Hi, sorry, I meant to say crown

 

I saw one at the San Antonio boutique last year. Brand new but was not interested as the pre-owned ones were less expensive. They were asking full retail.

 

Just wait the 1-2 weeks and get the proper watch with the LE inscription on the back. I wouldn't waste my time with some letter from Omega when you can get a BNIB that is 100% correct.

 

Or get them to procure a caseback from Bienne, if you want THAT number. They can do that (and should).

 

How do they end up with more watches than casebacks?

 

This is a really weird thread; OBs selling Limited Editions without LE numbers, dodgy dealings with letters of authenticity instead of just doing things right, crowns being called screws and the apparent burning desire to own one of the least attractive Speedmasters ever produced.

@omegabruh, you are the first person that I can recall ever expressing a desire to own the Apollo 17 40th Anniversary LE. Could you explain what the attraction is, I‘m genuinely interested to understand your motivation.

 

Hey longbow,

I really do like how it looks to be honest and it was also one of the few watches that my wife also liked. Can you imagine the patina 20 years down the line? Lol. Seriously tho, I do like the fact that it looks soooo different than other Speedmasters. I also like the fact that it can become a conversation starter and still not look like a conventional watch. I hope this helps.

 

I would never question why someone likes, or dislikes, a particular watch. All watches, all wines, all houses, all cars eventually will find a home. Just because person A doesn't like it doesn't mean it doesn't appeal to someone else.

 

All the omega prototypes have that on the lugs. They are not sold and sometimes loaned out to people or sent to boutiques to show to customers.

 

And very often they don't have functional, working movements in them, they are strictly for dealers, distributors and the press to get a feel for what they look like.

 

Every single “not for sale” omega I’ve seen has been a working model.

 

If I were to go with the "letter of authenticity" option, I would want that letter to say specifically the LE number, and to say specifically that the LE watch came from the factory in error with the non-numbered case back. I would want this letter signed off by Omega, not just the OB, which may or may not be owned by Omega. And I may even want two copies of the letter (to store in different locations), just to improve the liklihood that the letter lasts as long as the watch.

I would not be at all satisfied with only an acknowledgment by an OB that it's a legitimate LE Speedmaster, because that wouldn't explain the existence of the wrong case back.

My opinion is that if the letter contains the right info, that the watch would be highly unique and would have an interesting story. Maybe a one-of-a-kind letter from Omega.

My guess, though, is that the OB (or a customer visiting the OB) damaged the case back and the OB replaced it with a service case back, so you won't be able to get that cool letter from Omega. If that's the case, then just wait for one with a numbered case back, or have Omega send a numbered case back with correct number for the watch in question.

 

In this case the service caseback would have the number.

 

This is a no-brainer, get the watch with the correct caseback and LE lettering. Forget about the letter, you buy the watch and it'd better look legit.

 

Thanks, that really is a great answer.

On that basis I recommend that you hold out for the correct case back WITH LE numbers, maybe even your preferred LE number. I‘m sure plenty remain unsold around the world and Omega are pretty good at tracking them down if you ask nicely.

Since you are buying from an official Omega Boutique you will likely not manage more than 5% discount, but they really ought to offer you more or a whole bunch of deal sweeteners for a model that is so “different“. Hold out for some extra straps or something like that.

Oh, and please post a review here on OF after you finally pull the trigger, with plenty of photos. Check out some of my watch reviews if you need a little inspiration.

Good Luck!

I believe you have misunderstood my original intention. I was not questioning his right to have different tastes or interests, that is what makes the world interesting.

I most definitely was asking why. How else should we discover the things we may have overlooked? If we remove why from the decision to buy (or not) then the passion is gone. A watch review without the why would just be a dull datasheet listing specifications; we can all download those directly from the Omega website. No, I‘m interested to feel the passion of why someone burns strongly for or against something, it’s more interesting that way.

As an early adopter of both the Globemaster and the LE Railmaster (both models somewhat controversial) I am no stranger to the contrarian view and more than willing to walk the path, first and alone if necessary, but I am willing to share my passion, to maybe inspire others to follow or confirm in a more personal way why not to follow.

 

It is amazing / so frustrating in these days of the internet and smart phones that it is so hard to get pictures. Maybe that is why despite all the technology we still don't have video of any ghosts or Aliens or Bigfoot - people keep forgetting their cameras / too busy posting on Facebook (or is that a contradiction :0) Looking at how this could play out / some questions on servicing from me :-

Scenario A.
>If it is a factory error Omega would normally provide a new/ correct case back? An official / legitimate Omega outlet would fix this?
> If you buy the watch with full warranty in the future Omega would still be obliged to change the case back as it is 'faulty' IMHO.
>Is such an error likely to make the watch more valuable or sought after (as this is not currently a popular watch my gut feeling is no and it will just confuse future buyers IMHO). I would expect a very hefty discount.
Scenario B.
>If it was damaged why was the Case back open / if someone butchered it what else happened to the watch in their tender care(dust in the movement etc)

Either way how long have they had the stock / has it been on show or under lights, loaned out etc - At some point even if it is not used the watch should be serviced. How long can a watch sit on the shelf NOS before the movement needs a clean and fresh lubrication. I know some people go a very long time between services but a new watch should be a new watch IMHO and even modern oils will degrade?

 

That one is a good question, I read that since they go synthetic, they do not degrade that much anymore and it'll took more than 10 years before it starts to loose its properties. Still, it will degrade.

I wonder if OBs track that kind of thing for the watches on display, and send them for service if they are here since - let's say - more than 5 years for example.
I also read on a french site that for mechanical / auto watch, Omega advices to service them after their first year to ensure everything is as expected and that this first-year service is included in the warranty. On his case, Omega fully serviced it and also replaced the glass because they saw an issue with the coating. That was the first an only time I heard about that "first year service", so no idea if it is true or not...

 

I have bought new watches from a UK AD and have never been offered a first year service - I don't think that would be cost effective for Omega. I am interested to see what is recommended for watches in storage. I think they should be exercised every few months and equally at some point even if they have not been worn / used 'officially' they are due a service. I would be interested what @Archer has said / thinks on this point. I am sure it has come up before.

 

What OB store are you talking about?

 

Synthetic oils are not magic - they still degrade over time, but in different ways than the old natural oils do. Synthetics simply dry up, leaving no protection at all for the wear parts. It doesn't really matter all that much if the watch has been in use or not, so anything that has been sitting for say 7 years would be due for a service.