Speedmaster Bracelet dates.

[NRT]

Hi Everyone

New Speedmaster owner and my first time posting on here. I have really enjoyed reading all of your comments and posts at length in the weeks leading up to my new purchase. Thank you.

I have a query and I wonder if anyone can help me answer it. I just bought a lovely 145.022-68 Transitional Speedmaster which came with an Extract of Archives confirming a production date of Jan 69 which is my birth year as it happens which is great.

To complete the watch I also just bought separately a superb condition 1039/516 bracelet which luckily according the stamp was also made in 69 which is also great.

My nick picking question is the production date of the watch is Jan 69 and the bracelet is stamped 3/69 which as I understand it means 3rd quarter of 69.

I am wondering if very strictly speaking the bracelet that originally came with my Jan production watch would have been stamped 1/69 or maybe 4/68?

I saw some posts on here saying that production dates and shipment dates are not the same and the bracelets were added just before shipment so that could be much later in some cases.

Another post mentioned that Speedmasters were sometimes shipped without the bracelets attached and the retailer would then add the bracelets later themselves.

Just to be clear I am very happy with my bracelet and am lucky to have found one from the same production year as the watch but just while researching it I became very curious about how it worked at the time. I should add there is no mention of any bracelet on the Extract.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can throw any light on my question.

Edited: Jan 23, 2024

 

[padders]

The pertinent date here is when the watch was sold, not when it was delivered. If you don’t have that (ie the papers are missing) I’d personally be perfectly happy with a bracelet from the same year as production as for all you know it sat around for 6 months before sale. You could argue that the blank extract data for bracelet indicates it was fitted by the dealer not factory, and most Speedmasters have this field blank. I think you are nit picking to be honest, it’s not an issue IMO.

 

[Davidt]

It’s not an exact science but I think it aligns about right. My two Speedmasters on flatlink has bracelets dates a few months after production date so Q2/Q3 for a watch produced in Jan seems in the right ballpark

 

[SOG53]

You have no way to know what bracelet originally came with this watch
Unless you have the luck of the Irish ☘️ you know that the bracelet you have now was not originally on the watch , but is dated close to the watch, and both watch and bracelet correspond to your birth year.
So be happy and enjoy the music!!!
Btw we like pictures especially Speedys so post a few with the bracelet.

 

[NRT]

SOG53

You have no way to know what bracelet originally came with this watch
Unless you have the luck of the Irish ☘️ you know that the bracelet you have now was not originally on the watch , but is dated close to the watch, and both watch and bracelet correspond to your birth year.
So be happy and enjoy the music!!!
Btw we like pictures especially Speedys so post a few with the bracelet.

Well I am Irish but never seem to have much luck 😉 thanks for taking the time to reply as I mentioned I am very happy with my set but was just curious on when bracelets were normally added in production as almost all the 69 production Transitionals I have seen (only a few to be fair) with 1039 bracelets seem to have a 1/69 date stamp. The bracelet is actually on route to me now so I can't show it as the set but here is a photo of my new watch and the bracelet I have bought. I am proud as punch to own them both!

Edited: Jan 22, 2024

 

[Haz]

Congratulations
Very nice watch. And this 1039 is looks awesome.

 

[NRT]

Haz

Congratulations
Very nice watch. And this 1039 is looks awesome.

Thank you!

 

[Franco]

It must have happened countless times that a customer buys a Speedmaster on a strap, and goes home happy. Then summer comes and decides perhaps a bracelet would be good - goes back to the dealer and gets a bracelet fitted. Bracelet may be from the same year or whereabouts - I am perfectly happy with that, think is still age-correct.