Omega Speedmaster 3511.50 Input

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OMEGA-Speed...902?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487ded34f6

What do you guys think about this watch and just this ref # in general? I love the panda dial and I've seen a couple with nicely aged dials. Why do these trade at $1000-1200 on the bay and why do lots of Japanese sellers have them? (I guess it must have been a watch for the Japanese market). Also, can these be prone to fakes?

anyone?

Okay since no one has answered I'll take a shot...in the order you asked:

1 - Bezel is quite rough - they have heavily polished it by the looks of things, and paint is also missing from the numbers. Minute counter sub-dial hand is not lined up properly (likely an installation fault). I verified that the serial number is for that model on the Omega Extranet.

2 - These are overall very nice watches and I service them often. if you are not into a larger Speedy Pro, and want an auto, this is a much better choice that a reduced IMO. As I have said many times here, the ETA 7750 is a very good movement for reliability and accuracy. There are also other variations on this style of watch.

3 - Because that is the market value.

4 - Not a Japan only LE that I can see on the Extranet, so must have been just quite a few sold there I guess.

5 - Not that I have seen.

Hope this helps - personally I would find a better example - replacing that beat up bezel (along with a service) won't be cheap.

Cheers, Al

thanks Al! ill keep my eye out for one with a less polished bezel and on the repair end I won't worry because my family is full of watch repairmen. Thanks again!