Omega Speedmaster 105.012-64 on an auction (hmmm...?)!

It is time again for an auction report Guys and Gals!

This Speedy showed up on my radar, and the reference made me very interested (well..TBH, I always jump when a Speedy comes up..🥰).
64´s are quite rare, and they very seldom come up for auction!
So I started with a quick look at the pictures, and the blue (isch) bezel looked exciting,
I then started to read the description of the watch, and it felt like they knew a lot about Speedmasters.
Here is the description:




I then started to look at the pictures more in detail,
but it immediately hit me that this watch had a lot of things that where not correct!

The dial, hands, crown and pushers where serviceparts, and probably the crystal also.
NOT FUN!!

The watch had lots of dirt, but it could clean up nicely (maybe…).
The blue bezel looked cool, with nice thin fonts, but it had scratches, and with lots of marks on the carrier ring.
And the important question - What would the value be for this bezel?

The case and caseback had been polished and had lost the lines and definition, lots af marks and dings but with some brushing left.
There where no movement pictures, or pictures of the inside of the caseback, a bit strange that they knew the reference?
I had to ask for more pictures, and some more info.
They took their time, but I got some from them in the end...🙄
Looking at them did help me make up my mind..

This watch hit zero on the Do You like the Watchometer!
Well...maybe not the bezel..!

There where a couple of ways to think about this watch:
Buy the watch, have it serviced with the incorrect parts, and enjoy the watch (99% of the world would not care or see the difference).

The same as above, but start searching for the correct parts.
This choice would be very time and money consuming, and you will still have a poor case/caseback.

Dismantle the watch, and selling the parts…I am in need for a DON bezel, but this one might look weird on a 66,
and I also need a set of hands for a 70´s Speedy.
But I am not so fond of chopping down a watch, it still is a complete Speedy, with its own history.


I finally took the easy way out, and did not participate (No Masterplan) in the auction.

The auction house did change the description on the same day as the auction started,
they had added:

The dial may be an Omega service dial.

But the rest of the inaccurate detailed information was still there.

Hmmmm…


I did of course follow the auction, and there where only 2 bids,
then a bit of a paus.....and then the hammer fell at 6750 € / 7000 $ including the premium.


A decent price maybe, since the parts could bring in more that the purchase price?
And there is the question about the blue bezel - how would this be valued?

Did I do the right thing to skip on this one?

Comments?

What signs indicate that the dial is a "service" rather than a donor from a 145.022, for example?

861 dials have different feet than 321 dials. So if this is a donor from a 145.022 there are way bigger problems

Spot on. I think that is the key to evaluating this sale. An informed buyer would only have bought it for the bezel, and possibly for the case(back) which IMHO is not too bad.

For the watch as a whole, I cannot say I see much attraction in it, so more likely than not it will be parted out.
The service dial (321-feet with printed logo, short indices) is rare, yet not very desirable. That tritium hand set is definitely worth quite something and I guess so is the movement if the number fits the range and the condition is good. The younger bracelet isn't worth much.
Alternative to parting out, the alternative would be to find a nice 105.012 dial which could still make this a relatively rare 105.012-64.

This whole auction is all about that bezel, it's the most attractive, desirable and rare part of this lot. Those blue ones are rare and could nicely complement either a 105.012-64 or 105.003-64...

It was the auction house that made the comment...
And since everything else was exchanged..???

The thing is you’d need to see that supposedly blue bezel in the flesh. A bit of post processing may have flattered a scratched and grey example into something it is not. You rarely see a mint blue example, it’s damage really. Maybe it will look grey in normal light or maybe it will clean up well and look wonderful. The rest of the watch is a mess so you’d really have to need that bezel to bid at all and it looks like the highest bidder paid big for it.

It was the bezel that made me think twice about the watch....And the pictures that are close-ups do show a blue bezel,
the first pictures that they had on the website might be adjusted?
Anyway.....an interesting watch, and a nice discussion!

Have a nice Friday OF!

I think the buyer may have got carried away with the bezel. Sure it’s blue, blah blah blah, but it’s not attractive to me and I’m fairly sure it won’t look much better in person.

A side note...the auction house was way off in the description, and they had a watchmaker open up the watch.
And his comment was that the watch was completely original....🙄

Prost Jochen!!
🍺