I hope this post will help people avoid mistakes when buying used watches online.
Do not buy if there are no ways back (no refund, no return).
What I found out after receiving the watch:
The position of the jewels are not the same with those on the official site. I compared them with the photos on Omega’s product page and they look different.
The design of the gears are different
Omega scanner app cannot scan the Master Chronometer card using NFC
When checking serial number on Omega site, the information not found
The engraved logo looks rough (I used iPhone’s macro lens to take the photo and compare with the photos of the sold products online)
So to avoid problems earlier in the process:
Ask the seller to add more close-up photos, especially where the logos are and the movement.
Ask the seller to take close-up photos of the gear
Ask the seller to provider all the cards and receipt when they purchased if possible
Check the policy to make sure you can return and get refund as this kind of purchase is risky.
Good luck to everyone!
Please share your stories too if you have so that others can learn. Thanks!
This is educational content regarding fakes and will be allowed to stay.
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THIS, faking a free spring balance is tough!
Real free sprung balances are starting to show up on replicas. I have two, and the quality is surprisingly excellent. +1 sec/day for both. They're still a long way from a replicated co-axial for the Omegas though.
you spent $1000 each on two super fakes with free sprung balances? youre part of the problem
No, a legitimate market that can't meet the needs of buyers is the problem. My replicas of my genuine watches that I can wear day to day without worrying about damaging that no one can tell are replicas on my wrist are a solution. I have enough genuine watches to trade for a nice house. $1000 for 99% of the same experience that I can kick around is a no brainer.
It’s funny how everyone who buys fake watches says they can afford to buy real ones and just choose not to. Fake watch buyers must be the richest demographic there is.
Hard to believe anyone with a million dollar watch collection would buy a rep of a 5k omega
You can’t take their watches at face value so I’m not sure why you’d believe anything else.
Right. If you wear a rep chances are you’re a liar
Spend some time in the replica communities. They know more about the watches they buy than most dealers, and more than a few are glad to show off their genuine collections alongside their replicas.
..I think most people would prefer to avoid criminal counterfeiting rings.
It's not a crime to discuss or even purchase replica watches, at least in the US.
It is a crime to manufacture them.
Twist it any fuckin what you want, you're supporting criminal enterprise.
That aside, buying fake watches tells me you value being seen wearing it more than actually owning it. Some people be like that I guess.
Trying hard to justify buying shitty replicas instead of real products...
it's not that deep dude, omega don't need you to defend them lol
Replica quality is very good these days and they use clone movements. Homage watches are often better than the real gen watches for the same price points
I have both. I service and build watches. You can educate yourself and realize that it's not the replica game of 2005 anymore and you're paying 20x-100x markup for almost nothing for some models, or keep drinking the AD kool-aid. I honestly couldn't give a shit.
Right. Sure.
The tools to educate yourself are readily available and free when you pull your head out of your ass, kid.
yup this is how i check rolexes, rolexi or whatever. It's the easiest to spot a fake imo. BUT ive seen patek/rolex fakes with a freesprung balance customization so its getting harder and harder.
It's fun to study the rep customization market and suppliers of parts etc. you see reps go on sale that are 20% gen parts
Stay safe everyone
Damn, the rep market is wild.
Too bad in a few years even that can be cloned. There’s already free sprung fakes out there and if someone really is intent on selling fake watches they’ll buy a more expensive custom movement
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Also the buyer must have tempered expectations, due diligence of research, and don't expect "good deals" without having caveats.
Very true, with the caveat that you also must presume the seller knows what they have. Unless the seller is an horologist, it doesn't matter how many years they have with their "hobby" or how many Reddit posts they read.
