Speedy Tuesday – A Blue Dial Speedmaster 105.003 On Auction

Apollo13

The ink on the papers looks more like rollerball than it does Bíró which would make it definitely a fake. It was actually my mistake for confusing the two names. I assumed they were synonymous and interchangeable.

Seth

@Robert-Jan

Why do you have no problem trashing Christie's Skipper calling them "fraudulent" on instagram because of a photoshoped picture but stay put about Philipps' Speedmaster faking box and paper? You heart should be closer to Omega.

MCC

I think recent events reflect badly on the auction houses concerned and the Omega archives process. I don't think we can trust either unfortunately.

shishy

Okay I'm curious -- how can you tell that those papers are written in rollerball and not ballpoint? My understanding is that rollerball ink tends to feel more smooth and can smudge more easily, whereas ballpoint dries super quickly.

If the rollerball pen used gel based ink, I think it'd be super obvious in that example (When you start writing a character, the point at which the pen hits the paper and begins to start tends to have a little smudge/circle because the ink seeps out before forming the line in the rest of the letter). But I don't see that in this picture, maybe I'm not observant enough.

Apollo13

You’re totally right. It’s a tough one. Aside from my cockup on using Biro/rollerball as one, I also should have stated that I PERSONALLY have a somewhat high degree of confidence. I guess I was just angry about the whole situation and rushed my post. Usually with pieces I have pulled out of buying where this issue has come up it has very obviously been rollerball (amongst many reasons, the ones you gave are usually key indicators).

However it was a gentlemen at the auction who knows this stuff far better than I do who confirmed to me the issue and to stay out of the bid (as I was not sure).

Typically with rollerball (aside from what you mentioned) it causes a very light bleed onto the back of the paper. I also know rollerball doesn’t fair as well with age etc

However just on the picture and now looking quite intensely at the differences with biro (previously rollerball issues I’ve looked at in auction have alll very characteristically been rollerball (I wasn’t actively assessing if a counterpart could have suited the writing)). But upon further research into biro, it’s not very clear which is which. In fact if I were betting on the picture alone I am inclined to say biro, which means the pen is period correct and nothing is wrong. However the good authority I have this information on, comes from a very astute watch specialist who could be wrong, but has not as of yet failed me.

I retract my earlier statement due to the way I delivered and phrased it. Poor form. hopefully this clears up my position. In hindsight I should have opened this as a discussion instead of a declaration.

DLT222

Phillips will happily keep a low profile until this all blows over. What they fail to remember is all the BS that’s been fed to us in other auctions they have done. Perish the thought if they are selling artwork as legit, who can you trust there now as an auction house!

I wouldn’t even bid on anything if they were on eBay!

LeonDeBayonne

At least Omega is providing some information when asked. If I am not mistaken, Rolex does not provide any and there is no one single Rolex book that provides clear information on dials, cases, hands... In this desert of information, how many "prototypes" and "extremely rare" watches have been sold at auction and by merchants?

DLT222

I have a few of these and they are good reference books, not as concise as MWO though.