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Dan S
·The dial surface looks quite good, the lume on dial and in the hands is a bit moldy obviously. It may continue to darken.
Need help on a 145.022. Any red flags on this Speedy?
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ibis888
·While the lume is not perfect, seems like an honest correct Speedmaster at an amazing price. Congrats again.
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Bing813
·Took it all apart for a bath and a minor crystal cleaning. First round turned out to be productive
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Bing813
·Unfortunately I need to be patient and wait for the 3 rusted spring bar ends to let go or drill them out later. Now for a sympathetic service.
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Bing813
·Lume is there just kinda molded in spots
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JwRosenthal
·For $2k I would have no complaints even with the moldy lume.
I actually had a Longines Weems that had a spring bar snap off just at the lug hole it was so rusted. It was literally spot welded in place with rust and funk and was flush with the surface so I didn’t have any purchase to try and get it out with a tool.
I soaked it with PB Blaster and let it sit for about an hour. Came back and with a magnifying glass and a safety pin just worked around the nub gently scraping out the grime and wiggling it around in the hole. Within a few minutes I saw it start to move and was able to get it out.
I will advise a good scrub after any PBB as it wreaks to high heaven and transfers to anything it touches, so be advised.
I actually had a Longines Weems that had a spring bar snap off just at the lug hole it was so rusted. It was literally spot welded in place with rust and funk and was flush with the surface so I didn’t have any purchase to try and get it out with a tool.
I soaked it with PB Blaster and let it sit for about an hour. Came back and with a magnifying glass and a safety pin just worked around the nub gently scraping out the grime and wiggling it around in the hole. Within a few minutes I saw it start to move and was able to get it out.
I will advise a good scrub after any PBB as it wreaks to high heaven and transfers to anything it touches, so be advised.
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JwRosenthal
·Oh, and fabulous job on the clean-up so far. If you haven’t tried wet- sanding the crystal to knock out the deeper scratches, it’s worth doing as long as you don’t get it hill-and-dale and it doesn’t get too thin. New crystals aren’t crazy expensive and makes a world of difference.
Plus pulling the crystal is the only way you are going to get this funky shit out.
Plus pulling the crystal is the only way you are going to get this funky shit out.
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Bing813
·Oh, and fabulous job on the clean-up so far. If you haven’t tried wet- sanding the crystal to knock out the deeper scratches, it’s worth doing as long as you don’t get it hill-and-dale and it doesn’t get too thin. New crystals aren’t crazy expensive and makes a world of difference.
Plus pulling the crystal is the only way you are going to get this funky shit out.
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JwRosenthal
·Assuming you are in FL, paging @gatorcpa
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hansaboy
·A lovely Speedy with a nice untouched case, a clean dial and the correct parts.
This must be the catch of the year!
Congrats!
This must be the catch of the year!
Congrats!
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Spacefruit
··Prolific Speedmaster HoarderSo $2900 is too much to pay in this condition?
We can safely say this Watch will never be a fine example and therefore if you come to sell it, you have to find somebody else aspiring a Speedmaster but willing to sacrifice quality for price.
Today there are far fewer people willing to buy a Speedmaster at this level, because we have lost the speculative buyer hoping to make a quick profit. Any Speedmaster changing hands has to be attractive for one reason or another. In my opinion, this Speedmaster is only attractive if the price is very low.
Only you, the man with dollars in his pocket, can decide whether or not the price is low enough. We can all have an opinion, but unless we are actually going to dip our hands in our pockets and pay, that opinion is without foundation. If you showed me this watch I personally would be unlikely to pay $2900 for it because it is an uninteresting reference, or an earlier reference with the wrong dial. To make that Watch attractive to me it would have to be cheaper.
But remember, I am an old dog, who has had many years of owning inexpensive Speedmaster’s and I also have one or two in the cupboard (that is wear frequently and enjoy), so I have my cheap speedy fix. If I was looking for one, and this one came to me, I would not feel bad about paying $2900. Let me put it another way: I am not looking for a Speedmaster in this range, but if I was this would definitely be under consideration and within budget.
I have observed a couple of things in the last few months in the Speedmaster market. First, watches of this condition and quality are trading much lower than a few years ago. By much lower, I mean $2500-3500. Secondly, I am seeing straight lugs and higher value Speedmasters changing hands more easily now, and while the overall prices are down, activity and number of sales is up.
