With the continuing upward trend in vintage Omega values it looks like the fraudsters are moving down the ladder and are faking lesser models. I discovered these two supposed Seamaster 600s on eBay this morning. The only parts being genuine are the movements.

The first four photos are of a genuine one.

Compare the cases: lugs, bezel (the genuine variety do not have a separate bezel), case back inside and out. The idiots actually faked a case back for a gold-plated watch and in these two examples used a movement with date. The dials are fantasies, completely fake.

 

Just saw that first fake (the one after the pics of the genuine one) and the price gave it away. But good looking out!

 

Haha fist I did not read all of your post and looked at the first 4 pics and though - damn that's good fake...

It should not be hard to tell that latter two are fakes.

Great that you post them never the less! Thanks for taking the time to save others from gettig fooled!

 

Great pics ! Thanks for your warning

 

@X350 XJR / Norm - aren't those 135.0xx cases correct and authentic? If so, that makes these frankenwatches with inaccurate redials, where the dial color & pattern are designed to trick n00bs into paying a lot for a cheap watch because the n00b believes they're getting an expensive Seamaster 600.

That would make them slightly different from flat out counterfeit watches.

 

Actually, the dial of the second one gave it away, as there has never been such a dial in a legitimate SM 600. Anyway, that design was one of the favorites of redialers around the world, but whenever I see that design in a SM600 I look elsewhere.

Another telltale is that the fake cases seem to be stainless steel, and nevertheless both backcases say "plaque" (and by the way, when 135/6.011 are plaque, the caseback states whether the gold plaque is 20 or 40 micras thick).

 

I would say that the third backcase is fake (the perlage has a strange pattern, and the second case is not a 135.011, as those do not have a bezel, as X350 said.

Anyway, it is true that not all SM600 were 135/6.011, there were also 135/6.012 (which do not have a bezel) and 135/6.018, which are unishell and smaller (and do not have a bezel, either).

 

Unishell / front loading cases absolutely must have a bezel.

 

In Longines case yes, in Omega (at least with this reference) it seems that they do not need the bezel to fix the glass.

These are the instructions Archer gave to open one of these cases

This is a 135.018

 

Compare the shape and profile of the lugs and as well as the fact that they have separate bezels and it will become apparent they are incorrect.

 

Caseback looks horrible on the fakes!

 

Nope - lots of front loading cases don't have bezels...not just the ones shown here but Dynamics, Cosmics, etc. don't have bezels and are front loading.