Should I trade my Speedy for a SM300?

[Seaborg]

Do it. Without any doubt!!!

 

[SBund]

I am fairly certain that finding a person willing to do this swap will be difficult. Additionally, I find it difficult to recommend a swap without any indication of watch condition (both SM300 and Speedmaster).

If you just want a simple answer - yes, the 165.024 is more interesting than a late 70s Speedmaster IMO.

 

[Revo]

eugeneandresson

If thats true, and you want one in similar condition/attraction as the one you pictured, then unless your '78 is collector grade + B&P, you will still have to put a lot of cash on the table with the watch.

SBund

I am fairly certain that finding a person willing to do this swap will be difficult. Additionally, I find it difficult to recommend a swap without any indication of watch condition (both SM300 and Speedmaster).

If you just want a simple answer - yes, the 165.024 is more interesting than a late 70s Speedmaster IMO.

Thanks, yes, I wasn't clear: I haven't been offered one so I'd have to sell first and buy + add some money.

I think what I want is a "watchco" 166.0324. And the more I think about it the more I think the Speedy has to stay so something else would go on the block. I do have something in mind that I never wear and that's worth more so I'd end up quids in. (Assuming the SM300 is ~£3,500) I can certainly see a SM300 getting some serious wrist time.

 

[SBund]

Revo

Thanks, yes, I wasn't clear: I haven't been offered one so I'd have to sell first and buy + add some money.

I think what I want is a "watchco" 166.0324. And the more I think about it the more I think the Speedy has to stay so something else would go on the block. I do have something in mind that I never wear and that's worth more so I'd end up quids in. (Assuming the SM300 is ~£3,500) I can certainly see a SM300 getting some serious wrist time.

Sounds like a good plan to me! One should always have a Speedmaster, however it didn't seem like keeping it and getting a SM300 was an option.

I believe with a little patience (and luck) a WatchCo could pop up at that price, however the latest NOS WatchCo's I have seen were priced a little higher than £3.500 (which can hardly be justified for what it is..)

 

[guaranteed.rohu]

different vibes.

I think the modern speedys are obviously quite similar to the vintage ones (very similar) so you can scratch that itch in different ways - less so for the modern SM300s.

Having owned both, I think the speedmasters are GREAT, however if I could only own one, I'd have a vintage SM300 for sure.

Reality is also, you don't ever really need to use the chronograph function. I've owned many chronographs in the past several years, but I have never really actually use the chronograph function for anything meaningful. I find it too difficult to understand the timing at a glance (dive watches however I actually do use the bezel to time things). You're getting chronographs primarily for the aesthetic. That might be just me, I dunno, but given how expensive servicing costs can be for things things, that can get irritating over time.

 

[Revo]

Thanks all. I think the 1171 / 633 from the Speedy will fit the SM300, too? (The Speedy is on a vintage flat link, which looks great.)

 

[SBund]

Revo

Thanks all. I think the 1171 / 633 from the Speedy will fit the SM300, too? (The Speedy is on a vintage flat link, which looks great.)

It should, yes 👍

 

[JwRosenthal]

Revo

Thanks, yes, I wasn't clear: I haven't been offered one so I'd have to sell first and buy + add some money.

I think what I want is a "watchco" 166.0324. And the more I think about it the more I think the Speedy has to stay so something else would go on the block. I do have something in mind that I never wear and that's worth more so I'd end up quids in. (Assuming the SM300 is ~£3,500) I can certainly see a SM300 getting some serious wrist time.

Obviously I am a watchco fan, not simply becuase they are cheaper than the vintage ones, but becuase I own several vintage watches with flawless Bakelite bezels and I always think twice about what I will be doing that day before I wear one of them- and those are only <$2k watches. I couldn’t imagine the feeling of putting a $6-10k Bakelite bezeled watch into a door frame 😲

 

[Shabbaz]

They are quite nice yes... 😁

 

[SBund]

Shabbaz

They are quite nice yes... 😁

Gorgeous example too!

 

[JwRosenthal]

Shabbaz

They are quite nice yes... 😁

Yeah- can’t that look from a watchco

 

[SBund]

JwRosenthal

Yeah- can’t that look from a watchco

But you can get fairly close if you chat to James Hyman, known as Alchemist Relumer 😉

This one is quite nice!

