Hi Folks,

Please give me your thoughts on this Speedmaster 145.022, estimated year -> from the 80'es? The watch sits on a 1171 bracelet, 633 endlinks.

To me, it looks to be in great condition, I am though a little worried about the dial?
Tritium looking white (could be the images) and the dial plots at Index 12oclock is very close, like grown together (at 12 oclock where the index looks like a fallos - sure im not the only one that has noticed this)

Your help will be appricated. Thank you.
- Rasmus

 

In my experience, some of the late 70s and 80s 145.022s can have very neutral, almost white looking tritium. Likely the ones that haven't been exposed to a great deal of direct sunlight or humidity. I also suspect at some point in the 1970s there was a subtle tritium formula change, leading to a different ageing process from the earlier watches.

Looking at the whole package and from the seller's description this one looked to me like an honest watch. Hands may well have been replaced, who knows. I did notice the chrono was fixed in both images, so I did ask the seller if he could confirm if the chrono worked okay, but he didn't reply.. read into that what you will.

Still probably a solid buy.

 

Looks like a nice untouched example, the bracelet is rather stretched, it made a decent price because it is a decent watch

I have observed mint colour lume from 145.022-69 onwards

 

I share your concern with the extra-fuzzy lume at 12:00. I saw that on an eBay watch just like this one (maybe the same watch?) six months ago, and avoided it for that reason.

 

Thank you all for the great replys

72C, why do you think hands has been replaced? Just because of the common possibility?

Any thoughts on the 1171 bracelet considering the possible age? A friend of mine told me that the caseback dated the watch to be 1983-1995, something with a short tail. As I am informed, 1171 bracelets were used from 1969 to 1980. This does not add up? bracelet looks like it has never let the watch

Further thoughts on the fuzzy lume at 12?

 

1171s were used after 1980, but with the square logo like this watch rather than earlier trapezoid. It certainly corresponds to age of watch.

I don't know that the hands have been replaced, how long they glow for will give you a certain answer.

Outside of the caseback alone doesn't narrow down as specifically as your friend says, but I'd still expect the watch it to be early to mid 80s. Serial number most definitive way to tell.

 

Not sure how a caseback would date this watch to 83-95. A serial number would help to start unravel what is going on here.

The dial dates it as early as a 76 to as late as 97, assuming its an original dial.

As this case does not have a serial number on it, the latest it could be is late 80's but could go back to 1968.

The Bezel is a serifed DN70/DN90 so 68-78.

So based on assuming the parts are original it has 3 date ranges with an intersection around 76-78.

 

Again, thank you for a great reply. You seem to know your speedmaster hopefully i will learn.
Do you Think the fuzzy lume at 12o clock adds up? ..

 

Thank you. If I understand you correctly, if from the 80es, bezel is wrong? Bracelet indicating that i should be from 80es .. With the square logo clasp

 

It's hard to say what's going on or at least have a plausible story on this watch without the serial number and inside caseback. It could be a stock 78, a serviced 78 (would say 145.022-78 inside,) or it could be a hodgepodge of parts aka a frankenwatch. I guess there is a small chance it is a transitional watch from 79-80 but I have not seen any research on these and I don't have any data on serifed dn70/dn90 on a caseback later then a 145.022-78. I am not sure if those exist or not. But there are examples with lume almost touching at the 12 o'clock from this era of dial.

This is not a particularly attractive watch as presented. But it might clean up amazingly well its very hard to tell from the pictures. As you stated it might be a later bracelet or a service/replacement bracelet on it. Or an 80's watch with an earlier bezel (which would be slightly uncommon) making it a frankenwatch.

 

I truely value your reply. Thank you, very informative.
Could the bracelet not be from a 76-78 watch? Bought with the 1171, square logo clasp ?

 

https://omegaforums.net/attachments/image-png.213737/

 

Nice chart, Thank you.

But dosent Really answer if 1171 with square logo started in 1981 or before..

 

That's not what you should be worried about. The watch and bracelet are independent and carry their own value. The bracelet has a fixed value regardless of what watch it is on. Conversely the watch heads value is for the most part unaffected by what bracelet it is wearing.

The watch itself is the question for a valuation and currently it has questions.

 

The white tritium dial doesn't bother me as it confirms the watch being exposed to lots of sunlight and worn regularly which corroborates the heavy wear on the crystal.

 

Is this a fact? Something I've not heard before.

 

Iwe heard this before .. Dark tritium = often stored in darkness. Light = long term exposure to light ..

 

The patina that is developed on tritium is widely believed to develop due to lack of sunlight/UV rays....here is an interesting discussion from 2009 on TRF. I'm sure it's been widely discussed on all vintage forums.

I have also heard that if a watch with patina is exposed to UV on a regular basis, the tritium will turn white again.

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=89027

 

So why do all the tropical dial speedmasters have lovely patinated markers and hands?

 

It's also believed that weather conditions play a role in the aging process, watches from the far east, SA and SE Asia where it's hot and humid develop a more intense patina. My Flightmaster 910 has a tropical dial and gorgeous patina on the markers. I purchased it from the original owner in Sao Paulo Brazil. He told me that the watch was in his safe for the past 20 years and had not been worn. Most homes in that part of the world don't have AC which exposed the watch to the elements. Granted, the watch could have been regularly worn for the first 20 years of it's life....