Help with (dis)authenticating strap?

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

Just when I thought I was getting the hang of things, I pulled the trigger on this strap from eBay for what seemed like a very reasonable (but not eyebrow-raisingly too good to be true) price, $90. I'd combed through hundreds of obviously bogus and unrealistically pricey listings but this one looked ok to my (still training) eyes as an un(der)used oem. @X350 XJR has ID'd it as counterfeit (in the eBay listing forum), and I'm in no position, as a newbie, to question that. I guess I'd just like a little more feedback on how to spot that going forward.

What are the tells?

Obviously, armed with this information, I'll be in a stronger position both to return this one to the seller for a refund and to avoid making the same mistake next time.

Grr.

 

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Aquariusmatic

·May 14, 2020

That to me looks like a 15€ non branded strap or a "Kuki" strap at best. I'd avoid it just on the looks department alone.

 

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

So I just noticed one really obvious tell myself--that unlike this dude's other listings, this one is branded with the wrong p/n. The 9000158 is an Omega p/n for a rubber strap, not this one. Goddammit. I feel like such an idiot. ...Guess I'm glad this happened with a $90 strap and not a watch. (With those, I'd always post here beforehand to get feedback before purchasing.) I spent so much time combing through listings, too. Think I was just eye-tired when I finally clicked "Buy" on this... Now I need to go back to the listing and review the guy's description really carefully to see if he used language that could be twisted to give him cover.

@Aquariusmatic, do you have any substantive commentary to distinguish this (obvious fake now) from an Omega? I'm talking font, stitching, etc? Hoping others too can learn from this embarrassing mistake.

 

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Aquariusmatic

·May 14, 2020

The overall look of the strap as said just looks too cheap for me to be an Omega product I might be wrong, I've purchased stuff from eBay before and got good or bad things in the mail.

If a "branded" strap looks 1:1 to a much cheaper strap that can be had for under 10€ and has no branding on it I'll just pass, I always run the numbers on anything I buy and there is something slightly off I don't.
I am not at home but i swear that the one pictured above is 1:1 to a kuki strap I've bought 5 years ago for 15€ at a watchmaker. The embossing as well as the black stitching above white below all matches up to that.

I've been told to smell the straps?!?! The fake ones smell like glossy magazines when new and that It's a sure tell that the leatherette is fake or dyed with a low grade process. That's in my opinion just hearsay...

 

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

Thanks for that.

I did "buy the seller," by the way: a longstanding (since 1999) eBayer with ~1k feedback ratings @ 100%, here in USA--Southern CA. Gotta do better next time.

(And actually, I've decided to abandon the oem strap search---the for-sure real ones are just stupid expensive and, as I can now bear personal, painful witness, it's a minefield of fakes out there. I'm going with a really nice, very basic 18mm>16mm thin, flat black leather strap that looks soft and supple. I have a [real, authentic, can't mess with it, from Omega] 16mm stainless buckle that I can always put on it if I feel the need.)

I'm taking personal responsibility for this mistake (though I will of course take advantage of eBay's protections here), which is the only way I'm going to resist the urge to call in a favor from my friends in San Diego who still have F-18s and strike helicopters at their disposal. 😀 Caveat emptor.

 

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Aquariusmatic

·May 14, 2020

Makes sense! I'd always go for a custom one with an original buckle I've sourced from either a forum or got with a watch.
There is so much more fun to be had with custom options than what the AD or the maker gives us!

Best of luck.

 

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

Have to say: I've really grown to appreciate this forum's 200-post policy for contributing to the marketplace forums. (One can always buy there via PMs, of course, but it's a healthy restriction.) I'm making a new policy for myself, too, to paraphrase the gentle guidance of Robert De Niro's Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas: "don't buy anything." If I haven't vetted it here first---even if it's just a strap or a buckle---don't do it. I clearly haven't earned my own trust yet.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/LazyFairBird-mobile.mp4

 

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

Should add, too, that the listing clearly indicates that this is oem, describing it (in the title) as an "Omega 18mm black band with omega buckle" and, probably more importantly, lists the brand (in the "item specifics" box) as "Omega." Since this strap was not produced by Omega, I should have little trouble getting a refund for an inaccurately described item.

 

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DaveK

·May 14, 2020

Good discussion. The distance between the out edge of the strap and the stitching line is somewhat inconsistent, especially at the pointy end. I’ve never handled a real Omega strap, but I’d expect perfection for one, or any strap at $90+. So that might be an clue to look for. Buckles and hardware? I have no idea, but there are more than a few threads here about that topic, including https://omegaforums.net/threads/about-omega-buckles.37347/

 

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Aquariusmatic

·May 14, 2020

Oh and a must while you're out ordering, do get the Seiko Fat Spring Bars if you can get them in the lug size needed 😀

 

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

DaveK

Good discussion. The distance between the out edge of the strap and the stitching line is somewhat inconsistent, especially at the pointy end. I’ve never handled a real Omega strap, but I’d expect perfection for one, or any strap at $90+. So that might be an clue to look for. Buckles and hardware? I have no idea, but there are more than a few threads here about that topic, including https://omegaforums.net/threads/about-omega-buckles.37347/

Much obliged---and (I gather) to a fellow Boxer-lover too. My buckle, in this case, I know is good, as it's from an AD-affiliated watchmaker and is in the original unopened parts bag from Omega. This hobby really is a rabbit hole. 😀

 

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

And let me hasten to add, in case I've created confusion: the buckle I'm talking about in my last post is not the one in the pictures above: that is the gold-toned buckle that was sold with the fake band it's mounted on, and I have no idea whether it's a legit buckle or, like the band, is fake. (Guessing the latter.) The pics above aren't mine---they're from the eBay listing; the item is still inbound to me via USPS, so I can't process the refund yet. (My buckle is stainless and is also inbound at the moment.)

 

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DaveK

·May 14, 2020

Boxers are such clowns, great personalities. I miss her.

Good luck with the strap 👍

 

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X350 XJR

·May 14, 2020·Vintage Omega Aficionado

Omega 98000153 is a 20mm brown alligator strap for a deployant buckle.

If the price seems too good to be true, it usually is, $90.00 for a strap and buckle with a retail price in excess of $500.00+ (strap only), is too good to be true.

At this point 90-95% of Omega straps and buckles on eBay or Etsy are counterfeit, even the ones that say they are in original packaging, which is easier to fake then the part itself.

Gratuitous boxer picture...

 

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

Yeah I had a hard time making out whether that last number was an 8 or a 3 but the point holds either way: it’s wrong.

90-95%. That is a dispiriting thought. But as I mentioned, I combed through hundreds of listings that were just obvious fakes, so I don’t doubt it.

 

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

And now I see your boxer pic—just adorable. I’ll post one of my guy (who passed in 2010) when I’m back at my computer.

 

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Annapolis

·May 14, 2020

Definitely not an alpha dog... more an omega. 😀 But god, he was a friend. If only these buggers lived longer. I got to spend 10 years with him, that's it. Some of his Boxer buds lived quite a bit longer, but most of them were right around the same age when they passed. I really want to adopt another (and I think my wife and son would go along) but I just don't know if I'm ready to go through all of that again.

Edited: May 14, 2020