1951 Speed King

[Boopie]

I just came across this 1951 Speed King for sale on The Real Real, which seems to be an unlikely place for a watch this old. I’m on the fence about it.

I see that it’s 31mm and doesn’t have a lot of information (expected from that website), but it seems to have a good price (just doing a quick check on C24) and to be in decent condition for its age (the dial looks clean but I have no idea if it’s a redial). It looks as if it’s in NYC. Any thoughts?

I noticed it doesn’t say “Precision” as other 6430s on C24 do.


https://www.therealreal.com/products...ng-watch-d1xbg

Are watches this old difficult and expensive to service? It seems to be a job for an independent watchmaker.

[Bestdj777]

I think you may be overlooking a few things regarding the condition. There seems to be a big stain on the dial and the bracelet looks pretty badly beaten up—look on the top right at the marks on it. All and all, I have to imagine you can get a nicer watch for a better price elsewhere, particularly a 31mm.

Just looked on eBay and you can grab a similar watch in better condition for ~$2,500 through eBay’s guarantee program. Seller is in Japan.

[Boopie]

Thanks!

[Paul David Thorpe]

Originally Posted by Boopie

Thanks!

Easy to service at about £300 agree about stain and bracelet orig dial hands and crown etc. 31mm wear quite small - If looking for cheap small piece, bang for buck the 6694 date and 6426 non date manual are about the cheapest 34mm and can be gotten for $2500 at a pinch.

[Boopie]

Thanks. That’s helpful information.