Thanks in advance for reading. My Connie C was a 50th birthday present last year and it has triggered an interest in watches. Nothing too expensive (that's huge subjective in itself). I've acquired a couple of Christopher Wards (C3 chrono Quartz and C60 auto)and a Stowa Flieger since then. Average wrists so nothing too big.

I bought a new car last Sept and they threw in a Lexus chrono quartz with tachy bezel.

I'd like a better 'racing' watch and what better than a Speedie. I am not a collector and would be the first to admit I don't know my hairspring from my balance wheel.

I do know that I am tempted by the newish Racing line of Speedies, such as these;





It's circa £2.7k and I've never spent anything like that in a watch. I'm worried about making a mistake and living to regret it.

I'm wondering if my first foray into the Speedie world should be less ambitious, but I'm nervous of buying exactly the wrong one, if in fact there is a 'wrong' one. As I say I'm not a collector and not trying to get the most historically accurate one, neither am I likely to flip it, not in a hurry anyway!

I've seen this:



No idea if this is the ref to avoid, if there is such a one. I'm sure it priced as you would expect in a London store, but apart from not wanting to be had over I don't mind paying a premium for peace of mind. I don't have the knowledge to risk a private buy.

So, do I stick with the new Racing model, which has some attractions, or pick up a pre owned along the lines of the pic?

Thanks all.

 

Nobody have a view on this for me?

 

If you like the modern co-axial based Speedmaster racing, then definitely go for it, nothing wrong with those watches.

Now, since you are looking for opinion, I have one !!! Many actually !!!

I'm not afraid to express my opinion, its worth very little of course as my wife and kids remind me on a regular basis.

Buying a watch, especially your first expensive piece, is intensely personal. Nobody can tell you what you like, and what appeals to your eye Even the guru's around here have different tastes, and that keeps it interesting. So, the fact that you like the "racing" edition co-axial Speedmasters is great. As for mistakes, well, a common theme, or question, when buying a Speedmaster is: why not buy the "real thing", a moonwatch? (i.e. a Speedmaster Professional edition, manual wind, calibre 321, 861, 1861. The modern reference number is 3570.50. That is the classic, and established the Speedmaster brand as iconic.

You ask about "mistakes"... Probably the biggest mistake is buying a Speedmaster from a less than reputable source, usually in an attempt to save a small amount of money - and then having problems (e.g. problems with the seller, fakes, watches not as described, etc.). What most people will recommend is buying fromm an authorized dealer (AD), or, buying from a highly reputable source. There are many top notch sellers here on Omega Forums, look at the for sale section, look at seller feedback. You buy the seller, not the watch. You addressed this in your post, but felt it was important to mention anyway.

Please let us know what you end up deciding (I like DLT's suggestion btw, yellow looks the best to me).

 

I own one of these and love it:



... but I would either buy a coaxial or a moonwatch if I were in your shoes. My broadarrow is in for expensive remedial work, and a lot of the automatic movements aren't as well regarded and could hurt you at resale. That's the most likely mistake you could make.

 

Thanks for the input, greatly appreciated. I think I'm leaning towards a watch that is likely to stand the test of time (forgive the pun), and am worried that whilst I like the current Racing model, they are perhaps more fashionable and if my tastes change and I flip it I would lose more than if I went for the Pro.

I know I'm buying it for the enjoyment of the watch itself, but I need to be comfortable with the financial side to.

Hope that sort of makes sense.

 

on the other hand, you might miss out on a nice watch at a good price if you ignore sellers just because they are new to this forum and don't have loads of references. Not everyone is out to rob you of your cash.

 

My personal preference is for the classic moonwatch, either vintage or modern. It's well loved and if you needed to sell, you could likely get a reasonable return.

However, it's no good going for a watch you're not keen on just because it may have a slightly higher residual.

From on what I've heard, the older autos are less well thought of but the newer coaxial autos in the racing models are much better, in house omega movements.

Decide de what you like, wait a few weeks and look again. If it's still the same model, just go for it!

 

Well DJP, im slightly biased on this, as DLT222 kindly pointed out, i have a brand new yellow panda racing for sale at a killer price. (you can find it here Cozzer)

I bought my first expensive watch over 5 years ago, and im happy every day that i did. I recommend going with your gut, as long as you love it, thats all the matters. Don't buy a watch for resale value, buy it for you.

Apparently, there is a 'real' speedmaster and thats the moonwatch, i dont buy into that, the Speedmaster was around way before one went to the moon. The racing is a great watch and its no pretender.

Whatever you choose, im sure everyone on here will agree, this watch thing doesn't stop at one!

Good luck.

 

Thank you very much for your input, and you are right, any watch I buy should be because I like it and not because it might hold its value better than another. That's especially true as I'm not intending to flip, it will be a keeper.

Cozzer, the Racing you have is not one of the colours I would choose but thanks for letting me know.

 

Just my 2 cents, but I went with the classic Speedy 3570.50 10 years ago, and my only regret is that I didn't but one sooner. I know individuals perceive watches differently, but it has near perfect form; it just looks right on my wrist. Legibility is also superb in normal light conditions. The only downside is that the Luminova is rather weak. I will never be without one.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

Go with Kringly on here. He is the best with quality and purchase

 

Thanks, I'm going to try a couple today but assuming that's ok have decided the Pro is the route for me.

 

Thanks for this, I have seen a number of positives but am extremely nervous of dealing at a distance, especially for this size purchase.

 

I understand how you feel as I felt the same way on my first big purchase over a long distance. As far as Kringkily (George) goes I have purchased four or five watches from him now as have other respected forum members and can assure you that he is the real deal. George is all about customer service and sells very nice watches ...you can look him up in the seller profile & review thread to check his reputation for yourself.