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·Hi all,
I just got my hands on a new Ed White Speedmaster which certainly is the nicest example I ever had the chance to hold in my hands. It was brought by and old man, the original owner to a German dealer where I bought it, unfortunately without box and papers.
I am in the process of assessing the watch since I want to be sure it's as original as the dealer claims. It would be much appreciated if you could share your perspective, tons of pictures for reference. My thoughts so far:
Dial:
Beautiful condition, rich black color with no indication of discoloration. The print is intact across the whole dial. The lume is in original condition and beautifully aged. Texture, color, application and some small imperfections speak for themselves. There is one tiny scratch at the bottom of the running second sub dial.
Hands:
Original in my opinion. lume matches the dial in color and texture. the minute hand shows honest aging/darkening of the lume. They appear to be damaged by a watchmaker working on it. They are bent as they should be and length also seems correct.
Crown:
Original (A1, as referenced in MWO), 24 teeth
Pusher:
Original, both pusher cap and pusher neck have the correct size. No corrosion, which is surprising
Bezel:
Definitely on the fat font side. I've seen this before so it's not a surprise. Spent quite some time researching it to double check, there are great resources on this forum:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/need-an-eye-to-spot-speedy-don-bezel-subtle-font-differences.81447/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/do90-bezel-comparison-on-2998s.25770/
I also checked weight and dimensions which are correct. The back of the bezel also reveals the "old style" steel ring.
Mid case:
My vote that it clearly was polished, unfortunately. Does it bother me? No! I've seen lot worse. There are discussions ongoing regarding bevels/facets. I am convinced the factory finish of a -65 features them. Again, great threads on the forum as reference:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/the...-lug-speedy-thread-show-us-your-facets.61910/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/nice-crisp-straight-lugs-got-some.34079/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/ever-seen-an-unpolished-ed-white.36358/
Case back:
Other than the mid case, I don't think it was polished. The engraving is precise and visible, it shows subtle but honest dings.
Crystal:
Service crystal with the modern logo. I am not sure how the silver tension ring ended up in there but I don't think its an original one. The early 2998 rings are thicker. However, I kind of like the look.
Movement:
Overall great condition, It appears to be correct for the reference. Unfortunately, some watchmaker scratched around a bit but nothing serious. Since the watch came without an extract or any paper work, I took the risk of buying a put together watch here. The serial range appears correct, ilovemyspeedmaster.com dated the watch to September 1967. Extract is ordered at Omega, I hope it arrives soon.
Now for the pictures. I added some macro shots and comparison pictures of another Ed White I own which I always considered to be in good condition as well.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the photos and please share thoughts.
I just got my hands on a new Ed White Speedmaster which certainly is the nicest example I ever had the chance to hold in my hands. It was brought by and old man, the original owner to a German dealer where I bought it, unfortunately without box and papers.
I am in the process of assessing the watch since I want to be sure it's as original as the dealer claims. It would be much appreciated if you could share your perspective, tons of pictures for reference. My thoughts so far:
Dial:
Beautiful condition, rich black color with no indication of discoloration. The print is intact across the whole dial. The lume is in original condition and beautifully aged. Texture, color, application and some small imperfections speak for themselves. There is one tiny scratch at the bottom of the running second sub dial.
Hands:
Original in my opinion. lume matches the dial in color and texture. the minute hand shows honest aging/darkening of the lume. They appear to be damaged by a watchmaker working on it. They are bent as they should be and length also seems correct.
Crown:
Original (A1, as referenced in MWO), 24 teeth
Pusher:
Original, both pusher cap and pusher neck have the correct size. No corrosion, which is surprising
Bezel:
Definitely on the fat font side. I've seen this before so it's not a surprise. Spent quite some time researching it to double check, there are great resources on this forum:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/need-an-eye-to-spot-speedy-don-bezel-subtle-font-differences.81447/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/do90-bezel-comparison-on-2998s.25770/
I also checked weight and dimensions which are correct. The back of the bezel also reveals the "old style" steel ring.
Mid case:
My vote that it clearly was polished, unfortunately. Does it bother me? No! I've seen lot worse. There are discussions ongoing regarding bevels/facets. I am convinced the factory finish of a -65 features them. Again, great threads on the forum as reference:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/the...-lug-speedy-thread-show-us-your-facets.61910/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/nice-crisp-straight-lugs-got-some.34079/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/ever-seen-an-unpolished-ed-white.36358/
Case back:
Other than the mid case, I don't think it was polished. The engraving is precise and visible, it shows subtle but honest dings.
Crystal:
Service crystal with the modern logo. I am not sure how the silver tension ring ended up in there but I don't think its an original one. The early 2998 rings are thicker. However, I kind of like the look.
Movement:
Overall great condition, It appears to be correct for the reference. Unfortunately, some watchmaker scratched around a bit but nothing serious. Since the watch came without an extract or any paper work, I took the risk of buying a put together watch here. The serial range appears correct, ilovemyspeedmaster.com dated the watch to September 1967. Extract is ordered at Omega, I hope it arrives soon.
Now for the pictures. I added some macro shots and comparison pictures of another Ed White I own which I always considered to be in good condition as well.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the photos and please share thoughts.
