighter pilot school. He wore it every day for more than two decades. (In eighties he changed to a digital Casio.) Anyway the watch was on his arm in Congo 1963 (UN-service) and got affected by the climate, the dial started to turn brown by the sun and it got some corrosion stains by the moist. The strap was changed to a bracelet in -65, a 1506.
It is a 2998-1 and I believe, based on the Low serial number that it is an early version. It has the oval "O" and the so called naiad crown. But there is one thing that bothers me, the minute hand is slightly too short. Yes I have been visiting Speedmaster101.com. My father has never had it serviced. Some say every fifth year, not fiftyfifth.. thus it was delivered with a short minute hand, or? Or long dial? I mean short markers.
I tried to get an extract of the archive, but they said some of the serial number information was missing or destroyd, my data was one of them.
Another issue is the monatary value, for me it has a provenance value but I do not want it to be too desirable for everyone so that I neither dare to wear it nor leave it unattended at home.
My father wanted to send it to Omega for restauration but i saved it. Sometimes i do the right thing I guess.
I don't really have any questions, exept for the short minute hand mysteria. Just wanted to share the story and some pictures. Maybe get a comment.

 

sick

 

bomb, dont send it to Omega, send it to me!
great watch, enjoy wearing watch! it looks great and has a great story!

 

Best regards to you sir.I have respect to your watch, but it was in the service of some point during the life.

 

Very nice. Congrats. Discussion regarding the hands will be interesting. I just opened the new MWO to the hands section for the first time and noticed that there are some changes there: hand length measurements and some differences in reference numbers "examined."

By the way, despite the extracts not being available, some data seems to exist, such as the country to which it was delivered. I assume they did not provide that to you. I am trying to figure out how best to get that info myself.

Cheers

 

Gorgeous watch, cherish the family history.

 

Remarkable.
Not 100% untouched but pretty close I think.
The dial - flat O and short markers on subdial. Base1000 bezel.
These two parts alone are stratospherically expensive on their own - even with the spotting and damage to the bezel.
The hands have an unfamiliar feel to them. I can't say why without comparing with things I can't get at right now. But even so, it would not stop me as in a watch of this magnitude it's irrelevant. The last pair of original triangle 2998 hands sold for $2500 which will be insignificant compared to the value of this watch presented in original specification.

But really we have to look at the entirety, and the provenance.

The watch is single family, and apparently degraded while in their care, not a succession of different owners and hence multiple workshop visits.

This adds considerable value. An example of this intrinsic added value was the Daytona sold in Sotheby's last week for nearly three times the "accepted" value attributed to it by the various people in the room (who were not going to buy it anyway).

The dial spotting is a huge road block, for me, and will prevent the rabid collectors from going Tonto if it were to be auctioned. But I am lucky enough to have one of these references. For someone who seeks one, they do not have the luxury of choice, they have to buy to own, or not at all.

Still this one is not on the market. So value discussion is academic. But academically this watch would possibly fly high in auction, if the history can be verified and presented with the watch at sale.

 

Wow that bezel..

 

that dial is to die for . leave as is just get the movement serviced and enjoy the watch .

 

Such a beautiful heirloom. Is it just me or thr tropical and even spotting dial looks attractive to me. Will look very cool in person congratz OP

 

You are very fortunate to own this watch - it is very special even with it's relatively minor flaws.
There are collectors who would pay an enormous price to own it.
Look after it in good health.

 

I respectfully disagree: there is a whole world outside these rooms which does not perceive any particular value in these parts.
An example is on my bench: a 2998-2 with wrong bezel, wrong hands but correct case, movement (not working) and dial traded for a sum which is in the middle three digits against a Citizen Skyhawk.
I am sure of your bona fide, but my watchmaking dates back to the Seventies and I still perceive this watch as an old, battered, honest, mass produced tool which, hopefully, might simply be brought back to some other years of decent service.

 

And it is people like you that I love because I can get great deals based on your valuations.

To your point though, the values are quite crazy.

 

Beautiful watch and story, congrats!

 

Fantastic story ... Fantastic watch.... Regarding wearing ... Obviously you did your research before posting and now know more. Wear it proudly just not near water, moisture, dirt or in sketchy places. I'd not leave this laying around at home.

 

priceless!

 

Wow! Fantastic watch with a great history and very special for you. Keep it, get a recommendation on a watchmaker near to you, only have the movement serviced. Enjoy!
Thanks for showing us.

 

This is the kind of post that makes me very happy. Beautiful watch! Take care of it

 

Thanks for all comments.
Spacefruit mentioned something about "short markers on subdial" I must have missed that, where are they short? I suppose it is a good thing.
I asked my father again about any service, he denies it, but the watch was left for a few days at a local watchmaker who said he wasn't able to perform service. It sounds unlikely that he would have stolen the hands, but stranger things has happened.
Maybe the shop owner changed hands when it was new..
The 1506 bracelet slacks, all leaf springs are broken. Is it possible to find replacement? Is there some diy trick? For example, slaugter a seiko xxx bracelet for springs.

 

I sometimes wonder if these hands are not correct, I've seen so many 2998's with them fitted and this watch is otherwise so original, but I really don't know.
You can fix the bracelet springs using sections of pocket watch mainspring. If you're not handy get a watchmaker to do it.