I'm thinking about purchasing a MkII Speedy,
I'd love to see some pics and hear some experiences of the watch before I plumb for one!
Would you go original 69 MkII or Co-axial reissue?
Your thoughts and pics would be appreciated!
Cheers
I had a couple of the originals - I had always wanted a racing dial version but ended up preferring the black faced version (had one of each).
Lovely watches and I prefer the non date aspect of the vintage pieces.
But the modern versions are great looking pieces and will probably be better suited to every day wear.
I really like the original and it's probably the only watch I regret not still owning. The new version is slightly larger I believe, adding to an already quite weighty watch.
The sunburst brushing on the case is quite something to behold, and turns what could be quite an awkwardly shaped watch into something to marvel at. The bracelet I had on mine was the really comfortable, and I liked the novelty of daily handwinding.
I’d love one of each of the racing dial. The black looks nice too, and I preferred either of those to the limited Olympic edition for the MKII.
They are all quite lovely though.
It's just a matter of time...
Sean, how did you find the case for 'gaining scratches'? I'm normally very careful but with it having a larger face/bezel did you find it more prone?Originally Posted by sean
That's an absolute minter by the way ^^^
I didn't own it long enough to find out, I sold it very shortly after it returned from service looking like new (case lapping and replacement dial and hands, so it should have looked like new!).
Here are some not-so-great photos of what it looked like before the service, which show likely many years of wear. The sunburst finish, despite being somewhat subdued, is still apparent, but obviously nowhere near as sharp as when it was new. I think one cannot expect, with a lot of wear, for this watch to keep its sharpness over a long period of time. However, I don't think such wear and tear really diminishes its looks. It probably elicits a bit more pain than some other watches when it succumbs to its first ding or scratch, but ultimately it wears its years well.
Love that 'old dial' so much character!
Still looks great even with a couple of dings.
Sorry for my ignorance but is the movement on the original Mk II the same as the speedy pro of an equivalent year? ie a bloody good workhorse!
I believe so, but stand to be corrected.
From WatchTime.
Sometime in 1969, Omega introduced the first Speedmaster Mark II, which was actually a Speedmaster Professional Mark II. The Speedmaster Mark II came with the same Lemania-based movement as the Moonwatch, Reference 145.022. This movement is Omega’s Caliber 861 and was in production from 1968 through about 1996, when it was succeeded by the Caliber 1861 movement.
^ great thanks
Prices are climbing steadily on the back of massive price lifts on vintage Moon watches. I still think they are a Watch you can take a gamble on with a battered one if you are prepared to pay for finishing by STS. You still tend to get lovely original hands and Tritium dials ( the Dial is different from a moonwatch but hands are the same ) also a lot still come on the 1171 bracelet.
I love em and quite frankly they still offer massive value.
I have the racing dial re-issue and although this is a solid block of steel, the torneau shape softens the size.
One of the best builds and finish on any watch i have looked at over the last few years and gives the owner a distinctive speedmaster in the presence of the numerous moonwatch editions.
You cannot go wrong with the black or racing versions but the racing does take you back in time to the late 1960's and on the MK11 fits wonderfully.
D.
^thanks D.....but we need some pics!! 😃
I'm not a fan of the date window in the subdial of the reissue but it is very much a personal thing. I wear my original sparingly in rotation and haven't managed to pick up any scratches. The cases can be refinished but obviously only a certain number of times so it's not something you want to be doing to often.
Wow that dial is amazing! That's the racing dial? Is it grey or black?
Either way I love how matte it is.
Last edited by pembers; 23rd October 2017 at 21:44.
Like many, I prefer the original with hand wound movement and no date. It is also cheaper and is likely to appreciate in price.
Yes, red/orange/grey ST145.014 - here's another angle, catching the sun and showing that it is a deep grey rather than black:
This is my fave at the moment, don't really like the date but love the co-axial escapement.
I've never been a fan of Omega bracelets but this appeals being 3 links wide like my speedy pro.
Vintage all the way!
^stunning, and the rally strap looks great...I agree a vintage is the way to go ultimately as dateless makes the dial so much more balanced (as it does on most watches)...but...
I'm thinking that buying a co-axial, although a little lazy, will get me a new watch with less potential problems.....will I be missing out on a certain amount of soul?
I love the look of that. I missed out on one in the sale at my local AS, at a very good price.
This is my fave at the moment, don't really like the date but love the co-axial escapement.
