Omega Speedmaster 105.003-64 on an auction (amazing result!)

Forum Friends, it has been a looooong time since my lastest auction report!
But I am back!!😁

Auction houses dont have much going during the summer months, but they are waking up now!

So this one that I followed is an Ed White, reference 105.003-64.
These don't come out so often, so I was thrilled when it came up!
The auction house was not so used to watches, and even wrote the wrong reference…

The pictures showed a very well used watch, and it was really dirty, calling @Seaborg !! (which is a good sign)!
The crystal was very scratched, and trying to assess the quality of the dial was very hard.
I asked for more pictures, I received more, but not the best ones…..How hard is it to take a few nice hi-res pictures….!?🤦
No info regarding ownership or service.
The watch had an estimate at 4510€ /6050$ - 7510€/8400$ including the premium.

Serial nr 2208833 is correct for the reference.

The dial has no Professional text and with close spaced T Swiss Made T at the bottom.
The condition of the dial was a bit hard to assess, but promising.
Impossible to see if the dial was fine, or if it had scratches, oil marks or other blemishes…

The lume looked complete, with a nice yellow color, some of them might have dirt or mold…
I would go for good on the dial and lume.
If in hand, with a loupe and good lights - it could be Very Good…?

The hands seems to be original, with nice color and no lume loss.

The bezel had a ding at the 80 marker and also above the T in Tachymetre, and some scratches all around…it fitted the rest of the watch.
So Fair for this one.

The case has lots of marks and dings, but with some slight brushing left.
It is really hard to see if it has had a polish….
And this is one of the harder parts to assess - Fair maybe or Good minus?

The case back looked nice, but it had 2 deep marks after an opening (it could have been the auction house…they look quite fresh…but a shame!)

The movement was clean and nice, but in need for a service, no watchmaker marks,
and very hard to see if the screw heads had been worked on?

The crown was correct, and the pushers looked old, so they could be original also.
Very nice!

Adding up everything above, and hoping for an honest, a one owner, non serviced watch - I did think that this one was the famous ”Barn Find”!!!

And with @Spacefruit - Do You like the Watchometer - this one went almost to the top!!

I started working with my spreadsheats, other pictures and info on EW:s, and started building my Masterplan!

Auctionday started, the watch came up, and then the circus started…
Even the auctioneer was surprised with the heavy bidding!

The hammer landed at 10500€/11800 $ including the premium!
This places the watch in the Very Good area!

I do think that the winner of the watch was at the viewing and could assess the watch in person!
Or he/she was really really convinced about the condition?

Anyway - it is nice to follow a fine watch (hopefully…), and I do hope that the winner is here on the Forum!

Enjoy the pictures, comment and a have a lovely Weekend!


YAMAS!

A lesson for everyone. When auctioning a watch, don't clean off the crud or polish the crystal, and idiots will overpay.

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. Its condition showed it probably was a barn find, a real barn. But that's the beauty of auctions.....it only takes two to drive the price spiral, I've been happy with almost every watch I've ever sold at auction.

I was outbid. I would be interested to see how the watch turns out once restored. The eventual winner certainly paid a premium.

Did you have time to go to viewing?

Dial looks dry, and dull. Perhaps a good body colour, perhaps clean, but the markers will always be dull.
The bezel, while DO90, is not an attractive one, being thicker font.

The case is interesting. It is flat sided, the way the late Tom Dick researched, and considered correct now for a -64. Despite considerable wear and light damage, the case retains original lines. Bracelet is without value.

While I think it was rich, I do not think it's a financial disaster.

It would still cost a lot more to have a watch with a better dial and bezel, and a case that is not so worn, on a 7912 bracelet.

It is this middle ground that is so hard to value, and therefore predict the result.

Golden rule! If selling a stored watch dont touch it!

No ....... all online. To be honest, my bidding was spur of the moment.

The few auctions I have followed (for entertainment or because I had my eye on a watch) have had strong results for Ed Whites in poor or fair condition.

Of course I am just one knucklehead sitting in my house in my little city and have no real scientific data to help explain what I think I am seeing. Still, not enough facts has never kept me from having an opinion. It seemed to me that bidders believed that Ed Whites were hot commodities and bid on any EW, regardless of condition. Because I was seeing strong results for poor condition EWs, I figured either they were inexperienced or simply wanted an EW, any EW.. I saw several other vintage Speedys in much better condition get not much love but poor EWs do well.

It doesn't surprise me that an EW in fair condition could bring good money. It does surprise me that an EW in less than good condition is still bringing good money when vintage speedmasters in general seem to be struggling. I would have guessed that EWs would have slowed down too. It's encouraging to see they can still draw a crowd.

Thanks for sharing this auction, Hans.