http://www.lunaroyster.com/watches/...r-145022-pre-moon-cal-861-tropical-brown-dial

The guy is a well respected seller on the vintage Rolex community so I guess he is trustable.

As I stated in my previous post, I am a complete newbie when it comes to vintage Speedy.
However, the serial number of the movement is 296XXXXX which is too high, according to the research I have done so far.
Could anybody enlighten me on this?
I would also love to have your honest appreciation of the watch as a whole (all original and period correct parts?)
Finally, is the asking price of 4.5k$ reasonable for this example?

Many thanks for your help.

F

 

my two cents.

Serial # for this example seems quite within a range and good IMHO.
This particular seller [ @KRLYUZH you already have his contact #s ] is trusted here. Well...He was very open to questions and honest in my deal with him.

You certainly picked a very nice example to jump in on, this pre-moon example. It's one I can appreciate and especially love the dial. A chocolate dial is part of what you'd be paying for, amongst others. If you're researching, you'll see this example is where you'll that dial. It's pretty good, again, imho.

 

Seller is a highly respected member of this forum.
Watch is listed here too
http://omegaforums.net/threads/1969...2-pre-moon-cal-861-tropical-brown-dial.16259/
Serial number is correct for correct "tropical" 1969
that others have shown up in the same range.
The watch has been worn a lot, but looks
original. These tropical dials aren't cheap.
If you want one you have to pay up.
I have one and I love it.

 

"Complete newbie..."
you have a good eye though!

 

Thanks all for your friendly and honest answer!
Will let you know if I go forward with it... very tempted actually!

 

Great looking piece, if well worn. The case is worn, but can be cleaned up with a sympathetic polish if you're so inclined.

If the chocolate dial was on a Rolex, you'd be paying a huge premium. Chocolate Speedies also command a higher price, though the premium is not so large. The price is in a fair market range.

 

Thanks Darlinboy! I know too well the kind of premium it could command on a vintage Rolex sub, being an avid collector of those
I actually do like the worn style of the case and will NEVER polish a vintage piece.
I am a bit concerned about the movement though, it looks a bit rusty, but I am by no mean an expert of the cal. 861.
Also, the chrono sweep seems to be off-centered in its rest position, a sign that the movement could need a service, which will probably cost me an extra 2 or 3 hundred $...
I love the dial, but I like to be able to wear my watches from day one, and if there is some mechanical servicing to do, I won't!
This bothers me a little, at present...

 

The one pusher tube looks to have a slight bit of rust on
the end but the movement looks like it has never been serviced
I don't see a screwdriver mark anywhere
It would be a good idea to have it serviced anyway.

 

So.
After careful consideration and review of opinions given here, I decided to go for it.
However, as I was afraid of, the seller confirmed that the mouvement definitely needs a service.

Being very new to the cal. 861, I have no idea how "needy" this particular one is.
Would it need new parts, except the obvious mainspring? Are they easily available?
Could one of the expert help me assessed that as well as how much the service is likely to set me back of, if done by a good watchmaker?

Speaking of which, I live in HK, where I know people, but am currently in the UK (London) until the end of October.
Would anybody be kind enough to point me to a trusted watchmaker in London that could take care of this for me?
Of course, I will only ask for a servicing and a general case cleaning.
Nothing will be done cosmetically to the case, dial or hands.

Many thanks in advance.
F

 

I've not dealt with this seller but his reputation is first class.

he seems like a super straight shooter and is very frank that he will fairly negotiate price. If you like the watch, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to get a deal done.

C,O,A for this reference is no big deal for an Omega experienced hand.

 

Parts availability for the 861 movement is much better than for the 321 (others in the forum are much better placed than me to give a breakdown of which 321 parts specifically are defficult to locate). Essentially though the 861 movement is still in production so there should be no issues in getting it serviced. Indeed, most would advise that a new Speedmaster acquisition is serviced just to be on thevsafe side.

 

Incidentally, I just had my 861 serviced and no parts needed replacing save for the usual gaskets etc

 

Thanks!