The auction by eLady1 from Japan on eBay was for a 3572.50, Serial Number 77016194, which they told me in a private message that they thought it might be from around 2005.

There was no service history, but they said it runs great and the price was good for a donor sapphire-back watch to do my white Italian or Mitsukoshi dial mod. I love that it's still Heasalite up front, and not a sapphire sandwich.

It arrived yesterday and I took it to my watchmaker, left it overnight for him to check out, and I picked it up today. He says the movement looks and runs great, is properly lubricated like it had a recent service, with good amplitude and low beat error, and running slightly fast (+6 to +10).

The case is decently sharp and unblemished but you can tell it was re-finished at least once (I think it looks good though). And the bracelet was missing 3 links (auction did say for 16mm/6.29" wrist). I picked up 3 links from the OB for a HUGE discount since I had to drive 150 miles round trip to pick them up, and I'd only need to use 2 of them for my 7.3" wrist.

However, my watchmaker says the inside of the case-back indicates that it's a 145.345 8080 Japanese market watch, not a 3572.50 as advertised in the auction. However, the 145.345 should have a Tritium dial and an 863 movement. This one clearly has a Super Luminova "SWISS MADE" dial and hands, and rhodium plated 1863 movement, combined with the matching low 77 million serial number on the case and movement, which it should place the watch as manufactured after 2000. So, to me everything else points to it being a newer and excellent specimen of 3572.50 as advertised.

For $3,200 (plus a $130 2-year Assurant warranty) I'd like to still keep it, since it's in such good shape. But do you think that people will give me crap about the wrong case-back later if I decide to sell it in the future?

i.e. Does the older case-back make this a frankenwatch, or was it just pulled from the parts bin and this is just how it came out of Omega, like with my 1976 Speedy where it's got a -74 case-back and 39 million SN movement, but was made in 1976?

I'm leaning towards the parts bin theory, and that the case-back might make it more interesting as a transitional watch. I don't know that it's old enough to get an extract of the archives later on. I also picked up a complete Big Box for Moonwatch for $250 shipped (with tool, loupe, medallion, manual and card holder, but no extra straps), which should be here soon, since it came with no box ($100 less than the offer I made to a newbie here last month).

 

Actually, with the jdm case, it’s a good call for your Mitsokushi mod.

 

And I was thinking with the sapphire case-back it was a good call for the white Italian dial (which would call for a 1997 sapphire sandwich).

And it's just the JDM case-back. The movement serial matches the case serial number and is a newer 77million 1863 movement, and the dial is a newer Super Luminova dial that goes with the newer SN and movement, unlike the JDM watch which was older with Tritium dial/hands and an 863 movement.

 

Did Omega change the case back part numbering for leather versus bracelet versions, i.e. shouldn't a 145 model be a leather band?

 

The watch is what it was advertised as:

Serial number: 77016194
Article ref: 35725000

Case numbers reference numbers - they are two completely different things.

The watchmaker is a little confused - the case for this watch is a 1450808 but the previous iteration was 3450808.

Mystery solved!

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks Al! I do like to learn a new thing or two every day!

 

Thanks Al !!

Sorry I turned the 0808 into 8080 as well. That had to make it more confusing.

I was pretty sure that he saw all the numbers including 145 345 and 0808. I’m heading back over there with my new dial & the hands so I’ll confirm this again soon.

 

Not saying those numbers weren't in there, but certainly not as they were written above. Often there are more than one set of numbers in a case back. Again your watch is exactly what it was sold as - there's zero doubt of that.

Cheers, Al

 

Your watchmaker is wrong. If the serial matches it is an early 2000’s 3572.50 and it should have the superluminova dial and hands with 1863 movement. Where is he getting his info...

 

What?

I think that you've misread my post - my watchmaker and I both agree that it looks a 3572.50, with the superluminova dial and hands, 1863 movement, and movement serial number that matches the case. I told him it came from seller in Japan when I dropped it off.

When my guy saw 145 345 0808 printed inside the case-back, he thought it might be a japanese market watch (since I told him about Japan). That's all.

I told him that I would check it out. I then searched for a 145.345 and found a Japanese market watch with sapphire case-back, 863 movement, and Tritium dial/hands, which is clearly not this watch. So then I posted about what I found here. I was wrong.

Archer cleared it all up above, it was a case number not a reference number, "the case for this watch is a 1450808 but the previous iteration was 3450808" - it was just the case number, and I think the case-back may have been used on both models?

 

Hope you post pictures of your mod! Glad the mystery is solved

 

What makes you think the case has been refinished?

 

1) the seller claimed it was polished.
2) there is very slight decrease in sharpness in a couple of the lugs - it looks very good though even side by side with my unpolished 2013 Speedy. You can hardly tell.

 

I’m waiting for my black with white stitching Silver Snoopy strap to complete to look.

 

If it can help you to wait, here is mine.

 

Nice. That strap makes a big difference to me. I also have the full black hands, that I picked up after I bought the dial and bezel and hands on another forum. So I might change things up next time.

I've never seen that bezel before. With all of my dead space I've considered going back to my stock 60 pulsations tachymetre bezel and just doing the math (divide number on bezel by 4 if counting only 15 beats). I'm going to leave this one for a while and see how often use the HR feature first. I've never used my stock bezel to track speed before.

 

So, I dropped the watch off today to have the hour and minute hands swapped to ones that were all black with steel hubs and green lume (unlike the all black silver Snoopy hands that have black hubs and “white” lume).

I didn’t like the partial white/black Alaska project hands as much. This swap will still leave me with one identical matching set of hour/minute hands for the future, plus I also have the silver snoopy hands and these white/black hands as back ups.

 

I liked your hands better and had two spare sets of them to use one now.