How to spot a fake Omega
Omega watches are renowned for being excellent quality as well as having a sophisticated and professional aesthetic. Unfortunately, the high-quality of these watches does also mean that they come with a hefty price tag. Of course not everyone is able to afford these luxury watches, especially in today’s economic climate, so some people do turn to purchasing replicas instead. However, there are many instances where people unknowingly purchase a fake thinking it was a genuine watch! There are so many knock-off watches floating around, and with Omega being a highly sought after brand you can expect there to be a massive amount of Omega replicas. In today’s blog we will be looking at the key details to look out for on a genuine Omega watch so you can make sure you aren’t accidentally purchasing a fake.
Dial
Omega watches are extremely accurate and precise, so the dial and some of it features are a great give away as to whether the watch is genuine. Here are a few things to look out for on the dial:
Is all of the writing spelt correctly?
Are the letters spaced too far apart?
Is there too many/little minute markers?
Do the minute markers & numerals line up precisely with the hands?
Omega logo
On an original the Omega logo is either a separate piece of precision-cut metal which gets adhered to the dial, or is precision-engraved onto the dial depending on the model. Because Omega uses such precision, the logo on a fake won’t look crisp, however more often than not counterfeit production wouldn’t even go as far as trying to engrave and it will just be painted on. Here are some things to look out for:
Does the logo look painted on?
Does it look too bold?
Does the sizing seem off?
Does the logo look sloppy and not precision cut?
Hands
Omega have taken years to perfect the smooth & precise movement of their hands, they should never be jittery. Here are some tell-tale signs you should look out for:
Do the hands have a seamless motion (if it an automatic piece)? Or do they stutter?
The seconds hand should completely stop when the crown is pulled to adjust the time (unless it has a constant running seconds hand)
Date window
If your watch has a date window on its dial, this can be a major give away as to if it’s real. A real Omega has a magnified date window and all of the numbers line up perfectly within it. When inspecting the watch, see if:
The date window is magnified
The numbers line up in the centre of the date window
The numbers are the correct size for the date window (not too small/big)
Lumes
Omega watches are known for having an incredible luminosity. This is down to their special Super-LumiNova which they use to give details on their watches that incredible glow. The lume is especially important on the Seamaster watches as its essential that divers can see the dial of their watch in dark waters. On counterfeits, the glow in the dark lume won’t be anywhere close to that of a real Omega or may be missing altogether. Here’s what you should look out for:
Examine if the watch has any lume by holding it under bright light for around 30 mins, then place the watch somewhere dark – it should have features which glow.
On a real Omega the hands, the hour markings, and sometimes the features of the bezel e.g. tachymeter scale or diving scale (depending on the model) should glow.
A real Omega lume will be very bright and vivid, whereas a fake will be far more dull.
A fake Omega would have a very sparce thin line of lume.
Serial number
Checking the serial number is a great way to ensure authenticity. All Omega watches come with a 7 or 8 digit serial number which is always engraved onto one of the lugs on the caseback (or somewhere on the caseback itself for older models). Here’s what you should check when authenticating the serial number:
How many digits it’s the serial number?
Where is the serial number placed?
Once you have found the serial number, you can run a cross-reference search on it to see if it matches up with your watch.
Serial number should match the paperwork provided with the watch.
Although this is all true for modern models, vintage models do have the serial number engraved within the caseback of the watch.
Crown
A lot of Omega watches has smaller sub-dials within the dial which have their own little function. These sub-dials will have their own functional crown. Of course fake watches will not have had this level of craftsmanship gone into them so a lot of the time fake crowns will be placed onto the case of the watch just so it can look the part. Omega doesn’t simply add elements to the watch for the sake of it, so if the crowns aren’t functional the watch is definitely fake. Here’s what to look for when checking the crowns:
Are there any sub-dials which correspond to the additional crowns?
Are the crowns even functional at all?
Helium escape valve
The helium escape valve is an essential part of an Omega Seamaster as it prevents trapped gas, which accumulates during deep-sea diving, from damaging the internal workings of the watch by allowing it to leave through the case in a controlled manner. Of course, this kind of technology would take some thought and effort so counterfeit watches usually don’t bother adding this element or will just add a non-functional replica. Here’s what you should check:
A helium escape valve on a genuine Omega will be place slightly off centre of the 10 o’clock position, with the bottom of the valve almost touching it. Check the position of the valve, if it’s bang on centre of the 10 o’clock position or the top of the valve is touching it then it’s a fake.
Sound
A very well-known test for checking whether a luxury Swiss watch is genuine is the sound test. Because of the special automatic movements used in the Omega, these watches are silent. So simply just listen for a ticking sound. If there is one then the watch is probably a fake. (Unless your watch is a quartz piece, then there may be an exception here, but still quartz Omega's don't tend to tick very loudly).
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Hopefully now you feel confident enough to avoid accidentally buying a counterfeit Omega watch. Although we've been over quite a few fool proof ways to authenticate an Omega, the most reliable way is to get the watch authenticated at an Omega retailer. Hope you've enjoyed this weeks blog, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter so you get emails when a new blog post is uploaded :)