If the seller is the original buyer and they bought from an authorized dealer, your odds go way up that it is genuine. Box and papers are essential here. So many watches without boxes or papers......and some of those boxes are as nice as the watches! Things that make you go "Hmmmmmm"
The seller had a warranty card of an authorized dealer somehow. He said he bought that watch at the shop. That made me trust the deal. And the ref. numbers on the cards look legit too. After knowing the watch is fake. I went to the dealer to ask if the warranty card is fake, they said they cannot help due to personal information.
These watch guys.....cannot validate, cannot help.......destroy your watch
It's only going to get worse as the prices for luxury watches keep jumping so much every year.
It makes it more viable for them to sink money into developing better fakes since their pay off per unit goes up.
Absolutely. "Good" Rolex fakes are already as expensive as lower-end Swiss automatics. Probably won't be long until there are even higher end fakes that can fool RSC
They're more expensive than lower-end Swiss autos. Fake Daytonas with cloned 4130 movements (99% identical outside of free spring) cost around $800 USD.
They also make a Daytona with a free sprung movement now. I believe it's $1000-1200 usd.
Exactly, easy giveaway. Also, it is a freakin coaxial, stands out like a sore thumb
ten times this
Trying to fake a display caseback takes some real hubris lol
That is false. On omega replicas with the fake 8800 movement the balance wheel looks freesprung
They hide the extra balance arm in these models
Edit: I should make it more clear. The balance arm on top is decorated (aka fake) and the real balance arms are hidden. It takes away an instant tell that the watch is fake.
You can obviously still see because the watch does not have a coaxial escapment.
In the 8800 watches with a "clone" movement you can see the the extra regulator arms
So you have the choice of a watch which functions and looks like gen (with no decorated parts) or one that doesn't look like gen but would pass in a different way
I once worked at a small family owned jewellers and the charity shop next door came in with a very nice white gold Rolex they had been left as a donation and wanted to know if it was real. The jewelers was not a Rolex dealer by any means and I was tasked with finding out if this watch was legit. Everything looked absolutely right, the date window was correct, the micro etching on the glass was there, even the movement was stamped Rolex inside the case! The only thing that gave it away was when the bracelet was taken off, the serial number on the case was acid etched, not engraved like a real one. You could only see that under a loup. I offered the charity shop £100 for the watch, simply because it was so well made. I had no intention of passing it off as a real one (really not a Rolex fan) I was just so in awe of the craftsmanship of the forgery. Understandably they were hesitant, sent it to Rolex for a second opinion who promptly destroyed the watch! Then there was the Rolex that came in for a new battery, cue standard jokes about fake Rolex, only it was real and quite rare!
I have an oysterquartz tha gets free battery changes from any Rolex AD 🤷♂️
So uh... Does Rolex pay for damages when they destroy a watch sent in for authentication ? Witholding someone's property sounds questionably legal, let alone damaging it without compensation. What if you send a watch that was repaired with aftermarket parts? Do they hold that hostage too?
No. They are illegal counterfeits and they have the right to destroy them. If parts have a rolex logo and are counterfeit they probably would remove them and replace and charge you.
Do they? They're not law enforcement and that's still private property someone else paid for. Quite possibly without any intentional wrongdoing either given the amount of scams.
Edit: that also doesn't answer my question about aftermarket parts. What if your watch is beyond repair and you swap the movement out because the authentic ones are too expensive?
There is some case law in the EU I believe where the EU courts ruled that IP holders have the right to ask a judge for destruction of counterfeits. Not sure for USA.
That seems more reasonable if there is some legal process behind it besides "this doesn't seem straight out of the factory so we're just gonna keep it"
Yeah exactly. In another thread some guy lost his heirloom Breitling at an authorized repair centre....LOST IT THERE.
What would stop some Rolex dude from getting in a primo Rolex and saying to himself "Hey I like this, so straight into my pocket"....meanwhile filling out a form "Ackchyually, your watch was a fake so we destroyed it"....I think the standard of proof would have to be incredibly high for ANY COMPANY to outright destroy someone else's property. In fact, the way it is presented above, does not seem legal.
