Hello All

I'm new to the forum and am looking to buy my first speedy. I'd be grateful for some thoughts on the correctness, overall condition and an opinion of fair value of this one. It's from 1966 with a CB case and is also being represented as unpolished. Thanks!

 

Hi and welcome here!

Saw this one posted for sale some days ago from a dealer to an IMO quite fair price (esp. for a dealer).

Despite the wrong crown I couldn't find anything obviously wrong with it.

Some marks on the movement holding ring and on the dust cover and some lume loss on the minute hand.

Otherwise the watch seems to be in a good original condition and the case really looks OK.

For pricing use:

https://speedmaster101.com/price-chart-2/


Maybe I missed some things so I'm curious what the experts say

 

Looks wonderful. I’m not sure it’s completely unpolished but the case looks very good.

At the right price I’d be happy to own it which is something I can’t say for many speedmasters on the market at the minute.

 

Unless it's just the photos, It looks like the CB facets have been all but polished off.

 

Sorry, I'm not a native English speaker: Your point is the facets have been polished out?

 

Yes, that is my opinion based on the photos.

 

I can see some sign of the CB facets, but they certainly don't appear as sharp as they would originally have been. There are also obvious signs of modest polishing to various other places, but overall it's quite a appealing watch to me. Replacement crown as mentioned above, and some lume loss on the minute hand. There are various places that you can look for approximate value, or you can be forthcoming with the asking price, which will probably elicit some opinions.

 

Always hard to judge especially from not so good pictures but I think I can see them:

 

The lume on those -66s frequently ages very well. Imo the dial is the greatest asset of that watch, then the pushers, then the bezel. The CB-facets are indeed very faint, due to polishing. Overall quite attractive.

 

Thanks Dan! Asking Price is $12,500.00. Would welcome opinions as to value.

 

If it’s being represented as unpolished, that is misleading. It is not priced as an excellent condition CB but looks generally honest and the price is about right for a watch with attractive dial, lume & bezel that dont turn up too often

 

Not mint by any means, but pretty darn nice and not outrageously priced. The incorrect crown is a minus and, as others have said, the case has been polished. Overall though, I like it.

 

Thanks so much for your thoughts. So it's your opinion that the facets have been polished? If so, I assume that it would take away some of the charm of choosing a CB

 

Thank you! Would you mind telling me what the correct crown is and what's currently on it?

 

That’s my opinion only - I do see evidence of the facet but it’s not a clean crisp edge. For the price, it’s a good example but you have to decide if it meets your expectations. The crown is something you can find and replace with little effort; focus on the dial and the case

Linked below is a good recent reference CB example with all well defined facet lines (keep in mind this one is likely a $20K+ watch)

https://omegaforums.net/threads/barn-find-105012-66-cb.113716/

 

Just a guess, but what’s on the watch looks like a service crown. Not positive, but I think that the original crown would be a 7mm A-1 flat-foot 24-tooth crown. No idea what the part number would be.

 

This might help to show facet line contrast. Left is the watch you’re considering and right is @Pianist watch in the thread I linked earlier.

 

Great post. Not only does it show the facet line, but the difference in how edges and scratches appear when a watch has been polished and re-brushed. On the right, you can clearly see the original finish overlaid with sharp scratches. On the left, the appearance of the edges and scratches is muted, and the original finish is gone. This is exactly the type of thing newbies should be doing for themselves, as well as looking at photos of dozens of other examples.

 

Thanks for everyones comments. It was an amazing wealth of information and greatly appreciated!

 

I hope I didn’t discourage you @aigale
Reasonably priced CBs in this condition don’t turn up too often