Evening all. Any thoughts on this one from the uk?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261398641065?redirect=mobilePurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

It's a 145.022-71 so from my limited knowledge, it's one of the first with the common case back inscription and one of the last with a stepped dial? Comes with box and papers which match the numbers on the watch. looks original to me but I'm having trouble telling if cases have been over polished. Does the condition look good? Does box and papers make much difference with these less collectable refs?

 

An expert should chime in, but shouldn't an early '71 (as stated in the listing) have the straight-line inscription like this?

(borrowed from Internet, <http://www.fratellowatches.com/omega-speedmaster-it-is-39-years-ago/>)

 

Not necessarily; the current case back was introduced in '71. As with all things Speedy, there's a very murky grey area when the different productions overlapped, as parts were not used in order of production.

 

I think there is a chance this was good value, as the photos were diabolical.

By the same token it could be a dog.

we just cannot see.

it is however an "ordinary" early 70's speedmaster, of the type rapidly coming in demand as the 69's become very scarce, expensive and in my opinion hard to get a nice one.

if anyone got it, I would love to see proper pictures.

the box and papers are very nice to have, and may have nudged the price higher than it might have been otherwise.

 

So what are we looking for to see if the case has been polished? I find it easier to tell on -66 with the vertical strip on the lugs which I think tends to be lost when polished. The same with an Ed white, due to the sharp edges. I'm struggling to tell on these cases though unless it's a real Dog of a job.