Brietling is a 4 billion dollar company. I assure you their lawyers have everything covered.
If the first examination of the Product reveals that the Product, or a part or component thereof, is counterfeit, the Breitling Center may proceed to detailed examination of the counterfeit Product and investigate on its origin and commercialization channel. Breitling Center may seek assistance of the Customer, who agrees to collaborate, and ask him for any pertinent information.
By delivering the Product to Breitling points of sales or Breitling Center, the Customer expressly agrees to assign the Product for free to Breitling Center for destruction in the event that the examination of the Product reveals that it is a counterfeit or that it contains major counterfeit components or parts.
In case of minor counterfeit components or parts, Breitling Center may, at its sole discretion, propose their replacement to Customer. An Estimate is sent to Customer for approval. In case of refusal, Breitling Center reserves the right to refuse to proceed to any Service to the Product.
Upon request, Breitling Center will provide the Customer with a document confirming the counterfeit character of the Product, and will provide assistance to the Customer, should the latter decide to launch legal action against the seller.
https://www.breitling.com/us-en/service/general-conditions/
That still doesn't answer the conundrum of the "Ackchyually," guy. That 4 billion dollar company with their Utica College lawyers also lost some dude's heirloom Breitling. There are lots of people with money that do super illegal things......I can think of one very prominent person in a position of great power right now that does almost everything illegally....in the open....and gets away with it.
Switzerland isn’t in the EU so it’s not clear why this ruling applies.
Why would you send a watch with aftermarket movement to Rolex for service is a better question.
Because you don’t know. You have a Rolex, somehow, and it never crosses your mind it’s fake. You send it to Rolex to be fixed because you take your car to the dealer for repair and you call the Maytag repairman to fix your Maytag appliances. It’s just what you do.
They will blacklist the watches serial number.
Maybe someone else can explain in detail copyright laws and enforcement. An aftermarket crown no logo probably ok. An aftermarket crown with a Rolex logo getting removed and replaced. Aftermarket dial with Rolex name and logo getting destroyed and replaced. No logo or name ok.
I'm aware of how copyright and right to repair laws work, but I am not aware by what mechanism a private company can legally seize someone's property
It likely states on the Rolex agreement that if you send in a watch for authentication, you agree that if found to be counterfeit they can destroy it upon determination of inauthenticity. At least that’s what the AP site says.
They didn't seize it. It was willingly sent to them. The distinction matters here.
Last time I let the dry cleaner take care of my coat I would've been pretty upset if they burned it because the tag looked off, yet I also willingly gave it to them. As someone else mentioned you probably sign a clause somewhere giving them permission to do this
Yea but if they dry cleaner was Gucci owned and your coat was supposed to be Gucci and you took it to them for repair/clean and upon inspection they discovered it was counterfeit, they would at the very least refuse to repair/clean it. but at worst and most likely depending on your country, seize your coat and destroy it as it is counterfeit and in the uk for example counterfeit items are illegal so the coat would be deemed an illegal item so possession/sale is illegal and so the dry cleaner would not legally be allowed to give it back to you and the only legal thing they could technically do is destroy it or hand it to the police to destroy. You’d most definitely be out of a coat in that case.
It’s different if you take it somewhere else that isn’t owned by the brand that is being counterfeited by the item you’re taking to them. take a fake Rolex to a random watchmaker/jeweller and ask them if it’s real or not and if they can tell you it’s fake they’re not likely to seize it. They will likely refuse to work on it though if they can tell it’s fake or you tell them it is.
I entirely agree with the fact they don't owe anybody service, but i was not arguing whether one is allowed to own and use counterfeit products either. The scope of my argument is limited to the scenario in which a private business is seizing somebody else's property on any arbitrary terms, whatever they may be. Confiscating anything is usually an authority reserved to governments and their representatives
Trademark owners get the legal right to seize and destroy counterfeit goods from a combination of U.S. federal law, international treaties, and court-enforced property rights. They’re illegal from the moment they are created and have no legal right to exist or ownership rights.