I've never been a fan of Omega bracelets but this appeals being 3 links wide like my speedy pro.
Not sure how used values are holding up though.
It's just a matter of time...
This is mine, worn on a Hirsch strap.
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What kind of problems are you thinking of? The Mk2 is a good watch with a good movement. Sure it needs a service every few years but I wonder what that costs in comparison to a co-axial?
"A man of little significance"
I've had two vintage MKII .. the first one I made the mistake of replacing dial and hands for modern looking replacements. I ended up with a vintage watch that looked too modern.
Here's my current MKII. This came to me after STS service - so finish was excellent. To me this is important ...
I wear mine on Omega mesh with extension ... bought before they went through the roof in terms of cost.
My only vintage piece and a keeper even though I only wear it rarely.
Last edited by I a n; 26th October 2017 at 09:43.
Here's my Rio... love it. I like to have a date.
Yes it's chunky... but it gets away with it due to not having lugs.
There was a lovely DLC coated vintage MkII with yellow handset sold on here a few years ago. May be sacrilege to some, but I personally thought it looked tremendous.
A fabulous thing.
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...=1#post3654430
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...=1#post3812619
I can't find the earlier threads about it but they are out there somewhere.
Vintage every time, it's a lovely dial (black or racing). Love mine, although it is quite chunky on the wrist. Still more wearable than a mk 3 or Flightmaster, for instance.
Not sure what they go for these days but they certainly used to be cheap compared to a moonwatch.
Racing dials seem to be around £2 - £2.5k these days
Always original for me, great watches
I have both the black and "racing" dial versions of the MKII.
Pics on my site below...
Cheers,
Neil.
Good lord - that's much higher than when I bought mine. It's the only watch I've had and regretted selling! Vintage Omega prices do seem to have gone a bit weird lately, I have a well worn but well maintained "straight text" moon watch which cost me £1,600 to acquire and now, judging by Chrono24, is worth about 4 grand. Madness!
Black dials are still a good bit cheaper, if chrono24 is any guide.
I suppose the strong Euro tends to push up sterling prices.
Thanks for all your input, some great pics
I deffo prefer the racing grey dial the most, and I think I'm going to go co-axial, as I'm to lazy to hunt and wait for the perfect original.
I'll keep you posted!
Good luck.
I wear mine regularly.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm probably one of the few that prefer these to the Moonwatch.
Would anybody know if replacement bracelets are available for the original manual wind version.
If so what would one cost?
I wear my Racing original often, and have picked up a few swirlies on the case side brushing. Shame; it's about the only issue with it.
But better than keeping it locked away. And the swirlies are there now, so no need to be too precious about it.
It's on an Omega black leather with deployant by the way.
If anyone's thinking of moving there MkII on to a new owner!.....let me know! ;-)
I don't often comment on photos, and I won't quote it(!), but that looks great. Makes me really miss mine. :(
How easy is it to change the dials on a vintage?
Racing dial watches are harder to get hold of (it would seem), so a dial change might be the answer??
STS will do a dial swap for you. Had it done on one of mine and result was excellent
Excellent cheers
Had one for a year or so, beautiful Watch, looks best on bracelet. Loved the starburst on the case and the scale on the crystal. A light watch too by modern steel tool watch standards.
I've had my mark II for 15 years now, probably worn it about 10 times on account of the bracelet being too tight, perhaps it deserves a refurbishment after seeing the lovely watches on this thread.
A refurb can do wonders.
Mine before:
After:
Where did you get the refurb done and what sort of cost?
Asking as I've looked at a few of these now and as they are all about the same age as me, they could often do with a refurb. Ideally I'd like to get one with its original dial and hands.
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I had mine done by Rocco at Watchworks in Bristol but last time I asked he'd stopped doing vintage stuff. STS in Essex can lap your case for you. Not sure who else in the UK has a lapping machine.
"A man of little significance"
That would be this one i bought off SC which I still have and love!
I was just looking at that one this morning on the original sales thread and wondering who it was that had bought it. A fantastic looking and very individual watch. It's not often that mods are so well considered and so professionally executed.
A "speedmaster" search through sales corner is quite interesting. It's incredible how steeply prices have risen. I was looking so I had an idea of what a reasonable price was to pay today.
Yep, pretty shocking in fact.
I remember buying mine for just over £200 from the USA.
Cheers,
Neil.
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