Hello. I’ve been lurking around the forum for a while as I’ve recently gotten the Speedmaster Moonwatch bug (daily wear is a Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39). Since the Moonwatch desire struck, I’ve been hoping to one day pick up a vintage model from the late 60s/early 70s.

I recently came across this Moonwatch ST 145.022-69 from a known second-hand Rolex/Omega shop in my area and I would be grateful for any thoughts or advice on its condition. I’ve tried to educate myself as much as possible on the various points and pitfalls to look out for when buying vintage but when spending £6k I really don’t want to mess this up.

I also want this to be my final and forever watch and so condition is everything. This particular model has recently been serviced by Omega (has an Omega 2 year service warranty) and has an extract from the archives dating it to June 71. To my (admittedly untrained) eyes it looks fantastic but then in my haste to scratch this itch last year I bought a Speedmaster Reduced which I now can see has maybe been a bit overly polished and I’m keen to not make that mistake again.


Thanks again for any help.

 

I'm new to assessing the condition of these watches, and keen to learn, but assessing this against Moonwatch Only, I'm struggling to see anything that would be a cause of concern. So I'm interested to hear what others think/what obvious things I have missed (it will help me to know whether I'll get fleeced in future!).

There does look to be a monumental scratch across the Omega logo going upwards on the case back?

Personally, I don't get the obsession with polishing (not saying you're obsessed) unless it's really obviously worn away architecture of the watch - how can a nearly fifty year old watch look like that without polishing? Also, if you're planning to wear it regularly, it's going to get polished again.

You might want to post more photos of the markings on the other side of the clasp of the bracelet, and photos of the side of the watch so we can see the crown and pushers, if you have them.

 

Hopefully this shows the pushers a bit more clearly.

 

Those hands do not look original. Omega always replaces them during service. It is unlikely that they are tritium hands.

If I were in the market for a vintage watch, I would not buy one with non-original/period correct parts.

 

Yes the hands are very clean and look to be replacements, A previous thread on the subject seemed to strongly favour not replacing the Tritium hands with SL, but now this has been done already is the consensus that this almost instantly makes the watch a big no-go?

I’ve got to admit, I quite like the fresher looking hands especially if they replaced hands that were highly discoloured. I guess one thing that I’m curious about is how the tritium lume on the markers looks so fresh for a 50 year old watch. Even on my 91 Speedmaster Reduced the markers have oranged a bit but here they almost match the new SL hands.

 

Some tritium dials remain well preserved. Others are relumed. How is the lume under UV? If it is all original, it should glow evenly for a very short period of time and die out.

There’s nothing wrong with replacement hands if you don’t care about the original condition and if the price is right. Same goes for polishing. Any vintage watch that’s polished is less desirable for collectors. It comes down to want you are looking for. Unpolished watches with all original parts will always be valued highest. Discoloration and patina is part of the charm with vintage watches.

 

You should move this into the vintage watch sub forum. There is a wealth of knowledge among the experts there. My knowledge is not as extensive as the folks over there. I could be wrong here.

 

What I was interested in seeing was the Omega logo on the crown. They vary according to period/service.

 

Take some pics of the UV light
Look at the lugs closely
wich ref is the bracelet
hands are serviced and that's seems a bit pity when looking for a vintage.

Patina index doesn't match the hands so it is your decision at the end but keep that in mind.

 

First thread so sorry this ended up in the modern Omega section, still finding my feet. Not sure how to move it to Vintage if someone could kindly advise?

I think this has just shown how little I know and the difficulty in buying vintage. To me this watch had sharp edges, clean dial, service papers from Omega and an extract proving authenticity, all ticks, but the lack of love so far is an alarm.

I don’t think for the price (£6.5k) there would be any advantage (but many potential disadvantages) of buying this over a new Hesalite Moonwatch for £2.5k less.

 

This is a nice looking watch and the dial is nice. The hands look like they might be replacements,and I have seen tritium that show that colour, but they could be SL - you just need a light test, the SL will glow strongly. Even if they are, then its an easy fix.

As for matching lume hands to plots, thats very unusual in an original watch. What I look for is commensurate decay. The colours may not match but the age should. In this case the age does not. But as I say I would not rush to dismiss these as SL until tested - they could be NOS tritium that colour.

The pushers look new, so I suspect the crystal and crown have been replaced too. Not a big deal in this case.

It would be handy to see the invoice from Omega, and to see just which division serviced it. For example STS will give an "Omega Service" but that is not the same as sending it to Bienne.

The case looks clean, and the dial colour is very nice, and the bezel is in very good condition.

I wouldnt have a problem owning this watch, though I would as others said, do something about the hands. Either replace them, or repaint them.

As for price, thats up to you. You are paying a premium but thats probably not a bad thing in your position. Price aside, (and its not that crazy) its a good watch. Find me a better one on the market today.

And for me, a vintage watch to a modern Hessalite is like the old lightbulbs compared to a fluorescent tube.

If you can live with the colour, then go for it. Like the Flourescent light, it gives me a headache if I look too long.

 

The watch is legit, and serviced by Omega with a warranty. Nobody can judge the condition of the case using the photos you included since they don't show the key angles. In any case, because of the service parts, the lume in the hands, the way it has been prepped for sale, and the retail price, vintage collectors would not be interested. This is a collectors forum for the most part, so you need to take that into account when reading the comments. For you, however, this might be a totally appropriate watch. You seem to like it, which is the most important thing.

 

Thanks to everyone who has offered up some great points and advise. Really appreciate you all taking the time to do so.