Three Pre-Owned Speedmaster Watches We Think Are Worth It
With the Speedmaster having been around for over 65 years, there are a lot of them available on the pre-owned market. If you are willing to look past the iconic Moonwatch, there are still a great many gems to explore. For this week’s Speedy Tuesday installment, I have selected three pre-owned Speedmaster watches that are worth checking out.
Speedmaster Reduced DA175.0033 — Image: TimeAnagram.com
A two-tone Speedmaster Reduced
With the craving for smaller watches, the Omega Speedmaster Reduced or the current Speedmaster 38 series could be worth investigating. As I preferred to focus on the hand-wound Moonwatch iterations, I never got into buying the Speedmaster Reduced models. However, to my best memory, they were dirt cheap in the late 1990s and early 2000s, offered for as little as a few hundred bucks on the pre-owned market. The Speedmaster Reduced came out in 1988 after Omega discontinued the Mark series. With its 38.5mm (often rounded up to 39mm) case size, the Reduced is noticeably smaller on the wrist than the 42mm Moonwatch. Notably, Omega decided to make the Speedmaster Reduced an automatic watch from its inception.
Speedmaster DA175.0033 — Image: TimeAnagram.com
It is a great alternative for those who either want a smaller watch or don’t want to be bothered by manually winding the watch every other day. Omega used different calibers, but this one is 1140, based on the ETA 2890-2 with a Dubois-Dépraz chronograph module. If you search for reference (DA)175.0033, you will find them starting at around €2,000 on the Japanese market. This two-tone Omega Speedmaster Reduced was available with either 18K yellow or rose gold accents. You can find several of them here. The one I found is available from TimeAnagram.com in Japan.
Speedmaster Broad Arrow Moonphase 3575.20 — Image: Bulang & Sons
Speedmaster Professional Broad Arrow Moonphase
I sold my Speedmaster Professional Broad Arrow Moonphase (ref. 3575.20) in 2014 to fund another Speedmaster. I was surprised to see that prices are still about the same 10 years later. For around €4,500, you can find a nice example of this Speedmaster today. This watch is based on the (1997–2003) Speedmaster ’57 Broad Arrow but has a moonphase complication, a white dial, and blue hands. It’s also similar to the 1999 Apollo 11 30th-anniversary Speedmaster Professional Moonphase in white gold.
Speedmaster Broad Arrow Moonphase 3575.20 — Image: CoinWatchCo
Anyway, for less than the price of a pre-owned current-series Moonwatch, you can buy yourself a nice variation with an additional complication. You can hardly go wrong with one of these. Not many people know that the bezel is made of 18K white gold. Inside is the Lemania-based 1866 movement. It’s the caliber 1861 with a moonphase and date module added. On Chrono24, you will find approximately 40 examples of this reference on offer.
Speedmaster ’57 Relaunch 3594.50
Speedmaster ’57 Relaunch
We’ve covered the Speedmaster ’57 Relaunch — or “Replica” — with its Broad Arrow hands many times (like here, here, or here). Omega first introduced it in 1997 as part of the Missions suitcase, which consisted of 22 Speedmasters with a NASA mission patch at 9 o’clock and one of these Speedmaster ’57 models. Only one year later, this watch became available separately in the Omega catalog. Three of the Fratello writers have one, including me. I recently put it on an original Omega tan leather strap similar to the one it originally came with (I found one at the Omega boutique at Geneva airport). The watch also came on the typical ref. 1998 bracelet as an option.
Speedmaster ’57 Relaunch 3594.50
Depending on the condition, you can find these watches on the pre-owned market for under €3,000 in Japan. In Europe and North America, you will generally see higher prices. However, it is possible to find a Speedmaster ’57 for less than €4,000. Although it isn’t the classic Moonwatch, the polished and faceted Broad Arrow hands on the dark gray dial and the steel bezel add a nice dynamic to the watch. As I’ve written before, study the applied Omega logo and hands before you buy the watch. I have seen quite a few with corrosion on them. Click here to find your perfect pre-owned Speedmaster ’57 Relaunch watch. There’s also a watch (with no box or papers) for sale here for just over €3,500.
Are you after a pre-owned Speedmaster watch?
With the ever-rising prices of new watches, including that of the Omega Speedmaster, the pre-owned market offers great things. I believe the pre-owned market is even becoming the top competitor to some brands that went overboard with their pricing. The three pre-owned Speedmaster models mentioned here might not be your cup of tea, but there are so many Speedmaster variations to explore that you may very well run into one you like.
What do you think of the three pre-owned Speedmaster models above, and do you have any other suggestions? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
