How to Spot a Fake Omega Watch – The Ultimate Guide

How to spot a fake Omega watch

Do you need help learning how to spot a fake Omega watch?

Omega is amongst the most recognizable and well-known luxury watch brands in the world. Having manufactured watches for more than a century, Omega has developed the know-how of making fine, high-quality timepieces.

With a strong brand, and sought-after and respected products, comes, unfortunately, fake watches. The fake market and counterfeit manufacturers adapt their manufacturing according to the demand. The stronger a watch brand becomes, the more popular it becomes. But this also means it becomes more popular on the fake side as well. For some, it can be tempting to buy a fake version of the Omega they have always dreamt of. And the argument is often ”no one is going to notice the difference” or ”they are essentially the same”.

In recent years, the quality of fake watches has improved, This means that it is getting increasingly difficult to identify fake watches. However, Omega invests hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in its research, development, and manufacturing process, and this is just something that counterfeiters will never be able to do. As such, they will always have an inferior product that can be distinguished from the real deal.

The issue with the improved quality of the fake Omega watches, and any fake watch for that matter, is that buyers need to be extra careful, and know how to spot a fake Omega watch if they have reason to doubt its authenticity.

In this article, we have created a complete guide on how to spot a fake Omega watch. By using these tells, you will be able to identify fake Omega watches in order to protect yourself from them.

1. Buy the seller

This is undoubtedly the best way to avoid making the mistake of buying a fake Omega watch. If you buy from reputable and trusted dealers, you can be sure that what you are buying is the real deal. Trusted and established sellers have the required knowledge to identify fake watches, and therefore, if you are uncertain about how you spot a fake Omega watch, you can choose to have the experts do it, and buy an Omega with peace of mind.

Always buy from official Omega retailers or trusted and established dealers. This will give you peace of mind without having to worry about potentially buying a fake Omega watch. 

2. Does the model exist?

This is the first thing you should look at.

Counterfeiters don’t always make their watches identical to an existing model, and sometimes, they make their very own models and print the Omega logo on it. Make sure that the watch exists by comparing it to pictures of authentic versions of the reference it is trying to replicate. For example, the authentic version may have a red seconds hand, whereas the counterfeit watch has a blue one. The absolute best way to spot a fake Omega watch is by knowing exactly what your watch should look like.

The important thing here is that you research the model and know how each and every detail should look. The more you learn about the model, the easier it will be.

3. Look at the details and finish

Continuing on point number two, research the model you are interested in and study the details carefully. For example, if you are interested in a Speedmaster moon watch, study the sub-dials closely. Are they recessed as they should be or are they completely flat?

Does the watch have a domed dial or is this also flat? It’s particularly the details that will reveal a fake Omega watch, since it is, after all, what you pay for in a luxury watch. You pay for perfection, but counterfeit manufacturers compromise these in order to keep costs down.

You should also study the printing on the dial closely. Begin by studying the font of the text whilst comparing it with an authentic one. Furthermore, look at the quality of the printing, because this is something that counterfeiters tend to get wrong. Oftentimes, the printing is not sharp and crisp, is bleeding, or has too much or too little paint. The printing of an Omega watch should be spot-on with sharp and well-defined lettering.

You should also look at the lume of the watch. Just like the lettering, the lime should be crisp and well-defined. The lime should also be bright and glow for a long time.

Now, fake Omega watches usually have functioning lume, but almost always, it is weak compared to an original Omega watch. Look at pictures of how strong the lume of the watch should be, and then compare it with the lume of the suspected fake. To check, hold it under bright night for a few minutes. The lume should be thick and evenly applied.

Generally, the rule is that if the watch has any noticeable imperfections or flaws, it is fake but there are of course exceptions. Some authentic Omega watches with some kind of flaw may make their way past the quality control, which means it’s not impossible to find an Omega watch that may have some kind of imperfection.

If you, after having inspected the watch carefully and find something that seems to be off, or poorly finished, compare it to a picture of one that you know is authentic. Do they look similar? If not, it may be an indication that your Omega watch is not authentic.

4. Crystal

Omega watches with hesalite crystals should have a minuscule Omega logo engraving in the middle of the crystal. Of course, the crystal may have been exchanged and the watch is still authentic, but it is something to look at regardless. This is, however, no guarantee that the Omega watch is not fake since counterfeiters sometimes include this logo in the crystal.

5. Look at the dial

There are poor Omega fakes and there are better quality fakes. The lowest-quality fakes have a lot of flaws and are generally easy to spot. One example is the spelling. Sometimes, fake Omega watches have spelling errors. The text should have even spacing. The Omega logo on the dial should be sharp. Note that some Omega watches have an applied metal logo whilst other Omega watches have a printed logo.

The next detail you want to look at in order to spot a fake Omega watch is to look at the date window (if the watch has one). Counterfeiters struggle with making the date window and the printing of the date wheel, which means this detail is often a great way to spot a fake Omega. Some Omega watches use a cyclops over the date window in order to enlarge the date and improve the legibility. Fake Omega watches usually have poor magnification, so look at how the magnification should look on a real watch and compare that with yours.

