A few months ago I had my Omega 3520.50 serviced at Omega New York for new crystal ($195), new bezel ($195) alongside the regular full servicing ($719). Upon mentioning the prices for the parts the Watch-master jokingly replied that plenty of genuine Omega watches passed thru his hands over the years with replicated dials, dial hands, fake bezels, bracelets, crowns and even ill-fitted Mineral crystals in place of Hesalite/Sapphire crystals.

He also mentioned that parts on the movement/ebauche itself can be replaced with lower quality copies.

I'm not sure if he was trying to scare me into committing to a lifetime of expensive Omega servicing (which he did)or if he was being factual .

Has anyone heard of this or encountered a second-hand Omega filled with fake parts!? Do many non-Omega service and parts shop use grey market or non-original parts when repairing Omegas?

I see lots of stick-on Omega bezels, crystals, dials and steel bracelets on eBay many of which even admit to being replicas.

So I assume this is a thing where a few folks try to add visual value to a watch the cheapest and quickest route possible but my Omega Watchmaster made it seem like fake parts on genuine watches was an epidemic!


Below are 3 pictures of my Speedy Auto fresh from Omega service. I also opted for a new Bracelet as well which doubled the cost of my bill. Who knew steel was a precious metal (SMH).

 

I've not seen one "filled with fake parts" but the use of non-OEM parts is not uncommon for Omega and other branda & will probably become more so as manufactures tighten their distribution of service parts.

 

I've never seen it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens. i suspect a lot of watchmakers in the past used compatible but non-omega parts if they were handy so they could get the repair finished fast and not have to wait on parts.

And most people at the time probably didn't care. As long as it worked and they had their watch back quickly. Times have changed.

 

Cost of everything aside, your watch looks spectacular!

 

Seen it several times with bezels and crystals, sometimes even hands.

 

I have aquired a few Omega's with generic crystals and crowns. Other than that issue which is minor. However the cost adds up replacing the parts. Parts can easily be $100 or more plus the cost of the service it all adds up.
1st picture as purchased sellers picture
2nd picture after new crystal, crown and service

 

Having had to chase down parts for some of my own stuff, mostly 50 to 120 year old American railway pieces, I think it was very common in the past to use non factory parts, especially for the commonly replaced bits like crowns, crystals and mainsprings. Dials and hands for common pocket watches were available aftermarket as well, as sizes were common across wide ranges of movements and the old enamel dials couldn't be refinished.

I don't see it as all that different from automobiles, if enough of them are made, someone will knock off the common bits to make a buck. Often those knock offs are made by the same factory that supplies the OEM, such as mainsprings or crystals. So in some cases why not, as long as the quality is there and the original can be sourced and fitted if required.

 

What i have seen is. Genuine Omega Watches but with non-Omega straps and sometimes normal straps. thats it. But as for dial, bezel, movement , ...etc, never happen to see one.

 

Well, the answer to the question is complex in some ways and can get political (as much as watchmaking does anyway), but generally yes, it happens and I've seen it. It's not common in my experience, but as noted it will likely be more common in the future as more and more companies, including Swatch, cut back on the availability of spare parts. Some things are obvious, and some not. For example a fake bezel insert is usually pretty easy to spot, but a fake sapphire crystal may be more difficult, and "fake" movement parts would be even more difficult in some cases.

For the movement parts you would have to define what you mean by fake though. Many parts are interchangeable between branded and non-branded movements. It's a common belief that the Omega Cal. 1120 and the ETA 2892A2 are "the same movement" which is not true at all, as many parts are not compatible between these movements, but some are. The same thing is true for some 7750 based movements that Omega uses, like the 1151 in the OP's example. Back to the 1120/2892, and for example I can't use a rotor bearing from a 2892 in an 1120 - they are completely different designs. I can't stick a barrel bridge from an 1120 on a 2892 - the bridge for the 1120 is quite a bit thicker and will jam the rotor - found this out when I tried to replace a damaged barrel bridge on an IWC I was servicing using a spare Omega bridge I had in stock - no dice.