I incorrectly said copyright. It is trademark laws give them the right to destroy watch.
From what I can see, the watch itself IS illegal in the UK as it is counterfeit. Knowingly or unknowingly. Think of it almost as stolen goods, regardless of if you knew or not, you could still lose the item under certain circumstances. Rolex are very hot on their IP it seems.
That's fine, but Rolex =/= the law. You would still have to go through some sort of legal process....if not, we are talking about anarchy
What can I say, maybe Rolex just spray painted the big A then lit the molotovs. You better pick a side I guess. 🤷
This is a touchy subject with Rolex. Say you have an authentic Rolex, and take it to get serviced- The movement repair is done (without your knowledge or consent) with non-genuine Rolex parts. Then somewhere down the line, you take it / send it to Rolex for repair. They will not only refuse to service the watch, the will blacklist your authentic serial number. It's a crazy thing but it happens.
The charity shop may have relinquished claim to it as it was a fake, or Rolex may have taken it as copyright infringement and there was no point fighting it? All I know is the watch went to Rolex and was destroyed. Don't really have any more information then that.
This could probably never happen but imagine they destroy a real one by accident lmao
Should’ve just taken a look at the balance wheel and regulation fork LOL
https://preview.redd.it/tzfhemr2z59g1.png?width=1576&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea9cc303f53d60b6fc6a31bb7c90aff8312d42ee
You mean this part?
Yep, it’s just a decoration. The real movement is underneath it.
How do you know?
This. Much easier/faster.
Do any of the fakes do a 25200 vph. In the past this was the easiest tell.
No they use a miyota iirc so not 25200
Some use clone movements that are 25200
The m on omega also looks weird small
The whole logo is poorly done. The 'E' being above the rest of the lettering is what the me off.
I’m sorry but you can see from a mile away that this is fake. Mistakes happen though!
A lot of people definitely wouldn’t be able to tell.
Without a side-by-side or intimate knowledge of the omega movement nobody would ever be able to tell, unless perhaps they looked very closely and suspiciously at the Omega logo.
You are right! For first time users, it’s hard to tell. I couldn’t tell it’s fake if I don’t use a macro camera.
First time users shouldn’t be buying a 4 figure watch from a 3rd party source without being sure
I agree with this. There's way too many people getting burned because they don't know what they're doing.
A loupe is also good for this job, as well as admiring your watches up close for the fun of it.
That would be me. I would be duped.
Good that I could return
Why go through all these steps when you just have to check the regulator arm in the balance wheel lol?
Having seen too many genuine products, counterfeits can't hide
Do you have a photo? I don’t get the meaning
Good job OP! ✌️
Thank you!
I think I have a fake planet ocean sea master 😭
Sorry to hear that. Can you share your story too?
My uncle gave it to me years ago, I had a few people tell me that it was fake, took it to 3 different pawn shops & they all offered me around $800-$950 for it but I declined. I know the real ones are very expensive & I thought that i was getting low balled. 😭
On mine, the little circle on the upside down triangle is not centered & the 6 looks a little weird. I’ll post some pics if allowed.
I see… Yes please feel free to share the photos.
I knew the second I saw the rotor.
To be honest it just screams fake from 10 feet away… I can’t imagine anyone who has seen a real Omega 8900 movement falling for that.
I bought it online via a marketplace. The photos posted by the owner was not super detailed. I could only check when it arrived. Good lesson for me. Lucky that the money is still on hold until a review is given. I’m sending it back!
Yeah this also seems like you could have just looked at it and been able to tell
The jewels are also completely the wrong colour, and the scale of the case back is wrong, and the polishing is horrendously wobbly. It doesn't look like a good counterfeit at all, a lot of things wrong.
Agree…
The dial probably looks rough as well, feel free to post more pics!
