Continuing with the process of thinning my collection a bit to make room for a few recent purchases, here's one of the last -- and definitely one of the best -- of my watches that is looking for a new home. Up for sale is a 1993 Speedmaster Professional reference 3590.50 in very good preowned condition. In my view, this is the Speedmaster model that kind of has it all. It's the last reference with a tritium dial and handset. It has a caliber 861 under the hood -- less expensive to service than the 321, easy to get parts, very robust and reliable, and it still has "space cred" as the 861 flew in the Apollo program toward the end and orbited the moon. It also has the fully brushed, well constructed and moderately tapered 1479/812 bracelet which gives the watch a nice vintage look even though it's a neo-vintage reference. A perfect first Speedmaster for an aspiring collector or a great all rounder for someone who just wants a nice Omega on their wrist.

The Details

Omega Speedmaster Professional
Reference: 3590.50
Movement: Caliber 861 with gilt finish
Serial: 48293933
Year: 1993
Case: 42mm, stainless steel
Dial: Original black with tritium markers and hands
Bracelet: 1479/812 with friction fit vintage style clasp, maximum wrist size 8"

Condition

Dial, Bezel & Hands: The dial and bezel are pristine and correct for the reference with no flaws that I can discern. The hands are also original. The tritium has patinated to the beautiful pale yellow-orange shade for which this reference is well known. Unlike many examples of this reference, the color of the lume on the markers, hour and minute hands, and the chronograph hand is completely consistent. Often the lume on the chronograph hand has darkened and doesn't match the lume on the rest of the watch -- but not on this example. Also unlike many other examples of this reference, there is no lume loss on the hands -- no holes, no cracks, no flaking. As it should for a watch of this age, the tritium glows brightly when exposed to UV light, fades quickly, and glows very faintly on its own in the dark.

Case: Original 42mm stainless steel case. The overall condition of the case is excellent. I don't believe that it has been polished, but if it was, it was done with a light and careful hand as all of the case contours remain well defined. There are no glaring flaws that I can see and only a few hairline scratches here and there. The case back is in excellent condition and the hippocampus medallion is very sharp. The case back lettering is crisp and legible and the inlaid black paint is completely intact.

Crown and pushers: Original and correct.

Crystal: The crystal is a brand new generic replacement with no scratches, chips or cracks.

Movement: Original gilt plated caliber 861. The movement appears clean and in excellent condition. It was last serviced in 2022 per the previous owner, but I do not have service records. I did have my watchmaker check it over when he installed the new crystal and it is currently running within specifications at +7.7 SPD when worn in various positions, has an amplitude of 277 and beat error of 0.2 milliseconds. The power reserve is excellent. The watch winds up very smoothly and both the crown action and hand setting is very precise. All chronograph functions and subdial recorders work exactly as they should and all hands are properly aligned. A photo of the test results is shown below.

Bracelet: Original and correct Omega OEM 1479/812 bracelet in beautiful condition (not a mark on it) with a vintage style friction fit clasp bearing the Omega logo in relief set within a rectangle and the word "Speedmaster" engraved in script below. The bracelet has no stretch and will fit up to an 8 inch wrist. I do not have extra links, but OEM links are easy to source on eBay and Uncle Seiko makes good generic ones at a cost of $12 each (you shouldn't need any unless you're a Silverback Gorilla). .

Accessories

This watch comes with a nice black generic travel case and I'm also throwing in a very lightly used light brown two stitch leather strap that I purchased for the watch from Rios1931, a German manufacturer of high quality straps. The strap gives the watch more of a "smart casual" appearance if you want to wear it to the office or to an occasion. I think that I wore it twice if memory serves. I do not have the original watch box or paperwork.

About Me

I'm an avid collector of vintage Omega and I've got a soft spot for JLC as well. I've been a very active member of Omega Forums since 2018 and I'm one of the organizers of the annual Omega Forums Mid-Atlantic G2G (now going into its 4th year!). My past buyers have been satisfied with our transactions:

@gbesq is a great seller! | Omega Forums
gbesq is an awesome seller! | Omega Forums
@gbesq is a great seller | Omega Forums
gbesq | Omega Forums
A SUPERB transaction evolution from OF member @gbesq! | Omega Forums
Excellent Transaction with gbesq | Omega Forums
Gbesq Is an amazing seller! | Omega Forums
qbesq | Omega Forums
Gbesq is a Fantastic and Trusted Seller | Omega Forums

I have also sold watches and watch related accessories on eBay under the username gbesq with 100% positive feedback for more than 20 years and I can provide references from my buyers on Chrono24 as well. I value my reputation and what you see on my listings is what you get. If you're unhappy for any reason, I'll make it right.

Payment, Shipping & Returns

I'm asking $4,195 USD for this watch which will include insured shipping to your location. Watchcharts.com lists this reference as having an average private party sale price of $4,359 as of yesterday (May 18, 2024). I do reserve the right to decline sales/shipment to certain locations based upon well deserved reputations for postal theft (yes, Italy, I'm talking about you), active war (Ukraine) and authoritarian countries where my watch will be confiscated, you won't get it, I won't get paid, and it will be worn by a dictator with aviator sunglasses and no sense of humor). There were 7 sales of this reference on OF in 2023 with an average sale price of $4,660 so I think that I'm pricing the watch fairly especially with the included shipping, insurance and extra stuff. Payment is accepted via Zelle, Venmo, Wise, PayPal F&F, bank wire transfer or cash in person at a mutually agreed upon secure location. I'm located in Pennsylvania/U.S.A. I offer a 7 day inspection period beginning with the day after the watch is received. During that period you may initiate a return of the watch to me for any reason, no questions asked, by making the return request to me in writing. Upon my receipt of the watch, I will issue a full refund of the purchase price, less $150 for my shipping and insurance costs, provided that you return the watch and accessories to me in the same condition as I shipped them to you and you pay for the return shipping and insurance. If you damage the watch while it's in your possession, no returns please.

Photos

Here are the photos. If I've missed an angle that you would like to see or if you want a video, please PM me and I'll do my best to accomodate you.

Thanks for looking and thanks to OF for the space. Please feel free to contact me via PM with any questions.

-Greg (@gbesq)