Monthly Archives: October 2022

The Two-Watch Vintage UK Perfect Replica Rolex Watches Collection: The Expected And A Surprise

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There’s absolutely nothing wrong with modern Swiss made Rolex replica watches. Well, aside from the fact that you cannot get them from your local boutique and secondary prices are still well over retail. But while that’s annoying and there have been countless articles about the phenomenon, I haven’t really been affected. Why is that? It’s because I’m a dyed-in-the-wool fan of vintage Rolex, and I prefer to put my money into high quality fake watches that aren’t still in production! But where to start and where to end? Everyone will have their say, but I have come up with two vintage Rolex watches that could leave an owner with a no-regrets collection.

That’s right, it’s another Rolex article, but we aren’t joining the chorus with yet another complaint about availability or secondary market pricing this time. Today, vintage Rolex is back in focus, and the idea was to choose a tight, two-watch collection. Why two? Well, it allows for some level of differentiation. It also keeps a collection tidy and wearable. As far as inspiration, I looked no further than my own wrist as the arbiter. If I consider the past 12–24 months, it’s very easy to see which vintage Rolex models (and, frankly, these cheap UK replica watches dominate time on my wrist) I wore most.

Vintage Rolex is insanely wearable

Seemingly, in the world of watch collecting, there are vintage folks, modern folks, and vintage folks who accept modern 1:1 copy watches. I rarely find a modern-watch lover who accepts vintage watches. They’re usually afraid of these watches (for good reason at times) or find them inferior/fragile versus newer watches. What I’d like to mention, and I’ve said it before, is that vintage Rolex is insanely wearable. If one can deal with an acrylic crystal, everything else feels solid and contemporary. The AAA replica watches can be tested for water resistance and serviced easily. Friends who moan about the more rudimentary bracelets simply don’t know what they’re missing. Even if the bracelets were lighter, they were leagues ahead of their competition in terms of comfort and durability. Just try living with one for a while. It’ll make the newer models feel needlessly heavy and inarticulate by comparison. With all that being said, what did I choose?

The Datejust 1600

It’s probably no surprise, but my first vintage Rolex pick is the wildly versatile top fake Rolex Datejust 1600 watches. Before deciding to pick it up at the end of 2021, my tastes tended toward sports models. However, I felt the desire to try a Datejust. For me, the smooth-bezel 1600 was a nice compromise as it isn’t quite as ornate or dressy as models with textured bezels. Yet, the watch emits dressier vibes. I’m here to tell you that this 36mm steel watch on what just might be the most sublimely comfortable Jubilee bracelet has stolen my heart. There’s no other way to say it: I love wearing this watch.

A testament to its absolute wearability, the vintage Rolex Datejust 1600 has been a partner on lengthy trips both for business and pleasure. It feels at home with a pair of shorts, formal garb, or whatever the day demands. It’s somehow luxurious and rich-looking, but it also flies under the radar. These days, when people think of Rolex, they likely have a chunky timepiece in mind. The 1600 is lithe and, for a Rolex, downright elegant on the wrist.

Blue is great, but there are other lovely choices

I lucked out with this blue Datejust 1600 that dates to 1975. The condition of both the case and, most importantly, the dial is superlative. I’m sure that any model with this reference would be of interest, but there’s just something about a darker dial in fantastic condition. I say that because that’s the challenging part of these best replica watches. The small tritium lume plots either tend to come loose or eat into the dial lacquer. The cases are also a challenge because they lack clear, beveled edges like many of the sports models. A quick look at the lug holes for rounded edges can help show signs of unruly polishing.

The good thing about this model is that it’s not a bank-breaker. Prices have risen over the past couple of years, but they have stagnated recently. Savvy buyers may be able to find something worthwhile for under €5,000 while great examples can run over €6,000. Still, for a vintage Rolex, that’s not bad, and it’s not likely to depreciate over time. The Datejust still looks largely the same, and that has kept these vintage models relevant despite their non-quick-setting 1570 movements. Also, note that overall availability for these fake watches for sale isn’t an issue, but finding a great one takes a lot of searching.

In summary: this could be a one-watch vintage Rolex collection

The Datejust 1600 is so good, so comfortable, and so easygoing that it could easily suffice as a one-watch vintage Rolex collection. In fact, if true sports models aren’t your thing, stop right here and save a ton of money. You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll have a great watch that will last generations.

