My assessment of a 145.012-67 - feedback please

Hi OF,

I’m new getting into speedmaster collecting and recently picked up a 145.012-67, knowing it’s not in the greatest shape but at price where I felt like it could be an interesting project watch or sell for parts in the future. Either way, just taking a gamble and seeing how it plays out. I wanted to share my honest assessment of this watch and would love to hear your personal feedback on my assessment and your thoughts on it as well! Curious to hear how others view this.

Dial
- some corrosion on the edges of the 6 o clock subdial
- small mark next to 40 marker on the left subdial
- Most lume is missing from indices, what’s left is not in great shape
My take: dial is in good shape as it’s fairly clean and attractive; the lack of lume def takes away from the quality but still looks good

Hands
- Chrono seconds hand is an obvious replacement as serial is well out of range of a bona fide ultraman
- Hour and minute hands look good and original as patina is consistent
- subdial hands seem original and in good shape
My take: the orange hand immediately brings everything into question, so although I like the ultraman look, wish it had the original chrono hand

Crown & Pushers
- Crown looks original (?) and good shape
- Pushers are not great, unclear to me if original but def needs a replacement as it’s popping out quite a bit
My take: pushers are a big detractor from this, but can easily be replaced

Case
- The case is dinged up and scratched everywhere, definitely worse for the wear
- I don’t have enough of an eye or intuition for polishing so would welcome feedback there
My take: probably the biggest detractor of quality in this watch

Movement
- 321 movement with acceptable serial
- shows corrosion as expected but not bad and in good working order
My take: good and solid

Bezel
- In pretty good condition, not too many blemishes or corrosion
My take: solid condition bezel is probably one of the best features of this watch

Functions
- Seems to be keeping good time
- The winding is bad, there’s a lot of resistance and it’s hard to wind (I own a fantastic 145022-69 and that winding is butter)
- The chrono start function requires a heavy push to work correctly - I suspect this is because the pushers need replacing
My take: It works and will keep time well enough for daily wear; probably could use an overhaul/service

Overall: certainly not the best example in terms of quality, especially in the details of what collectors seem to value; but at the end of the day the combination of the dial + bezel + hands make this an attractive wearer and still a good opportunity to have a bona fide 321 pre moon speedy in the collection

I think the photo shows it pretty well - it’s a noticeable scratch!

Thanks! Yeah I agree - thinking about reaching out to LA Watch Works, they could probably work some magic on this one!

I know this watch isn‘t what people here would call „collectors-grade“ but I find it absolutely gorgeous. The slightly faded bezel is really nice and I can also appreciate some wear on the case - shows the watch was used as it was intended.
Congrats on your find!

Anybody got any other recommendations for a shop that could do a good job with a vintage relume on this particular dial?

Solid assessment 👍. I like the look of this Speedmaster, dings, scratches, lost lume and all. I’d personally have it serviced, swap out the Chrono seconds hand (and pushers/crown if required) but otherwise leave it as it is as it’s got great character, and some stories to tell.

Or you could leave the orange hand in place as a talking point...

I am new to vintage, but it looks like an honest piece, with some damages of correct use but obviously for many many years!! I would do a fast service and maybe change pushers and seconds hand