Jet lagged in Italy, I fired up the eBay app before going to bed and saw what appeared to be an honest looking pre-moon Speedmaster. Not perfect, but much better than the typical ones that pop up with bad pictures from individual sellers. I messaged the seller to learn a bit more, and after learning that he’d purchased it from an estate sale 5-6 years earlier and had worn it frequently since, I was fully on-board. Minutes later the PayPal had been sent, and I was left looking at the ceiling trying to phrase it correctly to Mrs. Bazamu. I won’t fill you in on that discussion though…
The Nitty Gritty
This Speedmaster’s biggest asset is honesty. The case has dents and scratches. The caseback is a little rough. The dot over ninety bezel is chewed up. And the lume has flaked off in a couple spots on the stepped dial. But despite all of that, I think it looks awesome. No, it won’t win any awards for “Speedmaster of the Year” (like, if that was an award that people gave out), but this is a great example of a fairly rare watch that looks and feels awesome on the wrist.
You may be asking yourself the following question, though – if he loved it so much, why doesn’t he still have it? And that’s a totally legitimate question. The answer is the thing that haunts all collectors…you can’t keep them all. I looked down at my watch box one day and realized that if I wanted to wear a Speedy pro, I just kept reaching for the 145.022-68 Transitional. And if I wasn’t wearing it, there was no point in hoarding it from someone else that would reach for it every day.
