Chaps, it's ok - we're all friends here. I know some of you like to play the field, and have other watches that don't have Heuer on the face. It's to the guys with Omega Speedmasters - pre moon ones to be precise - that I'm asking for help from.

I'm a space nut, an having a speedmaster has always been a goal. And I'm fortunate to have a very forgiving wife, so I've started looking. What I need to know is what's the best option to go for? There's an awful lot of pre moon models to choose from.

I think I'd like an earlier one with the cal321 movement, as that's the one that actually was on Buzz's wrist when he was up there.

What should I look for? What sort of price are they going for? Am I nuts?

Thanks,

Jason.

 

You're not nuts. But you may not find lots of experts here on pre-moon Speedies. I know that I like them, but that's about the extent of my knowledge! There is a sister site to this one which you might find useful, though: https://omegaforums.net/

Too many vintage pieces are out of my price range now unfortunately. I will console myself with this meanwhile

 

Thanks.

 

Omega Forums is probably the way to go, and you can log in with the same info you use here.

What's your budget? 321s these days are $7k+, figure on at least $8k for a 105.012 (actual reference worn by Armstrong and Aldrin)

Also check out http://www.speedmaster101.com

 

Funnily enough, I've got that open in another tab...

 

This looks familiar

 

Budget is... nebulous at the moment. I'm negotiating with the minister of finance and war, and I have a few different watches bookmarked - but there is an awfully nice one that looks immaculate for a little under £8K with room for negotiation.

Anyone want to buy a kidney?

 

Fantastic watch. Still holding off the Autavia Reissue.

 

As long as you look after it and insure it properly, then a pre-moon Speedy is a sound financial investment. It's not likely to lose anything*, can be converted into cash pretty quickly, and is far more enjoyable than keeping the money in the Bank.

(*The value of investments can go down as well as up.)

 

YMMV, professional driver on a closed course. Your home is at risk if you do not keep up repayments...

This is my prime target.

http://www.retrovintagewatch.com/om...re-cb-case-105.012-vintage-1966-pre-moon.html

It looks great, and appears to be (from my research) ok - but is it too perfect?

 

Well it looks nice, but the case has been polished. This may or may not be an issue for you but it would certainly be enough to stop it achieving top price.

 

I haven't worn mine yet, though I commissioned Heuerville a strap that is close to the original.

 

That is a bad watch and an even worse site. I can't see very clearly (the photos are tiny and nothing happens when I click on "Enlarge Image" but I can immediately tell that the bezel is from the mid-1990s and the chronograph seconds hand has been replaced with a later, incorrect model.

The bezel is a huge issue as the original, dot-over-90 models are now reaching the US $3000 range, alone... this bezel is worth perhaps $200, so the value of the watch would have to be reduced accordingly.

 

My advice: Don't even look at Speedmasters until you've familiarized yourself with them via Speedmaster101 - the Speedmaster is a prolific watch, and as with Rolex the value is often in the smallest of details. You'll want to make absolutely sure you know what you're looking at before buying, as a mistake like the one above could mean overpaying by thousands for what could end up being a complete Franken.

 

Thank you.

 

No problem. Good luck, happy hunting, and feel free to run any prospective watches by the folks at Omega Forums. Might help to start reading them regularly too!

 

I'm trying to log onto the Omega forums with my Calibre 11 details (as it said I could), but I have managed to mangle my password too many times. Can a moderator please unlock my account?

 

Ta - I'm in now.

 

Well, I've done it. After running past the chaps over on the omega forum, I was lucky enough to win this today. Should be here by Friday.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182468600013?redirect=mobilePurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

Looks like I'm going to have to talk to Stuart again for a strap for this.