Hi there, I just found this forum while searching online, reading some of the posts, it seems to be a great community here, so I am learning things like "lugs, bracelet, DON, etc.", and this is my first time posting here.

As for me, I was just given "dad's old watch" via my wife (who got it from her mother) after her father passed away earlier this year. I wanted to do a bit of digging into it before I decide what to do with it. There is a large amount of sentimental value attached to it. Once I do some information gathering my next idea would be to figure out the steps to bring it up to snuff.

Any thoughts, ideas, pointers, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

btw, I don't have a camera, just a smartphone, and I was taking pictures of it with one hand while wearing it on the other hand, so I perhaps could take some better pictures if necessary.

Thanks!

 

Yeah... That needs some heavy work to look good again.

 

“Heavy work”? Don’t be silly. That’s what a well loved (and well worn) Speedmaster ought to look like.

Just needs some TLC from a vintage specialist. A proper cleaning & movement service for starters.

Will be a great family heirloom.

 

First, dibs.

Second, wow, that looks like a wonderful example of a 105.003 (I'd assume -65 based on the T's and lugs) that is possibly going tropical? Only thing that might be replaced is the crown, which isn't the biggest of deals as you can find an original with some patience.

My general advice is: do not sent it to Omega, they will replace parts and possibly damage things. It probably needs to be serviced but there's no rush and you should take your time in assessing your options both for 1) finding a good independent Omega watchmaker to service it and 2) deciding what to do with it long term. Some will want you to sell it (to them), others will demand you keep it since it's an heirloom/family piece. I would recognize that there is good value in it, consider the reasonable options for you/your family based on your current life situation (i.e. "can I reasonably afford and do I want to keep an asset like this versus having the money or having a different asset?"), and enjoy wearing it for a bit.

 

So...

Pre professional
Straight lug ( same as above)
DON
Step Dial
Applied Logo
narrow T swiss madeT
My guess is that it is a 105.003 based on the date on the bracelet of 65 and what all the aspects of the watch.
http://speedmaster101.com/105-003/

Looks all correct to me. Needs a service badly by someone that can retain the originality of the watch and not damage the hands in a service. IE NOT OMEGA. We can give recommendations based on your location.

I would not be running the watch at all right now. Your looking at something that I think could easily bring $17,000 or more at auction. IMHO more often then not maybe over $20k.

Perfect dial and hand match
Very good bezel
scratched but sharp lugs on the case
All parts look good together.

 

Very appealing watch and a wonderful gift. I'd be delighted to wear that watch just as it is ... after a mechanical service of course.

 

Thanks for the great replies, this watch was worn by my father in law for decades as his day-to-day watch, it traveled around the world many times for work in dozens of countries. I would want to do some 'very light' cleaning up on it and the requisite mechanical work. I would NOT want to do the equivalent of taking an antique piece of furniture...sand it down to bare wood...and then poly it!

It definitely is not "jet black" which I saw with other watches when I first looked online, hard to tell with pictures on the computer.

I plan to wear it for quite a while, my eventual goal would be to get it to my son (typical 21 year old) who has no idea that people really have watches (not connected to their phones)

I had also wanted to get an idea of costs for cleanup/maintenance.

I would appreciate any good pointers to somebody in Los Angeles/California (Manhattan Beach area).

Thanks!

 

As you may have learned from your reading, when a watch is serviced, it is completely disassembled, and the movement, case, and bracelet are thoroughly cleaned. Aside from that, there is not much benefit in trying to clean or restore a watch like yours, which has aged very nicely. In my opinion, you would certainly not want to do anything to the hands or dial (attempting to clean them is too risky), and there would be no need to tamper with the case. The crystal is an authentic Omega part (the small Omega symbol is visible in the center), and the scratches can probably be polished away. Alternatively, if it can't be restored, there's little harm in replacing it with a correct authentic Omega crystal. A watchmaker may recommend replacing the crown and pushers to make the watch more water resistant. There is no harm in replacing the crown, since the current one is not original. However, if you do decide to replace the pushers, make sure that you hold onto the existing ones in case someone wants to re-install them in the future. Collectors value originality.

I'm sure that you will get recommendations for local shops who are accustomed to repairing and preserving vintage watches like yours.

 

Fantastic watch, huge congrats and wear in good health

 

You picked the right father-in-law. It's a great watch just as it is. Yes, it should be serviced, and the crystal can be polished easily. But you have an excellent family piece there. Dan S above has the goods on what not to change, etc. Don't let anyone change or alter the dial.

 

DO YOUR HOMEWORK and find a good watchmaker.

You cannot undo a crummy job. There are plenty of qualified watchmakers that folks on the forum could likely recommend.

Great find by the way!

 

Looks like a great example 105.003 as said before, hard to come by like this. One thing to add is that the bracelet is quite rare as it was only issued during a short period. This bracelet version only have (from what I know) the date stamp “4/66” as seen on yours.

Glad to hear you like to keep it (less good for us looking for these ).

 

What Foo2rama and Dan S said.

Do not wind and use the watch until the movement has been cleaned, oiled and adjusted, or gears and parts will wear out faster - and parts are harder to find these days.

Do NOT "clean up" the outside of the watch i.e. don't polish the watch case and disturb the clean lines (or remove the history of the man who wore it for so long). It will be cleaned of dirt and grime when it gets serviced, and only the plastic crystal should be polished to restore clarity, or it might need to be replaced.

Do not let anyone replace original parts like the bezel (quite valuable by itself) or the hands and dial or bracelet (also quite valuable by itself). The value is in the vintage parts, and the sentimental value is in keeping the watch original as worn by "Dad".

Sending it to Omega will result in the history being stripped from the watch, as they replace vintage cosmetic parts to bring it up to modern standards of appearance.

This is probably a $15,000 - $20,000 watch (or more) after having the movement serviced and ready to use for the next 4-5 years. I looked for a 1962 Speedmaster "birth year watch" and they were $25-35K to buy one (I gave up).

 

Very nice watch!
Find a good watchmaker to properly service it and wear it in good health

 

A great example of a much sought-after watch. Take heed of every piece of advice on this forum, and then wear it in good health

 

Very good looking authentic piece! I love the sunny shots of these =)

 

I'd love to see a before and after once the crystal has been polished.

 

Hi everybody, thanks for the look-sees, reviews, feedback. I talked with my wife about it, and she was shocked the watch had any value, to her it was just "Dad's old watch", she just wanted to keep it since it was sentimental, she always though of him with that watch. Even my mother-in-law didn't want him buried with that old watch, so she chose one of his nice new watches...one of the numerous Stauer that my mother in law had bought him over the last few years.

Going back to the topic of finding a good watch maker/watch repairer...

IS there any recommendations for the Los Angeles area, or if not, then what would be the steps of finding somebody remote.

Thanks in advance.

 

LA Watchwerks will do it right. They aren’t cheap, but your watch is worth the investment. I have used them several times and highly recommend, Top notch work and will do exactly what you ask with respect to preserving originality (and value). Wherever you go, please return to show us the result.

 

I was a little worried that they would ask you to give it back to mom-in-law...