Hello Wise Ones - I went to the vendor store and looked at this 105.012-66 CB - offered on the bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Omega-Pre-M...750858?hash=item43f73c928a:g:JboAAOSwmLlX9ncLPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network Using MWO and Speedmaster101 as reference, with my untrained eyes it looks like (1) the watch was polished and the facets were a bit hard to identify, (2) the bezel shows some wear and a bit of damage around close to the 130 mark but is correct, (3) the crown and pushers seem to be replacement items, and (4) the bracelet is a replacement. On the good side, everything else seemed correct, the dial looked nice, all functions worked, and the asking price is not too far from Speedmaster101 price chart for "Running" condition. I am considering purchasing this and using it as a daily wearer, after getting it a service, a new leather strap, replacement crystal, and period correct crown and pushers. Any advice on the watch conditons and values if possible would be very much appreciated!
The one thing I noticed about this watch is that the chronograph does not seem to be resetting properly, particular the hour register. It might not be a major issue if you were planning on having it serviced anyway.
It does look like the watch is suffering from Chrono Creep, but that is easily fixed during service. Overall, it's not too bad. with a -66 CB though, it's all about those facets. You might be better to wait for one in better shape if you're stuck on a -66 CB, or find a good condition HF case if you don't care. Having a -66 CB without facets is sort of a waste, IMHO. If it's just for wearing, well, maybe it's ok, but you might find it irritating after a while. otherwise, your research has served you well. The bracelet might be worth something too if it's a Holzer (which it appears to be from the limited pics).
I agree with Oddboy, the case is what separates these CBs from the other asymetrical 321's. I'd want better facets ideally. However, the rest looks correct and reasonable and the price isn't ridiculous. A pic because it infuriates me when I'm reading back through old posts and can't see what everyone's talking about when the link has expired.
Yes I think that the watch suffers a bit from Chrono Creep, and the bracelet may be a Holzer ( I remembered seeing Hecho En Mexico and some other words that I can't remember in the back). The price is somewhat comparable to an HF case in similar conditions so I might be able to overlook the fading facets, but again it may come back and irritate me as member oddboy advised. I'd like to have a 105.012, am not stuck on a -66 CB, and will think hard about the facets. Perhaps I can learn to live with them given a certain price. Thank you for all your help.
Seeing as how you're a self-professed newb, please heed this advice now and reap the benefits of it later: condition, condition, condition. Do not "learn to live with" anything that's poor condition-wise unless the price is reflective of it (and even then, it's not advised unless it's crazy cheap).
Especially for a CB, not having well-defined facets would be a dealbreaker for me. It's not a bad looking watch and would be fine as something that you buy because you want an old speedy to wear around, but not having those facets would eat at me after a while. The chrono hand may have been touched up at some point as well. Looks like there might be some white paint or something intruding on the lume area, but hard to tell for sure. Personally I would pass and wait for a better example.