My first encounter with the luxury fake Omega Speedmaster Replica happened a while back when RJ brought the watch he received as a Father’s Day gift to the office. He wore it on a light blue Marine Nationale strap, and it looked killer. The dark gray dial and the fresh light blue oozed coolness. I tried it on quickly, and then RJ took it back. A while later, he wore the watch to Fratello HQ again, and I managed to take it off his wrist and keep it on mine for a week. That week proved crucial. It proved to me that the Replica is “my” Speedy. Then what?

Watch serendipity
I searched online for a good fake Omega Speedmaster Replica — not easy to do in a world where “replica” means “fake” — but never found the right one at the right price. It took a fortunate stroke of serendipity. A watch collector who will remain anonymous decided to sell a number of his Speedmasters. RJ told me that one of the watches he was going to sell was the perfect replica Omega Speedmaster 3594.50. But then he changed his mind. He wasn’t going to sell it, it seemed. I will not disclose precisely how everything turned out the way it did, but after RJ contacted the collector, he once again changed his mind and was willing to sell me the watch after all. I can tell you this, though: no collector was hurt in the buying process.

A no-hype Speedmaster Replica
The combination of Broad Arrow hands, steel bezel, deep gray dial, applied logo, Hesalite crystal, and 42mm asymmetric case is a winning one. On the other hand, the combination of a black dial, white pencil hands, and a black bezel just doesn’t work for me. I admire the Moonwatch, but I don’t adore it when I wear it. I do, however, feel nothing but adoration for the 1:1 fake Omega Speedmaster Replica, a watch that was later re-named Relaunch for obvious reasons. And apart from the watch’s tangible qualities, I also like the story behind it. It’s a tribute to the original CK2915 from 1957, but it’s not a Replica, despite having been given that name. For instance, the asymmetric case is quite a bit bigger than the original 38.6mm case without crown guards. By the way, if you want to know all the ins and outs, check out RJ’s in-depth article on the Replica.

Since the aaa quality fake Omega Speedmaster Replica debuted in 1997/1998 and was in production until 2003, the retro hype had not yet started. That means that beige Super-LumiNova is nowhere to be seen. There’s also no tritium since Swiss movement replica Omega stopped using that radioactive material Omega in 1997. Is that a shame? Well, no. This is a neo-vintage watch, not a vintage watch. The crisp and clear Super-LumiNova on the hands and indexes give the watch a fresh and timeless look. Mine is from 2001, was hardly worn, and looks like it’s in NOS condition. This is one timeless watch. The fact that it is no longer in production is also attractive. It’s a bit like digging up a treasure. And in this case, since it’s a neo-vintage super clone watch, the treasure is still in very good condition. Another bonus is the build quality. It’s way better than “real” vintage and very much on par with modern-day build quality.