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lindo
·So there I was at my local watch maker to pick up a watch, when I made the mistake of asking “Do you have anything nice hidden away for sale?”.
He looked at me and said, “Maybe, but you collect vintage stuff in unrestored condition, and this one has been completely refurbished by Omega. It was worn throughout his career by an international airline pilot, who had it sent to Omega in 2011 for a complete overhaul and has not worn it since.”
I had to have a look. After reading all the warnings on OF about never sending vintage watches to Omega, it would be interesting to see what had been done to this one.
He brought out this 1972 vintage Speedmaster Mk II. From what I could determine, the case had been completely refinished, the bracelet was original but lightly refurbished, the crystal had been replaced, the pushers and crown had been replaced, and the hands. The dial was original. The case back was a new Omega 145.0014 (very pretty too).
Omega had of course returned the original 145.014 case back, which had the pilot’s name engraved on it. I would have liked the original hands too, but they had been discarded along the way.
Although I prefer unrestored watches, I am also a sucker for finely brushed stainless steel alongside pristine mirror finishes, for razor sharp edges and for curving plane geometry.
I was hooked. The papers confirmed the Omega work - a Speedmaster Mk II enthusiast would probably warn about the service replacement parts reducing the value of the watch, but I threw caution to the wind and bought it anyway.
Today it is sitting happily on my desk alongside my totally original and unrestored Flightmaster, and I take equal pleasure in them both. I have put the original case back on the Speedmaster to honour its first owner, but will keep the service replacement for when the watch is eventually moved on.
So what do you think. Despite my love for unrestored vintage watches, have I been drawn irretrievably to the dark side?
He looked at me and said, “Maybe, but you collect vintage stuff in unrestored condition, and this one has been completely refurbished by Omega. It was worn throughout his career by an international airline pilot, who had it sent to Omega in 2011 for a complete overhaul and has not worn it since.”
I had to have a look. After reading all the warnings on OF about never sending vintage watches to Omega, it would be interesting to see what had been done to this one.
He brought out this 1972 vintage Speedmaster Mk II. From what I could determine, the case had been completely refinished, the bracelet was original but lightly refurbished, the crystal had been replaced, the pushers and crown had been replaced, and the hands. The dial was original. The case back was a new Omega 145.0014 (very pretty too).
Omega had of course returned the original 145.014 case back, which had the pilot’s name engraved on it. I would have liked the original hands too, but they had been discarded along the way.
Although I prefer unrestored watches, I am also a sucker for finely brushed stainless steel alongside pristine mirror finishes, for razor sharp edges and for curving plane geometry.
I was hooked. The papers confirmed the Omega work - a Speedmaster Mk II enthusiast would probably warn about the service replacement parts reducing the value of the watch, but I threw caution to the wind and bought it anyway.
Today it is sitting happily on my desk alongside my totally original and unrestored Flightmaster, and I take equal pleasure in them both. I have put the original case back on the Speedmaster to honour its first owner, but will keep the service replacement for when the watch is eventually moved on.
So what do you think. Despite my love for unrestored vintage watches, have I been drawn irretrievably to the dark side?
