Thank you everyone for your responses. I fully expected to get bashed for my post and appreciate that you are all very understanding.
I'm sure the dealer can verify that the watch with the serial number that you got is the one that he sent. Watches and serials are indeed faked but I'm sure specific ones are not.
Also, if your watch runs between 0 and 5 seconds it's definitely a sign that it's real. The fake movements cannot match this kind of accuracy.
And finally, you can check the test results of your watch on the Omega website by using your serial. I doubt that using a fake one would show any.
The dealer is great! Very reputable and well known on this forum. I trust him. I just have a problem trusting the other variables. I know, sad and kind of looney. I keep thinking that some person bought the real deal, and made an excuse to return it and returned the fake. Then it being new that the dealer thinking it was their original piece, passes it onto me. Thanks for the tip about checking on Omega's site! I didn't know that was a thing and was kind of hard to find it for some reason.
The short answer is if you buy from an AD you are safe.
It is coming from an AD! A trusted one, and member of this site.
When I was younger and at the beginning of my watch journey I went through the same thing. I purchased from a grey dealer and obsessed about it's authenticity for a very long time. There is only one way to avoid all of this - buy from an AD. Since you have done this, there isn't much to worry about. Educate yourself on what to look for, so you will eventually feel confident buying from anyone.
It is from an AD! I trust him. I just fear crappy people who come in between. I spent hours reading up on the watch, watching reviews, and then stumbled into spotting a fake. That is where I went wrong. The latest fakes of this watch seem incredible. Its scary how accurate it is. That is where my fears came into play.
If you can't tell the difference does it matter? Seriously though, you will be able to enter your serial number into an application on the Omega website and it will provide you with the METAS certification certificate for your new watch.
Thanks for that seconding of the site. I didn't know that was a thing and found it after some googling. It feels hidden on their site.
I can absolutely relate to obsessing over the details of a big purchase like this. I seriously doubt this is the case, since you purchased from an AD, but if it would make you feel better just reach out to them. Verify the serial. Enjoy the watch and wear it in good health!
I appreciate your post, a lot. Thank you. I am working up the nerve to reach out to the AD again. Thinking of messaging on this site or calling again. I feel bad though and don't want him to think I am suspecting him of foul play, because I definitely do not.
Buying from an AD should alleviate any fears you have, but the fakes are so good now. "Super clones" keep excellent time and the movements look identical. The finishing on them is excellent as well. Really hard to tell the difference. Kind of funny the Chinese can make a $10K Omega watch and sell it for $280.
Anyway, don't get yourself in a mess over this. Just buy from an reputable seller.
Thank you for the post and understanding. I appreciate it. It is from a reputable AD.
If you purchased from an AD, you should be fine. If the watch is pre-owned, can you find information about where it was originally purchased and confirm the details? The provenance of the watch will be important.
I am not sure about whether checking/verifying a serial number (SN) online would mean much. I'm not an expert with counterfeit Omegas, but TAG Heuer watches are notorious for being replicated with "real" SNs. The problem with SNs is that "crooks" can engrave a SN from a real watch of the same model/series, and re-use it on several fake watches. So when someone buys the fake watch they check the SN online and it appears to be correct, not knowing that there are several other fake watches out there with the exact same SN!
Nowadays, I would never buy a new watch unless it was from an AD or someone I personally knew and trusted. Buy the seller first. It's simply not worth the few hundred dollars of savings for me to buy from an unknown source.
Good luck!
Edit - I just re-read your post. You are afraid someone purchased the watch first, then returned a fake to the vender/AD? Yes, I think you are being a bit paranoid. LOL. But I don't blame you. This is not a small investment for most people.
Thank you so much. After seeing how close the fakes look, I am sitting imagining all the scenarios that someone could mess around and cause me to be the one getting screwed in the end. I know I am very paranoid about this. haha You're too kind to say just a bit.
Even the scary-good fakes have well known tells. And I believe that the NTTD is not considered one of the best, and the tells should be obvious. If you are worried you should post a photo online, it's pretty easy to tell the difference once you learn the tells of a specific model.
I wish that were the case. The fakes are insanely close. I studied photos and saw nothing telling them apart.
I understand your fears. The quality of the fake watches these days is staggering. I don’t know about your experiences, but I can’t say with any confidence that the people at the authorized dealers Ive been to would have the skill to identify a “super clone”. I don’t suspect they would do it out of malice or greed, but ignorance is definitely still on the table. (Once I brought a watch in for service. The chrono second hand was jumping back half a second before moving forward when it was started. I was told it’s “supposed to do that” 🙄)
With Omega, you have an advantage in that so many of the movements are shown through display casebacks, and the movement has a lot of details to compare against. No such with Rolex.
If you really are concerned, and it’s fine if you are, go to a boutique. That’s too much to spend to be full of anxiety. It should bring you joy.
Oh man. I cannot imagine how my heart would sink if I posted a photo and someone called fake or something being off. It would make me lose my mind. The NTTD isn't a display back..
If you have done business with this AD before, than you shouldn't worry. You can always have a conversation with him/her and ask their process for making sure the watch is legit.
I have bought from the AD before. He is great and well respected. I really want to reach out and voice my crazy concern but I feel bad. I don't want him to think I don't trust him.
So, first off, OCD is a serious medical condition and if you actually have a diagnosis I hope you realize at some point that it's not super uncommon and there's no need to apologize for having it.
Second, if you are really concerned, then just go to an AD. I bought my Speedy at full retail price from the boutique because I felt like it -- I felt better about the purchase and it was a bit impulsive, but hey, I know the watch is 100% genuine and any problems would go straight back to Omega.
Yes I could have gotten whatever discount at the time, but it was money well spent IMO. If you really care that much about the money, you could certainly try to get a discount at an AD. The obvious choice is to not buy the watch at all, but we know that's not happening
Thanks a ton. I appreciate everything. I do feel bad though cause I know the burden I put on others, but feel like I have to ask for the good people of this forums input. It makes a difference to me.
This purchase is from an AD. A really good one at that.
Yeah. I honestly did/do kick the idea around of not buying it because how prevalent the fakes are. But I really really love the watch. I haven't been this excited for a watch in a long time.
