A while back I did a survey of 105.012 owner's and of the 5 possible casebacks (63,64,65,66HF and 66CB), the 1964 appeared to be the least owned reference.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/a-s...al-105-012-what-year-s-is-the-caseback.22544/

For those in the hunt for a nice 105.012-64, there is (IMHO) one on Ebay worth looking into. The hands may be touched up a bit but they match the dial lume very nicely. I really like the dial. I've previously acquired a 105-012-64 so I'm not going for it. Regrettably, this one is nicer than the one I own

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Omega-Speed...-Papers-/281805446804?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:ITPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network


Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

That is a pretty watch, but the gouges on the bezel just turn me off... Looks like something chewed on it between 8:30 - 9:30 !

 

I don't know, Gemini4, those hands look more than a bit touched up. Lume plots look good. Not everyone would like the bezel but I do. I did see this on the Bay of Evil and I quite liked it. It's just the handset that kills it for me. Good for someone.

 

That's a nice one. Hands could be fixed up a bit, but nice full set!

 

And the seller says these HF cases are "much more rare than CB cases".
Is that correct?

 

Yes, the full set is a plus.

 

Patina looks a bit to even to me? Considering the condition of the rest of the watch?

 

My understanding is that early 105.012 cases were all marked with the Huguenin Frères hallmark of HF and the later 105.012 cases were hall marked CB for Centrale Boîtes. So I am not sure how or why the HF would be rarer than the CB. Hopefully someone with more knowledge could weigh in and clarify the "rarity" issue.

 

The 105.012-66 was the year where there were 2 cases, the HF and CB. They both seem to be available in the resale market. The 105.012-64 was only available in HF.

 

That's my point. The CB speedmaster cases were only produced for the 105.12-66 so the seller is trying to deceive buyers by suggesting otherwise.

 

Yeah, CB cases are much rarer than HF (which are literally every year other than 1966). That wouldn't be a reason to jump on this.

On another note - what in the hell happened to the bezel? I've never seen bezel damage like that. We made jokes about "meteorite bezels" in the past, but this literally looks like it was hit by a meteor shower!

 

The lume looks touched up imo

 

...and the ebay seller's name on this one is medium-well.

 

Phew. Went for over 7K! I just bought a '65 for a good deal less with a good looking DON bezel and 1506 bracelet, albeit lacking a box/papers. Congrats to whomever got it but that's a bit steep to me.

 

I think the 64 is a rare bird, much more rare than a 65. If the person who purchased it knew what he was buying then he probably was willing to pay quite a bit more than that for it. For someone looking for a "run of the mill" 321 Speedy then there are many that can be had for less. For someone looking for a 64 specifically, I have never seen one in good condition sell for less and some for far more. You just dont see many 64's around anywhere. In fact, I have seen less than 4 for sale in the last 5 years and I look all the time.. One last point.. In 3 or 4 years when someone does a search for this model and sees this thread and the 7k price, they are going to say "wow, look how cheap they used to be". Watch and see.. I think the buyer made a good buy personally.

 

Indeed he did

 

Www.speedmaster101.com/blog

 

Haha nice one. Good to learn guys, thanks for the info!

 

Well, I saw the newly acquired 105.012-64 and though it comes with a couple of imperfections, to me that was the catch of September. I dare anyone to find another by this time next September? the bezel looks great to my eyes, and not only would a blind man be glad to see it I think it looks aesthetically unaffected. I like that in a watch, the ideal for my tastes. A rare and handsome 50 year old bird! If my monetary ducks had been in alignment I would hope I would have been somewhere near the finish line on this one. This is the perfect example of keeping the eye on the prize, in this case the rarity of the prize.