When you say you had the watch checked on whether it’s damage or not, what did that check consist of? Because I am about 99% sure this is water damage. These are tiny tiny spots after evaporation occurs. Depending on what kind of moisture got in will leave these spots. I have seen this many times before. These spots are sitting on the surface of the dial not imbedded into the paint. The gaskets are the weakest part of a watch. If your the original owner then at some point the crown wasn’t screwed down all the way or a gaskets has failed. It happens.

It is absolutely essential that this watch is opened up! Sooner not later. It might look cool and all that but I highly doubt that the paint on the dial is developing patina. This is not patina. It’s not normal fading from sun after years and years of wear. This is damage. And what’s more concerning is what your unable to see behind the dial. There is no way that this isn’t developing around and on the movement too. I guarantee the watch will start to loose time soon if it hasn’t already. And the longer you wait, the worse it will get. Tudor has I believe a 5 year warranty so send it back. It needs to be serviced, likely a complete movement replacement or overhaul and new gaskets. This is corrosion not patina. You may be able to ask them to not replace or clean the dial. I don’t know that.

Here are the facts. As a watch manufacturer, Rolex is an independent company, controlled by a board of directors, that employs thousands of people to design, facilitate, and manufacture their product. Their business is obviously making watches but like any other company that wants to be and most importantly REMAIN successful, their business model is to sell their “brand.” There are over 1800 retail stores worldwide that Rolex has authorized to sell their watches. In the US there are over 300 authorized ADs. Their business model never has and certainly isn’t to connect with the customer; instead it’s to connect with the authorized dealer. It is safe to say that the Rolex company is most concerned that their perceived brand and perceived value remains. Rolex doesn’t profit more from a GMT selling for above retail on chrono 24 or a Daytona selling on the grey market for $30K but it certainly helps to perpetuate this ongoing “perceived demand.” In a way, we as consumers created this monster. The bottleneck and narrowing of distribution that occurs from AD to consumers keeps this perceived value going.

These types of straps are filled with a foam material. There is little to no way to keep moisture from getting into it; whether the moisture is intentional like ocean water or from the pool. So likely the strap sitting against your skin for hours at a time mixed with any other moisture you add is going to soak up into the padding and make for some unpleasant odors. I agree with those that suggest an all rubber option. The OEM strap is nice because it has grooves molded into the underside that sort of lifts the material slightly away from your skin and allows moisture to escape and your skin to dry a little better. If you want a more classic look try a tropic strap. Those are all rubber as well, have a straight edge against the case, and have holes throughout which also allow the strap to breathe a little. I would avoid any kind of strap that has padding sewn inside and any kind of strap that is completely flat against your skin; both of those will just trap moisture and you’ll be unhappy at the end of a hot day. Lots of choices out there. I’m certain you’ll find something you like.

This is a good question and my answer is probably different than most. My older brother/family is in the watch business. He is a dealer and sells and brokers high end watches. So at a young age I was surrounded by expensive watches and I learned about brands, and their history, and how they are made. I did not follow in the business and instead became a registered nurse but I am an avid collector for sure. I consider myself lucky because of the greatest lesson I learned early on. Value. Even if you are not buying to sell, you still need to spend wisely. Of course buy what you like, but at some point you will likely want to get rid of or trade a piece, so value for dollar is so important.

I doubt you just wanted a simple look into our wallets and come up with some kind of poll; only to come up with an average amount spent on a watch. So how about some perspective…When I turned 16 years old and got my license I bought my first vehicle. A 1986 Toyota pickup truck. It had over 120K miles, no air conditioner, roll up windows, and only an AM/FM radio. It was glorious! It was mine. There is no question if I bought what I could afford, that’s obvious. Did it satisfy me? Absolutely! I bought it and I ran the heck out of it. I remember washing it and waxing it over the small dents, and even touching up small paint chips where rust had started to develop around the fenders. I was proud to drive that truck.

Now I have watches worth more than the car I drive today, but I love wearing pieces from my Hamilton Khaki collection. In fact, one of my favorite watches to wear is the white dial Hamilton khaki I got off of Amazon for $400 I think. It’s simple, a tool, robust for what it is, and is as satisfying as driving that 1986 Toyota truck.

I don’t think an argument of “is the watch worth the money” a valid one, especially in this case, and especially the speedmaster. So many high end luxury pieces are not available in an AD, and on grey market are trading at ridiculously inflated prices. You actually were excited about a watch, and got to go into the AD, try it on, and even purchase it. Even before the times of inflated retail on high end, going into an AD to see and purchase watches like the Daytona, AP, Vc, would be difficult and often impossible. I think in this case the speedmaster is probably one of the best value propositions compared to its comps. If you want the display back do what some of us have done and get the sapphire sandwich.

But if you tried it on and it didn’t do it for you then it’s just not your thing. That’s ok.

I doubt other watch enthusiasts would agree that we have been played because we liked and bought the speedmaster. In fact, I would bet most of us are tickled pink that we got to get a watch we liked with a rich history, from one of the best in house manufacturers, from some of the best quality, and at a fair price compared to what else is out there. Sure you can buy a hundred other mechanical chronos from off brands or even Hamilton for thousands less, but only you can decide if it’s worth the purchase price. That’s what’s great about this hobby; lots of choices no matter your budget or your style.