But if I use an ETA branded intermediate and third wheel (common wear parts in an 1120) they will work just fine, so are they fake because they don't come in an Omega package? What about an ETA 2892 mainspring compared to an Omega 1120 mainspring? Both are made by Nivarox. So personally as long as the quality is the same, I will use interchangeable parts, so for example when someone sends me a manual wind Panerai with an OP-whatever movement inside (really an ETA 6497-2), I use Omega Cal. 2201 replacement parts in it, because they are just as good, if not better, quality than the original parts in the watch.

Aftermarket parts are nothing new - the entire Bestfit system that many in North America are familiar with are essentially an aftermarket parts manufacturing and distribution company. They were known for producing high quality items that were as good as the originals. There are other similar system that have been around, so this has gone on for a long time, and was probably more common in the past as watchmakers would have large cabinets of parts, including movement parts, crowns, hands, etc in the Bestfit system, so rather than order a part from one company and another part from another company, they had compatible spares on hand for a broad selection of movements. I still use those parts for repairing defunct brands or brands that have changed hands and vintage parts are no longer available from the manufacturers. Of course I have a parts account with Omega, so I buy Omega parts directly...

Now Rolex is once again cutting off more and more independent watchmakers, and there is a big push to have someone step in with aftermarket parts. I have had the experience of ordering Rolex parts from my local supply house, and getting aftermarket instead of genuine parts that I asked for, and they looked rougher than the worn parts I was replacing, so I sent them right back. I was able to source what I needed from someone else who had genuine parts, and I actually just stocked up on a bunch of Rolex parts from a watchmaker I know who is retiring and selling off some of his stock.

Based on some very loud voices I hear in the watchmaking community, many watchmakers who have who have had their parts accounts closed by no fault of their own, there is a willingness to use aftermarket parts. Many watchmakers feel they have been screwed over by companies after jumping through all the hoops and demands made on them, and then having their accounts pulled. Many of these people have no qualms about using aftermarket parts.

I would suggest if you have concerns about your own watchmaker using aftermarket parts, just ask them about it.

Cheers, Al

 

I think this is true with more and more mechanical devices that have lots of components. The key is who's doing the work. No mechanic/watchmaker/technician worth their salt wants to compromise their work by using substandard parts that will fail prematurely. They can tell when a part is acceptable and when it's junk. I personally use OEM parts overwhelmingly in my tinkering, but with the kind of stuff I tend to work on they are readily available. And while they almost always fit, you do encounter reduction in quality too often when a part is "updated." It's just one of those things you have to deal with.

 

Agreed - although there are certainly people working on watches who would use parts that are less than stellar, I personally don't see any upside in doing so. It's my reputation on the line, and I often end up fixing "hacks" done by hacks. For example the sweep seconds friction spring on the VC Cal. 1002 was certainly not OEM...



Well, I suppose it actually could have been - someone used a minute hand that they cut down to act as the friction spring, so it may have been a VC hand I guess. I can assure you the hunt to find the correct part took some time, and it certainly wasn't cheap, but for both myself and my customer, it was worth it:





Cheers, Al

 

Thanks Al and All,
I think the point my Omega watch master was honing in on was you can take your watch anywhere but only Omega will guarantee correct Omega or equal quality parts are used

 

Many independent watchmakers have access to Omega parts, so it's about trusting who you work with.

 

I'll only buy from the real thing....nervous about fake parts myself.

 

This discussion interests me. Though not a vintage collector, I can foresee increasing problems down the line as OEM parts become less available, whether due to rundown of limited supplies or restrictions imposed by the OEms on distribution outside a controlled/approved network.

I also understand that non-OEM at the moment is pretty much synonymous with fake/lower quality. However, and I would defer to others experience on this, is it not conceivable that third parties will step in to fill the void and begin producing "pattern" parts that are as good or even better than original spec parts? I believe this process is already pretty advanced regarding crystals and dials. Sure they will impact on the originality/integrity of a watch, but if nothing else is available, will the choice will be non-OEM part or consign the watch to the bin?

 

Firstly, let me state categorically that I do not in any way shape or form condone fraud. However, I was just wondering if say an OEM/service dial was no longer available, would it be reprehensible to replace a ruined dial with an non-OEM produced part on a watch that was for personal use. I would also state that if done, it should be disclosed in any subsequent sale by the owner.