The Sea-Dweller 1665 “Great White”

Most would guess that something like the Datejust 1600 would make the cut for a two-watch vintage Rolex collection. I’d bet that literally no one would pick the Sea-Dweller 1665 “Great White” as the second piece. The Submariner, GMT-Master, or some sort of Explorer are far more popular than the oddball Sea-Dweller. So what gives? I’ll do my best to explain.

None of us younger folks can go back in time and know what life was truly like when a dive watch was truly necessary as a tool. However, when I speak to those who dove during the ’70s and into the early ’80s, there was one watch brand that was seen as far more reliable than any other. If you guessed that it was Rolex replica watches wholesale, then you’ve at least paid a little attention to the article thus far. With that in mind, the Submariner would be a perfectly suitable choice, but I like the fact that Rolex created the ultimate professional expression of a dive watch with the Sea-Dweller 1665. Therefore, it reigns supreme as my choice for the second watch in this collection.

Ugh, I love to wear this watch

If I’m in the mood to wear a brawnier, tough-looking watch, the Sea-Dweller 1665 is almost always my choice. It’s thick (>17mm!), but it wears as only a vintage Rolex 40mm case can. Plus, just look at that flippin’ crystal! It’s like a porthole out of a Jules Verne novel that magnifies things head-on and disfigures all of the dial elements when viewed from an extreme angle. It’s just so purpose-built! Then, in a world where everyone gloats about “Easter Eggs,” the inscribed case back exudes this “not for public consumption” type feel.

There’s just so much to enjoy on the Sea-Dweller 1665, such as big, fat lume plots against a matte black dial. Then, view the watch from the side and digest the taller bezel that aids use when wearing gloves (those would be of the “winter” persuasion for me at best). The watch comes on the 93150 Oyster, which still ranks as the greatest sports bracelet in the history of super clone watches shop site. Yes, most modern watch companies should bow and seek tutelage from this amazingly comfortable concoction. For those who hate the Cyclops, the Sea-Dweller even delivers the best of both worlds because it serves up a date under that T39 tropic crystal.

A more challenging vintage Rolex to buy

The vintage Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 that I chose is the “Great White” model that came after the famous “Double Red.” Mechanically, the  Swiss movements replica watches is the same as it uses the automatic caliber 1570 and even has a small, simple-looking helium valve on its side. However, the Great White is significantly less expensive. On the other hand, it was produced for a fairly short period (1977–1983) and likely not in the same quantity as the Submariner. Finding an example is easy, but finding one in nice condition is challenging. The tall case and crystal were likely targets for dents. Consequently (and sadly), many have been polished or contain service crystals with defined edges. I think it’s worth holding out to find a lovely model with a warm patina, honest wear, and the right crystal. These days, expect to pay north of €25,000 for a nice example. That’s a lot of cash, but one could easily spend that much on a vintage Submariner. Yes, the Sea-Dweller is more of a specialized watch, but that defines its stealthy charm.

In summary: forget the usual suspects and go for the big gun

The Sea-Dweller 1665 “Great White” isn’t cheap, but it has escaped the focus of mainstream vintage Rolex collectors up until now. To me, that still makes it a relative (yes, very relative) bargain versus the other heavyweight sports models. Perhaps the general lack of coverage of this model has kept it out of the limelight, or the fact that it isn’t found on most vintage dealers’ sites has suppressed its popularity. Whatever the reason, the shy status can be your gain. Trust me, these wear beautifully, and it’s nice to sport a vintage Rolex that most don’t own.

Vintage Rolex — Oddly practical

Look, we all know that vintage Rolex can be a scary proposition, but if one buys from a reputable seller, look forward to many years of satisfying ownership. These China fake watches can be worn every day, and while I don’t swim with them, there are plenty who choose to do so. They’re rugged yet refined, a balance that current Rolex models seem to have lost. The other nice point is that these watches are fairly liquid, so selling them is relatively easy if a lengthy romance isn’t in the cards. I chose two luxury replica watches that I could easily wear all the time. What would you select as your vintage Rolex pair?

Astronaut Wally Schirra’s Gold UK Cheap Fake Omega Speedmaster Moonwatches Up For Auction

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Not many people realize that it was NASA astronaut Wally Schirra who wore the best replica Omega Speedmaster watches for the first time in space. Like most other active NASA astronauts, Schirra also received a precious gold Omega Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69 during the famous Houston banquet in the Warwick Hotel on November 25th, 1969. Allow me to tell you the story of Wally Schirra’s gold Speedmaster.

