Okay, so today I wanted to talk about something I’ve been messing around with lately – getting my hands on a replica of the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, the one with the open case back. You know, the classic one that everyone’s always going on about. It’s a pretty popular watch, and I was curious to see if I could find a good copy without breaking the bank.
First off, I started digging around online, just Googling and checking out forums where people talk about this kind of stuff. I saw that the real deal goes for around $7,000. That’s way out of my budget! But I figured there had to be some decent replicas out there, also called original order. I found out the original has a 42mm case and a 20mm lug width, hesalite crystal and it is 50 meters water resistant. Also, I noticed some key things to watch out for in fakes – like messed up spacing on the subdials and wonky tachymeter scales.
Then I started looking at what makes the Speedmaster so special. I learned that it’s got this manual-wind movement and a Hesalite crystal, and it looks almost exactly like the original ones worn on the Moon. Pretty cool, right? It also holds its value pretty well, especially the old ones, which can be worth some amount of money over time. The first Speedmaster, the CK 2915, used the Omega Calibre 321 movement, made back in 1946. I noticed that the original watches have a thinner case back and shorter lugs compared to some newer versions. Also, in 2020, Omega brought back a version with the Calibre 321, which got some people excited.
After that, I got into comparing different replicas, but it’s really hard to do. I looked at pictures, read reviews, and tried to compare them to the real deal. The goal was to find one that looked as close to the original as possible. Some indicators for a counterfeit include the subdial spacing or placement, inauthentic tachymeter scale or bezel markings, and subpar quality on the case and bracelet. But there are a lot of these replica watches. It’s hard to compare them.
Eventually, I found one that seemed pretty good. The price was right, and from what I could tell, it looked really close to the original. It had the right size, the subdials looked good, and the tachymeter scale seemed accurate. It even had a thinner case back and shorter lugs, just like the originals. I went ahead and ordered it, fingers crossed that it would be as good in person as it looked online.
When it finally arrived, I was pretty stoked. I unboxed it carefully, checking out all the details. The weight felt good, the finish was nice, and everything seemed to be in the right place. It looked great on my wrist, and I was really happy with how close it was to the real Moonwatch.
So, that’s my little adventure with the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch replica. It was a fun process, and I’m pretty pleased with what I ended up with. It’s not the real thing, but for the price, I think it’s a solid stand-in. I get to wear a pretty famous watch model and it doesn’t look bad or cheap. If you’re into watches but don’t want to spend thousands, I think going for a replica like this is worth considering. And if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
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