Hi forum members, in a Hodinkee article recently, they recommended putting a Speidel expanding bracelet on a Speedy for that authentic retro look..I found one and put it on my 105.012-66 (TRUE-Moon Watch!!)..What are your thoughts? (a 1039 is currently out of my budget!)
Nothing wrong with that in my honest opinion. Mind you, you could put that on an elastic band and it would look cool
Looks good to me. Do you have more pics? I read that article and went looking for one but couldnt find any. Thanks
That article read a bit more like an advertisement for Speidel than anything else, the JB Champion is the aftermarket band famously associated with the Speedmaster: https://omegaforums.net/threads/the...ter-jb-champion-combination-has-arrived.7402/ The first thing I tend to do when receiving a vintage watch on one of these is cut it off with tin snips and toss it in the bin :|
The article doesn't note that those crappy bracelets ruin case lugs. A JB Champion-sure, any strap-hell yeah, a Spiedel stretch bracelet? i think that article caused many people to make an awful choice. If anyone wants one these atrocious bracelets, I have a bag full that I will send you.
I read that article. I was surprised to learn that Speidel was still around. I remember the Peter Lorre spots. This looks great. At risk of aging myself, these bands were wrist hair grabbers. You might get irritated, literally, after a while. Personally an old speedy looks best on a rugged leather strap.
I have a smallish wrist so the band doesn't pinch my hairs - A concern before I got one, but it is super comfy and easy to slip on and off. The straight end bars give it a look that emulate's how Neil Armstrong wore his when in civvies.
Yea but that bracelet Neil is wearing is the JB Champion I linked in my post above which is non-stretch and totally different in look and design. Those bracelets actually do have that history, but they're nothing like a Speidel except for not having an endlink.
I agree. Hodinkee has been shoving stuff down people's throat for a while now and it makes me sick. Put that watch on leather or a NATO.
Ok, I get it now...I'm one of the only people in the World to have a 105.012-66CB on a Speidel expanding bracelet..Thanks for all the feedback. Over and out. PS I do love it on a Nato too !
Just thought I should share my experience: I never liked these expandable bands, thought they were pretty ugly, always coming kind of dirty, and old fashioned - not old fashioned like a e-type jag or a Speedmaster, but old fashioned like your great uncle Robert that smell like pee at the hospice. But, I have to admit, the pictures in this thread are nice, so what's the heck... I was curious to experiment with the JB Champion look on my Speedy, yet I could not justify to myself paying $125-$150 just for trying it out, not even being confident I would like it. I figured however that I could spend $12 on Amazon, which I did. The band arrived today and I am honestly impressed. The quality is good, it is surprisingly well done, nice satin brunch on the side and shinier band in the middle. Smooth, doesn't catch my hair. Frankly for $12 I am shocked by what I got. This is actually a pretty cool piece of engineering. I still need to adjust the band (there are plenty of how-to online, I don't expect it to be a problem). The look is not exactly JB Champion, but it does have an interesting similarity with it, with a more modern twist. I guess it is kind of like finding an old picture of great uncle Robert when he had is own teeth and was driving his e-type around town -- and getting the blonde. Lost coolitude, unexpected. So once again, not a JB champion, better than you would expect, $12... I say go for it.
Some things that you will probably catch flack for by some members of this forum: 1. Owning a Speedmaster Pro 2. Putting a expanding bracelet on any watch 3. Having a watch dial repainted. 4. Having a watch relumed. 5. Not doing your homework. 6. Not having an avatar. 7. Trying to flip a LE Speedy for triple the amount that you paid. 8. Not servicing a watch regularly. 9. Trying to sell a watch here without 200 posts. 9a. Being too in love with quartz watches. 10. ...........nah......not even going to try and list them all.......a "thick skin" helps around here.......be polite and respectful and don't let anyone taint the joy you get from owning your speedy no matter what bracelet is on it......rock on dude!