Dear experts

I've been looking to purchase an old speedmaster (pre-3570) to add to my collection. I love the patina that the tritium brings on the watch so I've been debating either a ST145022 or 3590.50. I'm leaning towards a ST145022 from around 1978 to match my birth year for the cool factor.

Still doing lots of readings and research on the net and forums, found this but not sure if it's a good buy given the rarity on the market for one from 1978, second link is from the original site in Japan.

https://timepeaks.com/item/rmck424/
https://www.rasin.co.jp/SHOP/U-ST1452278.html

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.
Brian

 

Also just because it's marked -78 it could be made up until '82 if I recall correctly. The only way to really know is an extract. I'm reasonably certain my -76 was made in mid '77 (birth year), but I've never gotten an extract to be certain of this.

At a glance that watch looks fine, but the pictures are weirdly contrasty. The price is right in line with what the are selling for. But no pictures of the movement, which is kind of troubling. Assume it needs a service - between $500 and $1000 extra.

 

Think if your birth year is 1978, a 145.022-78 is a pretty good compromise on birth year watches, without getting into extracts and year of assembly.

The price looks decent (meaning not severely overprised) but I am not sure why watch photos from Japanese websites always look too "CGI". Only the last 2 photos showing the close-up of the dial and crown look realistic.

 

Agreed, it would be nearly impossible to find one that was put in service in 78. The shop does say they did in-house service in June so whatever that means ...

Thanks!

 

This is exactly my reason for just going with on the ends with -78, I'm still debating as I haven't found another one from 76 to 78. Since it's my first time purchasing a used old watch, I'm still trying to convince myself or wait for another one to appear

 

I'm not a fan of the whole "birth-year" thing, but I don't see why it would be impossible to find one if it really matters to you. If you have the serial number, the predictions from ilovemyspeedmaster are usually within a couple of months.

 

If you do like the tritium look, then the example you show there although looking still ok, hands are not nice anymore and sure does tritium on them have blacken out.
I would rather look for a super clean early 80’s example, with flawless hands yellowish tritium and super nice dial, would also have in mind a great case shape condition.
An early 80’s example in great shape, is indeed s good choice as a start.

 

Thanks for the info for ilovemyspeedmaster, I didn't know about the site! I'm open to any good condition pre-3950.50 as I like the bracelet better than the ones Omega has introduced since 3950.50. Ideally I'd prefer one with boxes and paper but they come with a premium.

 

I did notice the blacken out hands, just not sure what to expect or what could have caused it. The more I look at it, the more I'm turned off by the blacked out hands

I do agree any early 80s will probably be my choice. Thanks!

 

@Aggie90m I’m not sure why people keep saying it’s impossible to find a 78 delivered in 78...

Early serial number cross checked with ilovemyspeedmaster.com and I’d have no worries. They are within about 1.5 months prediction average right now.

 

Pro tip: it's usually worth spending a bit more to get what you really want.

 

What’s blacked out lume?? 145.022-76 original dial and matching hands assumed to be original.

 

If I were you I would keep looking for a -78 that checks all the right boxes. It’s a lot easier and cheaper to find 3590.50 so if you decided you wanted to add another speedie after your birth year watch then look for one from the 90s.

My birth year fullset -78 said hello.

 

Beautiful!

 

Yeah, YOURS check all the right boxes, that's exactly what I want

 

hey y'all, just want to revive this old thread, I'm about to pull trigger on this one (145022-78, serial: 44xx) and it was serviced by Omega (mechanical only plus replacing gasket (O ring)) last year so it has warranty until next year.

Everything (dial/hands/case back/bracelet/crystal) appears to be original (and claimed by seller) based on my research, is there anything else that stands out to all the experts here?

Thanks in advance!

 

Any movement shots? Are the hour and minute hands replacements? And is the lume yellow of more greenish on the dial plots? Tough to tell with the oversaturated pictures. The service is quite valuable, as any watch from 30 years ago+ should be serviced if not explicitly done so recently (with proof) and there's always some risk when taking an old watch in for service.

 

Yes seller has provided pictures of the receipt plus credit card payment receipt for the service, the receipts and Omega envelope will be part of the purchase so it's as real as it can be

The seller said the hour and minute hands are original, honestly I can't tell and they do look old with the blackish/faded lume.

Here are more shots:

 

I'm not an expert, I'm sure some will chime in but to me the watch looks really nice and I personally find the service to be VERY valuable. It's expensive, there can be miscommunication, the hands can get damaged, watches lost in the mail etc. etc.

The plot lume looks nice in the photos but kind of tough to tell the way they were taken (I prefer the yellow/pumpkin tritium over the more greenish color that sometimes shows up in the later -69s and -71s). The case edges look really sharp which is always nice.

Seems like a great watch if the price is right - hopefully some members more knowledgeable than me chime in for you as well.

 

Hands might have been repainted. It's hard to tell from the photos, but the paint looks thick and blobby, and there appears to be some paint in the center hole of the sweep. Can't judge the case from those photos.