Authenticity verification

[natchomamma]

I called an Omega boutique store and to my amazement they were NOT willing to verify the authenticity of 2nd hand Omega watch. They said that the “Fakes” are so good they have a hard time telling the difference. Are some of these “fakes” that good? Where do these high quality fakes come from?

 

[Scarecrow Boat]

natchomamma

I called an Omega boutique store and to my amazement they were NOT willing to verify the authenticity of 2nd hand Omega watch. They said that the “Fakes” are so good they have a hard time telling the difference. Are some of these “fakes” that good?

It’s not that the fakes are that good. Sales staff are there to sell, not open up watches and inspect them. Not all sales staff are watch enthusiasts or would even know what to look for. Some fakes are visually better on the outside but fall apart under the hood when it comes to the movement. If your watch doesn’t have a display back, that requires opening it up, which the sales staff will not do.

If you want help, share high quality photos of your watch including photos of the movement, if you can.

 

[ErichPryde]

natchomamma

I called an Omega boutique store and to my amazement they were NOT willing to verify the authenticity of 2nd hand Omega watch. They said that the “Fakes” are so good they have a hard time telling the difference. Are some of these “fakes” that good? Where do these high quality fakes come from?

I am a bit surprised that a boutique would say this as opposed to just saying they won't. are you certain it wasn't an authorized dealer? Some fakes also have a real serial number which can make verifying them over the phone difficultvia serial... but still surprised at this.

There are some pretty solid fakes that come out of (China) but the reality is, they're not that great. There are typically very quick tells. If you have a watch that you want verified or checked out feel free to post some detailed pictures here.

 

[Annapolis]

Think about it from their point of view: what’s in it for them to do this?

 

[Dan S]

Yeah, it's probably not in their job description to authenticate a watch that you purchase from someone else.

 

[sheepdoll]

It is more of a liabiltity thing.

Omega makes no proftit from the vintage stuff. And once the stuff is sold it is vintage.
They are there to sell watches and make profit.

Then there are the fine lines. I am creating frankens for my own enjoyment. Many others do as well. It is where deception gets involved. I am up front with my personal collection which are probably mostly frankens. Or tainted that way. My feeling in this era that the value of the watch is the dial printing.

I spent years studying and fantasizing about dial printing/restoration. I may try it. But that is more of a personal challenge. There are plenty of people in Asia (both east west north and south, who can do such much more cost effective than I ever could. and flood the listing with such things.

It is only going to get worse. I have been playing with a fiber laser. Such will cut and engrave the thin steel of razor blades. I have also played about with scanning player piano rolls and the AI involved. So AI scanning of images is something I and others are thinking about. I just bough some original data sheets. PDFs of these are online. But I want the actual halftones of the printing. These were drawn 1:1 for parts identification. So entering them into the system can and probably will be used to replicate replacement parts. Something I have been thinking about for 30 years.

I keep thinking about George Daniels asking me "when are you going to make your own watch?"

Omega is not moma, or papa to reward us when good and punish when bad. Nor is is a god or demigod. Not even a political leader to do the same. Which is what a lot of people seem to be looking for. Someone to hold their hand give them a prize for participating. Tell them they have value in this world.

 

[pdxleaf]

This happens with many high end watches, particularly Rolex. "I bought this [fill in the blank] cheap. Can you tell me if it's real?"

The store was letting you off easy compared to what someone less reserved and polite might have responded.

 

[Jakeys]

natchomamma

Where do these high quality fakes come from?

"I was only in there to get directions on how to get away from there!"

Sorry, giving the benefit of the doubt about that amusingly sus question, I recall reading that Rolex instructs dealer staff not to authenticate watches in store. I imagine Omega is the same, they're not trained to do that and a lot of modern fakes ("super reps") are extremely difficult to tell apart. The best people to get an opinion on if a watch is fake outside of the brand or a watchmaker is honestly fake watch communities; forums like this one or subreddits. They know the tells on common models and they are better positioned to identify fakes than really anyone else.

 

[padders]

natchomamma

I called an Omega boutique store and to my amazement they were NOT willing to verify the authenticity of 2nd hand Omega watch. They said that the “Fakes” are so good they have a hard time telling the difference. Are some of these “fakes” that good? Where do these high quality fakes come from?

You are easily amazed.

 

[Archer]

To be frank, most sales staff wouldn't have the expertise to determine if a modern watch is fake or not. I'm sure that if you really pushed it with them, they would suggest that they send it off to a service center for that sort of check, as it's not something they are going to do there on the spot.

 

[blufinz52]

A Rolex AD near me did an appraisal on a couple of Rolexes I had for insurance purposes. If they were fake, I would have found out about it. But it wasn't cheap, it was several hundred dollars. Perhaps the OP's Omega Boutique provides the same service. But certainly cheaper and easier to post good photos here for the resident experts to weigh in.