Vintage Speedy vs Contemporary Speedy

[greywhiteblack]

Hi all, so I’ve decided to get a Speedy for my birthday this year (today actually) and I’m in Tokyo looking at the various watch shops.

I’ve come across a very good condition vintage Speedy with an open caseback with the gilded cal. 863 movement, 1479 bracelet, box and papers, with tritium dial but no date on the warranty card so I have no idea when it was produced. Secretly wishing it to be 1989, since that’s my birth year.

However, for a couple hundred more than the price that the shop was offering, I could get a brand new 2024 Speedy saphire sandwich, which has the awesome bracelet and movement.

I’m kinda torn between the two. What do you guys think of the 863 vs the 3861 and will there be servicing issues for vintage watches like this? It’ll be my first Speedy so I want to make sure I get it right.

 

[Davidt]

I’d say an 861 will be easier to service than a 3861 with all the coaxial nonsense.

 

[Dash1]

I’d go for the one you like the look of most. Personally I’d go vintage, but for practicality (water resistance, seeing the time in the dark etc..) modern is better.

 

[Omegafanman]

If you are only talking a couple of hundred more the modern version is nice and you get a hacking function plus of course a five year warranty. It is one with the new clasp adjustment?
You will probably have more / cheaper service options for the vintage watch but it may need work sooner depending on the history and you will need to make sure they treat it sympathetically which won’t be an issue for the modern watch sent to Omega.
Depends if you want to go down a vintage or modern route…..

 

[greywhiteblack]

Dash1

I’d go for the one you like the look of most. Personally I’d go vintage, but for practicality (water resistance, seeing the time in the dark etc..) modern is better.

That’s very true, I don’t care so much for the water resistance or seeing time in the dark though haha. I do like the vintage look, and like that it is a hesalite and saphire combo, which is pretty cool. Just worried about parts availability and cost to service it down the road.

 

[Dash1]

greywhiteblack

That’s very true, I don’t care so much for the water resistance or seeing time in the dark though haha. I do like the vintage look, and like that it is a hesalite and saphire combo, which is pretty cool. Just worried about parts availability and cost to service it down the road.

I think you’ll be fine for servicing and parts for a long time yet.

 

[greywhiteblack]

Omegafanman

If you are only talking a couple of hundred more the modern version is nice and you get a hacking function plus of course a five year warranty. It is one with the new clasp adjustment?
You will probably have more / cheaper service options for the vintage watch but it may need work sooner depending on the history and you will need to make sure they treat it sympathetically which won’t be an issue for the modern watch sent to Omega.
Depends if you want to go down a vintage or modern route…..

Yes, it’s the one with the new clasp. The vintage piece has been serviced and unfortunately, polished too. Not sure if the latter is a red flag for vintage pieces though, I’ve never owned a vintage watch.

 

[gbesq]

Can you post photos of the vintage watch?

 

[Davidt]

If it’s in good condition an 80’s Speedmaster should be no less robust or waterproof than a modern one.

 

[greywhiteblack]

gbesq

Can you post photos of the vintage watch?

 

[greywhiteblack]

Davidt

If it’s in good condition an 80’s Speedmaster should be no less robust or waterproof than a modern one.

Its condition is rated A from the shop and looks pretty impeccable from my own inexperienced visual inspection.

 

[greywhiteblack]

gbesq

Can you post photos of the vintage watch?

Not too visible in my photos but the tritium on the dial has a nice beige.

 

[gbesq]

Looks like a reference 3592.50 to me and in very nice condition. The polishing is a negative. I'd have to see better photos of the case without the plastic, but if the polsihing was done carefully and the case edges and contours are preserved, I'd take that over a modern 3861 in a heartbeat.

 

[greywhiteblack]

gbesq

Looks like a reference 3592.50 to me and in very nice condition. The polishing is a negative. I'd have to see better photos of the case without the plastic, but if the polsihing was done carefully and the case edges and contours are preserved, I'd take that over a modern 3861 in a heartbeat.

It’s listed as a 345.0808

 

[gbesq]

greywhiteblack

It’s listed as a 345.0808

Yep, I see that now (hard to read all of the writing on the case back with the plastic there). Again, if the watch is running well and was only lightly polished and the case contours are intact, I'd take that over a modern 3861 if you find the price to be reasonable (do your research). If the shop has service records for the watch and it comes with some type of guarantee, so much the better.

 

[DenisChalandier]

Choose what you will do with the watch first.

Every day wear/casual, Water or Not, hesalite a problem or not (scratches), need night lume or not, tritium look or not, history to tell friends/wife, Omega service obligatory with the modern, and so on.

Basically they are the same watches. The rest is personal taste no one can choose for you.

 

[greywhiteblack]

DenisChalandier

Choose what you will do with the watch first.

Every day wear/casual, Water or Not, hesalite a problem or not (scratches), need night lume or not, tritium look or not, history to tell friends/wife, Omega service obligatory with the modern, and so on.

Basically they are the same watches. The rest is personal taste no one can choose for you.

I intend to use it as a daily driver, but since I live in the city, I hardly need the lume and I don’t see myself swimming with it. So I guess it should be adequate for my use case.

Are there anything I need to take note of when buying a vintage watch?

 

[greywhiteblack]

Also, I’ve read that this movement was made to a 1000 pieces. Is this accurate?

 

[DenisChalandier]

greywhiteblack

I intend to use it as a daily driver, but since I live in the city, I hardly need the lume and I don’t see myself swimming with it. So I guess it should be adequate for my use case.

Are there anything I need to take note of when buying a vintage watch?

So go for the old one. You can serviced it mostly anywhere (to someone who knows it's job of course) and the history with it.

It's a Speed. It will keep running for years if you take care. Just the tritium hands that may (or not) go to dust at one point. You will have to change the hands for new ones (so you will have lume ).

 

[Eve]

If you are able to read the serial number, then maybe you can get approximate production date using this site:
https://www.ilovemyspeedmaster.com/productiondateprediction/