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  1. Dan S May 31, 2018

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    Many thanks in advance for your help with authentication and some thoughts about value.

    I am looking at a 145.022-69 with an attractive brown dial with some lume loss. The serial is in the 2911xxxx range, which is apparently where the brown dials are often found. It has a mediocre incorrect DNN bezel (should be a DON in this serial range), and one replacement pusher. Case a little beat up and lightly polished, but not terrible. Otherwise it looks ok to me, although I am not the expert. Stretched-out 1171 bracelet with 633 end-links. Normally I would be thinking $5k (more or less) for this watch, but the seller is asking roughly $9k. What kind of value do you put on a dial like this?

    trop1.jpg trop2.jpg trop3.jpg trop4.jpg trop5.jpg trop6.jpg trop7.jpg
     
    Edited May 31, 2018
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  2. airansun In the shuffling madness May 31, 2018

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    Nice case, dial and hands.

    Movement looks soiled toward the lower right of the photo. The bezel is blued, so some one might pay extra for it. Bracelet is beat up and doesn’t add much, to me.

    Maybe $6.5k, maybe a little more toward 7. I’m not valuing the brown as much as some will.

    Just my 2 cents.
     
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  3. Dan S May 31, 2018

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    Thanks @airansun, helpful to get some opinions. I didn't notice the color of the bezel.
     
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  4. airansun In the shuffling madness May 31, 2018

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    Mine, another -69 pre-moon, in a similar state. Brown dial, wrong bezel but a little blue.

    D6010EE4-A55E-4A17-8E57-7BC32C12704C.jpeg
     
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  5. oddboy Zero to Grail+2998 In Six Months May 31, 2018

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    Get some pics in natural light before anything. Price wise, I'm with airansun, I don't value that Brown much over a black one.
     
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  6. Dan S May 31, 2018

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    Thanks for that suggestion. I would also like to see photos from the sides to get another angle on the case.
     
  7. nonuffinkbloke #1 Nigel Mansell Fan May 31, 2018

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    Neither do I, but another buyer may??? This brown dial stuff is all down to personal taste..... but I agree with @oddboy that you need some pictures in natural light. Even they will vary depending on how cloudy or sunny it is. There can be a significant variation in shade from dark to light brown if the picture is taken in strong sunlight.:thumbsup:
     
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  8. oddboy Zero to Grail+2998 In Six Months May 31, 2018

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    Some people do, by a long shot! It also depends a great deal on the specific Brown dial. Some are nicer than others @nonuffinkbloke ... :)
     
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  9. Darlinboy Pratts! Will I B******S!!! May 31, 2018

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    Market decides the price. Follow the advice for more pics. Browns can look great in a photo, but near black in hand.
     
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  10. Dan S May 31, 2018

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    Many thanks for the responses. I am going to request additional photos and I'll post any I receive. It sounds like the value may be pretty subjective and in the end I'll need to decide how much it's worth to me. But I'd still appreciate personal opinions about this example and the market for these dials.
     
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  11. Spacefruit Prolific Speedmaster Hoarder May 31, 2018

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    For a man who claims to know little this is the best advice anyone can give on browns. ;)

    For me, brown 2911xxxx’s are around $12,000 and you go up or down from there. For a really nice one you could go much higher and find happy buyers. Don’t blame me, that’s the market - but it would have to be much better than this in all areas.
     
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  12. Dan S May 31, 2018

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    That's a big premium over a similar black dial, but I guess I'm not surprised given the hype over brown dials in general.
     
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  13. Larry S Color Commentator for the Hyperbole. May 31, 2018

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    Just look at what dealers are charging for these.
     
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  14. nonuffinkbloke #1 Nigel Mansell Fan May 31, 2018

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    I only know what I've read here: http://speedmaster101.com/blog/brown-dials/
    Anything else has come from trial and error with my own watch and an Android phone camera. One thing is for sure. The blessed thing looks different in every picture I take. ::confused2:: Originally, I thought it was just dirty or nicotine stained. I had no idea it was a "brown dial" until I posted it here and you told me it was!::shy::

    The problem for @Dan S is that maybe these watches look better 'in the flesh' than they do in photographs. That's no help unless you can actually see it and compare the variation in shade by walking into the sunlight from artificial light indoors.
     
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  15. Ree May 31, 2018

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    Dan S likes this.
  16. Faz May 31, 2018

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    Geez.. I think it's ::screwloose::....no wonder I don't have a vintage Speedmaster anymore. I like em', but not that much.
     
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  17. Foo2rama Keeps his worms in a ball instead of a can. May 31, 2018

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    This x100. Brown only takes a premium if its attractive in natural light. I’m guessing in natural light this piece will be a let down.
     
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  18. Noles_88 Dog costume designer extraordinaire! May 31, 2018

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    It’s just personal taste. I personally don’t like the tropicals as at the end of the day it is a defective dial. I prefer the original black dial. So I would personally pass on paying a premium for a tropical.
     
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  19. MaiLollo Jun 1, 2018

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    There is no right or wrong here, I paid a smallish premium when I got a 29.6m brown 69 because the watch was all round very beautiful.
    Since some people like them and some don't you're going to get any response from people about a dial like this. I find them unique and very playful/beautiful especially when they change color during the day.
    I feel like 9$k is a bit strong for this one but hey, someone is looking for a tropical69 and will get it at this price.
    I feel like the only let down is the lume condition, I know it would bug me a bit...
     
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  20. trash_gordon Jun 1, 2018

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    Chocolate dial 145.022-69 are between 10-15k. I've sold mine for 10.5k two months ago.
     
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