Schirra was the commander of Apollo 7, the command pilot on Gemini 6A, and the only astronaut aboard the Sigma 7 spacecraft in the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission. On the Sigma 7, he wore an Omega Speedmaster reference CK2998-4 chronograph that he had purchased privately. On the other two missions, he wore AAA UK fake Omega Speedmaster watches that NASA had provided to him. For the Gemini 6A mission, he wore a Speedmaster 105.003-64 (NASA serial number 19), and for Apollo 7, he wore the 105.012-65 (NASA serial number 32).

Banquet in Houston, Texas

At the banquet on November 25th, 1969, Omega offered the astronauts a special commemorative edition of the Omega Speedmaster Professional in yellow gold. These perfect replica watches were all individually numbered, and numbers 1 and 2 were offered to President Nixon and Vice President Agnew. Both had to decline due to the value of the gift, but the 23 astronauts at the dinner accepted the burgundy-bezel Omega Speedmaster Professional copy watches for sale.

Omega offered three additional luxury replica watches to the families of the Apollo 1 astronauts who died in a terrible accident during a launch rehearsal test. This meant that numbers 3 to 28 were allocated to the astronauts. Later, in 1972 and 1973, eight more NASA astronauts received the gold Swiss made fake Omega Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69 watches. These examples carried numbers 1001 through 1008 and the same commemorative text as the first 26 watches for the astronauts.

Speedmaster Apollo XI “Tribute to Astronauts”

In total, Omega produced 1,014 pieces of this watch from 1969 onwards. Unlike today when these top fake watches would sell out in a flash (and did in 2019), the gold BA145.022-69 was in Omega’s collection for several years. It was an 18K gold version of the regular Speedmaster Professional with the hand-wound caliber 861. Instead of a standard black dial with white pencil hands, this commemorative watch has a solid gold dial with black onyx hour markers and black pencil hands. The bracelet was also slightly different from the regular bracelet in steel, tapering to just 14mm at the clasp.

I’ve seen many of these gold Speedmaster Apollo XI “Tribute to Astronauts” models, including those for President Nixon and some of the NASA astronauts. They always impressed me and made me think of that evening at the Warwick Hotel when Omega presented them to the astronauts. That must have been an incredibly special moment.

A prized piece of history

A funny side note is that one of the first special Speedmasters I had in my hands when I started collecting watches back in the 1990s was one of the 1,014 gold 1:1 replica Omega Speedmaster watches. My watchmaker at the time had one in his collection, and it was his prized possession. At the time, you could pick these watches up for the equivalent of less than €5K, which people still thought was a lot of money for a gold Speedmaster. That is absolutely unthinkable today.

Apollo XI astronaut Michael Collins’s gold China super clone Omega Speedmaster watches sold for US$765,000 at auction last June. And as I wrote here, it did not go to the Omega museum but ended up with a collector instead. You can find the regular-production version of the gold Speedmaster BA145.022-69 for less, of course. The market value of those starts around EUR/USD 40K and goes up depending on the condition.

Wally Schirra’s gold Omega Speedmaster

After Wally Schirra passed away in 2007, his widow offered to sell his gold Omega Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69 to space collector and friend Lawrence L. McGlynn. He purchased the watch, and it has remained in his collection ever since. We have covered Schirra’s gold Speedmaster before in this article. Its case back featured the No. 8 designation as well engravings for the missions he flew.

Schirra was one of the first seven astronauts selected by NASA, also often referred to as the Original Seven. Interestingly, all others (or their families) received the first few (numbered) gold Omega Speedmaster replica watches paypal, except Deke Slayton. The others were Scott Carpenter (#6), Gordon Cooper (#7), John Glenn (#5), Gus Grissom (#4), Alan Shepard (#3), and Deke Slayton (#27).

Interview with Wally Schirra by Chuck Maddox

My friend Chuck Maddox interviewed Wally Schirra two months before he passed away in May 2007. Chuck Maddox sadly passed away exactly a year after Wally Schirra did. I published the interview here, but I also have a recording that Chuck sent me shortly after. You can listen to it below. From left to right in the picture, you will see Charlie Duke, Chuck Maddox, and Wally Schirra. In this interview, he talks about the gold Speedmaster (which he was wearing during that interview), but also about the first Speedmaster in space, which he bought himself.

Super-accurate

Chuck Maddox: Since you were the first person to wear a Speedmaster into space, were you how Omega was brought into NASA? Did you bring them in together, or was it someone else?

