Panda / Reverse Panda Speedys

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martinman

·Aug 12, 2018

Hi Everyone,

I'm having a hard time understanding all of the different variations and sizes of the Speedmaster special editions / variations. I'm looking for something specific, so I thought I would post and see you can help narrow down my options.

Panda / reverse pandas are all over the place, but the ones in my price range seem to only be reduced 38mm. I'm big guy with a 7.5" wrist and while I have 3513.51, I'm finding it to be a bit small for my wrist. So, here it goes.. I'm looking for:

+ Panda or revere panda dial
+ > 40mm, < 45mm
+ Bracelet - no leather or nato
+ Price... Hopefully less thank $2k.

I've seen a few Michael Schumacher's that would be *perfect*, but the $4k price range is way to much for my budget.
3559.32.00
3507.51.00
3506.31.00 (leather band?)
Speedy Tuesday #1, #2.

Am I missing anything in Omega's line that would fit the bill?

 

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gostang9

·Aug 12, 2018

I was looking for similar a few years ago and ended up going with a modern Speedy Pro from a grey seller (~$3500 USD) and then bought a 3569.31 dial and hands from the 2004 Apollo 11 35th anniv LE (~$620 USD?) and had a local watchmaker swap the dial and hands (~$125?) and so I now have a Panda dial Speedy for ~$4245.

I’m not sure the dial and hands are available anymore, but I know I’m not the only one with a ‘conversion’.

 

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gostang9

·Aug 12, 2018

Oops, sorry. Just noticed you wanted it <$2k. At that price-point, I cannot think of an option...

 

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gostang9

·Aug 12, 2018

You might want to open your options to Hamilton’s, Tissot, etc.

https://wornandwound.com/review/hamilton-intra-matic-68-auto-chrono-review/

 

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Foo2rama

·Aug 12, 2018·Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...

Speedy date aka speedmaster Yemen.

Edited: Aug 12, 2018

 

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teojjsg

·Aug 12, 2018

Less than 2k is not going to get you any professional series panda or reverse panda. These go for about 7K and above.

Reduced maybe, but i am totally not familiar with pricing on those. You commented reduced are too small anyway. So basically nothing for 2k.

 

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Ree

·Aug 12, 2018

I know it's not a Speedmaster and it's less than 40mm. But the blue 145.029's are very nice for its price.
A thread on it:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/landed-omega-seamaster-145-029.67364/

 

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martinman

·Aug 13, 2018

The 3513.51 is (from what I understand) a creation for a Japanese department store. These hover around $1.5-$2k used. BTW, I'm not looking for new --- used is perfectly fine. Though I think I"m still outside of the 2k budget. The Yemen speed is a great suggestion. These are ~2.5k used which I can stretch to. I think the 3513.51 is at 38 or 39mm. With the Yemen at 40mm, i'm not sure i'd gain much moving up.

The Schumacher is probably the best size / fit for me. Probably the cheapest option even though it blows my budget. I can save up a bit more and wait it out.

@gostang9, foo2rama - what are your wrist sizes?

 

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many

·Aug 13, 2018

gostang9

I was looking for similar a few years ago and ended up going with a modern Speedy Pro from a grey seller (~$3500 USD) and then bought a 3569.31 dial and hands from the 2004 Apollo 11 35th anniv LE (~$620 USD?) and had a local watchmaker swap the dial and hands (~$125?) and so I now have a Panda dial Speedy for ~$4245.

I’m not sure the dial and hands are available anymore, but I know I’m not the only one with a ‘conversion’.

Am I correct in assuming that the only difference between this and an actual 35th anniversary is the caseback?

 

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ext1

·Aug 13, 2018

many

Am I correct in assuming that the only difference between this and an actually 35th anniversary is the caseback?

Cometically maybe, but, the extract will tell the biggest difference...

 

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dwboston

·Aug 13, 2018

You might be able to find a well-used Tag Heuer quartz chrono that is panda or reverse panda in the price range you are looking at, but there's no way you'll find a decent Speedy Pro panda without more than tripling your budget. A reduced version might work, but you would still likely need to increase your projected spend.

 

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Foo2rama

·Aug 13, 2018·Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...

M martinman

The 3513.51 is (from what I understand) a creation for a Japanese department store. These hover around $1.5-$2k used. BTW, I'm not looking for new --- used is perfectly fine. Though I think I"m still outside of the 2k budget. The Yemen speed is a great suggestion. These are ~2.5k used which I can stretch to. I think the 3513.51 is at 38 or 39mm. With the Yemen at 40mm, i'm not sure i'd gain much moving up.

The Schumacher is probably the best size / fit for me. Probably the cheapest option even though it blows my budget. I can save up a bit more and wait it out.

@gostang9, foo2rama - what are your wrist sizes?

7.5. I don’t wear my speedy date that much. It feels a bit small. And I also wear 36mm watches with no problem.

 

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gostang9

·Aug 13, 2018

many

Am I correct in assuming that the only difference between this and an actual 35th anniversary is the caseback?

Case without LE # and no 35th anniv caseback (although those could be purchased as well from what I recall).

Ultimately it’s not the real LE and so won’t change in value as LE’s do. It is however 100% genuine Omega parts, just not originally put together by Omega. (Note: Omega has cut off the easy part supply so these items are not as easily available nor for as cheap as they once were).

 

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gostang9

·Aug 13, 2018

M martinman

@gostang9, foo2rama - what are your wrist sizes?

My wrist is 7.5”. I find the 42mm Speedy pro to be the perfect size for my wrist. I have the latest Rolex Explorer II which wears about as big as I’d go. I have several 38mm dress watches that wear great, and some recent 36mm that are on the small side (for my preference) but doable. The size has to be seen on the wrist as the bezel/dial design and ratios can influence how big or small a particular size of case looks on the wrist.

 

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Investr

·Aug 14, 2018

I’m a 7.5 as well and the 42 is perfection!

 

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martinman

·Aug 15, 2018

I've been doing some research... What about the Broad Arrow series? Still a bit over my price range, but it comes in at 42mm and 44mm depending on the reference.