Hello from a newbie in DC!

I am looking to get a 1990 or 1998 Speedmaster Reduced for my father for this upcoming father's day. Both 1990 and 1998 are special years for him, so either vintage will work, but I wanted to consult the folks here and see if one year's Speedmaster is significantly different/better than the other. From the little research I have done, I notice the 1990 bracelet looks more flimsy than the 1998, which is similar to the bracelet today. What should I watch out for when buying these vintage watches? What should I do after purchasing besides taking it to an authorized dealer for an authenticity verification and service?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Hi Cicindela, thanks for the reference. I am not dead set on getting that particular watch yet, so I think it may be a bit premature to contact a seller. I'd like to know a bit more about it (especially what I can expect to pay) first.

 

Which watch are you looking for exactly?
There are dozens of different automatic speedmasters from either of the years you mention.
Or do you mean the speedmaster professional, which is essentially the same for both years except for the bracelet.

 

The Speedmaster Professional. The one with the black face with the chrono. That's the Speedmaster Professional right? I see some on eBay for 1-2k, but also some on forums for much much more. Not sure what the difference is.

 

The Speedmaster professional is manual wind, not automatic. However, there are automatic Speedmasters with black dials and the chrono. In fact, all Speedmasters are chronographs.
You really need to do a fair bit of research before you even think about buying either.
I suspect the ones you have seen on e-bay are not speedy pro's.

 

I know I don't want the manual wind ones. Definitely would want to go for automatic... I'll do a bit more research.

 

It seems like I want a what people call "Speedmaster Reduced" (with the 3539.50 automatic movement? It seems that 3539.50 has the sapphire crystal while 3510 has the 'plastic' crystal). The reduced also happens to be cheaper than the manual Speedmaster Professional moon watch.