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Omega Speedmaster case advice

Archer
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NotJackson NotJackson
would Omega manufacture a service caseback with this flaw?
Well, here is the photo of the case back on the Extranet...

Missions.webp


While I won't say it is impossible that Omega would make a case back with improper spacing, with many years of buying cases and case backs, I've never seen anything even remotely as far off as what you are showing. I would certainly be sending it back immediately if I ever received one like that, but I doubt I ever would.

Honestly to me the case back shown in that eBay advert just has so many small things that don't look right, I would advise anyone thinking of buying it to avoid it. It just looks sloppy overall, from the things I've already mentioned to just the quality of the finish all over, it just doesn't look right in those photos. The fact that the same vendor is selling flawed case backs makes this whole thing even more flaky in my view.

For your case back, since this is an exchange only item, to get a new one that definitely comes from Omega, the one you have would have to be sent back. My guess is if you do that, they will tell you it's not genuine.
 
Davidt
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NotJackson NotJackson
The guy who sells this mid case also sells a complete case - mid case, pushers, bezel, caseback, etc. It has the caseback with the obvious spacing issue (“MISSIO NS”) in the lettering. As I noted earlier, I stupidly bought one for my Speedmaster Tintin Mod (and changed the paintfill to red):

IMG_1367.webp


At some point I’ll replace this … it annoys the hell out of me. Here’s the question, though … would Omega manufacture a service caseback with this flaw? And if not - meaning that the caseback is bogus - wouldn’t that call everything else he sells into question?

I’ve only just realised what you’re saying. Yours isn’t a tin tin caseback. It’s the standard one they sell and you changed the text to red.

Yeah I agree then that’s concerning unless anyone can present a caseback with the same spacing from a trusted source.

It does start to feel like there’s too many questionable parts from this seller.
 
paddymoran
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Here’s another of the Speedmaster cases with questionable case back for sale on eBay (at an opening bid of €2k). Took exception to me questioning its authenticity but could only say he bought it from an “omega seller”.

https://ebay.us/m/Goux5C

IMG_3824.webp
Edited:
 
machamp6650
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Davidt Davidt
I’ve only just realised what you’re saying. Yours isn’t a tin tin caseback. It’s the standard one they sell and you changed the text to red.

Yeah I agree then that’s concerning unless anyone can present a caseback with the same spacing from a trusted source.

It does start to feel like there’s too many questionable parts from this seller.
I'm in a similar position where I can't really speak to the authenticity of this seller's midcase from a technical standpoint, although I initially raised red flags due to other parts coming from the seller. In my case the seller advertised speedmaster bezels in the same way (i.e. genuine NOS parts from the 70s etc), but the one I received was conclusively fake. I've also seen this seller posting full speedmaster cases which marry the midcase in question to the fake bezel I received.

I find this example particularly worrying as the seller has been posting these items for several years (I think I flunked out on the fake bezel about 5 years ago), I'm aware he's sold an awful lot of them, and have seen they're starting to recirculate through to resellers, private sellers' project watches etc
 
C
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Surely a brand like Omega should step in and file a complaint with eBay for them allowing a seller to pass off aftermarket / counterfeit goods on their platform if that is the case. It seems he has been selling these cases for quite a while too.
 
Dan S
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Davidt Davidt
I agree with the general premise here but disagree with the conclusion. We know that SM300’s are highly faked and at the minute there are many more fake cases available than genuine on the open market. However, the fake sm300 cases are really poor and easy to identify if you have a basic knowledge of what a genuine case looks like.

Presumably part of the reason sm300’s are so highly faked when compared to speedmasters is the ready availability of cheap, genuine 55x and 56x Omega movements. They can be had for less than £200. The same can’t be said for genuine 861 movements.
So, if the fakers can’t get close with the mass produced sm300 cases that are currently flooding the market, I’d be surprised if they could make such a good effort with a much more uncommon fake Speedmaster case.

I do take your points on the pushers and screws so I’ll revise my opinion to say I still think it’s genuine but more pictures and detail are needed and I wouldn’t advise anyone to buy it based on my opinion as clearly there’s uncertainty.
There are replica Speedmasters all over the internet. A quick google seems to show that they are mostly originating in Asia. But as you know, there is a huge "replica" community, with their own fora, where these things are widely discussed.
 
Davidt
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Dan S Dan S
There are replica Speedmasters all over the internet. A quick google seems to show that they are mostly originating in Asia. But as you know, there is a huge "replica" community, with their own fora, where these things are widely discussed.

I might be wrong as I don't spend any time on replica sites or looking at replica watches, but I've never come across a good replica Speedmaster.

Of course it could be argued the reason for this is that the replicas are so good, I just haven't realised they're replicas. However, I don't believe this to be the case. A quick Google search sows replica Speedmasters cost several hundred still look atrocious.
 
Dan S
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Davidt Davidt
I might be wrong as I don't spend any time on replica sites or looking at replica watches, but I've never come across a good replica Speedmaster.

Of course it could be argued the reason for this is that the replicas are so good, I just haven't realised they're replicas. However, I don't believe this to be the case. A quick Google search sows replica Speedmasters cost several hundred still look atrocious.
Agreed, and I think this case is also pretty bad, at least based on the photos I'm seeing. The only way it could be a legit mid-case is if it has been overpolished enough to change its shape.
 
C
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Well I reached out to the seller to ask straight out if the cases are legit. I pointed out the gap in 'MISSIO NS' and the blurry case lines and was told the claims were 'Erroneous and misinformation.'
 
NotJackson
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C Conmcn
Well I reached out to the seller to ask straight out if the cases are legit. I pointed out the gap in 'MISSIO NS' and the blurry case lines and was told the claims were 'Erroneous and misinformation.'
That doesn’t surprise me. I wonder what it would take to get Omega to investigate.
 
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