Sorry, this turned into a longer post than I intended. But if you skipped to just this sentence, buy it for 2900 and you won’t lose too much money but you will have a lot of fun with the watch, and let’s face it that’s what it’s about. If you are buying for profit - well, surprise me.
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Laneside
·When looking at a Speedmaster in this condition, we have to be realistic about what it actually is. It is an ugly duckling that is never going to be a swan.
We can safely say this Watch will never be a fine example and therefore if you come to sell it, you have to find somebody else aspiring a Speedmaster but willing to sacrifice quality for price.
Today there are far fewer people willing to buy a Speedmaster at this level, because we have lost the speculative buyer hoping to make a quick profit. Any Speedmaster changing hands has to be attractive for one reason or another. In my opinion, this Speedmaster is only attractive if the price is very low.
Only you, the man with dollars in his pocket, can decide whether or not the price is low enough. We can all have an opinion, but unless we are actually going to dip our hands in our pockets and pay, that opinion is without foundation. If you showed me this watch I personally would be unlikely to pay $2900 for it because it is an uninteresting reference, or an earlier reference with the wrong dial. To make that Watch attractive to me it would have to be cheaper.
But remember, I am an old dog, who has had many years of owning inexpensive Speedmaster’s and I also have one or two in the cupboard (that is wear frequently and enjoy), so I have my cheap speedy fix. If I was looking for one, and this one came to me, I would not feel bad about paying $2900. Let me put it another way: I am not looking for a Speedmaster in this range, but if I was this would definitely be under consideration and within budget.
I have observed a couple of things in the last few months in the Speedmaster market. First, watches of this condition and quality are trading much lower than a few years ago. By much lower, I mean $2500-3500. Secondly, I am seeing straight lugs and higher value Speedmasters changing hands more easily now, and while the overall prices are down, activity and number of sales is up.
Sorry, this turned into a longer post than I intended. But if you skipped to just this sentence, buy it for 2900 and you won’t lose too much money but you will have a lot of fun with the watch, and let’s face it that’s what it’s about. If you are buying for profit - well, surprise me.
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ibis888
·When looking at a Speedmaster in this condition, we have to be realistic about what it actually is. It is an ugly duckling that is never going to be a swan.
We can safely say this Watch will never be a fine example and therefore if you come to sell it, you have to find somebody else aspiring a Speedmaster but willing to sacrifice quality for price.
Today there are far fewer people willing to buy a Speedmaster at this level, because we have lost the speculative buyer hoping to make a quick profit. Any Speedmaster changing hands has to be attractive for one reason or another. In my opinion, this Speedmaster is only attractive if the price is very low.
Only you, the man with dollars in his pocket, can decide whether or not the price is low enough. We can all have an opinion, but unless we are actually going to dip our hands in our pockets and pay, that opinion is without foundation. If you showed me this watch I personally would be unlikely to pay $2900 for it because it is an uninteresting reference, or an earlier reference with the wrong dial. To make that Watch attractive to me it would have to be cheaper.
But remember, I am an old dog, who has had many years of owning inexpensive Speedmaster’s and I also have one or two in the cupboard (that is wear frequently and enjoy), so I have my cheap speedy fix. If I was looking for one, and this one came to me, I would not feel bad about paying $2900. Let me put it another way: I am not looking for a Speedmaster in this range, but if I was this would definitely be under consideration and within budget.
I have observed a couple of things in the last few months in the Speedmaster market. First, watches of this condition and quality are trading much lower than a few years ago. By much lower, I mean $2500-3500. Secondly, I am seeing straight lugs and higher value Speedmasters changing hands more easily now, and while the overall prices are down, activity and number of sales is up.
Sorry, this turned into a longer post than I intended. But if you skipped to just this sentence, buy it for 2900 and you won’t lose too much money but you will have a lot of fun with the watch, and let’s face it that’s what it’s about. If you are buying for profit - well, surprise me.
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Spacefruit
··Prolific Speedmaster HoarderGreat assessment as always... but I would add - the OP only paid $2,000 for the watch. Seems more than fair for an honest, correct watch with somewhat unattractive lume?
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JwRosenthal
·I must have missed that. For me at that leave it’s very attractive
It’s amazing how cost can affect our opinions so dramatically.
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Bing813
·Update- All serviced and being enjoyed today!
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Bing813
·Love the clangy rattle from these older bracelets
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ibis888
·That case is sharp!
