Thoughts on this 98000008 strap

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Expta

·Jan 14, 2020

I obtained this purportedly genuine Omega ref 98000008 20mm x 16mm alligator strap, but I'm not sure it's genuine. The leather looks and feels fine, but the stamps on that back don't match most other photos I've seen.

The Omega stamp on the back is only on one side and runs horizontally. Most other photos have the number 62 stamp, instead of 63 on this strap. I'm not sure what that number represents. I assume JBB is the "maker's mark" initials?

I'm certain the deployment clasp is aftermarket. It uses a friction plate to stay closed, instead of pushers and the inside is stamped, "ACIER INOX" (stainless steel in French) near the end of the strap.

I'm very interested to get your thoughts. Thank you.

 

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Luca.P

·Jan 14, 2020

I have never concerned myself with leather straps but just by googling this strap for a few seconds I think I can pretty confidentally say its not a genuine Omega strap. If you just look at the way the holes are stamped on yours and compare it to a genuine one there is a huge difference, the genuine ones are very clean and yours look very badly made, no hole even resembles a perfect circle and the leather is torn in all of them. The stamping on yours also doesn´t seem of very good quality. I will add that I probably don´t know more about this than you do and these are just my two cents. Hope I could help.
Cheers!

 

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Expta

·Jan 14, 2020

Thanks, I've seen that before in my attempts to validate this strap. I also saw this one listed on a Rolex site that looks very much like the one I have, but used. https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=545979

The 98000008 strap has been around for a while. I'm wondering if mine might be an older version?

 

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Luca.P

·Jan 14, 2020

Yeah but when a strap is used, only one or two holes show wear because the size of your wrist doesn‘t change. In the photo of the rolexforum two holes look worn but the other ones all look fine and well made. In your case all of the holes look in equally bad shape which would lead me to conclude that its not a sign of wear but of bad quality

 

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VetPsychWars

·Jan 14, 2020

The clasp looks right. The older ones weren't pushbutton, those came later. It has the two pins that retain the strap, whereas the newer clasps only have one pin.

I'm not willing to say that the strap is definitively right or wrong. It looks plausible, and Omega doesn't make these, they're made by contractors. So, you'll see some variation between them. I was a "victim" of that with a 245 strap that was made by one contractor that was pretty bad.

If it fits and you want to wear it, by all means do so.

Tom

 

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Expta

·Jan 14, 2020

Interesting. I sure wish I could authenticate it. I paid $245 for it with the clasp and I have the right to return it within 14 days.

 

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Evitzee

·Jan 14, 2020

Does it really make all that much difference? If it wasn't genuine Omega what is the combo worth? It looks to be of pretty good quality. If the quality is good, whether or not it is genuine Omega wouldn't concern me that much. It's all about the quality.

 

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Luca.P

·Jan 15, 2020

Evitzee

Does it really make all that much difference? If it wasn't genuine Omega what is the combo worth? It looks to be of pretty good quality. If the quality is good, whether or not it is genuine Omega wouldn't concern me that much. It's all about the quality.

Yeah i totally agree with that. I would never buy an Omega strap just because it says Omega on it. The only thing that really matters in that department is if the quality of the strap is right for the price, so if you feel you didn‘t overpay for the strap I wouldn‘t think about it too much.

 

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Expta

·Jan 15, 2020

Just trying to keep it all "genuine", I guess.

 

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VetPsychWars

·Jan 15, 2020

Expta

Just trying to keep it all "genuine", I guess.

For what it's worth I still believe it's real. Packaging is right. It was even recently manufactured!

Tom

 

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Martin_F

·Jan 15, 2020

For $245 you could have almost bought it from Omega directly.
I payed $300 for a Railmaster strap including buckle not too long ago.

 

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Expta

·Jan 15, 2020

Yeah, $610 for the strap and buckle from the AB in San Francisco, so I think this is a pretty good deal.

 

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ext1

·Jan 15, 2020

Hmm... I say fake because the deployant is the old friction snap style, I know because I have one of those. And they have markings, while this one has no markings.

 

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VetPsychWars

·Jan 15, 2020

ext1

Hmm... I say fake because the deployant is the old friction snap style, I know because I have one of those. And they have markings, while this one has no markings.

You can clearly see the part number in the first picture. Can't see the date code on the clasp package, but it wouldn't necessarily have identical marking as the first few runs in the 90s.

Tom

 

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ext1

·Jan 15, 2020

Ok so after diving into my parts bin... I realized I gave away my deployant some time ago but I still had the fake one.

So on inspection I'd say I'm more inclined to say that's a real part IMO.. because of the size of the trapezoid connector piece and by the way how the pins are finished.

From the angles of the pics, even the real part's markings cannot be shown, because the markings are on the open side.

Here are some old pics of the clasp while I still had it