One of the most recognizable and beautiful watches ever made, the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, is nothing short of a horological icon.
The Speedy made its way into the mainstream culture by having the privilege to be the timepiece the astronauts wore during all six moon-landing missions and has cemented itself as one of the most iconic timepieces throughout the world – especially so in America.
With a retail price of around $5,300, it’s an incredible value for the money considering the prices of other iconic timepieces such as the Rolex Submariner, the Patek 5980, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore, etc.
Not only is the Moonwatch an incredible value for the dollar even when purchased at retail, it gets even better when you venture into the used market.
These models with the Hesalite crystal (the same one the Astronauts used) typically sell for around $4,500-$4,800 on the used market, so if you’re looking to buy as a flip, you’ll need to be in this around $3,700 to guarantee a healthy profit margin.
Some good news about these models is there tends to be around 40-70 units of this exact model on the market at any given moment, so you have more leverage as a buyer due to higher supply.
The key here will be to find a seller who bought their watch from the dealer and is simply looking for some quick cash. Just a heads up, these are extremely popular among retail buyers, so naturally, that’s going to attract a lot of watch flippers into these models.
Just make sure when you’re buying to flip that you quickly determine if the person selling is another fellow watch trader or just an enthusiast. Otherwise, you’re going to find yourself working really hard and making offers without much luck.
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Big Box:
When it comes to the full set, this Moonwatch comes with A LOT of things so it’s important to make sure if you pay the price of a complete set that it actually is complete.
The first thing is it comes in what’s called the Big Box, which is the outer box that opens out to the right and the left with the inner box opening “up” as a normal box. This box is highly coveted (and makes a gorgeous display piece) so it’s important that if you get this timepiece from a gray market dealer, you make sure it comes with that specific box.
Warranty Cards:
The next thing it comes with is an international warranty card and a pictograms card. The important question to ask any seller is “does the serial number on the cards match the timepiece”. Sometimes gray market sellers will buy cards online just to make the watch they’re selling look like a full set, but the problem is the cards really only have value if the serial numbers match the watch.
The reason for this is simple, the matching serial numbers serve as one step of authentication to make sure the watch is real and not a fake, as anyone selling a fake watch could easily order cards and a box on eBay and then sell it as a full set. The serial number on this timepiece is listed as “Watch N”, and the “REF” is the reference/model number of this specific model of the Moonwatch, often shortened to simply “005”.
Extra Cards and Booklets:
To continue, this Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch comes with several booklets and cards. Some of the papers listed aren’t necessary, such as the original purchase receipt from the dealer. But the Moonwatch line is considered by many to be collector-grade, so the more of the original items you can get the better.
If you’re buying this as a collector, opt for a truly complete set because that will appreciate far better over time than a watch that comes with only some of the papers. If you’re buying this as a watch trader, then you still want to shoot for a complete set because this will open up a much larger pool of retail buyers.
That being said, sometimes buying a watch that has its cards and box but is missing some parts of the set that are less significant can be a good play for a trader to because you can leverage that to get the price down lower than you normally would’ve and then compensate for the missing parts with great salesmanship.
Bottom line: if you’re a collector, do not settle for less than the full set. If you’re a trader, you can buy a watch with some missing components of the set as long as it has the important parts such as cards with matching serial numbers, just make sure you’re paying less than you would if it was a true full set or you’re gonna see it hurt your margins.
Extras:
There are a few final components of the complete set here to cover, and while these things don’t necessarily increase the value of the set due to these components can be bought online, many watch enthusiasts or collectors who plan to actively wear the watch will appreciate having them.
These items are a Spring tool that helps adjust the stainless steel bracelet, a NASA strap, and the Speedmaster-themed jeweler’s loupe. Even though these components don’t necessarily justify a higher price, that doesn’t mean you can’t use any missing items to talk a seller down from their ask.
Most people who are selling watches don’t really understand at a deep level of what they’re selling, so just because we know as traders who have been through Watch Trading Academy, means that we can use our knowledge about the product to our advantage.
Polishing:
One of the great things about this specific model of the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is the crystal is made out of Hesalite, which means that if the crystal contains any scratches, it luckily can easily be polished out with a product called Polywatch.
It’s less than $15 dollars on eBay & Amazon, and can take care of most minor scratches. For the deeper scratches, you’ll need to take to a place that works on watches and it will need either a professional polish or in more severe circumstances the crystal may need to be replaced, which should cost under $150 installed from a competent watchmaker.
Conclusion:
The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is an incredible timepiece and is one of the best watches you can buy under $5,000. Just don’t overlook this timepiece comes with several components and you must know what to look for when buying this to make sure that you don’t overpay.
Happy Hunting,
Matt Pour