Great day ,looking at these makes me wonder why I sold my 69 speedy.
And where is this dealer dying to sell his stock at good prices .
Enjoy
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Thought I would share a story about a few recent incomings that were not expected, it was a crazy day where I only wanted one watch but ended up with three - as you do!
Initially I was only interested in an Omega CK2777-1 RAF fat arrow from 1953, while inspecting it there was also several Speedmasters gleaming in the case, as I love Speedies my head was turned, a step dial 145.022 -71ST with an original 1175 bracelet and a beautiful 105.003.64 Ed White with 1039/506 bracelet, box, extract of archives and history folder from previous owner.
An Ed White Speedmaster is a grail for me but I just thought it was going to be wayyyy out of my price league. I checked them out under a loupe and they looked very nice but more importantly all original. I tried not to give them too much attention even though the EW had sent my head spinning.
Back to the fat arrow, to my surprise it was actually a lot cheaper than I thought it was going to be, so once that was secured my attention turned to the Speedmasters, after inspecting them again and talking with the dealer we came to an agreement that was just far too good to let go, I couldn't believe I was saying "yes I'll have it" to an Ed White and a bonus 145.022 -71ST on top too.
It helped massively that the dealer wanted them sold and was one of those moments where you have to swap some money around pretty sharpish to get it all through, but you know if you don't there will always be regret.
So I walked out not with one watch but 3 and a huge smile on my face, I have to say though that this was a one off and not normal in my watch world anyway.
On to the watches - This is the Omega CK2777-1 fat arrow, for 1953 it is in beautiful condition with just a bit of nibbling around the outer edge of the dial, also quite big for that era of watch being 37mm, it still has its movement cover and doohickey spring which is often lost from the previous servicing, the military engraving on the case back is sharp as are the case sides, a really nice historic watch especially as it has an extract of archives saying "special dial and case back engraving for the British Government".
This first Speedmaster is a 145.022 -71ST, it has a step dial which is getting harder to find as collectors are starting to hang on to this reference, the lume plots have turned a very nice vintage colour and hands look original, yes it has a service bezel which isn't bad as its aged quite well but a period correct one is needed hence my WTB. Although nice to look at it needs a service, I have booked it in with a good independent so once all sorted this should be a solid vintage Speedmaster.
Then comes my grail, something I thought I could never own due to price increases, a 105.003.64 "Ed White"
The previous owner compiled a folder of info about how original this watch is, it was serviced by Simon Freese in 2015 and apparently said its one of the most honest Ed White's he has worked on, it came with inner/outer box, extract of archives, folder of info and a 1039 bracelet with 506 end links restored by Michael Young in Hong Kong.
The DON bezel is in nice condition, lightly faded with a hint of blue and in the sun the dial has some brown hues, not full on tropical but its there, the case is sharp to the point I thought it had been ground back where the bevels had gone, but its been said that the 64 case does not have bevels and was probably a one year only case design.
It’s certainly a keeper and one of those rare watches that makes you feel great every time you look at your wrist, I suppose that’s what a grail is supposed to do..
Hope you have made it this far being a long post, the pictures don't really do the watches justice so I'll have to take some decent images soon, but without pictures it didn't happen eh!!
Thanks for reading..
Last edited by murkeywaters; 22nd November 2019 at 00:14.
Great day ,looking at these makes me wonder why I sold my 69 speedy.
And where is this dealer dying to sell his stock at good prices .
Enjoy
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Well Christmas has come early, well done. All three are stunners, I particularly like the simplicity and clean lines of the CK
Enjoy, Steve
Absolutely stunning trio. Enjoy them all!
Some great omegas here bit the Ed is really out of this world! Wear in good health
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That’s quite a set to buy all in one go ! Congratulations and enjoy ;-)
Last edited by HookedSeven; 21st November 2019 at 23:33. Reason: Typo
Wow, what a days work! All great, but would really love the EW and the FA.
Got an inkling for another speedy. Only sold mine because of the lack of WR.
Many congrats on getting your grail!
Stunning trio of watches, all look spectacular in the photos. I love the Ed White, but then again I would having owned the exact same model as you, although the insert on mine wasn't as nice as yours. The money on those inserts is bonkers, a few years back a nice DON was $5k, god knows what they fetch these days.
Enjoy
The Ed White is strong pornography indeed. Simply gorgeous.
Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves
DON inserts are a bit of an unknown quantity these days as there are exceptionally accurate fakes out there. If they were sold as reproductions (and marked accordingly) then I guess the market for original DONs would be affected less, but they’re unmarked and nefarious sellers can probably easily pass them off as being vintage.
Sometimes, when the deal is in front of you and you have chance to buy what you really want, you've got to go for it. That’s what you've done and I’m sure you’ve made the right decision, these opportunities don’t come along often.
Enjoy!......that’s what it’s all about.
Three fantastic Omegas. Absolutely lovely👍
That is one hell of a shopping trip. Each one is a very nice example indeed, hard thing to get one of in a single place, but finding and buying 3 under one roof? Well done.
Dave
Amazing! Well done, they look fantastic.
Cheers..
Jase
You must be in seventh heaven! Congratulations on all three.
Well I've just had a trouser accident. You have a wonderful trio. I would love a Ed White myself but unfortunately I think I've missed my price point a few years ago.
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I'd have been happy buying just one of those watches. All three! Wow, just WOW.
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
lovely watches and manmaths working at it's best!
Those three are all amazing! Really love all of them but that last Speedy really is something special. Congratulations!
Thank you everyone for your kind comments, it was a day that I’m sure I’ll never repeat, but you never know? Even the dealer said he felt the market was softening.
Now that’s a days shopping!
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All 3 are excellent.....but that Ed White is something else. Absolutely stunning looking watch. Congratulations on a rather splendid trio👍
I keep coming back to this thread. It is a beautiful haul.
Where exactly was this place if you don’t mind revealing.
My pre moon Speedie has a DON bezel but I am thinking of replacing it with a new bezel.