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bazamu
·Up for sale is an incredible example of a mid-70's Speedy. I purchased the watch from the original owner and had several conversations to discuss its provenance and the owner's back story. He originally purchased the watch in 1977 from a jewelry store in Springfield, IL. He offered the watch to his son, but his son had already been given his father's Seiko that was on his wrist in Vietnam, so he had no interest in the Speedy (lucky me!). The owner moved around quite a bit through the years and unfortunately lost the box / papers, but he wore the Speedy only on special occasions throughout the years. The state of preservation is amazing, capped by the original red wax seal on the caseback. If you are a Speedy diehard, you know how rare this is! Because of the seal, I have not opened the caseback to actually confirm that it is a -76, but based on the date of purchase and the dial variation, I am confident that it's a 145.022-76.
See below for full detail:
Dial: Perfect dial, that exhibits vivid and even patina. Dial is correct for a -76 (no step / half-step). Not much more to say, the pictures tell all (and any imperfections are scratches on the original crystal).
Hands: Hands are perfect and match the dial. Like above, the pictures demonstrate how perfect they are.
Case: The watch was a true "original owner special" in terms of detritus when I purchased it (see pictures at the end for the "before" state). I have sympathetically cleaned it up with q-tips, but there are still a few spots - obviously an ultrasonic bath would clean all of this up, should it be serviced. Professional case is unpolished and original finishing is still intact and super crisp. Caseback is nearly perfect, with only minor black paint loss in one spot (talk about rare!). The only issue with this watch is the underside of the top right and bottom right lugs. There is minor surface corrosion (no rust, the dark spots are dirt / detritus) that I have captured in macro pictures and corresponds to the areas that were caked in the most detritus (see last two pictures). The owner also lightly inscribed numbers (perhaps the last four of his SSN) on the underside of the lugs.
Bezel: Original "tall tachy" bezel is in great overall shape, with only a couple of minor scratches.
Movement / Functionality: Functionally, the watch performs perfectly. Winding is smooth and not heavy or stiff. Chronograph functions perfectly and resets to zero. I informally timed the watch over a two day period, and it was keeping spot-on time through the full power reserve. As always, a service is recommended and the watch is sold as-is.
Accessories: The watch comes on its original, full length 1171 bracelet with 633 end links. Note: I removed the bracelet and have not put it back on the watch, as I wanted to wear it a few times on the strap pictured here. The strap will not be included in the sale.
My asking price is $6,500, which includes fully insured Fedex Priority shipping. Payment via PayPal (F&F or add 3% if using PP) or direct bank wire. US sale strongly preferred. Face-to-face in Denver is also welcome for local buyers. Finally, I have plenty of references available as a buyer and seller that I can provide if necessary. Thanks for looking and thanks to OF for the space.
See below for full detail:
Dial: Perfect dial, that exhibits vivid and even patina. Dial is correct for a -76 (no step / half-step). Not much more to say, the pictures tell all (and any imperfections are scratches on the original crystal).
Hands: Hands are perfect and match the dial. Like above, the pictures demonstrate how perfect they are.
Case: The watch was a true "original owner special" in terms of detritus when I purchased it (see pictures at the end for the "before" state). I have sympathetically cleaned it up with q-tips, but there are still a few spots - obviously an ultrasonic bath would clean all of this up, should it be serviced. Professional case is unpolished and original finishing is still intact and super crisp. Caseback is nearly perfect, with only minor black paint loss in one spot (talk about rare!). The only issue with this watch is the underside of the top right and bottom right lugs. There is minor surface corrosion (no rust, the dark spots are dirt / detritus) that I have captured in macro pictures and corresponds to the areas that were caked in the most detritus (see last two pictures). The owner also lightly inscribed numbers (perhaps the last four of his SSN) on the underside of the lugs.
Bezel: Original "tall tachy" bezel is in great overall shape, with only a couple of minor scratches.
Movement / Functionality: Functionally, the watch performs perfectly. Winding is smooth and not heavy or stiff. Chronograph functions perfectly and resets to zero. I informally timed the watch over a two day period, and it was keeping spot-on time through the full power reserve. As always, a service is recommended and the watch is sold as-is.
Accessories: The watch comes on its original, full length 1171 bracelet with 633 end links. Note: I removed the bracelet and have not put it back on the watch, as I wanted to wear it a few times on the strap pictured here. The strap will not be included in the sale.
My asking price is $6,500, which includes fully insured Fedex Priority shipping. Payment via PayPal (F&F or add 3% if using PP) or direct bank wire. US sale strongly preferred. Face-to-face in Denver is also welcome for local buyers. Finally, I have plenty of references available as a buyer and seller that I can provide if necessary. Thanks for looking and thanks to OF for the space.
