I got it for 5.1k usd, 6 months ago. Not sure if this is considered cheap. At that time, I was less carefull. The seller didn't mention anything so I assumed it was all original. Plus, it was during an auction where it was not possible to chat with the seller before the bid.
Anyway, thanks for the feedback.
Thinking about it, a brand new 321 from Omega right now sells for 16k usd. So I got something like new for much less then...
I might as well replace the case back with a open one 馃檮
I do not think the serial number is ground off.. likely just blurred out the number for the photograph.
it is certainly a watch to be worn like one would have in 1968 馃榾
Hard to tell for sure from photos, but to me it looks like the escape wheel bridge has been shaved down. It appears shorter that the main bridge beside it, and the graining that would normally be on it is not there. So I do actually think the serial number has been removed...
Yes, expensive for a vintage speedmaster with very little vintage left in it - but a lot less than a modern 321. Go give it a lifetime of use.
if you ever buy anything speedmaster related again, you can always post pictures here as you did and get opinions prior to bidding, or even better would be get educated with this fantastic resource: www.speedmaster101.com
Thanks for the advice. When I bought it, I barely had started with vintage. Since then, I used this forum several times, especially for Seamaster 300 (and so far, I didn't buy any of the SM300 vintage, it seems most models out there are fake or not genuine).
Naw, I'd say keep it as is - It may be completely rebuilt but its soul is still from ~1968 unlike the contemporary ones 馃榾
All the service parts are pretty true to the original design.
If that is the case, that is concerning.
$5k doesn't seem ridiculous at all, and I think yiou could easily sell that watch if you decide you want something different. As a point of comparison, last year I paid about $5k for this OK-but-not-pristine 145.012-67, head only, and dropped another $1k into service. Figure I'd spend at least $500 for a service bracelet like you have, and your watch is $1,500 or more under the cost of mine. And I was pretty happy to get my watch -- from an auction at a small auction house -- for $5k.
FWIW, though, it looked to me like you got your watch through Catawiki, which might be the last place I would look. As another poster recommended, the Speedmaster101.com pages, published by a member here (@Spacefruit) are an invaluable resource, especially the assessment and price guides. To the extent that I haven't been bamboozled in the vintage Speedmaster market, I owe it to a lot of time reading Speedmaster101 and the Moonwatch Only book.
Apples and oranges. Yours has an original dial, bezel and hand set, plus a recent service.
The OP watch could have been serviced 15 years ago so the movement may well be due another.
$5k doesn't seem ridiculous at all, and I think yiou could easily sell that watch if you decide you want something different. As a point of comparison, last year I paid about $5k for this OK-but-not-pristine 145.012-67, head only, and dropped another $1k into service. Figure I'd spend at least $500 for a service bracelet like you have, and your watch is $1,500 or more under the cost of mine. And I was pretty happy to get my watch -- from an auction at a small auction house -- for $5k.
FWIW, though, it looked to me like you got your watch through Catawiki, which might be the last place I would look. As another poster recommended, the Speedmaster101.com pages, published by a member here (@Spacefruit) are an invaluable resource, especially the assessment and price guides. To the extent that I haven't been bamboozled in the vintage Speedmaster market, I owe it to a lot of time reading Speedmaster101 and the Moonwatch Only book.
