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2Cents
·1-25/26-2021
Hi Omega Forum Members,
I am new here and groping for guidance (of the scrupulous kind). Life is short and time’s-a-wastin’.
I, the original—and only owner, wish to restore, sell, or trade my 1968 Omega Speedmaster Professional. Previous appraisal/trade-in-inquiries (elsewhere) have ranged from fruitless to not much better (Buzz Aldrin’s Speedy is reputedly to have been lost in shipping). Ain’t gonna gamble with losing my (possibly highly valuable) old friend while I am feeling deaf-dumb-n-blind.
Hoping to get more here at omegaforums.net than a hugely disappointing:
“At this time, we are not offering quotes for this model.”
Or
“Unfortunately, we are not currently accepting this OMEGA model at this time.”
And
“We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your time.”
Serious labor invested in learning is never an inconvenience! A reply like, “Sorry dude, but we just don’t swing that way with antiques,” would be much more candid and informative than what I have received so far.
Prudent decisions require helpful relevant info. Got any to share with a frustrated researcher?
***********************************************************************************************************************************
1-26-2021
I have an Omega Speedmaster Professional that was purchased new, from my USMC Battalion PX, in the hostile boondocks of Vietnam, circa Xmas ‘68. The PX was housed in a sandbagged (bunker-like), very spartan CONEX shipping box, and the purchase price of the watch was a very painful $100.00. A couple a days earlier, I had made a late-night visit to the nearest available sit-down commode; and while there, I took-off my treasured Zodiac Sea Wolf and set it down beside me while I wiped the sweat off my wrist. Then after wiping another part of my anatomy, I walked away oblivious, without my Zodiac. Somebody got a real nice wristwatch gratis, and I needed a replacement asap. Enter the Omega.
The Omega was a fortuitous find. Kind a like a heavenly gift. The fact that it was later christened ’The Moonwatch’ was just a bonus to my already healthy ego. I never thought of it as anything other than a really cool and very practical wristwatch. After wearing it virtually every day for 11-years, I retired it from daily service and went low-cost-multifunction-digital for daily use.
Since then, it mostly sits unused in a safe place. I check on it occasionally, wind it, and press the buttons to confirm that it still works, and it works just fine—never given a hint of mechanical instability.
Looking a little more intently than usual recently, I noticed dings and chips in the (slightly off-center) tachymeter bezel. I had never noticed that before and did not like what I saw. Those annoying flaws inspired a wish to see my peerless timepiece returned to a more pristine condition. A scarred, weathered, and misaligned bezel on a high-dollar-Chronograph just ain’t my style. It only took a little research to shift my priorities from restore, back to preserve, and then to indecision.
So, here’s a closer look at what I got. The crystal was replaced once (1985ish—the most likely source of the bezel being slightly off-center) and although I recently polished it, a couple of stubborn scratches linger: One at 11:01 and another at 1:09. The good news is you gotta look for ‘em.
The bracelet is stamped both 516 (in 2-places) and 1039 on the inside of the clasp and is virtually original: I had to personally remove one or two links when it was new to fit my (roughly 6”) wrist. There were no local Omega approved jewelry shops to take it to in the outback, and watch repair tools were scarce as hens’ teeth, but I somehow managed to get ‘er done. My handiwork is only noticeable to the most persnickety of eyes and minds.
Like the case, bezel, and crystal, the bracelet ain’t flawless; it is weathered, but the1-5-decades of wear on all these items is within reasonable expectations. The watch was worn, but never, even remotely, abused. It has always been my most prized possession and treated accordingly.
Telltale Exterior Pedigree Evidence:
· Arrow or ‘Water Drop’ shaped chronograph secondhand tail end.
· Applied Ω logo and printed ‘PROFESSIONAL’ on watch face.
· Dot Over 9 Bezel.
· Seahorse Engraved, Single-Step Case Back.
· Tritium ‘T Swiss Made T’ Dial (with long indices) and tritium hands.
· Bracelet stamped both 516 and 1039.
· Ω logo on crown.
Note: Excluding the crystal, and the link or two that I removed from the bracelet, the watch is 100% original. This watch must be a 321 or 861 Caliber, (ST105.012, 145.012, or 145.022 model). I do not want to open it to confirm its identity for fear of breaking the seal without the proper O-ring for reassembly. Regardless, the only existing provenance is word of mouth, 12-mediocre-photographs, and these few paragraphs of text (no box, no papers, no receipt, or what have you).
Bonus Note: When new, it had a strikingly sky-blue plastic case-back cover that I left in place until it slowly withered away.
This Omega is much more than just my ‘Holy Grail’ wristwatch. It is an impeccable and irreplaceable old friend. It was on my wrist (in combat) from late Dec. 1968 to 10 June 1969. After Vietnam, well, that’s another (likely boring) story.