 

[Revo]

Thanks all. I’ve seen SM300 “kits” on Etsy (dial, hands, case, movement ring), just add your cal. 552 et voila! But I’m assuming these are fake Chinese components. Watchco et al. only used genuine Omega parts.

Are 166.0324 cases faked? Is there a way to tell whether it’s 100% real?

 

[SBund]

Revo

Thanks all. I’ve seen SM300 “kits” on Etsy (dial, hands, case, movement ring), just add your cal. 552 et voila! But I’m assuming these are fake Chinese components. Watchco et al. only used genuine Omega parts.

Are 166.0324 cases faked? Is there a way to tell whether it’s 100% real?

Of course fake cases exist, but most are original from the WatchCo era, i.e. before Omega decided to take it off market (or make it difficult to buy?) because of the whole WatchCo concept.

 

[Revo]

As it happens there's a SM300 in a 166.0324 case on UK ebay at the moment for £3k. Plenty of people watching it so maybe not a good example or else too expensive. Anyway, I'd rather have a non-date version as 1.) it's going to be worn in rotation and 2.) cleaner, simpler dial.

Thanks again all. Bloody enablers!

 

[alvaropm]

Keep your speedy

 

[Concretepuppy]

JwRosenthal

Obviously I am a watchco fan, not simply becuase they are cheaper than the vintage ones, but becuase I own several vintage watches with flawless Bakelite bezels and I always think twice about what I will be doing that day before I wear one of them- and those are only <$2k watches. I couldn’t imagine the feeling of putting a $6-10k Bakelite bezeled watch into a door frame 😲

I bought a watchco and was told the bezel was a bakelite version, i wasn’t sure if it was but liked the watch anyway, but it’s nagged away how a bakelite bezel is distinguished from a non bakelite (would that be ceramic?) is there a reliable way to tell them apart? Do all bakelite ones have tritium lume and all ceramic have luminova? The lume on the bezel stays illuminated for the same time as the dial, about 8 hours and same colour

 

[SBund]

C Concretepuppy

I bought a watchco and was told the bezel was a bakelite version, i wasn’t sure if it was but liked the watch anyway, but it’s nagged away how a bakelite bezel is distinguished from a non bakelite (would that be ceramic?) is there a reliable way to tell them apart? Do all bakelite ones have tritium lume and all ceramic have luminova? The lume on the bezel stays illuminated for the same time as the dial, about 8 hours and same colour

If you expect people to help you with that question, I suspect an image of the bezel in question would be needed. Anyway, a bakelite bezel belongs to a vintage watch. With yours being luminova, it is not bakelite.

 

[Donn Chambers]

C Concretepuppy

I bought a watchco and was told the bezel was a bakelite version, i wasn’t sure if it was but liked the watch anyway, but it’s nagged away how a bakelite bezel is distinguished from a non bakelite (would that be ceramic?) is there a reliable way to tell them apart? Do all bakelite ones have tritium lume and all ceramic have luminova? The lume on the bezel stays illuminated for the same time as the dial, about 8 hours and same colour

The service bezel used in WatchCo (and other modern "NOS" reconstructions) is made of a modern plastic, not bakelite. There is a very obvious difference between them if you've ever seen in person. Some people probably don't understand that plastic is not equal to bakelite, so use the terms interchangeably.

 

[JwRosenthal]

C Concretepuppy

I bought a watchco and was told the bezel was a bakelite version, i wasn’t sure if it was but liked the watch anyway, but it’s nagged away how a bakelite bezel is distinguished from a non bakelite (would that be ceramic?) is there a reliable way to tell them apart? Do all bakelite ones have tritium lume and all ceramic have luminova? The lume on the bezel stays illuminated for the same time as the dial, about 8 hours and same colour

The easy tell is the color of the numbers on the bezel- the older Bakelite are yellow and the newer ones are white.
Bakelite was a form of plastic but had properties closer to glass (think of those old black plastic ashtrays on every diner table when you could smoke in public). As it aged it got more brittle and was prone to cracking under stress (hence finding a crack free bezel on a vintage watch with one is always a goal).
Modern bezels that are meant to be “like” Bakelite are usually just acrylic- which is a natural progression of the technology IMO.
Some micro brands have done a few real Bakelite bezels and it is a marketing tool for them, but the ones in our Watchco’s are just acrylic.