In the process of buying this one for medical practice. Then I realised I should seek out this forum's wisdom before making it final. This will be my first Omega Speedmaster. Seeking advice and valuation. Mark IV. Cal.1040. Circa 1975. Pulsimetric Bezel. Cleaned, polished, and serviced by dealer, comes with one year warranty.

 

What price or price range is the watch?

Are you looking to determine info on correctness of the watch or value?




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Thank you for your reply, especially since I'm new to the forum. I have much respect for you and others who so generously offer advice to guys like me. This watch would be my third vintage Omega. I inherited my first from my Grandfather (an old Seamaster cal. 565), then bought my second at a thrift shop a Cal. 1020. Both watches required extensive service to bring them back to life, so I like that this one appears all set.

I guess I'm seeking both types of information on this watch (authenticity & valuation). The dealer is asking for €2000 Euros (down from €2200 Euros). He's including the leather band (signed Omega, but I'm wondering if it's genuine?) and an extract from Omega. Dealer states the watch is all original Omega: original dial, steel band, and case back, and the crystal looks like its new. Lume is dim, if not nil. He also tells me it's been polished and serviced, so it's free from scratches and dents, plus he'll warranty the movement for a year.

In addition to condition, I'm attracted to the watch for the pulsometer (I'm a medical student) and the fact that its a vintage automatic Speedmaster chronograph within my grasp (though certainly it's the most I'd want to spend at this time). I've also read good things about its caliber 1040 movement.

Just wanted to source any advice or words of caution before I pull the trigger. Thanks again for taking the time to help me out. I could try to post additional photos if that would be helpful, just let me know.

 

Well you are in the right place and welcome.

I'm not nearly as qualified as the experts here, and unfortunately I am not well versed in this model.

Movement pictures are always helpful, and hopefully some of the experts will chime in.







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Unfortunately, no pictures offered for the movement, just assurances that its original.

CORRECTION: Pictures of movement provided, however I declined the offer to purchase for 2000 Euros.

 

I think the dealer is being a bit loosey goosey with the word "original". It appears that all parts are correct, and most look similarly aged, but if I had to wager I'd say that the crystal and pulsations bezel are new Omega replacements, and not original to the watch. That's fine and not unheard of since the crystals don't always hold up over time but something you should be aware of.

The dealer also says "polished" as if that's a feature rather than a bug. To collectors, it's a negative. The case has lost some of the original crispness that a mint original or recent Omega case refinish displays. Again, that's up to you to decide if you can live with it and many people that don't hang out on the watch forums prefer a recent polish to unpolished but worn.

As to value, cal. 1040 watches are tough to price and I've followed the market pretty closely for the past 1.5 years. Not seeing the movement would bother me. I'd want to see pics of it plus pics of the extract to make sure the serials match. But a 1 year warranty is worth something. 2000 eur is not unreasonable for a dealer sold watch with a warranty, but this example is also toward the lower end of the quality spectrum for dealer sold176.009s I've seen. Pure auctions are becoming rarer but the last two eBay auctions for rough 009s ended closer to 1250 eur. So probably a bit overpriced even for a dealer...However, the pulsations bezel is the differentiator on this piece and being a med student it means more to you than it would to most others. So you just have to decide if that's is worth the extra money. Good luck!

 

Dealer serviced usually means corners are cut, not as desirable as serviced by reputable watchmakers.

Price wise, it's not bad if the bracelet is included, along with pictures of the inside. That is if the service is of good quality, and it still depends on the reputation of the dealer - so do some research on how good they are. A lot of us here prefer to buy the seller, not just the watch, especially when your knowledge about the watch is limited.

Personally, I think the case polishing is not good and I wouldn't buy it because of this. If you've ever seen a new-old-stock case, a good refinish or just a good condition case, I don't think you can live with looking at that soft case ever again.

Look at the edges of this NOS case: https://omegaforums.net/threads/the-nos-thread.7352/#post-86833




Here's a good refinished one: https://uhrforum.de/attachments/817...v-176-009-mit-neuer-werkrevision-o-s-m_02.jpg



This one could be either good refinish or good condition: https://uhrforum.de/attachments/110...r-mark-iv-referenz-176-009-speedy-mark-iv.jpg



The pulsometer crystal is available as replacement, so just look for a good condition watch and replace the crystal when you have it serviced - the first thing to be done after acquiring a vintage watch.

