My first Speedmaster: 145.022-68ST Transitional

MikeKiwi · Thurs. 2:24pm

Well, here it is! My new 55 year old Transitional!

I purchased this through C24 from a dealer in Canada. Including shipping to Switzerland the total was US$4800.

Arrived today, discovered the bracelet is a bit iffy with one of the links being damaged (not original to the watch: 1479/812 - and the same issue as @GuiltyGear and @Archer, though not quite so extreme, so I might have a go at fixing it following their posts). I’m not a fan of bracelets in general so will switch to nato or leather in the meantime anyway.

One of the pushers was loose, so I figured I could just whip the back off, get the movement out, tighten it up, and pop it all back together…

And I’m pleased to report that is exactly what happened, and everything went very smoothly.

It’s in average condition so will be finding somewhere sympathetic to vintage Omegas for a service. Might consider replacing the crystal/plexi and will also likely get a Spiralwinder back as the back on this one isn’t the best. Will try to source a replacement and also an original crown as I believe the one on mine is a newer version from a previous service.

Was pretty dirty, so I gave it a clean, and took a few pics. The movement photo is this watch, but from the C24 listing.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with my first Speedy, and am confident there will be more to come! Definitely have the bug now.

Thanks OF and the whole community here! ❤️

140dave · Thurs. 2:58pm

Congrats on your first Speedy, looks like a great wearable condition -68
A little Polywatch for the crystal, or home version of your choosing, and it will look pretty nice I think.

Don't give up on that caseback so quickly. The inscription is light and would be easy for a pro to remove without losing the hippocampus IMO, assuming that's what bothers you about the case back.

MikeKiwi · Thurs. 3:20pm

140dave
Congrats on your first Speedy, looks like a great wearable condition -68
A little Polywatch for the crystal, or home version of your choosing, and it will look pretty nice I think.

Don't give up on that caseback so quickly. The inscription is light and would be easy for a pro to remove without losing the hippocampus IMO, assuming that's what bothers you about the case back.

Thanks, and yes, it’s the inscription I’m not a fan of, but will take it in and see how it goes. Needs a service anyway.
Will try polywatch or similar. There is a pretty decent black mark on there, so worth a try, and I’m not too worried if I end up having to replace.

GuiltyGear · Thurs. 3:41pm

Congrats on the speedy. All of the imperfections are its history and make it a perfect every day watch. The 1479 bracelet hasn't been built with repairability in mind and that sucks because it's such a comfortable bracelet imho. In yours it looks like one of the internal pins is broken.

I went for the route of removing the topmost link and swapping the middle piece on the next link, which is honestly a 5 minute job if you know what you're doing. I had no other option since I destroyed that link trying to pry it open. Been wearing the watch for a year now and it's hard to tell were the bracelet was repaired, but it's still a last-resort solution. If I could try again, I would probably bend the topmost link, friction fit a pin of the correct diameter and length (which can be fashioned without fancy tools), and bend it back in place. Not the easiest, but it should work. Archer's approach is too surgical for my inexperienced hands.

MikeKiwi · Thurs. 4:06pm

GuiltyGear
Congrats on the speedy. All of the imperfections are its history and make it a perfect every day watch. The 1479 bracelet hasn't been built with repairability in mind and that sucks because it's such a comfortable bracelet imho. In yours it looks like one of the internal pins is broken.

I went for the route of removing the topmost link and swapping the middle piece on the next link, which is honestly a 5 minute job if you know what you're doing. I had no other option since I destroyed that link trying to pry it open. Been wearing the watch for a year now and it's hard to tell were the bracelet was repaired, but it's still a last-resort solution. If I could try again, I would probably bend the topmost link, friction fit a pin of the correct diameter and length (which can be fashioned without fancy tools), and bend it back in place. Not the easiest, but it should work. Archer's approach is too surgical for my inexperienced hands.

Thanks for the words of advice. I’ll definitely give it a go

rightrower · Fri. 1:22am

Congrats! It is a lovely watch. I am still learning the reference in speedmaster series.

hansaboy · Fri. 1:29am

Congrats, and welcome to the never ending "what is my next watch" Forum!
😁

Are you thinking of having the movement serviced?

MikeKiwi · Fri. 3:11am

hansaboy
Congrats, and welcome to the never ending "what is my next watch" Forum!
😁

Are you thinking of having the movement serviced?

Thanks Hans! Yes, it’s a dangerous game 😂

Yeah, will see about a service, just for peace of mind to make sure she runs right and can serve me well

MikeKiwi · Sun. 7:14am

140dave
Congrats on your first Speedy, looks like a great wearable condition -68
A little Polywatch for the crystal, or home version of your choosing, and it will look pretty nice I think.

Don't give up on that caseback so quickly. The inscription is light and would be easy for a pro to remove without losing the hippocampus IMO, assuming that's what bothers you about the case back.

Polywatch for the win. Unbelievable improvement! I did a quick wet sand with some 1500 grit sandpaper, then a couple of goes with the Polywatch, being careful not to get too close to the bezel

MikeKiwi · Sun. 7:23am

Side by side for easy comparison of before and after Polywatch

My first Speedmaster: 145.022-68ST Transitional

MikeKiwi

140dave

MikeKiwi

GuiltyGear

MikeKiwi

rightrower

hansaboy

MikeKiwi

MikeKiwi

MikeKiwi

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