Speedy 105.012-64 at auction today

ewand
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I was watching (not buying) a couple of auctions today, and was surprised at this lot only making £3,800 hammer price (which would be £4,800ish with fees and then delivery on top):

1761043075451.webp 1761043319053.webp

Am I missing something? Dial looks OK, maybe service hands in the past? Flat foot crown and fat pushers, movement is running, bezel is nice and case looks not bad to me too. The bracelet is 1506/16 which is all as expected and the serial (22081947) checks out in ILMS as correct for this reference.

Have 321 Speedmasters really gone this low? Or did somebody just snag a bargain?
Edited:
 
Ron_W
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Total bummer because i missed out on it......
a power outage this morning, and i couldnt get the modem to restart quickly enough 🤬 .

This one is going to hurt for a while as it was
1) a lovely watch to my eyes and
2) in the perfect birth year range , which may be a silly reason but if you want a cal 321 and dont know which iteration you prefer you may as well go silly.
3) with correct dated bracelet and loaded with original parts.
4) it was just in the budget give or take...
12 months of patiently searching and waiting, blown because of a freakin circuit break.

105.012-64.webp


Damn i am pissed....
 
ewand
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what a bummer, Ron. I think we all have "the one that got away" stories...
 
Ron_W
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ewand ewand
what a bummer, Ron. I think we all have "the one that got away" stories...
Thanks Ewand, a lot of us probably do. And thanks to this fine forum this is now "shared greeve" so it is time to 🤠 up as they say ! and put this behind me . That -71 is a pretty good deal as well i think.

edit ; at least i didnt get caught in a bidding war and blew the 2026-2027 budget 😅
Edited:
 
ewand
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Ron_W Ron_W
Thanks Ewand, a lot of us probably do. And thanks to this fine forum this is now "shared greeve" so it is time to 🤠 up as they say ! and put this behind me . That -71 is a pretty good deal as well i think.

edit ; at least i didnt get caught in a bidding war and blew the 2026-2027 budget 😅
And at least you didn't end up with buyer's remorsed 😁

I was looking at a Rolex Explorer in that same auction which I think was really an Air King with a replaced dial. Went for £5K + fees ...
 
Dan S
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Those look nice. Maybe everyone is using their watch money to buy gold bullion and Nvidia?
 
ewand
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Dan S Dan S
Those look nice. Maybe everyone is using their watch money to buy gold bullion and Nvidia?
or food, fuel, electricity... 😝

Both auctions I was watching today (one of which I'm selling some stuff in, didn't even make low end of the estimate prices), there were not many bidders, it seems.

Anyway, where's the fun in owning stocks or gold? You can't take shares out and look at them, and wearing gold bullion would be a quick way to the scene of the mugging...
 
abrod520
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That's too bad, the -64 is a favorite of mine. The asymmetrical hand-applied T markings are a visual history of the watch industry
 
Aludic
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Two massive bargains if you ask me... I'm pretty shocked honestly. Pity I'm not in the market to buy more Speedmasters at the moment, I wouldn't mind owning these.

The only thing that I would have against the 105.012 would be the somewhat grimy lume. Still not something that would 'discount' this watch to the low value it ended up selling at. So, @Ron_W : I feel sorry for you. Better luck next time!
 
Dan S
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ewand ewand
or food, fuel, electricity... 😝

Both auctions I was watching today (one of which I'm selling some stuff in, didn't even make low end of the estimate prices), there were not many bidders, it seems.

Anyway, where's the fun in owning stocks or gold? You can't take shares out and look at them, and wearing gold bullion would be a quick way to the scene of the mugging...
I think that we see occasional strong sales and tell ourselves that things have recovered. But overall, I suspect that the vintage market is still quite soft due to economic uncertainty, tariffs on US imports, etc. Same reason that gold is hitting records. If some fraction of people are being cautious, auction bidding is impacted noticeably.
 
hansaboy
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@Ron_W and the rest of you Guys!

The watch was nice, maybe not Very Good...?
A few things that could be hard to see - the subdials have scratches from the hands.
The caseback had marks from opening, and a light polish..
And the case looks like it also had a light polish, maybe from a cloth or something light!

But a nice watch with a good price!
Skärmavbild 2025-10-21 kl. 15.33.16.webp 1100031980.webp
 
Ron_W
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Aludic Aludic
So, @Ron_W : I feel sorry for you. Better luck next time!
hansaboy hansaboy
@Ron_W and the rest of you Guys!
Thanks guys 👍
and i did see the minor issues but it was still an attractive watch for me, especially with my budget when buying from the UK, and when a "very good" one pops up it is usualy out of reach.
So no worries mates, its all spilled milk under the bridge, not worth crying over and such.. so i`m doing just fine again..... happy days

( i will burn that stinkin old MF sorry excuse of a modem on the stakes with great pleasure and shatter its remains with the .22. Okay, i am still very much pissed 🙂)
Edited:
 
hansaboy
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Ron_W Ron_W
Thanks guys 👍
and i did see the minor issues but it was still an attractive watch for me, especially with my budget when buying from the UK, and when a "very good" one pops up it is usualy out of reach.
So no worries mates, its all spilled milk under the bridge, not worth crying over and such.. so i`m doing just fine again..... happy days

( i will burn that stinkin old MF sorry excuse of a modem on the stakes with great pleasure and shatter its remains with the .22. Okay, i am still very much pissed 🙂)
Hang in there Ron!
Next time...??
👍👍👍
 
Ron_W
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hansaboy hansaboy
Hang in there Ron!
Next time...??
👍👍👍
Yes, that is the good spirit 😀 ! There will be a next one for sure.
 
NotJackson
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Ewan, I applaud your restraint 😀

Seriously, I think tariffs have put a damper on a lot of buying. “Swiss Made” at the bottom of the dial turns a £4,800 (about $6,400 US) bargain into something much less enticing. I wouldn’t call it a bad deal at $9k US, but neither would I be distraught to have missed it. As a guy who doesn’t even like to pay sales tax, the deal would have to be remarkable for me to even contemplate coughing up another 39%.

Your comments about economic uncertainty, tariffs, and gold bullion feel about right to me. Here in the States it is a scary time to be looking at anything involving discretionary spending. The stock market is roaring along, but some of the people I know who would normally think nothing of a $10k (or more) watch purchase have told me they believe that we’re in a bubble fueled by unsustainable investment in AI. As a believer in the emerging-technology hype cycle, I tend to agree. Maybe I’m wrong, and we’ll see how it plays out - but in the mean time, the uncertainty is real.
 
Ron_W
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edit ; already posted
That didnt take long to show up,
Aludic Aludic
would be the somewhat grimy lume
Looks better in the new pictures.
Edited:
 
M
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Aludic Aludic
Good spot. Apparently the buyer is aiming to make a quick buck. He’ll probably succeed…
Apparently it is sold
 
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