 

As this is not a sought after speedmaster model, it sells as low as 800E, up to 1200E in very good condition.
E2000 is maybe the right price if you want a Gradue pour 15 pulsations glass, but I don't understand why it's useful for Doctors nowadays ??

 

Thank you for your advice. Recently I responded to a fatal accident here in Grenada. Four Veterinary students were traveling down a local mountain when the brakes gave out on their jeep causing it to flip. One student (a 25 year old male) was pulled under the vehicle suffering serious injuries. I was simply passing by, but since I have previous experience as a trauma technician I had a duty to act. I didn't have any equipment besides my Omega watch. All I could do was assess his injuries, hold his airway open, and count his respirations and pulse using my Omega.

Actually palpating someone's pulse can yield a lot of information including rate, rhythm, and regularity. His was very rapid, thready, and irregularly irregular - not good. It wasn't long before I noticed he had a tension pneumothorax building as well. Ambulance finally arrived, nearly 30 minutes after being called, but it was nothing like I expected. I was hoping for a US-style rig, with a trained paramedic ready for the emergency, but they don't have such training here in Grenada and they didn't even have advance airway equipment. We had no choice other than to adapt to the scenario, so another medical student and I did what we could, with what we had, where we were.

From that experience, I realized how truly difficult it is to actually count someone's pulse under stressful circumstances. We've gone digital in the US, relying heavily on monitors to do the counting, but it's important to know how to revert to analog when the need arises. I figure something like this pulsimetric chronograph might do the trick if I ever find myself in a similar situation again.

 

Thank you for pointing this out! With my untrained eyes, I didn't realize how soft the polishing makes it appear. I thought maybe it was a soft focus on his camera, but now I can really see how polishing took the edge off this watch. I also didn't like that the lume was so dim, if not, nil (though I understand tritium decays). And I noticed the band had some links removed and looked a little stretched. I think I was forgiving those qualities because I became fixated on the pulsimetric glass. I now see I can pick up pulsimetric glass for this reference on eBay, and have it installed on a better specimen like the one I left above. Thanks again to everyone who helped me refine this decision. You all helped me recognise a serious blind-spot bias and I am deeply grateful for that. Cheers!

 

Anyone know if the new Mark II can be fitted with the pulsimetric bezel? I like how the new model features a luminous bezel.

 

How do you guys feel about this one (see link below)? I don't want spend as much as they're asking, but hey might not lower the price enough. I am presently corresponding with them, and they asked me to submit a "correct" offer and we'll see if they accept it. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I mean their price is too high, right? It's tough for me to gauge these things.

http://www.chrono24.com/en/omega/176009---speedmaster-mark-iv---omega-service--id4341037.htm

Thanks again!

 

I personally love the service dial with the blue subdial and I have one myself. Case looks nice too. The price though...seems at LEAST $1000 too high.


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This is mine, serviced and the case refinished by Omega late last year. The dial and hands are still the original tritium.

 

Very nice! This dealer is asking me to make a "correct" offer. His asking price is like 3125 EURO. What price would you offer? Thanks for sharing!

 

the watch looks good, plus the 2010 confirmed omega service is reassuring ...

IIWU: if I really want it $2.5k ... if you can live chasing other ones for the next couple of months $2.0k

http:// http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=Omega%20176.009%20-%20SPEEDMASTER%20MARK%20IV&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

that link (with SOLD prices) might or might not help you arguing your case with the german guy ...

good luck!

 

Thank you. I did ask for some pictures of the movement, but he said he couldn't because it hasn't been opened since it was seen by Omega. I understood that to mean that it hasn't been serviced since 2010. Is that of any concern?

 

Anyone know where I can find a pulsations crystal/bezel for this Ref. 176.009? Looks like someone beat me to it on eBay!

 

An Omega certified watchmaker can order it for you when you have the watch serviced.

Have you tried on the Mk IV before? Is quite bulky and heavy, a bit more than the Mk II, and quite a lot more than the Speedmaster Professional (Moonwatch). The moonwatch is manual wound and has no date feature, but it's lighter, thinner and has a removable bezel that can be replaced with the pulsometric one easily. It's also current in production so a used one in decent condition can be had for much better price than that German Mk IV.

The asking price of that German watch is way above the normal market price and it's from a dealer so there's no prospect of a reasonable buying price. Serviced in 2010 means it's about time to have it serviced again, which would cost an extra $500 or more.

 

I second that... the blue touch on the 24h subdial is the killer. But so is the price... up to you whether this is worth it to you...