Wally Schirra: Well, they [NASA] saw it. Deke Slayton and I were both working on the mission, and Deke was replaced, and Scott Carpenter took that mission, and I took the next mission. So Deke had an Omega, and I had an Omega. We bought them, and NASA had nothing to do with it. We just bought them and checked them. And then we took them to the Cape, and Pan American Airlines was the custodian of all the technical stuff at the Cape. They took the fake watches shop site and made them super-accurate, in all six different positions. And I’d go into mission control and say, “Hmmm…  your clock is off about two seconds!”  They’d say, “What? What!” [Laughter all around] This was before the atomic clocks were around, so we had a lot of fun with it. Well, after that, I flew it [the Speedmaster], and then Cooper flew it; they said, “We might as well make this regulation.”  That’s how it came out.

As we now know, that’s not exactly how it happened. NASA had to create a formal proposal to get replica watches wholesale from different brands and have them properly tested. It might be the case that Omega was on the radar because Slayton was already aware (and had one). However, watches from Longines-Wittnauer, Rolex, and Waltham were also tested (and failed). Later on, Bulova also sent a watch in for testing, but that one didn’t survive the strict test procedure either.

Back to the gold Speedmaster. It gets a mention in the interview (Chuck Maddox: “I was going to ask you if you still owned any Speedmasters, but I see you’re wearing your gold one.“). There are also pictures to back up that Schirra actually wore his gold Speedmaster. Space and watch enthusiast Philip from Moon Watch Universe identified 18 NASA astronauts wearing their gold best quality fake Omega Speedmaster watches.

Larry McGlynn on Wally Schirra’s gold Omega

Owner Lawrence “Larry” McGlynn — who was also featured in Discovery Channel’s Space Dealers — wrote to me in 2015. He said, “Wally’s watch is special to me for several reasons. I knew Wally. Wally wore the first Speedmaster into space on Sigma 7. He is the only astronaut to fly all of the three US Space Race Era programs shown on the case back. The Omega staff has been very helpful to me. They found a contemporary ‘lunar crater’ box…”

The condition of Schirra’s Speedmaster

So I called Larry and asked him a few questions about the watch. He is a Speedmaster collector and owns 17 in total, including the three Snoopy models and a few space-flown high quality replica watches. When I was on the call with him, Larry was wearing his Speedsonic on the lobster bracelet. He proudly told me that his first Speedmaster was the Snoopy 2003 model, a precious gift from his wife. But first and foremost, I wanted to know why he was selling this gold Moonwatch. “It is the 60th anniversary of the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, and the watch also has the same number engraved in the case back as its serial. I’ve worn it during special events only, and I now feel it is time to let it go. Let someone else enjoy it,” says Larry.

He adds that this 18K gold Speedmaster from Wally Schirra is “in great condition, and it has not been restored.” According to him, “The watch runs fine; we’ve checked it with Omega. The gasket was replaced, which was necessary, and I could source an original red bezel for this watch. It used to have a black bezel, as the original red bezel had been replaced at some point.”

Wally Schirra and Larry McGlynn were friends, and Larry remembers him being a great and fun guy. “He loved puns and gags, probably also to deal with the stress and tension that came with the flying.” He adds, “Wally had a ‘let’s get it done’ mentality when it came to working, but he also loved pulling practical jokes.”

A fancy event in Houston

I asked Larry whether he knew more about the banquet at the Warwick Hotel in Houston on November 25th, 1969. He talked about it with (Apollo 15) astronaut Dave Scott, who was also there that night and received an 18K gold Moonwatch (#16). According to Scott, it was an incredibly fancy black-tie event where the guests wore tuxedos and gowns. The astronauts received their gold fake Omega Speedmaster watches for men one by one in a ceremony-like fashion. However, no photographs of this evening in Houston are available, and it remains unclear if any were taken.

Where are the other Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” watches?

When I asked about the other gold online replica Omega Speedmaster Professional “Tribute to Astronauts” watches, Larry told me he has seen a few of them in the past. He knows that astronauts Gene Cernan (Apollo 17, watch #18) and Dave Scott (Apollo 15, watch #16) never sold or auctioned theirs. Unfortunately, some of the gold Speedmasters given to the astronauts were lost or stolen. General Thomas P. Stafford’s 1969 gold Omega Speedmaster (Apollo 10, watch #13) was lost (he now wears the gold version from 1980), and Neil Armstrong’s gold Speedmaster (Apollo 11, watch #17) disappeared in the 1980s. Astronaut Jim Irwin’s gold Speedy (Apollo 15, watch #1003) was also lost.

Only on rare occasions does a gold astronaut-owned Speedmaster Professional come up for sale. Larry decided that it was time to let the precious replica watches store of his friend Wally Schirra go. The RR Auction estimate is US$250,000, but for all we know, it might go even higher than that during bidding. The auction will conclude on October 21st, 2022.