Hi All,

I have posted pics of my transitional here and everyone has been amazingly complimentary on its condition. The dial, lume, hands and case seem to be in really good condition but it does have a replacement bezel, bracelet (came with a very good condition 1171/1), and possibly replacement crown and pushers. I'd like to get the experts opinion on this watch in terms of value as-is and how much the value would rise by adding a DON bezel and 1039 bracelet compared to the cost of those parts alone.

Would the value of the watch really go up by that much if I spent $1,000-2,000 to acquire the bezel and another $800-1,000 to get the correct bracelet? I really look to keep this watch as a daily wearer and have no intention of selling it (I want my son and/or grandson to have a 100 year-old watch that was once owned by me).

If I put those pieces on it, I doubt I would treat it any differently as I have Patek's and AP's in the $25k-50k range and don't hesitate to wear them daily so I don't think a $2000 bezel would scare me but I wonder if adding these parts would make it more collectible grade where I should consider whether or not to wear it as much. I buy watches to wear and enjoy them so I doubt that I would ever consider it a safe queen but wanted to get everyone's advice.

Is the DON bezel going to warrant the cost or is that going to really be an aesthetic enhancement for my own satisfaction? Is there anything else about this watch that would decrease the value (pushers, crown, polish, etc.)?

I really appreciate the expert's opinions here.

 

A DON bezel might increase the sales value of the watch by 1/3 to 1/2 of what you pay for it. These parts are priced (IMO) as though they were the last piece a collector needs to make a vintage watch whole. Kind of like re-doing your bathroom before selling your house--you won't get back what you put into it. If it makes you feel all warm inside, though, it's worth it.

 

First, I love your transitional, the dial and hands are so good...

As far as your question, it's a two sided coin for sure. If I were buying and it didn't have the correct bezel, I would want to take into account the cost of a correct bezel. But if you buy a DoN and install it, my perception of the market is that it will not increase the value of your watch by the amount you paid for the bezel, maybe 1/2 - 2/3's the value at most. Same with the bracelet. Kind of funny how it's almost the parts are a greater value than the sum of the parts, but you just don't see as dramatic of a price difference between watches with replacement bezels vs correct DoN, maybe $500 or so difference.

For me personally, I think it would be more about it simmering in the back of my mind, which sounds like the case for you. If you're planning on keeping it for that long, you can always be patient or even find a beat up 145.022-69 with DoN bezel for cheap to buy, swap the bezels, and sell, or you can bite the bullet - in 50 years you'll never remember the cost for the bracelet and bezel.

 

Bezels have now become an open secret and people have been buying early 69 speedmasters for their bezels for a couple of years now.

A good bezel is worth 1800 and a mint one 2000+.

Will it increase the value of your watch? Yes it will increase it from what I think it is worth now. But not (perhaps) from what you paid.

That is not to say it was a mistake to overpay. We have to overpay in this dwindling supply to get above average pieces. And this watch has the potential to be a very good piece. It does need the bezel to be considered fine by me.

I would go searching for a bezel and hang the expense. In a few years I don't think you will have the option!

 

In my opinion you have a great example of the Transitional, with truly special lume patina, and it deserves a good DON bezel.

As for a 1039 bracelet, that's less necessary - it's up to you whether or not the aesthetics of it are worth searching for and buying one (if it were me, it would be, but I have a thing for the 1039.... )

 

... today's OVERPAY is tomorrow's BARGAIN...

 

unless the bubble bursts...

 

What bubble?

 

Spacefruit has documented a good way of thinking of the value of the bezel here, in case you haven't read it.

http://speedmaster101.com/blog/do90-bezel-prices/

Do the math for your situation, but if you assume your watch had a Good DON bezel, then it would be right up there in the price chart value for Good, probably Good+.

Now, if it doesn't have to Good bezel, then theoretically, the price you could achieve would be at least $1000 less than the same watch with a Good bezel.

I'm with others in saying that such a lovely watch deserves the correct bezel, and the longer it goes without one, the harder it will be to fix later.

 

Prices have been goin through the roof of late and with prices being achieved with no balking don't see them coming down or plateauing any time soon. Someone will always be willing to overpay, if they need one!

 

Yeah, I kind of thought that it was more about satisfying that need to see it as a near-perfect watch than necessarily increasing the value of the watch by the amount of the bezel.

I indeed have that itch so am wondering where is the best place to look to find one. Is eBay the place to go looking? or are there other places that have them? I really want to pick up the best condition one I can find.

 

Just go down to the DON Bezel Store and pick the one you like!

In seriousness though, ebay is probably the best place outside of fairly tight collector circles. Or as others have mentioned, pick up a lesser watch with the bezel you need, then sell it on.

 

Yeah, it seems like they come up on ebay more often than anywhere else, though it couldn't hurt to set an alert on watchrecon.

I just bought one on ebay a couple weeks ago. I'd seen a few get posted and then removed almost instantly in the weeks leading up to buying mine, so I figured people were messaging the seller with Buy it Now offers. When I found the one I wanted I did the same and they stopped the auction for me. Not ideal, but with how they've been going lately I knew I'd have to jump to be able to get it. I messaged the seller about 10 minutes after the auction had posted, and he told me that in the time between when I messaged him and when he removed the listing (about another 15 minutes) he received 6 other messages offering to buy the bezel.

I paid 2k (gulp) and it's perfect. Basically NOS.

EDIT: Your speedy looks great by the way. It's nice enough that I'd definitely get the DON for it.

 

Just out of curiosity, was that the one listed from abouttime-ch?

 

Yes it was. It just arrived yesterday. Were you one of the 6?

 

No, I had just won an auction for one a few days before that was listed (nowhere near the same condition) but I was really curious how high that auction might go and then when it ended in minutes, I was even more curious to know how much the offer was that got them to stop the auction early... So I thank you for solving that burning mystery and that was exactly what I thought the number was going to be!

 

Very nice speedy you have there! If you're going to keep it and pass it on as heirloom, just wear/enjoy now and if you happen to find a DON bezel then buy it. Its stunning as is! I'm not a bracelet guy so bezel is far more important to me.

 

So many people are getting into such a small market of vintage watches. I know many collectors old and new coming on board. I was speaking to a modern watch collector today and he's like "yea I just bought 5 speedmasters with those chocolate dials and that dot over 90 on it, keeping them in the safe." I was so surprised he even knew what that was! with people like that coming into the market, the low supply will just keep on driving up prices.

 

^^^What bubble? This bubble...

 

I'm a purist, and for me, it has to be original. It has to have all the correct bits it was sold with! Not because it might increase its value, but because it makes it right again! Not restored with NOS parts, just the right, honest parts.