Omega watch logo crystal copy?

[bathroomboy]

Hi all,

Shame as there doesn’t seem to be much posted on this forum for a while?

I’ve recently purchased another Omega TC1… it was on a quick impulse and I’m now thinking it’s got a dodgy reprinted crystal.

It’s just a shame, as the seller is quite a respected one. Has anyone seen this before? Looks convincing with the naked eye… but it’s not anywhere near as good as I would expect from a factory run upon closer inspection. (In my opinion).

Anyone seen this before?

[gjlelec]

The early yellow logos were molten glass (glassfrit ??) the later ones printed (cost i assume) It looks presentable enough from your pics. If it really bothers you , replace it, the yellow versions are readily available in the UK from an Omega supplier (PM if required) I've had both versions from them (same part number though) but they are genuine Omega. I'm not convinced what you have there is a fake anyway, hopefully Bruce Wegmann will comment, he knows the various processes used .Part No is 063 TH 5230, circa £143 + VAT + Carr (CORRECTION_ £221 + VAT + CARR )

[bathroomboy]

Thank you Gjlelec,

Very much appreciate your swift reply. It’s not the look that bothers me at all…. It’s whether it’s genuine.

I read on here many years ago about a few members wanting to get their own crystals manufactured or talk of reproducing the logo on a polished screen. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy to own a watch with a Sasm or PLT1 module (I actually prefer them) as otherwise they’d be toast. I’m also not totally against the original thread about the synthetic ruby crystal being replicated (when Omega stopped production), but up to now, my view has been this is how you distinguish between the quality of a piece.

It could possibly be a later replacement crystal, as I notice on much later pieces the logo appears thicker. I have seven of the TC1/2 and some are very fine gold… the others “Baked”. I think all these are original for 72/74. This new purchase is quite a bit different and certainly not the same resolution/quality.

I would definitely be interested in anyone selling new old stock crystals. I’ll pm you.

[gjlelec]

As far as i'm aware, the genuine Omega TC1/2 white logo crystals arent available anywhere, not even from Omega (unless they've ordered a post production re-run- who knows ? ). There was talk years ago on here about reproducing printed crystals, i even got sent an Omega one (printed) by one of the site members- sorry cant remember who . Then a load of Pulsar crystals turned up with the seller claiming they were discovered NOS. Then it all turned to shit here as they were anything but. Personally, i have no issue with aftermarket/ repro stuff AS LONG AS ITS IDENTIFIED AS SUCH. Just my two penneth

[bruce wegmann]

Sorry...this is NOT an original Omega part. Frankly, looks like the product of a 3-D printer working on a flat surface. And, to be blunt, looks like crap, at this magnification. I've just looked at ten of my Omegas, and none of the logos display this kind of rough "stippling" effect. Especially, on the upper left of the "M", you can see tiny filaments of the printing material that have been dragged past the edge of the letter. Maybe, with a lot of practice and refinement, this technique might yield a cosmetically-acceptable result, but this misses the mark by light-years. And, even if you get that far, there is still the durability issue...nothing will beat the permanence of the fired-on, glass-frit logos. I'm giving this a swing-and-a-miss.

[bathroomboy]

Thank you Bruce. Your expertise in this field is highly regarded. I did suspect as such.

As stated the person I bought the watch from is a frequent seller of LED watches in the UK. I would be surprised if they wouldn’t have known this? I think it’s fair enough to contact them as it should have been stated at the time of purchase.

I’d rather have an original crystal than a dodgy copy. I will let you know how I get on. Many thanks for your help and Happy New Year everyone!!

[Mr Frequency 32768hz]

It was me that sold the Omega. As everyone knows. I would never sell anything that I knew wasnt correct. I bought some crystals from a collector, along with some of his watch collection. As far as I know the crystals came from Omega house 112 Southampton Road, ( I have the receipt somewhere ). That was selling Omega parts in the 90's / 2000.
In 26 years of collecting I've never seen a reproduced Omega crystal ?( Not to say they aren't out there ). I remember the debate on re printed Pulsar crystals from around 20 years ago. But never heard anyone mention a re printed Omega crystal ?

Happy to swap it for another crystal in the bunch that I bought. The logo in the packaging looks darker, so I can use that for Andy.

[bathroomboy]

Thank you Mr Frequency for your kind offer. It’s very much appreciated when someone goes the extra mile to rectify this unusual predicament. It’ll be in the post shortly.

Also thanks to everyone for their help, and for keeping this unique forum going to hopefully enable these beautiful watches live long into the future.

[bathroomboy]

Just an update on this. Lloyd very kindly replaced the crystal at no charge with a beautiful new one. His communication has been amazing and is a man of his word. Thank you Mr Frequency.

[bruce wegmann]

OK...what you see above is absolutely, positively the real deal...keep it in mind as a reference.