100% replaced hands. AFAIK no Mk 2 came with a spear Chrono. Those could well be SL lume

 

Amazing! Thanks, padders. I had never even noticed the difference in shape.
For me the blinding whiteness was conspicuous but that was potentially attributable to bad photography...

 

I have a personal interest as I recently acquired a straight but lived in Mk2 with box and papers dated Jan 1972. Prior to that I would have been oblivious. It’s amazing what a bit of self interest can do to sharpen your appraisal skills!

 

Yes, to see my wife's eyes glaze over when I point out a "terribly refinished case" makes me realize I'm in fairly deep as well.

So I'm gathering the Euro model has the most pure collectibility mojo (hard to beat that lovely yellowed lume) and would clean up real nice with a new crystal and gaskets... Whereas the US option would work better as a relatively honest daily beater.

 

If as I suspect the hands are SL it will annoy you and be a pretty expensive fix. If they aren’t you’ll have a valuable spear hand to sell.

 

I'm no expert, but what I can make out from those lume pics looks too pale and clean to be aged tritium--especially relative to the lume on the indices.

 

I prefer the French one overall but your local one looks pretty good and yes there's another to be said for dealing with less risk due to seller location, go with your instinct would be my advice.

I'm not so sure about the service hands being SL, in the loupe pics they look to be rather yellow and matching the markers, but of course somebody might have done a lume colour match.

I would ask for a close up of the lower part of the dial as well as the top, from some pics it looks as though there may be some lume decay/crumbling on some of the lower markers which is something I think I remember you wanted to avoid. Some better pics should put your mind at rest.

Good luck, nice to have choices.

 

Cheers, Tet. I noticed the inconsistent appearance of the lume as well—looks fine in some pics, dodgy in others. There’s little doubt in my mind this watch would have sold ages ago if not for the awful photos, but it seems to be the best the seller can muster and I’ve already given up on trying to get better ones.

I’m hedging towards the more expensive/riskier/nicer option due to the greater potential for satisfaction.

 

I totally agree with you. The human eye can see about 1 million colors. Digital photos can only capture a portion of those colors. A vintage watch in good conditions will more often than not surprise you when you receive it.

 

This point was driven home for me when a fellow collector friend showed me a late-60s Seiko diver he bought from a retired professional diver, complete with the first owner's dive logbook. If I'd seen this watch online--its green lume rotted out twice over and barely clinging to existence--I would have run for the hills. In person, it was actually an absurdly cool artifact and a great example of how 'wabi sabi' can indeed enhance an object under the right circumstances.

That said, not all imperfections are created equal.

 

send me a PM if you're in the market for a MKII - I have one thats not getting the wrist time it deserves, which is a shame as these are great watches as you say!

 

Did a bit more investigating on the bracelet for the French model. Looks like it has the correct clasp cover for a "second generation" 1159/154 bracelet, so my best guess is only the inner part of the clasp was swapped in from an 1171 at some point:

The original inner clasp would have likely had a circled "30" and 1159 stamped in, as I understand it. Bit of a shame but given the relative rarity and good overall condition of this bracelet otherwise, I think I can live with that compromise.

For anyone keeping track, I'm now on amicable terms with the French seller and things are looking promising...

 

I will actually revise my observation. I think this bracelet may be totally correct, and a slightly different model to the 1159. The 1117 may well have come with 154 end links on the 145.014

 

Bah! My weary, bloodshot eyeballs kept reading that as "1171".

 

Are you sure he's a french seller? I saw that Watch on a Swiss auction site and the seller lives in Switzerland.

 

Beware. Lots of people steal auction pics to scam people. Especially on chronocentric. Ask the seller for a picture of the watch next to a handwritten card.

 

Yes, thanks—I was just trying to be discrete. It’s the same seller. (He speaks German and French.)

It’s “not my first rodeo”, as they say, but I do appreciate your neighbourly concern.

 

i prefer the lume color and honesty of the euro french mkii.

 

Hi, i bought a Mark II (maybe 145.034 SS) 5 days ago. Right now i can't open the watch and see what´s inside.

Did a little research at the OF before and after buying the watch.

I found this on the official Omega website, maybe it is useful for later discussions about the "Delrin Brake".

 

There’s a bit more on the changeover date from Metal to Delrin here, if that helps anyone

http://chronomaddox.com/omega/articles/delrin.html