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Speedmaster Professional as One & Done
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Cougar1968
·I wear my 3861 everyday, but I also have a Seiko turtle for certain vacations a few days a year when I’ll be in a pool/ocean, etc most of the day. Not for the water resistance, more because I will usually end up banging the watch on the side of the pool or do something stupid like that. I don’t care about scratches on my watch but also don’t like doing dumb sh*t that damages it.
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Tekashi_145.022
·I tried to do this (Speedy as my one watch collection). The only real issue you may run into is that you ever go to the beach or pool, you’ll enjoy having an additional piece with better water resistance, like a Seamaster of some sort.
Also, I am definitely in the minority here (most people who “wear the heck” out of their Speedy seldom seem to have an issue), but my Speedmaster doesn’t hold up to the demands of every day life like my divers did. Every two years, something happens to my Speedy - humidity appears under the crystal, a pusher wobbles, the crystal pops off when it hits a doorframe, the chronograph hand doesn’t reset dead center to “0,” etc. The cost and time sink of resolving these issues gets old.
Until an issue pops up, the watch runs like a champ and had truly excellent timekeeping. I take good care of my watch - I only let WOSTEP certified watchmakers touch it, it’s pressure tested annually, etc - but it’s simply not as durable as any diver I wore daily in the past, like a Christopher Ward C60 or TAG Heuer Aquaracer. YMMV. I have an 145.022, for what it’s worth.
The Speedy is super versatile and flies under the radar. Overall, despite the snags, I love wearing it as a daily, though I may switch to a Sub or 300M Seamaster for my daily in an effort to have fewer trips to the watchmaker.
Also, I am definitely in the minority here (most people who “wear the heck” out of their Speedy seldom seem to have an issue), but my Speedmaster doesn’t hold up to the demands of every day life like my divers did. Every two years, something happens to my Speedy - humidity appears under the crystal, a pusher wobbles, the crystal pops off when it hits a doorframe, the chronograph hand doesn’t reset dead center to “0,” etc. The cost and time sink of resolving these issues gets old.
Until an issue pops up, the watch runs like a champ and had truly excellent timekeeping. I take good care of my watch - I only let WOSTEP certified watchmakers touch it, it’s pressure tested annually, etc - but it’s simply not as durable as any diver I wore daily in the past, like a Christopher Ward C60 or TAG Heuer Aquaracer. YMMV. I have an 145.022, for what it’s worth.
The Speedy is super versatile and flies under the radar. Overall, despite the snags, I love wearing it as a daily, though I may switch to a Sub or 300M Seamaster for my daily in an effort to have fewer trips to the watchmaker.
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Cougar1968
·I tried to do this (Speedy as my one watch collection). The only real issue you may run into is that you ever go to the beach or pool, you’ll enjoy having an additional piece with better water resistance, like a Seamaster of some sort.
Also, I am definitely in the minority here (most people who “wear the heck” out of their Speedy seldom seem to have an issue), but my Speedmaster doesn’t hold up to the demands of every day life like my divers did. Every two years, something happens to my Speedy - humidity appears under the crystal, a pusher wobbles, the crystal pops off when it hits a doorframe, the chronograph hand doesn’t reset dead center to “0,” etc. The cost and time sink of resolving these issues gets old.
Until an issue pops up, the watch runs like a champ and had truly excellent timekeeping. I take good care of my watch - I only let WOSTEP certified watchmakers touch it, it’s pressure tested annually, etc - but it’s simply not as durable as any diver I wore daily in the past, like a Christopher Ward C60 or TAG Heuer Aquaracer. YMMV. I have an 145.022, for what it’s worth.
The Speedy is super versatile and flies under the radar. Overall, despite the snags, I love wearing it as a daily, though I may switch to a Sub or 300M Seamaster for my daily in an effort to have fewer trips to the watchmaker.
sorry to hear all that! I love the 145 reference btw. Just curious, how many years did it take for the watch to develop problems? Or was it straight from purchase?
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Tekashi_145.022
·sorry to hear all that! I love the 145 reference btw. Just curious, how many years did it take for the watch to develop problems? Or was it straight from purchase?
Fun question. Short answer: it was a mess when I bought it used; I had it fixed up, and it was flawless for 4 years.
Long answer: The watch is older than me, and I have no clue how many owners it had before me. I worked at one of the largest grays in the industry, and the watch was acquired as part of a huge lot of watches the company purchased from a failed Ponzi scheme (the failed company “consigned” a watch, used the cash proceeds to buy a new watch or pay themselves, then never paid the original seller). The fraudsters went on the lam, and the state seized their assets. Some of the assets were sold to the gray I worked at. (Side note: you wouldn’t believe some the other creative ways these grays get inventory, lol).
The Speedy had tons of issues at first. The crown AND stem would come out of the case when we’d try to set the time, even after the watchmakers had multiple goes at it. It was deemed too large of a risk for a return, so I bought it myself at a great price with the agreement they’d fix issues I encountered one by one over the course of a year.
Eventually, it was fixed up and “bulletproof” for 4 years… nary a single issue.
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Cougar1968
·Fun question. Short answer: it was a mess when I bought it used; I had it fixed up, and it was flawless for 4 years.
Long answer: The watch is older than me, and I have no clue how many owners it had before me. I worked at one of the largest grays in the industry, and the watch was acquired as part of a huge lot of watches the company purchased from a failed Ponzi scheme (the failed company “consigned” a watch, used the cash proceeds to buy a new watch or pay themselves, then never paid the original seller). The fraudsters went on the lam, and the state seized their assets. Some of the assets were sold to the gray I worked at. (Side note: you wouldn’t believe some the other creative ways these grays get inventory, lol).
