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  1. StianG Jun 27, 2015

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    Hi all,
    After a 10 year hiatus I decided to buy a new watch, and started looking for a Speedmaster. I used to own a 105.002, a pre moon 145.022 and a mark IV and really regret selling them but divorce can have nasty effects on the economy. I found this cheap speedy pro where most of the parts seems to have been changed over the years. It is a reference 145.022 with a very low 25 million serial number. Obviously the bezel and case back has been changed, but the seller promised to look for the old parts which he has somewhere. The dial does also not look right to me. I guess it should have applied logo and pie pan shape? My local watchmaker has a dial that has tritium and the t next to swiss made, but it has a painted logo and gradual slope. Could it be "correct" for this watch?[​IMG][/URL][/IMG] [​IMG][/URL][/IMG] [​IMG]
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  2. Mothra Jun 27, 2015

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    welcome back! I'm not a speedy expert but I guess this one has to be incredibly cheap to male you consider it over the thousands of alternatives without the serious issues you describe, or is it just that you're seeing it in a golden shaft of light and have a serious case of 'Mine! Mine! Mine'?
     
  3. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Jun 27, 2015

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    Damn mate, you know what 105.002s go for these days? Sad to hear you had to part with them.
     
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  4. StianG Jun 27, 2015

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    Thanks for the welcome! This watch might not be a collectors item, but it is still a beautiful speedmaster. They don´t grow on trees here where I live, so I just jumped at the opportunity. I love it the way it is, but would really like to restore it back to the way it was and need help with what parts are right for this watch. If anyone has parts that are correct for this vintage, just send me a message.
    I see now that selling the 105.002 was a mistake, but it is all drops in the ocean. I also had to sell Rolex 1675, 1680, and 16600. Now things are looking better!
     
  5. Spacefruit Prolific Speedmaster Hoarder Jun 27, 2015

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    This watch is a project with issues you know about, and perhaps some you have yet to discover.

    This means the watch will need a fair amount of cash spending on it to get.....where?

    Where do you hope to end up?

    With a 145.022-69? I am not sure you will get there.

    If you just want a wearer, then this is fine. Remember the price of a wearer is far away from the price of a watch that would interest a collector.

    If the seller can find the old parts then it is possible that life will look favourably on you and you will find a faded brown dial, a DO90 bezel.

    The serial bothers me. 25m on an 861 is lower than I have seen. If it is a 321 then we are into another level of assembly.

    With a watch in this condition it is all about the money, and what you want to end up with. I still believe that with diligence and patience, we can find an original late 1970's 861 head only for under $2000 requiring service for $600.

    The op watch is a real bitsa - possibly a real parts bin special if it turns out to be a 321.

    It is all about the money and what choices you have.

    Sometimes, a watch like this can actually give the most pleasure as it can lead us on a journey of finding the dial the hands etc. it might not make financial sense, but who says it has to?

    It's all about the journey
     
    736007, Mothra, Bienne2998 and 3 others like this.
  6. StianG Jun 28, 2015

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    I bought this watch as a everyday watch, so it is not really that important that it is absolutely "correct", but of course it wouldn`t hurt;-)
    The serial is a bit of a mystery. In the note I got with the watch the watchmaker who checked it states that it is a 145.022 with caliber 861 and serial 25000XXX. I will have my local watchmaker check it tomorrow.
     
  7. dennisthemenace Hey, he asked for it! Jun 28, 2015

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    I think the simple answer is that someone misread the serial number and what you have is a much later production speedmaster, maybe less than 15 years old.
     
  8. StianG Jun 28, 2015

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    That is absolutely a possibility. I will find out tomorrow when I take it to the watchmaker. The seller also found the original bezel (but not the caseback) and will send it to me. If it is a DO90 bezel I will try to track down the rest of the correct parts, otherwise I am thinking of converting it to Panda dial.
     
  9. StianG Jun 29, 2015

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    Well, I had the watch checked out today. It is a cal 861, and the serial really is 25 million. Rarity or parts bin special? 861.jpg