I’ve posted in another comment
+ have a look at the replica-subs on reddit
I’ll check! Thanks for sharing!
What does the dial look like on this fake?
I cannot tell the difference but the edge of the minute hand looks not polished. I’ll share some photos later.
https://preview.redd.it/x5g6s91ey59g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69d6d429c5bd9bad514652bfd2f6b3087aa84776
Here you go. Let me share one by one.
https://preview.redd.it/9puj4fqgy59g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78edf2e326febdc1970cf66f90691993515df322
https://preview.redd.it/xreze04iy59g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65a121225489742bb0bc55cad92d08cf43ae2a72
https://preview.redd.it/duy57xkjy59g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca26e726b0b100c591202144392f4a127ccfc4ec
https://preview.redd.it/7vjd0mjky59g1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dcb37ecc6b76ff4d8bcac69eccfec5846fe18ed2
https://preview.redd.it/iv0tzyxly59g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cf73bcb237a2b83eede39e66f1f482f5ebfd3d0
If you paid by credit card you can file a charge back 100%.
You didn’t receive the goods advertised.
Easy win for you.
The platform still keeps the money and they will return it back. The seller also agreed. The platform is strict so hard to mess up but still hard to prevent all the fakes.
You’re not hearing me.
File a chargeback with your credit card company. Fuck “the platform”, they don’t he a say—they’re a broker with policies—the seller broke the law.
Your CC company protects you against this kind of thing.
Call your CC company today and ask to file a charge back on a fraudulent sale.
Oh I didn’t know that’s a possible option. Thanks for sharing!
Go get that motherfucker.
I understand how you feel. I think what I can do is to report him. I think spreading this post is more useful than trying to beat him since there would be many people like him.
I meant go get your refund. Breathe.
Sharp observation! 👍
Lmao, there aren’t even pivots coming through those jewels - entirely obvious at an immediate glance with basic technical understanding. Which is why this “hobby” is nothing more than consumption with camaraderie than an actual hobby. Learn something about the movements you all profess to love, getting duped by a cap on top of a movement is sad
The Jewels in the first pic is what I noticed. I don’t even know what they were highlighting.
Omega and Rolex bros don't buy watches because they appreciate watches. They buy them as status symbols only. They want you to think they're rich. Nothing else.
Seeing your and other people’s comments made me feel interested in learning more about watch movement. I’m curious to learn!
Maybe it'd feel more like a hobby if the people who know stuff aren't total dicks to the people just starting out. If we all acted like you, we wouldn't even have the camaraderie to go along with our consumption. Hop off that high horse and check your ego. Most people have literally never held an omega so how can you possibly expect them to spot mistakes when they don't even know what to look for.
This isn’t something exclusive to Omega, this is a basic principle of all mechanical watches. Ease up on the victim hood, a book or online resources are much cheaper than an omega. In fact, noticing that there aren’t even wheels and pivots interacting together isn’t even exclusive to watches, it’s just mechanical comprehension. It takes so little to direct yourself to learn that the wheels of the movement need to touch each other and be secured in their ruby bushings. This is like, “how does this work?” Tier. It’s not a high horse when most people haven’t even asked themselves “how does this work” when people flip out for pointing out that you’d never get bamboozled if you asked yourself the most basic questions, “how” and “why” about your “hobby”.
Sure it's just mechanical comprehension, which not everyone has. Not everybody who's going to buy a nice watch is going to understand how every component works. That's like asking someone who enjoys cars to diagnose an issue just by looking at the car. Sure, someone can do it, but it's not a reasonable thing to ask of everyone, especially someone just starting out. You being a condescending dick is more of an issue in this hobby than people not fully understanding how watches work. I'm not being a victim, I'm trying to point out a bigger over arching problem that plagues this hobby.
So me, personally, a data point of 1 is ruining the hobby for thousands of people who lack the self direction to learn that, in this case, the car has fake wheels that arent even attached to an axle or drivetrain?
