How to spot a fake Speedmaster

A fake Omega Speedmaster is a watch that carries Omega markings but was not made by Omega. Most copies sell for $50 to $400. A used steel Moonwatch with a hand-wound movement sells for $3,000 and up. That gap is the first test. If a seller asks $250 for a watch marked "Speedmaster Professional," the watch is not genuine.

Three checks settle most cases: the movement, the case back and the price.

Reference numbers and calibers

  • 3570.50.00: Moonwatch Professional. 42 mm steel case. Hesalite crystal. Caliber 1861. Hand wound. 18 jewels. No date.
  • 3573.50.00: same case. Sapphire crystal front and back. Caliber 1861.
  • 310.30.42.50.01.001: Moonwatch Professional from 2021. Caliber 3861. Master Chronometer. Co-axial. 26 jewels. Tachymeter bezel with dot over 90.
  • 3510.50.00: Speedmaster Reduced. 39 mm. Automatic. Caliber 3220. Crown at 3, pushers at 2 and 4.

Most copies run a Seagull ST19 hand-wound chronograph or a quartz module. The ST19 is a Chinese column-wheel design. It keeps time and drives the chronograph. It is not an Omega 1861 or 3861. A watchmaker with a loupe and a case back opener can separate the two in minutes. Open the case back on any watch you plan to buy. A seller who refuses that request is a seller to leave.

Subdials and dial details

Moonwatch Professional dials have three subdials at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. The 3 o'clock subdial counts 30 chronograph minutes. The 6 o'clock subdial counts 12 hours. The 9 o'clock subdial is running seconds. Many copies wire the 6 o'clock hand as a 24-hour indicator. Others leave a subdial dead. Start the chronograph and watch each hand move at the correct speed.

A date window at 3 or 4:30 on a Moonwatch Professional means the dial is not original. The Moonwatch Professional has no date. Only the Speedmaster Date and Speedmaster Automatic lines carry one.

Case, bezel and crystal

Measure the case. The Moonwatch Professional is 42 mm across, crown excluded. Lug width is 20 mm. Many copies come in at 40 mm or 44 mm because the maker used a stock case.

The tachymeter insert is anodized aluminium. Omega did not put a ceramic bezel on the Moonwatch Professional. Reference 310.30.42.50.01.001 uses a dot over 90 bezel, where the dot sits above the 90 marker. Copies print the dot beside the 90 or drop it.

Crystal material differs by reference. The 3570.50.00 uses hesalite, a plastic. It picks up fine scratches and shows a soft edge under light. Copies use mineral glass or sapphire. If a hesalite reference has a hard, flat, unmarked crystal, check the rest of the watch.

Case back and paperwork

Case back text on the 1861 Moonwatch reads "FLIGHT-QUALIFIED BY NASA FOR ALL MANNED SPACE MISSIONS" and "THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON." Copies get letter spacing, depth and font wrong. Stamping depth is shallow on most copies.

Omega keeps production records. Omega or an authorized service center can match a serial number to that record. Boxes, cards and receipts are easy to copy. A serial check is not.

Price as a filter

Used 3570.50.00 examples trade between $3,000 and $5,000. New 3861 Moonwatch Professional references list above $6,000. A price far under the market range points to one of three things: a fake, a stolen watch, or a watch with a swapped movement. Ask which.

Where fakes appear

Marketplaces, social media listings and tourist shops carry most of them. Paperwork from an independent watchmaker who services Omega movements costs $100 to $300 and takes a few days. On a $4,000 purchase, that fee is small.