Fake Omega Silver Snoopy

If you have read some of my posts before, you know that I am fascinated by the artistry of luxury watches, and I am also fascinated by the craftsmanship of knockoffs and fakes.  Well, lucky me, I have found something that meets both requirements.

We all know that Asia is the headquarters for knockoffs, fakes, and bootlegs.  A friend picked up a fake Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy while on a trip to Asia.  Since this is a Limited Edition watch, few people have seen it live.  Now, I have a real Silver Snoopy Speedmaster, so I know what it looks like.  I was pretty excited to see a knockoff watch, as I am with most knockoff items.

Beauty shot stolen from internet, most likely from Omega

I did not have my watch on me when I took photos of the fake version, but I stole some stock images from the internet for comparison.  Here we go...

Fake Omega - Dial

The first thing I noticed was the huge size of the fake.  At 46 mm, it is 4 mm larger than the 42 mm case of an Omega Speedmaster, almost a 10% size increase.  Because of this, the lug width is 22 mm on the fake, versus the standard Speedmaster 20 mm lug width.  Overall the watch is about 10% larger.   I showed these photos to my 'watch guy' and he mentioned that the 46 mm Speedmaster was from a few years ago, so they must have used that as a base for this.

At $150, you are probably not going to get a mechanical movement.  The fake Snoopy is a quartz movement with chronograph function.  The running seconds is in the 6H subdial, while the chronograph minute counter is in the 9H subdial.  What is interesting is at the 3H subdial, it acts as a running hour counter, or second time zone.  In the image above the main time is 9:21:16, the 3H subdial shows that it is 4:21 somewhere.

Like all Speedmaster Professionals, the running seconds is on the 9H subdial, in this case the one with Snoopy on it.  The chronograph minute counter is the 3H subdial, it counts 30 minutes.  The 6H subdial is the chronograph hour counter.  The real Silver Snoopy has a hand-wound mechanical movement.  There is no second time zone on the Silver Snoopy.

Silver Snoopy caseback

The caseback on the Limited Edition Silver Snoopy is what makes it stand out from other Speedmasters.   It has, well, a Silver Snoopy.  The makers of the fake did not replicate this, at all.   Also missing is the serial number and case material etched on the lug backs.

Fake Omega - Caseback

The logo on the back is supposed to line up with the case.  This caseback is a replica of an older model Speedmaster from the late 90's, according to my watch guy.

Tachymetre and dial detail

Looking at the tachymetre markings, they are different from the modern Speedmaster.  While the fake has a ring with little arrows marking the numbers.  The real watch has dots as indicators, with no ring.

If you look at Speedmasters dials, you will notices that the subdials are recessed and beveled in.  The fake does a pretty good job of replicating this.  One thing they missed is the slight bevel which creates a slight crease about where the index markers end.  I have highlighted with a red dotted line in the image above.

Dial detail

It is hard to tell in my images, but the white of the dial is a bit off.  It is more of 'warm white', a vintage white, like yellowing teeth.  The real Snoopy is pure bright white.

A minor detail, but it looks like the markers on the fake are glued or applied on top of the face.  In the Snoopy, it looks like (at least to me) that the index markers come up from the bottom via holes in the face.  On the real Snoopy, you can see a what looks like a hole around each index.  I could be wrong, but the when comparing the two, this does stand out.

Because of the 10% increase in size of the case, the hands look short.  They did not increase the length of the hands to fit the larger dial.   As if they used hands for a 42 mm watch for a 46 mm watch For example, the chronograph second hand on the real Snoopy goes almost to the edges of the markings.  On the fake, the chronograph second hand is about 1 mm too short.  The hands, in general, are also wider than the real version.

Speedmaster profile

The Speedmaster has a unique profile, with its raised bezel and semi-bubble shaped crystal.  It is what makes a Speedmaster a Speedmaster.

Profile detail

I have marked where the crystal and bezel profile should be.  I am not sure if the fake has a Sapphire crystal like the Silver Snoopy.  The crystal on the fake is more domed shaped than the unique 'semi-bubble' shape that we all know.

Note that the bezel profile is not as deep as a real one.  A real Speedmaster should have about a 45° bevel, it looks like the fake has about a 60° bevel.

Other things that raised a flag is the finish.  There are a couple of rough areas on the case.  These look like casting flaws.  I am pretty sure Omega uses some sort of CNC to mill their cases.  Either way, Omega would finish their cases to perfection.  Also, I noticed what looked like a parting line on the fake case.  I think I captured it in the photo above, it looks like it could be a reflection of the lugs, but I am pretty sure it was a parting line.

Silver Snoopy Award lume

The lume on the Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award is just amazing. In the image (stolen from internet) you can see that Snoopy glows.  Yes, Snoopy glows!  How awesome is that.  The tachymeter scale glows, along with the hour indexes.

Knockoff Omega, lume

The fake Snoopy only has lume on the hands.  I was hoping that at the very least, they may Snoopy glow.

Final note.  The fake came on a bracelet, which looks pretty good.  There are some markings missing but on the wrist, you cannot tell it is an knockoff bracelet.  The real Snoopy comes on a coated nylon fabric strap with leather backing.

Conclusion

I think this knockoff Omega Snoopy is a good 'first pass'.  There are many areas for improvement.  But, if like most, you have not seen a real Snoopy, this watch can fool you.  If you know Speedmasters, this will not likely pass.  Still, I give this a sold B...and for $150 it is a great price for a fashion watch.