Apart from the magnification, you also want to look at the printing of the date wheel. This is particularly relevant since most Omega watches with a date function don’t have a magnification window.

Carefully inspect the printing of the date. Is the printing of the numbers sharp?

Counterfeiters generally have a hard time replicating the date windows of genuine luxury watches because each brand uses a different kind of cyclops, or date magnification lens, with different levels of magnification. When examining a watch that purports to be an Omega, check to make sure that the date is centered perfectly in the window and the numbers evenly cover the whole space.

6. Serial numbers

The serial numbers on Older Omega watches can be used to date them. This is not possible to do on newer Omega watches, however, as Omega has moved from a sequential to a randomized serial number system. The good news is that  it can come in handy for authenticating older Omega watches.

Read the complete article about Omega serial numbers here.

With the help of the serial which is engraved on the watch, you can estimate the production year. If the production year according to the serial number engraved is completely off from what it should be for the model you are looking at, it may be fake. Again, bear in mind that on modern Omega watches, random serial numbers are used, so this method can not be used for authenticating these Omega watches.

You can also check the authenticity of your Omega in another way by looking at where the number is located. Vintage Omega models have the serial number engraved on the inside of the case back while modern watches have it placed on the bottom of one of the lugs. Have a look at pictures of what the engraving should look like. Some fake Omega watches do not have a serial number at all, whilst others have a poorly made, almost acid-washed look to the engraving.

7. The movement

The movement is probably the most difficult thing to replicate on a watch, and most manufacturers don’t bother replicating the movement. In fact, the majority of fake Omega watches are equipped with a basic mechanical movement, which means that if you have the opportunity to open up the watch, you will be able to see very clearly that it is not an authentic watch. It is not uncommon that fake Omega watches use quartz (battery-powered) movements, even though the actual model which it tries to replicate isn’t supposed to have it.

Therefore, research if the model is supposed to have a quartz movement or a mechanical movement. If it is supposed to have a mechanical movement, the hand should sweep. If it ticks, the watch is fake.

However, in recent years, some fakers have started to make replica versions of Omega’s movements. Of course, these do not come anywhere near the finish and build quality of Omega’s movements, so even though they are meant to look similar, there are often a lot of tells that it is in fact fake. It is particularly easy to spot a fake Omega watch when the watch has a see-through case back and you don’t have to open up the casebook to see it. Look at a picture of a real movement and compare it to the movement that your watch is supposed to have. If they don’t look similar and the finish is off, it’s probably fake.

Another way to spot a fake Omega watch is by testing the seconds hand. When you pull out the crown to adjust the time, second hand on the Omega should stop (hacking functions), which is a function that helps set the time more accurately. The seconds hand on many fake Omega watches will continue to sweep even if you pull out the crown.

8. The finish of the case

Omega watches are well-finished pieces of craftsmanship.

Most Omega watches combine brushed and polished surfaces. If your watch has a poor finishing, it’s probably fake. Research which elements of your watch should be polished and which should be brushed. See if this matches with your watch, but do have in mind that regular wear and signs of use will affect the finish and how it looks over time.

9. Seamaster model is commonly faked

The Seamaster is the most commonly faked model from Omega. It’s one of the most popular models from the brand, so it doesn’t exactly come as a surprise.

The Seamster Diver is equipped with a helium escape valve, and if your watch does not have one, it is fake.

10. Caseback

Most Omega watches have a solid case back (not see-through). On the case back are different texts and printings depending on the model. Check what the case back of your watch should look like and compare that with yours. It is not uncommon that fake Omega watches have misspellings or incorrect motives on the case back. This will naturally be a way to tell a fake Omega watch.

Bonus tip on how to spot a fake Omega

If your watch comes with the original box and papers, it reduces the risks that you have a fake Omega watch, however, it is by no means any guarantee that it is authentic. Begin by checking so that the serial number stated on the warranty card matches the serial number engraved on the watch. Furthermore, you should also make sure that the reference number (model number) matches the model number of the actual watch.

Conclusion

The only way to be absolutely sure that your Omega watch is authentic is to have an experienced watchmaker examine it.

However, with the tips on how to spot a fake Omega watch above, you can avoid most fakes. The more you look at and examine Omega watches, the easier it will be for you to identify fake such which do not look the way they are supposed to look. Most fake Omega watches are very poorly made, which makes them rather easy to spot, as they have obvious tells such as misspellings, poor printing, wrong hue to the color, and just an overall poor build quality.

If you want to take it one step further to verify the authenticity of your Omega watch, it is possible to have your watch sent to Omega in Switzerland and have them create a letter of authenticity for your watch.

Do you need help with authenticating an Omega watch? Consult one of our watch experts!

Never buy counterfeit goods. In many countries, it is illegal.