Omega Speedmaster 105.012-66 HF on an auction!!

Posts
2,600
Likes
5,759
This watch came up for an auction a while ago,
and reading that it was a 105.012, I let go of everything that I was doing,
closed my door, and took a deep breath…This reference is one of my favorite ones!

At first glance, the obvious thing was the damaged bezel, so not a good start.
But then I started to look a little closer on the few pictures that were available,
and suddenly my Do You Like The Watchometer lit up Bigtime!
The dial, lume, case etc looked very promising!
But superhard to assess with the pictures.

I contacted the curator, and ask for more pictures and info.

A one owner watch (according to him), from an estate.
No service history, and no servicemarks.
He was very helpful and I got lots of pictures.

Serial nr 2495xxxx, and with production June 1967.
Stepped dial, applied metal log, wide spaced T, chronohand with the drop end.
The dial was a PITA to asses since the crystal was scratched, but it looked very very nice!
Lumeplots had a lovely color and nothing missing.
The bezel…lots of chips/missing paint and the carrier ring had som dents and scratches.
But I had to look past the bezel, these are possible to change (if wanted...).
The case was very defined with sharp edges, and the brushing intact.
Single step caseback with a nice engraving and step.
A1 24 tooth crown and the lovely short and fat pushers.
The very very scratched crystal had the old narrow logo.
The movement looked very clean, with nice screw heads.

Looking (for hours..🙄) on the pictures and comparing with other 66 HF´s,
I thought that this watch was very nice.
The quality of the dial and the lumeplots, the case/caseback etc looked amazing!
There were some small dings and scratches on the case/caseback, but nothing that stood out.
There was of course the possibility that the lume had been touched up,
but zooming in and out (for hours again😁),
I could see the aging, the uneven texture and some small dirt spots.
The hands had matching color, with some slight aging to the lume.

All of the above pushed my Watchometer to - I MUST HAVE THIS WATCH!

And guess what - I won the auction!

Once I had the watch in hand, I looked at it with a loupe, and then used polywatch, and now I am Very Happy!
I actually ran the pictures from the auctionhouse after my purchase to a dear Forumfriend.
We have an ongoing chat regarding the quality of dials and lume.
And he had a hard time regarding the lume…but he did like the watch!!

This one will be going to Simon Freese for a full service, cleaning and a polishing to the crystal.

Attaching pictures after my gentle polishing (there are still lots of deeper scratches).

Enjoy the pictures, and please do comment (I really really hope that I am correct with the lume…)!

Cheers!


 
Posts
6,679
Likes
10,466
Very nice one. Never serviced I think
 
Posts
1,503
Likes
6,565
Looks very good to me, I wouldn't worry about originality. Nicely done!
 
Posts
441
Likes
402
Congratulations, nice watch, nice acquisition (if cost was decent)
 
Posts
1,653
Likes
5,237
A minor seconds-hand drag, which can only be seen on some angles i guess. otherwise looks nice, congrats 👍

 
Posts
2,600
Likes
5,759
Thanks Guys!
Really pleased with the watch, and not sure what to do with bezel?
I kind of like it (right now...)...😀
 
Posts
2,600
Likes
5,759
A minor seconds-hand drag, which can only be seen on some angles i guess. otherwise looks nice, congrats 👍

Yepp, I saw them looking through the loupe, very faint and not disturbing.
These close ups shows everything!
😲
 
Posts
1,694
Likes
3,453
Lovely watch Hans !! and congratulations on this one.
It is an attractive dial to me and a good strong case.
 
Posts
76
Likes
129
Congrats, nice pickup! Lovely sharp case and I think the lume plots look just fine here
 
Posts
7,236
Likes
23,481
Thanks Guys!
Really pleased with the watch, and not sure what to do with bezel?
I kind of like it (right now...)...😀

To my eye the bezel is bringing down the aesthetics of the watch. A better one would bump the presentation up quite a bit,
 
Posts
317
Likes
289
Great watch. I would be in no rush to change the bezel. I’d give it a couple of months, and then decide.

Or not. It has some character.
 
Posts
841
Likes
2,160
To my eye the bezel is bringing down the aesthetics of the watch. A better one would bump the presentation up quite a bit,

I agree.. with a dial that nice, a less beat up bezel would really complete the look
 
Posts
3,333
Likes
7,345
Thanks Guys!
Really pleased with the watch, and not sure what to do with bezel?
I kind of like it (right now...)...😀
If you want to wear one with a nice bezel, just wear the other one. The new one is nice one with character and you wont worry about another ding on the bezel. Nice watch congrats
 
Posts
134
Likes
144
Congrats on a nice pickup. I'm one for leaving things as original as possible, so I would leave that original bezel and wear the heck out of it!