What watch are you wearing today?

I think you're right, Ray.

 

FM today
Sothis yesterday
IWC the day before
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Those are gorgeous pieces you Have!

 

Thank you.

 

Wearing my "astronaut watch" today since we're going to see the space shuttle Discovery later at the Udvar-Hazy Museum.

It is a pre-moon Omega Speedmaster that I bought from Luke, a fellow fchatter, a few years ago.

Every once in a while someone will notice that it is an old watch, which is kind of fun when they ask about it.
Still looks good after all these years.
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Great piece right there. I really like Omega a lot.

 

Thanks. The new ones are a little pricey.
I think a plain Speedmaster is around $4000 (but I think it comes with a modern sapphire crystal).

Here's the history of the old Omega watches and its use by the astronauts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Speedmaster
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I've got a newer Seamaster.
Fit Finish is really nice. They've been doing it a very long time.

I need to find a vintage one day soon.

edit your watch does look next to new. great job!!!!!!

 

It is one of the few chronographs that I own that works well as a stopwatch.

The big second hand stays on the 12 o'clock position until the stopwatch function is started.

The little dial to the left is the seconds display for normal time (the dial with the "20 40 60" on it).

 

I love Speedmasters. I have one of the red Schumacher ones. Hope to pick up another one later this year. New or old, they make for great pieces.

 

Nice line up!

 

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Thank you

IWC today

 

Love that watch....I picked up some watch mag at the airport today and it showed a couple of "new" perp IWC's coming out this year included a big pilot...

 

Theyve got some beauties this year. That Top Gun black Perpetual is very tasty

 

If you don't mind my asking, how old is that one? It's a beautiful piece. I've actually been looking to pick up a Speedmaster very soon... just waiting for the right deal to come along.

 

Good question, maybe Luke has the answer.

The "pre-moon" Speedmasters were made prior to 1971.
Omega changed the back case of the watch starting in 1971 (see pics below).
My watch has the old simple case back with only the Omega logo with the Hippocampus mythical creature on it.

Omega started engraving the serial number on the back of the lug under the 7 o'clock face position when they went to the new case back.
The older watches have smooth lug surfaces on the back and have their serial numbers inside the watch on the movement.
So, I'd need to open up the back of the watch to see my serial number.
I assume with that, there are places that can tell me, based on the serial number, which year it was made.

I did have one watch dealer look at the watch with a magnifying glass and he told me it had the original haselite crystal on it. There is some micro-engraving on the side of the crystal that they look for to see if it is original or not. Haselite is a plastic product that is more impact proof than a sapphire crystal and won't shatter when broken like a sapphire crystal will. Downside is the haselite plastic scratches easier but can be polished out fairly easily.

BTW, my watch has a replacement bracelet metal band on it. It is an Omega band of the same style but not the exact one that came with the original watch.

First pic is the back of my watch, second pic is the post-1971 back.
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Very, very cool. But how did the astronaut read the watch through the space suit?

 

they didn't need to read through the suit.
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What he was looking for was the Omega logo on the crystal. It is very small and dead center on the crystal. It is easy to miss because the center post and hands are directly under it.

The Pre-71 watches with the caliber 321 movements continue to climb in value. If you can find one with straight lugs, as opposed to the current bombe style lugs, those are even more valuable.

 

Glad to see it being enjoyed! I'd like to get another someday.

 

Serial number will tell the year. If I recall, that is a 145.012, which is the most desired cal321 pre-moon.

New ones still have Mineral Crystal, but Sapphire (and expo back) are options.

That is a great watch.

-dsd

 

Blue Chrono today
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Yes. It is a cal321. I looked long and hard for that watch. I bought it from timezone forum from a guy in Canada. The band came later, and while correct for a speedmaster, it is a later vintage.

 

roger dubuis today..
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nice looking