No. Me being a dick is not the problem. The incredible ignorance in the community is - then insecure people like you blaming me only obscures it. There are factories making fake Omega coaxial movement caps that they place over the functional movement. These look so incredibly bad yet fool enough people that it points to an issue that's much deeper than "oh wahh wahh, the people with knowledge are dicks". It's that the people buying watches can't be bothered to learn about them. In fact, people buying them can't be bothered to stop and think, "wait, am I buying a real watch or a fake watch?"
There are so many failures of good judgement for a fake to end up in your hand, the least of which likely has nothing to do with mechanical knowledge. In fact, you should be incredibly dubious of anyone posting counterfeits as the posts are often dog whistles to others as a place to buy them, learn about them, or otherwise receive counterfeit and illegal services.
No. Being a dick actually has very, very little to do with the issues surrounding this. Afterall, the people with real knowledge could just never offer it and let people wallow in their ignorance - most of the time people don't even want to learn and are so insecure that learning opportunities are perceived as personal attacks. So it doesn't really matter if someone holds your hand and is nicey nice or is condescending. People don't go out of their way to learn very often and people who are presented information in a kind way are often so insecure and aggressive that they'll bite the hand offering them knowledge.
Don't lash out at me because you perceived my comment as too condescending. Nobody is under any obligation to treat you like a child or hold your hand, let alone on a reddit post about a fake watch, which isnt even permitted on this sub and doesn't even deserve clicks.
I'm not saying buying a fake watch isn't dumb. What I'm saying is demeaning people who made that mistake rather than educating them isn't going to solve the problem. I have a degree in mechanical design and I still have absolutely no idea what you're talking about when it comes to the wheel being disconnected. You're clearly very passionate and educated about watches. Think about the good you can do with what you know rather than being an ass hole. You talked about this hobby being nothing but camaraderie with consumerism. Like I said before, if everyone acted the way you do, all we'd have is consumerism. You say you have no obligation to be nice to people, I have no obligation not to call you a dick for it.
Their ability to replicate parts improves year by year. It’s both frightening and thought-provoking, as it makes you question whether the price difference between the two is really justified. I don’t support replicas, but when you think about it logically, if the materials used are nearly identical, you can’t help but wonder whether the genuine product is truly that expensive to produce.
It’s getting harder to notice counterfeit watches and it's a big threat to watch enthusiasts. Just make sure to buy watches from legit sellers and buy them from a physical shop if you can.
Replicas don’t pay for R&D or marketing.
You think the main cost of luxury watches is in… materials?
No. It’s R&D , labor, sometimes materials (precious metals etc.) , heritage, brand value and marketing.
Chinese manufacturers prove that a watch that looks, feels, and functions very similarly can be made for a tiny fraction of the price. From a purely practical or functional perspective, the price difference is hard to justify. The important distinction is this: replicas show that the physical object can be copied cheaply, but the original is not priced based on the object alone.
If you buy a genuine luxury watch expecting rational, cost-based pricing, then yes, it can feel like a scam. The materials and basic function do not come close to explaining a 100x or 1000x price difference.
However, luxury watches are not sold as tools. They are sold as symbols, emotional objects, and long-term brand experiences. A large part of what you pay for is intangible: heritage, prestige, exclusivity, brand trust, and the knowledge that the company will service and stand behind the watch for decades. These things have real costs, but they are not measurable in the same way as steel or gold.
Nevertheless, when I see replicas getting better at this, I still feel a little scammed more and more.
You could just buy better watches - no one is producing clones of Philippe Dufour (although that is unaffordable to most mortals) or, more realistically, even ALS or JLCs.
If your watch is really getting cloned - ie the copy is pretty much indistinguishable from the original - then that often means there’s an issue with your watch.
JLC has some good fakes even with replicated but unreliable movements. ALS doesn't for obvious reasons.