The Speedy had tons of issues at first. The crown AND stem would come out of the case when we’d try to set the time, even after the watchmakers had multiple goes at it. It was deemed too large of a risk for a return, so I bought it myself at a great price with the agreement they’d fix issues I encountered one by one over the course of a year.
Eventually, it was fixed up and “bulletproof” for 4 years… nary a single issue.
Well I love a good story so thank you. Sounds like you saved it, I’m sure most people would’ve given up on that watch with all the trouble it’s caused. On a sidenote, I can only imagine what some off gray market dealers try to pull on people.
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justacpa
·I was never a professional mechanic, but I used to wrench on my Corvette, Camaros, and Porsche a lot when I was younger. I would never wear a watch of any brand, let alone a high-end watch, while working on my cars. I'd banged my knuckles enough to realize the damage car parts can cause. My knuckles would eventually heal for free, no way was I risking costly damage to even my modest Seiko or Citizen watches. I even took off my wedding band as the knurled handles of the wrenches would scratch the heck out of any ring.
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Donn Chambers
·I was never a professional mechanic, but I used to wrench on my Corvette, Camaros, and Porsche a lot when I was younger. I would never wear a watch of any brand, let alone a high-end watch, while working on my cars. I'd banged my knuckles enough to realize the damage car parts can cause. My knuckles would eventually heal for free, no way was I risking costly damage to even my modest Seiko or Citizen watches. I even took off my wedding band as the knurled handles of the wrenches would scratch the heck out of any ring.
Same here. Take off watches wedding ring when working on the car and around the house. Too many chances for something bad to happen, to the watch or to me. My granddad was a shop manager for Phillips 66 on the rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea and told me stories of workers who got their rings/watches caught in the machines and what happened.
if you think the worst thing that can happen is ruining your watch, you’re wrong.
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sgk
·Hi,
I have attempted to 'consolidate' down to one watch over the years but haven't managed so far. Difficult to do when you have 40+ watches (both modern and vintage) but I have at least started to 'downsize' the collection. I also tried to apply the overall logic you have described: keep the watch that matches your lifestyle. However, I would also keep the emotional aspect in mind. You will wear it everyday so it should make you smile every time you see it. And I would emphasize the 'You' part in the last sentence; don't bother with what others think. I would also echo some sound advice already given: when using tools\equipment, I would not wear a watch (speedmaster or a gshock) nor jewelry.
Lastly, if I was pushed to the wall and had to have just one watch that could stand an active lifestyle, it would be a dive watch (built a bit more robust, better water resistance etc). Having said that, emotionally, the Speedmaster 321 might just be the perfect one watch collection. Sorry if I didn't help you at all 😀
I have attempted to 'consolidate' down to one watch over the years but haven't managed so far. Difficult to do when you have 40+ watches (both modern and vintage) but I have at least started to 'downsize' the collection. I also tried to apply the overall logic you have described: keep the watch that matches your lifestyle. However, I would also keep the emotional aspect in mind. You will wear it everyday so it should make you smile every time you see it. And I would emphasize the 'You' part in the last sentence; don't bother with what others think. I would also echo some sound advice already given: when using tools\equipment, I would not wear a watch (speedmaster or a gshock) nor jewelry.
Lastly, if I was pushed to the wall and had to have just one watch that could stand an active lifestyle, it would be a dive watch (built a bit more robust, better water resistance etc). Having said that, emotionally, the Speedmaster 321 might just be the perfect one watch collection. Sorry if I didn't help you at all 😀
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SpeedyPhill
·My June 1994 Speedmaster " 25 years Apollo 11 " ran every day until June 2016... almost 22 years
When Omega brought out the " 50 years Apollo 11 " a lot of spaceflight aficionados didn't like the Buzz Butt version leading to consequences... 😗
When Omega brought out the " 50 years Apollo 11 " a lot of spaceflight aficionados didn't like the Buzz Butt version leading to consequences... 😗
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SC1
·Out of interest why not the 3861 hesalite?
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the_drunk_dial
·I have a Sub, Reverso, moonwatch hesalite, panerai, breitling, nttd.
My Speeedy pro is a daily driver and gets the most wear. If I could only keep one, that would be it.
My Speeedy pro is a daily driver and gets the most wear. If I could only keep one, that would be it.
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norb1967
·I pretty much wear my Speedy (date, admittedly) daily, but it’s a brilliant function watch and does everything I need it to, whilst looking good because of the quality of the materials (of course it has some scratches and dings after effectively 6 years of daily wear
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skipjack
·Daily winding can become a chore if a Speedy is your only watch.
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gbesq
·They’re definitely not delicate, my personal favorite one watch collection in the Seamaster Pro 300M, the high water resistance, domed sapphire crystal, hardy ceramic bezel etc make it stand up exceptionally well to abuse and stay looking new after many years. The Speedmaster isn’t bad by any means but the hesalite and aluminium / steel bezel is slightly more prone to damage or getting dinged up.
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DoctorEvil
·Been reading this thread and remembering when I got my first Omega in 2005, a Seamaster Pro 2551.80. I too was looking for a "one and done" watch because the cost was a lot of money to me at the time and I didn't think I'd be getting any more good watches. I picked it because it was rugged and waterproof enough for an active lifestyle, yet it could still look good with neat casual wear or a suit. Sure, the Speedy Pro could be a "one and done" as well, but IMHO the Seamaster Pro just edges it out because of the better water resistance.
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Dan S
·This is all you need. Currently $40 on Amazon. Excellent watch.
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