1963 Oyster Speedking

[JMcDade03]

Greetings,

I recently received a Rolex Oyster Speedking from my father, who in turn received this Rolex when his father when he passed away in 1973.

My grandfather purchased this Rolex brand new at the Grissom AFB exchange for $300 (roughly 2K today). The crystal has a slight crack, but the dial is clean. I have a few questions in regard to speedkings:

Are they similar to air-king, or a different subset of Oysters?

Did Rolex send watches with Spiedel twist-o-flex bands stock?

If I replace the crystal and service this watch (unknown if my grandfather serviced it, my father said he never did but still works and keeps time well), will it devalue the vintage worth of it?

I will try to post a picture of it, I am having issues with third party hosting.

Thanks for any insight.

[Gecko10]

There are a lest two things I can answer. First, I don't believe Rolex ever put a Spiedel band on any of there watches.

Second,IMO having it serviced by an AD (Authorized Dealer)may decrease its value because of the parts that maybe replaced. However there is a place in Arlington, TX that does wonderful work on vintage Rolex and I can highly recommend them as will most people here. They are very conscious about what may devalue a watch. Do yourself a favor and contact them. www.watchmakers.com/

Some other reading here

https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-...king-6420.html
https://www.manoftheworld.com/produc...6430-speedking
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=157231