Complexity has little to do with what watch gets replicated and which doesn't. It's just a question of demand on specifically the Asian market.
Most JLCs are east to clone, but no one wants them so there are only a few good JLC clones.
materials are not the same. the finishing is never the same. and you're not paying for the watch you're paying for the brand and research and marketing. watches getting more expensive by the year is a clear indication that the price is definitely notnjust the sum of the hardware cost. im sure they can produce a speedmaster for way way way way less than its market price.
This omega is a horrible example of a replica compared to what the very best fakes have to offer.
Industrial luxury watches like Omega (or Rolex, Breitling, TAG, etc) are not expensive to produce. A bigger part of the prices goes to marketing, but anyway their margin are huge.
Not really, swatc group made 300M profit on 6B sales. Their operating margin was ~5%.
Yes the marginal cost of producing one extra seamaster is relatively cheap but there are other costs associated with the industry.
Marketing certainly plays a role, but I imagine inventory management is an ever bigger deal.
Of course there are many expenses for a large group like SG. Anyway the manufacturing cost of any of their watch is ridiculous compared to its price.
Sure a seamaster might cost $500 to produce, after dumping $500M on a factory, paying $100M in wages, another $500M in R&D, $1B loss in the inventory they shipped to China that never sold and they can’t dump in the market, $1B in taxes, $1b in hookers and blow, and that sweet sweet $500M marketing budget.
If you ignore all costs Swatch watches are so over priced, but if you include them they are about 5% overpriced.
This is not to justify high prices, I don’t think any Swatch group watch is worth MSRP, but it’s not like swatch is printing money either.
It's cheaper for the industrial powerhouse that is China to produce them than it is for niche manufacturers in countries like Switzerland. You're not getting ripped off per se - tooling up is very expensive. China just has billions of people and an incredibly developed supply chain and fast tooling capabilities and everything else needed to do complicated technical manufacturing efficiently.
The interesting part is that the one I purchased was not cheap. The seller made it look legit by setting a not too low price. But the fun thing is he agreed immediately when I negotiated a price down of about 400usd.
A RepTard posted 5 Daytonas 2 days ago and the post still stands despite this sub’s rules & being reported. Enough said.
Sorry I don’t get what you’re saying well. I’m new to reddit too but I have read the rules. I’m not promoting fake watches. I just wanted to share people some useful information on how to check when buying an used one. My first experience buying an used watch too. Probably many people will fall in this trap.
Nothing about you.
Just pointing out that reps are becoming “acceptable” even on this sub despite the rules.
Gotcha!
The post in discussion - https://www.reddit.com/r/Watches/s/ujD8CU3OQM
Now I understood. Someone showing off watches but turned out they are fake. Hmm…
If his claims of buying all those watches are true, he's tens of thousands of dollars in on Chinese replicas. A true quantity-over-quality man.
https://preview.redd.it/eb5lw796i59g1.jpeg?width=2263&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f81ae82bc1e40938798eb78d9ef3cac0c6731f9a
I got scammed with a Santos before I did a deep dive and realized some details were quite off. Thankfully, eBay refunded me as soon as I showed proof it’s fake. Now I have a beater for Vegas nights & bar-hopping.
Lucky you!
This exactly why I only buy Romex!
Always take it to an independent watchmaker. They can open the caseback and look. Doesn't matter how good of a fake it is. If someone cries, good indication they are a scam artist.
How to check a serial number with omega online?
