Omega Seamaster 300M “James Bond” — Real Vs. Fake
Today, we’re taking a look at an authentic Omega Seamaster 300M and a very high fidelity replica. It used to be very simple to tell the difference. Fakes were cheap knock-offs. They often made obvious mistakes. Many of the key details were wrong. Sometimes, everything was wrong. But in today’s world, replica watches are getting better and better. Sometimes, they are awfully close to the original.
The fake Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond limited edition for the 50th anniversary of “On her majesty’s secret service” we have here, is being offered online for prices that come very close to 25% below retail. And it is being offered as an authentic watch. So this is not a watch for those who want to have a cheap knock-off with a famous name on the dial.
It is bought by people who are just being tricked. Upon initial inspection, the watches appear almost the same. Even when you hold the watch in your hands, you have to take a close look. Only then you’ll see what’s wrong with it. In this video, I explain the differences between the authentic Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond and the replica. What are the things you need to pay attention to?
Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond Real vs Fake
As discussed in the video above, the main differences can be found in the details. The finishing is sloppy on the replica, but not so sloppy so you’ll need a loupe or a macro lens to make sure. The dial on the replica is OK-ish from a little distance, but up close you will notice that the printing isn’t as neat as it is on the original. Furthermore, the engraving of the gun barrel motif is also not as sharp as it is on the authentic Seamaster 300M James Bond.
I’ll advise you to watch the video, but I will put some of the detailed macro shots that we took here as well.
Replica Seamaster 300M Dial
As you can see, there are a few giveaways. The hour marker in the picture below is a good example, but hardly noticeable without a loupe or macro lens. The finishing on all the parts of the dial and hands is a bit rough, compared to the original.
Authentic Seamaster 300M Dial
You will find some images of the authentic Seamaster 300M James Bond dial below. Much cleaner printing, high quality applied hour markers, and better materials have been employed.
Replica Seamaster 300M Case
The case has more evident signs that we’re dealing with a fake here. As you can see, the plaque on the case band has a weird gold tone and the engravings are faulty. The lugs lack sharpness as well. They have a softness to them where they should have a sharp edge. Interestingly, the crown of the helium valve is longer (when unscrewed) than the original one. The issue with most of these differences is, that you need to have the authentic watch as a reference point. The easiest way to identify the fake is from the alignment of the case back. The authentic Seamaster 300M has a NAIAD lock. This means it will align perfectly. The fake, quite simply, does not.
The red-filled engraving on the rotor is also much sharper on the authentic Seamaster 300M. As indicated in the video, a close-up of the fake will show that very clearly. As if someone tipped over a little cup of Revell paint.
Authentic Seamaster 300M Case
As you can see in the pictures below, the engraving is of much better quality on the authentic Seamaster 300M James Bond. The case back is aligned due to the use of a NAIAD lock. Also, the gold writing and logo on the case back is done in a better way. The color is more close to gold and the printing is more clear. A more detailed explanation of this can be seen in the video.
Identifying the easy way: Master Chronometer
Now, you would think that the easiest way to identify a fake watch is to have a look at the movement. With cheap knock-offs, that’s definitely the case. Open any of them and you’ll find some cheap Chinese based movement inside, sometimes even quartz in a “mechanical model”. Not with the fake Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond limited edition we have here. They even tried to replicate the construction of the movement (at first sight) and tried to copy the specific Geneva wave Arabesque finishing. The balance wheel is a quick giveaway, but if you’re new to watches, perhaps not the thing you focus on.
Anti-Magnetism
As you can see in the video, we took a magnet and held it to the watch. The authentic Seamaster 300M James Bond continued running, as it is Master Chronometer certified by METAS. One of the specifications of the Master Chronometer certification is that the watch can withstand a magnetic field up to 15,000 gauss. Next, we held the magnet to the fake Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond and it immediately stopped running. If you haven’t done so, I recommend you watch the video to see that.
Not a cheap knock-off
After watching the video, reading this article, and studying the pictures, you will probably agree with me that this isn’t some cheap knock-off. There are some quick checks you can do yourself, like the magnet, to identify that you’re dealing with a fake Omega Seamaster 300M that has a Master Chronometer movement. If you buy your new watch from an authorized dealer, boutique, or directly from Omega, there’s no reason to be afraid you are ending up with a fake. The biggest issue with these good fake watches is that you can’t easily identify them as such based on the pictures that sellers put online. If these watches are offered for $500, or even $1,500 to $2,000, you know it can’t be true. But what if you see this watch, with clear but small-sized images for sale on a website with -20% to -25% off the retail price?
Be Careful
We aren’t saying you should only buy new and in boutiques, but we do urge you to be careful. The best thing would be to see the watch in the metal, do some of the checks we listed here (bring a magnet). Of course, that doesn’t always work, especially when the watch is offered online and there isn’t a way to see it before you click “buy”. Make sure to ask the seller for detailed pictures. If you have any doubt based on those, just don’t pursue the purchase.
We used this Seamaster 300M James Bond “On her majesty’s secret service” limited edition as an example, but we’ve also seen other 300M models being cloned. If you don’t want to deal with this stuff, you know what to do. Go to a boutique, order directly from Omega, or go to an authorized dealer. Find all our other Omega related articles here.
