Up for sale is a nice 145.022-76 vintage Speedmaster. If you're looking for an entry into the world of vintage Speedies or want an attractive caliber 861 Speedy, this is a pretty great place to start. Condition report below: Dial: Vintage tritium dial is in great condition with even, pleasant patina. No noticeable imperfections under a loupe. The photos should speak for themselves. Hands: Original handset exhibits matching patina with the dial and are cosmetically perfect with no flaking. Sub-dial hands are also perfect. Case: The case is in good shape with original case lines and polishing still generally sharp and intact. This was obviously not a safe queen, as certain portions of the case exhibit more surface scratching than others. The top right lug has slight wear along the case line. Caseback is in good condition. Bezel: Original "tall tachy" bezel is in great shape with no noticeable nicks/scratches. Movement: Movement is clean and pictured below, with correct serial for this reference. I have not worn the watch for more than a few hours and have not formally tested timing / amplitude, but it appears to be keeping good time and inner caseback marking appears to show a fairly recent servicing. I tested the chronograph ~5x (running for a few minutes apiece) and on one of those five wears, the chronograph "caught" for a second and had to be restarted. The other four times it did not occur, but I wanted to at least disclose this in case it happens again post-sale. The watch is sold as-is and no returns are accepted unless misrepresented. Bracelet: Sold with an original 1171 bracelet with correct 633 end links that is in "good" condition with minimal stretch but a fair amount of surface swirls. One center link is slightly bent but can easily be bent back into form by a watchmaker. These typically sell for $500-600 on their own, as a point of reference. My asking price is $3,600, 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 Chicago 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.
AFAIK, this serial number could be anywhere from 1976 to 1978. Is there any way to determine whether it was produced or sold in 1977 (without an extract)?
Oooohhhh!!! Eagerly awaiting carbon dating report... “You have an extract? Pffft, checkout my carbon dating report!”
Another method is like reading tree rings, but for Speedmasters. Count the rings on the inner caseback.
This is a great watch for the money-everything is spot on, lume coloring is spectacular. If I were in the market for a birth-year watch, this would be it. C’mon people- anyone born in 1976??