The thinning of the herd continues (necessitated by incessant acquisition...) Here's a really nice Speedmaster Mark II I picked up a while back, thinking it would make a suitable beater... but when I saw the condition I figured it's so nice that I'm a bit disinclined to wear it. I have another beater SMII anyway, so time for this one to find a new master. Serial number: 32856xxx Extract of the archives shows it was delivered to the UK and manufactured on 1st October 1974. Comes on original 1162/173 bracelet which is quite short (about 7.25"/18.5cm) - it was a straight fit for me and I've got skinny wrists. I have a couple of links from another 1162 that I can throw in if required. It's in amazing condition; I believe the case/hands/dial are all original, though the case is so smart I wonder if it's been refinished (if so, it's been done very well). It was serviced at STS in 2014, and got a new crystal, pushers and crown as well as a regular service. It keeps time well, winds really smoothly and all functions work as expected (chrono starts/stops/resets). There are a few signs of wear on the bracelet, the tiniest of scratches in the sunburst finish on the top side (which experience with other SMIIs tells me is the place you're most likely to clunk it during wearing) and the case back has a couple of slip scars. The Speedmaster engraving on the case back is a little faded but the hippocampus is still pretty clear. All in, it's a lovely Speedmaster Mark II and I'll happily take offers and answer questions, offer more photos etc, but the first person to offer my now-reduced asking price of £1750 (net to me) gets the watch, including delivery to a UK address. My ideal would be a face to face transaction in/near London; I'll have the watch at the next Time4aPint if it's still available, or I'd be happy to show it in person at another time if we can agree it. Overseas shipping can be arranged at the buyer's expense. I have a little selling experience here (example) but plenty of buyers references, ebay buyer & seller history etc. Contact me if you'd like more details. I'm a collector for my own enjoyment, so don't buy & sell watches for profit - I've only sold a handful, ever, though recent acquisitions and the waning of Mrs D's patience means that may have to change a bit more.
I've had some enquiries, including asking about the extra links - they actually came off a different 1162 bracelet which was still too long for me even after I'd removed all of the screw-in links I could... so I took it to my local jeweller who carefully prised off the centre section of 3 fixed links so that bracelet would fit me. So I have 3x screw-in and 3x fixed links which I'll include with this watch if necessary; note that since the 1162 tapers, they're not all exactly the same size (ie the left-most 2 are actually from either ends of the bracelet, which explains their funny looking shape). If you needed them all, it would add about another 1.5" or 4cm to the bracelet, I think.
bump for the weekend - I've had a few nibbles but nobody who's hungry has shown up yet. It'll be on the 'bay before long at this rate... there are many less good, more expensive MkIIs out there ...
I've had a request for straight-on pics of the dial. It's not the easiest watch to photograph as the flat crystal tends to throw reflections, and any dust particles end up looking like massive smudges on the dial. Here's the best I could come up with - in natural light As you can see, there are some very minor marks on the subdials, but I've stared at the watch with a 10x loupe before and never noticed them until I took these photos. In a light box with a strip of LEDs providing fairly stark lighting - I tried to get any dust etc off the crystal so show it as honestly as possible. As above, I'm happy to take offers, as long as you're happy for me to say "no thanks" I'll stick it on Ebay this week at a higher starting price than here, and if it doesn't sell, then it goes back in the watch box to come out & play another time. I'll bring it to Time4aPint on Tuesday 23rd if anyone fancies a butcher's.
Listing is updated as I've had confirmation that it was serviced at STS in 2014, and the crystal, pushers & crown were replaced.
Some more questions arrived about the bracelet... The 1162 bracelets are a bit of a pain if you have a small wrist, as they have lots of fixed links and only a few removable links, and the fixed links taper in size down towards the clasp. If you take all the removable ones out and try to shorten the bracelet by moving the pin on the clasp, the tapering of the last few fixed links can get in the way. Here's a post I made last year looking for help in shortening the bracelet of another 1162 - and the key image that shows what I'm talking about (NB: the bracelet below is not the one on the watch for sale, it's a different watch). So, what I had to do to get the above bracelet wearable, was to take it to my local jeweller, who gently prised apart the folded central section of a couple of the fixed links, allowing the removal of one fixed link from one side of the bracelet, and two from the other. That particular bracelet now fits well and even has a little room for adjustment. Returning to the Speedmaster Mark II for sale, here's a pic of the back of the watch along with the spare links that I have, lined up in the correct place. The links above are the fixed ones that were prised open; in order to install them into the watch, you'd need to open out a clasp in an appropriate place, insert the additional link & clasp, and then fold both the clasps back again. It's not a procedure I was brave enough to do myself, but I trust my nearby jeweller (he's not really a watch maker, but he is a watch guy and he wouldn't attempt something he wasn't confident in). Any competent watch maker would be able to do this. The links below are the pin-installed removable jobs; if the bracelet was too short and you were worried about buggering about with the fixed links, then it's possible to pick up NOS versions of the removable links for about £35 each on Ebay. It would potentially mean a bigger step up in the tapering (as the removable links are all the same width) but it'd be on the underside of the watch so only the truly neurotic would find it a problem ;-)
Final bump before it goes on Ebay... This is, IMHO (which is hardly unbiased, obvs) the best black-faced Speedmaster Mark II available on the market at the moment. It's got provenance, recent service history and is in excellent condition. I've had quite a few offers a good way off the asking price, and welcome though they are, none floats my boat enough to sell at that kind of price. If there are no takers by the end of next week, then it goes back into the safe to come out and play again in a couple of years.
Please make up your mind More seriously - please let us know when it hits the 'bay... only the 'bay has the true market price...
If its on auction yes. Ive seen some daft buys on there for way over what a watch is worth in auction also.
very nice piece - with great history and service - worth a good £3-400 of the asking price. If I didnt have one already i'd be tempted. GLWTS!
penultimate bump - price drop to £1750. Watch will be with me at Time4apint tomorrow if anyone wants a closer look.