You can google “Omega Master Chronometer Certification”, the page requires login
https://preview.redd.it/40zoq189059g1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86ebf1b451bbee58ed5459f1f6f1b2ea867e0fca
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Same with the gears cut for barrel one & two They look very close to genuine and would be difficult to see a difference.
https://preview.redd.it/gp8vye75k59g1.jpeg?width=783&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60b3a3b306aa80ffc8dbf8b4222a44074d98237f
And the other assembly section that used the incorrect finish screws, number of jewels
It’s now corrected almost perfectly
https://preview.redd.it/v6elygb3l59g1.jpeg?width=679&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da43ffd97dd36cc0abb4842f36dcf578297444e6
recently (unknowingly) bought a fake aqua terra. i took it to omega and the guy said oh nice watch. didn't look too close but it was good enough to pass for genuine. i looked at every detail and it was 100% the same, and the one thing i didn't notice was the balance wheel. so basically it was a 1:1 copy except that. once I noticed i returned it and got refunded (ebay). the fakes can be so so well made but that balance wheel is something until now they cant (and likely wont) replicate correctly
That’s crazy. If you have a photo of the fake balance wheel please share.
no but you can easily check. google "8900 replica movement" and compare that part alone. you will see 2 pins vs only 1 in the genuine
Everythings are in details 👍
I only wear counterfeit omega and Rolex , had them for years , very accurate and reliable 😄😄
The fake jewels are always red instead of of purple
Wish you would have added a picture of the dial as well.
I did in another comment in this topic.
can you just weigh the watch?
One way of checking. But I don’t have a scale that can see that level of detail. If I had I would have done it.
Looks.like the fake is one of those with a faux bridge made to look like an Omega bolted on to a Chinese movement. Always look at the balance, thats the first tell
No one is mentioning how small the fake movement is overall compared to the case— in most good modern watches, the movement will fill out the caseback as much as possible. Can't imagine how comically close the date window on this one is to the center of the dial lol.
It very clearly says it’s a NOmega
Just the omega font on the rotor being uneven and different sizes should be enough, or the fact that the movement doesn't fit the case.
It would have helped if you posted a photo of a real omega for comparision side by side
Actually the photos with number 2 on it are the real ones. The fakes one have number 1 on it.
Watch the video I posted. It tells to you how detect it well even when it looks so real
Thanks for sharing. Let me check it!
Omega is laser etched that picture is cast in and painted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMFsbRfCaWo
Been looking at used Omegas on Chrono24. This post is clutch.
Thx man!
All the lettering is kinda wonky if you look closely too.
Yes. Very hard to point it out without a loup or a macro lens.
Bought a Panerai from a brick and mortar dealer. Not an AD, but someone who sells used and grey watches.
The spring in the movement snapped, no big deal. The watch is from 2007, it could probably do with a service.
Took it for a service at a Panerai certified/authorised service centre. Watch maker pops the case back off and tells me it's fake.
Called the shop I bought it from immediately and let them know what's going on. The guy who sold me the watch was a little bit sceptical, but after talking to the watch maker he agreed to refund me my money.
Sounds scary but you got lucky! Congrats!
Everything about the finish is wrong. Also, if you still have the watch, it's probably going to have the wrong beat rate. There isn't a single fake on the market that beats at the proper 25,200bph of this particular Omega co-axial caliber.
dont buy from trusty time or steve and you,ll be ok!!
fake but wellcrafted, its kinda a good deal if it is cheaper than a quartz citizen
If it’s too cheap I would have suspected. The price was half of the original price.
Also looks like just a very bad clone of the movement but it's not even the movement, it's just a plate engraved to look like the movement. I can almost guarantee that if you take it apart there's something else under that plate.
One more thing I forgot to mention: I tried to use a magnet to test and the watch kept running. Some people said if the watch stopped, then it’s a fake. But this method does not apply to this fake watch.
Not a good idea to do that to a watch. Even gauss-resistant watches should be demagnitized after this.
Real Omega Seamasters are amagnetic, they cannot be demagnetized because they can’t be magnetized.
Omega does a gauss test on them for QC and does throw them on a demagnetizer afterwards, for whatever reason, though. Residual magenetization on screws or whatever, I don't know.
This kind of stuff is not the dunk on fakes that people think it is. It just makes normal people go "so... why don't I just get that"?
Because it will break and stop working soon?