Hello everyone,

I've been a lurker here for a bit, but this is my first post. My dream Omega has been the "TV Dial" Speedmaster since I first laid eyes on it. For the first time since I've been searching, there is one listed on eBay. After reading this forum for a while, it seems like everything is a redial, so I was hoping to get an experts opinion on this one. The fact that it's shipping from Korea doesn't make me too confident either.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290923463078&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Hi, these are cool. If you look at the pic of the movement right next to the serial number you will see what looks like a rusty cog wheel (not sure what the correct neme is). That would turn me off this one straight away. Wait for the experts to comment though and good luck

 

Good eye. I've been so busy looking for evidence of franken-status and a repainted dial that I didn't even notice that. Assuming everything else is in order, do you think something like that would point to larger (hidden) issues?

 

It means the watch has either been flooded or the movement has been thrown together from useless parts. I just looked at a better movement and it is definitely rust. The crystal is chipped and may be cracked, hard to tell. I doubt anyone would try to re paint the dial on one of these and if they did it would stand out like dogs balls.

I have a Mk 4.5 that is being serviced at the moment. My watch guy was not looking forward to doing it and they can be expensive to repair. Here is some interesting stuff about the Lemania 5100

http://omegaforums.net/threads/mk-4-5-speedy-query.5458/

http://omegaforums.net/threads/chronographs-vertical-and-horizontal-coupling.5539/



Like I said, wait for the experts to chime in but IMHO you would be far better off waiting for the right TV dial to come along.

 

Rusty movement



And is that mold under the crystal?

 

As noted, possible oxidation in the movement, cracked crystal (these are still available but the spacer underneath is not), crown is polished too much, and the tail of the central seconds hand is broken. On the other hand, the dial (which is not longer available) looks great, the other hands are nice, the date and day wheels are not too yellowed, and the bracelet seems to be in good condition. I would say approach with caution. I would pay maybe $1100-1300 for it.

Having owned one of these, I should warn you that while small it is one of the heaviest watches I ever owned. If you can deal with the weight, then it might be a very nice purchase.

Good luck!

 

Wow, didn't even notice the seconds hand. Thanks for the help, looks like this isn't the one. I'll continue to keep my eyes open.

 

Welcome to the forum Poday and welcome to the wacky world o vintage Omega. This one has not been cared for. It might be a good restoration project if you got it for the right price but even then it would be a gamble as parts for the movement are becoming hard to get and the chronograph mechanism is hidden from view. Who knows what lurks beneath. Good luck with your search and keep asking questions

 

Thanks again for the advice on this so far. I'm talking with the buyer about possibly bringing the price down based on the issues that have been pointed out here. Out of curiosity, are replacement seconds hands available?

 

Yes but have you read the Condition, Condition, Condition thread above? I think it's a gamble buying this one, who knows what lies beneath that rusted cog thingy.
http://www.ofrei.com/shop-bin/sc/productsearch.cgi

 

Learn from my experience: I bought mine and it appeared to be in better condition than your sample. I was told it had been recently serviced. It was not winding quite right, so I got it serviced directly at a (then) authorized Omega shop, not a jeweler. It cost me more than $750 to fix because Omega uses many proprietary pieces. The base Lemania 5100 can still work well even after someone does ugly things to it, but rectifying someone else's bad service is very expensive. I took a big loss when I sold it but was glad to be rid of an albatross.

Condition, condition, condition. Truer words e'er were writ.

 

I'm not sure the dial on this one is original because the hands look more aged to me. The day wheel is newer and has been replaced. I will always walk away from a watch that has this many problems. If you're lucky and can fix it up for a reasonable price it still won't have the value of a nice original. If you're unlucky, well..... read the post above.

I've seen a couple of these come up on the bay over the last couple of months, one from a reliable seller but they were not in great condition. Patience is the key. Have your money waiting so you can pounce on a good one when it comes up. The ones I saw were in Sth America and Mexico and I suspect that is where many of them went new.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-OME...EOmFpmvwBIdxRuOAby9Pc%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=ncPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

This would have been a far better option for a restoration.

 

Yes, you're right. I keep overlooking its obvious faults because it is such a beautiful design. I'll keep looking, as a little patience never hurt anyone.

 

Okay, let's try again... I spotted this one today:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Omega-Speed...286273229?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item3a81d43ccdPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

Looks good overall to me, except that the date wheel seems off, like the font is too large? Maybe it's just the perspective, but the "14" doesn't seem to fit in the window. Thoughts?

 

I have been waiting for one of the experts to reply. I only commented on the first watch you posted because it was such a bad one. This one is better than the last. The day wheel has been replaced with an English language one. The date wheel looks like it is not setting in the middle of the window but is probably original. The movement will need to be serviced by a GOOD watchmaker and you will need to factor that into the price but that should be standard practice with any vintage, even if the seller says it has just been done. The large minute hand has lost its lume and the others may be about to as well so you may want to think about what to do about that to prevent crap floating around inside. The bracelet looks like a replacement of some kind and I think the correct ones have been discontinued. I think I'd wait for a better example if it was me

 

Thanks again for the observations! Last night I noticed that the lower pusher is sticking out more than it should. I'm not too concerned about the bracelet or the lume issue, but between the bad pusher and the day wheel, I'm wondering how many other parts were pieced together on this one. I'll be passing on this one and crossing my fingers that the next one is better.

On a side note, I'm also starting to fall for the round dial (176.0015) version, in either case I'll hold out for the sunburst dial. The 125 is starting to look really attractive as well. There goes my bank account...