Sincerely,
2Cents
Middle-a-Nowhere, Kansas, USA
Hi Omega Forum Members,
I am new here and groping for guidance (of the scrupulous kind). Life is short and time’s-a-wastin’.
I, the original—and only owner, wish to restore, sell, or trade my 1968 Omega Speedmaster Professional. Previous appraisal/trade-in-inquiries (elsewhere) have ranged from fruitless to not much better (Buzz Aldrin’s Speedy is reputedly to have been lost in shipping). Ain’t gonna gamble with losing my (possibly highly valuable) old friend while I am feeling deaf-dumb-n-blind.
Hoping to get more here at omegaforums.net than a hugely disappointing:
“At this time, we are not offering quotes for this model.”
Or
“Unfortunately, we are not currently accepting this OMEGA model at this time.”
And
“We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your time.”
Serious labor invested in learning is never an inconvenience! A reply like, “Sorry dude, but we just don’t swing that way with antiques,” would be much more candid and informative than what I have received so far.
Prudent decisions require helpful relevant info. Got any to share with a frustrated researcher?
***********************************************************************************************************************************
1-26-2021
I have an Omega Speedmaster Professional that was purchased new, from my USMC Battalion PX, in the hostile boondocks of Vietnam, circa Xmas ‘68. The PX was housed in a sandbagged (bunker-like), very spartan CONEX shipping box, and the purchase price of the watch was a very painful $100.00. A couple a days earlier, I had made a late-night visit to the nearest available sit-down commode; and while there, I took-off my treasured Zodiac Sea Wolf and set it down beside me while I wiped the sweat off my wrist. Then after wiping another part of my anatomy, I walked away oblivious, without my Zodiac. Somebody got a real nice wristwatch gratis, and I needed a replacement asap. Enter the Omega.
The Omega was a fortuitous find. Kind a like a heavenly gift. The fact that it was later christened ’The Moonwatch’ was just a bonus to my already healthy ego. I never thought of it as anything other than a really cool and very practical wristwatch. After wearing it virtually every day for 11-years, I retired it from daily service and went low-cost-multifunction-digital for daily use.
Since then, it mostly sits unused in a safe place. I check on it occasionally, wind it, and press the buttons to confirm that it still works, and it works just fine—never given a hint of mechanical instability.
Looking a little more intently than usual recently, I noticed dings and chips in the (slightly off-center) tachymeter bezel. I had never noticed that before and did not like what I saw. Those annoying flaws inspired a wish to see my peerless timepiece returned to a more pristine condition. A scarred, weathered, and misaligned bezel on a high-dollar-Chronograph just ain’t my style. It only took a little research to shift my priorities from restore, back to preserve, and then to indecision.
So, here’s a closer look at what I got. The crystal was replaced once (1985ish—the most likely source of the bezel being slightly off-center) and although I recently polished it, a couple of stubborn scratches linger: One at 11:01 and another at 1:09. The good news is you gotta look for ‘em.
The bracelet is stamped both 516 (in 2-places) and 1039 on the inside of the clasp and is virtually original: I had to personally remove one or two links when it was new to fit my (roughly 6”) wrist. There were no local Omega approved jewelry shops to take it to in the outback, and watch repair tools were scarce as hens’ teeth, but I somehow managed to get ‘er done. My handiwork is only noticeable to the most persnickety of eyes and minds.
Like the case, bezel, and crystal, the bracelet ain’t flawless; it is weathered, but the1-5-decades of wear on all these items is within reasonable expectations. The watch was worn, but never, even remotely, abused. It has always been my most prized possession and treated accordingly.
Telltale Exterior Pedigree Evidence:
· Arrow or ‘Water Drop’ shaped chronograph secondhand tail end.
· Applied Ω logo and printed ‘PROFESSIONAL’ on watch face.
· Dot Over 9 Bezel.
· Seahorse Engraved, Single-Step Case Back.
· Tritium ‘T Swiss Made T’ Dial (with long indices) and tritium hands.
· Bracelet stamped both 516 and 1039.
· Ω logo on crown.
Note: Excluding the crystal, and the link or two that I removed from the bracelet, the watch is 100% original. This watch must be a 321 or 861 Caliber, (ST105.012, 145.012, or 145.022 model). I do not want to open it to confirm its identity for fear of breaking the seal without the proper O-ring for reassembly. Regardless, the only existing provenance is word of mouth, 12-mediocre-photographs, and these few paragraphs of text (no box, no papers, no receipt, or what have you).
Bonus Note: When new, it had a strikingly sky-blue plastic case-back cover that I left in place until it slowly withered away.
This Omega is much more than just my ‘Holy Grail’ wristwatch. It is an impeccable and irreplaceable old friend. It was on my wrist (in combat) from late Dec. 1968 to 10 June 1969. After Vietnam, well, that’s another (likely boring) story.
Sincerely,
2Cents
Middle-a-Nowhere, Kansas, USA
