Reply With QuoteGreat post! In fact, it's given me food for thought.
I’d been looking for a weekend / pub / beater (ish) watch for a few months. Something reasonably smart, versatile and not too expensive (relative I know, but sub £1K). I considered a few offerings from Sinn and missed out on a nice, cheap 144 on the Sales Corner. I also let a Porsche Design Orfina slip by because I tried, and didn’t succeed, to knock Andy Tims down by £50
Anyway last week, Neil (flame) put a ’69 pre-moon Speedmaster up on the Sales Corner and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Initially I dismissed it as it looked pretty battered but I kept going back to the thread and hovered over the PM button a few times (you know how it is!). Neil then withdrew it from sale on Saturday and I thought, well it obviously wasn’t meant to be. I was sort of grateful because it was slightly over budget and I still couldn’t get over the fact that it looked knackered. In the past I’ve nearly always gone for the best condition that I could afford. Fast forward to Sunday and it’s back for sale. Having had 24 hours cooling off period it was still calling to me and a deal was done. The sales thread is here:
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...45022-69-REDUX
I received the watch in the post this morning and despite my reservations about the condition, it’s beautiful. I know there is a fine line here and we are all different when it comes to what is acceptable in terms of wabi/patina (call it what you will) but this thing has so much character.
I’ve had vintage Omegas before, some great ones actually; Flightmaster, Speedmaster MkII, PloProf, SM120c Big Blue. They have all been in fantastic condition though. Not mint but three of them had been to Bienne and the other to STS. I think because of this I never really considered the history of the watches. They were just nice pieces in their own right but I didn’t really associate them with the decades they came from beyond their looks.
It’s a little different with this ’69 Speedmaster though and I think a lot of that is due to the association with the moon landing in that year and the fact that it has clearly been worn over the years. In my mind I’ve visualised two situations in which this watch may have been purchased:
1. It’s April ’69. The moon landing hasn’t taken place yet but there is talk about it on the street and in the press. A man walks in to his local watch shop to pick a new sporty watch and the salesman tells him that NASA have been purchasing Speedmasters for their space missions. It’s an easy sale.
2. It’s early August ’69. Everyone wants to be Neil Armstrong and everyone wants to know whose shirt (and watch) he wears. As soon as our man finds out he’s straight down to the watch shop and again it’s an easy sale.
In my version of this story, this is all happening in the US and our man tells the salesman he’ll wear it now, before jumping in to his ‘69 Yenko Camaro and driving off in to the sunset. The chances are mine is a UK watch though so it was possibly a ’69 Capri Mk1.
Anyway the point is, because this particular Speedmaster is a ’69 (and I acknowledge it may not have been sold in that year) and it has plenty of wear, I can relate it to a particular point in history and and can start to imagine what it may have been through over the years. The case is actually petty good so I don’t think it’s been abused but it’s clearly not sat in a drawer or safe unused either. Who knows what the previous owners have done and seen whilst wearing it? It’s not as desirable as the other vintage Omegas I’ve had and it’s certainly not as expensive but I’ve got a feeling I’ll bond with this one much more than those factory fresh ones. It’s a funny old hobby this isn’t it?
For those that haven’t fallen asleep, I’m afraid there’s no LTF quality photography at the end of this post and for that I’m sorry. This watch really deserves more than a quick iPhone photo but for now that’s all I’ve got.
Stunning watch. I nearly went for it too but I have a rather nice '68 Speedy and couldn't really justify another. Well, I'd have had to have sold a watch or two to finance it and I'm not there yet.
"A man of little significance"
Congratulations it really looks the business on the wrist.
Wear it in good health.
Keith.
That mean the Sinn is staying as it is? Look out for a brand new, unused Sinn bezel on SC shortly!! 😄Originally Posted by learningtofly
Malc
You don't have to worry about 'shopping the dust out on the photos, that's for sureMe either, but I have started researching c.321'sI don't think you can go wrong with a Speedy and a Di-Modell Rallye
That mean the Sinn is staying as it is? Look out for a brand new, unused Sinn bezel on SC shortly!! 😄
Malc
Hi Ben
Yep....it's a fantastic piece , not appreciated by all with this kind of wear & tear....and that bezel is certainly scarred !
It's got a few miles under the belt , but it's better for it in this particular case
Enjoy it -
Best - Neil
I've never really wanted a Speedie. Until now.
Dammit!
Yes, you have a rather nice '68, don't you Simon? Speedys from this era are the best IMO, with either the transitional or the later, stepped edge dials. I'm wearing my '68 at the moment and, while it's in nice condition, it has sufficient wabi to not need to be babied in the same way a crisp new one would. Enjoy.
Cheers Neil. This amount of wear usually isn't appreciated by me either, but in this case it just looks great IMHO and it's opened my eyes a little.Hi Ben
Yep....it's a fantastic piece , not appreciated by all with this kind of wear & tear....and that bezel is certainly scarred !
It's got a few miles under the belt , but it's better for it in this particular case
Enjoy it -
Best - Neil
I may try to find a used bezel just in case but I understand the "dot over 90" ones aren't particularly cheap.
Stunner - a good buy (and one I debated about).
Wabi does not necessarily (to me) equate to having been tumbled in a cement mixer full of gravel.........
Enjoy!
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Beautifully used I'd call it. Ageing, wear, wabi etc. just suits some watches and your Speedy is one of them. I also eyed it up and thought what a great buy and how good it looked. Congratulations
Phah, that's hardly any wear at all
Looks great, I am not surprised you feel great wearing it and are already attached to it as "more than just a watch".
Gray
That's a lovely watch, it also tempted me! My mechanic wears a '69 applied logo speedmaster that he's had from new, and still wears while working on cars. That's also got some 'wabi'!
pffft,that's not wabi.try sticking it in the washing machine like i did
i wasn't laughing at the time though
cheers,mick
Brilliant post. I've struggled with the wabi concept myself, but wabi like that I could really learn to love. Cheers!
Personally I think that Speedie looks fantastic. Wabi/wear/scuffs just seems to work on an old watch. I'm not so sure it works with nearer watches, but once they become "vintage" it adds to the appeal. Now I just need to decide when a watch becomes vintage! If that watch was from the mid 90's it would be regarded as in a terrible state, mid 80's, not so sure, from the 70's or older the wear just adds to the appeal :)
Simon
Welcome, Grasshopper. You have now achieved enlightenment.
...from another who coveted this venerable ox. Neil was resistant to my trading charms, however many thought waves I directed at him! As the custodian of 3 pre moons, I couldn't justify it also, but it was close. Well done again.
Did it come out clean though Mick? I presume you don't recommend that cleaning technique? (only kidding!)pffft,that's not wabi.try sticking it in the washing machine like i did
i wasn't laughing at the time though
cheers,mick
Thanks for all the positive comments chaps. I'm more than happy that I took a punt on this one and I won't give it more than a light polish and service.
Ouch! I'm not surprised you weren't laughing!pffft,that's not wabi.try sticking it in the washing machine like i did
i wasn't laughing at the time though
cheers,mick
I do feel a little enlightened now you mention it
Just glad I didnt wait too long before contacting Neil. Usually I research a watch to death and miss out because I've taken too long.
Congratulations Benny,
lovely watch and beautifully expressed "connection" to it,
I think I've described it as a "Mr Benn moment" in the past
Top marks to Neil too for his pricing. The state of the world can be the only reason it didn't sell sooner, but given a wider audience and patience I'm sure he could have successfully chased more money if he'd been so inclined.
Here's my '69.
I haven't quite captured the blue/grey fade on the left half of the bezel but there is some 'character' there that I love.
Now, come on and show us the wabi on your Yenko Camaro
Ian
I think absolutely everyone should own a vintage Speedmaster.
The new ones are all well and good, but the 68/69 ones are sooo much cooler imo.
Neil Armstrong thought so to;
http://forums.watchuseek.com/attachm...-armstrong.jpg
Colin.
Beautiful watch! Im must admit that Im actually jeallous...;-)
Spa treatment=pure evil
I wish! That was all my minds eye. Definitely one for my lottery win garage though.Now, come on and show us the wabi on your Yenko Camaro
I think thats the great thing about vintage, seeing old photos like that. It really makes you wonder where your own watch has been and what the owner has done. OK so maybe mine was owned by and accountant and not an astronaut but even so...
Nooooooooo!Spa treatment=pure evil
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