WATCH POP

Hi People,
I am 29 and consider myself as a new collector. got a Valjoux 7750 Oris for $400 a year ago, and recently narrowed down my second watch collection choice to either Zenith Rainbow Flyback or Omega Speedy Moon. I chose Speedy moon for the space history factor(the Xpensive price of Zenith another factor) and got my Indonesian watch collecting Boss to help me get a Speedy. He found one for me at a price of $850 with no box or papers, but with original steel bracelet. The bezel has aged considerably, dial faded but the watch is generally in good working condition. According to the shop he got it from, the watch should be from around 1980 to 82. 
I decided to send it for servicing at local authorized Omega repair centre, and was told my watch would have to go to Omega Swiss centre as the Calibre is of vintage model. It would take up to 3 months for the whole process and i decided against it. Taking it to another repairer i know took only 3 weeks, and i decided to give that a try. I manage to get the Local Omega centre to confirm my watch as genuine and got my serial number (4525xxxx)from the movement inside. The Calibre no inside was ST145022, and the steel bracelet of type 1171. I then email Omega Vintage information the serial number, hoping to find more info about the watch. This is what Omega told me:
your movement number is not registered in our files. This could happen in following cases :
1· Your watch is fitted with a genuine Omega movement which is a replacement movement and therefore not registered in our files.
2· Your watch is fitted with a fake movement (not Omega) and therefore the movement number doesn’t match anything in our files.
3· Your “Service Center” misread the movement number
I have send the watch to the other repairer and confirmed that there is no misread. So i have to chose to accept Scenario 1 or 2 as the possible answer to my watch's identity. 
My question is :
The local Omega centre has confirmed the watch as real, and i have never heard of FAKE hand-wounded Chronographs(fake chronos are usually quartz) . Am i looking at a Really Highly skilled scam here? Has anyone come across the same thing?
The replacement possiblity is one i am inclined to accept, though i am not sure if the quite recent serial number(45xxxxxx) should be in a ST145022 861 calibre? Does anyone here have replacement experiences? 
Your input may help me understand the identity of my watch better, hope someone can help!
Paul
The movement number is the serial number. The caliber/movement type is 861. Thanks for the correction!
Movement number = 861
Case Ref = ST145022
Serial No = 452xxxxx

I sent in a request for info ( via the web page) about a week before they stopped the service. I waited a while (about 6 weeks if I remember correctly) & then asked the webmaster, quoting the reference number I had been given when I originally submitted the request. 
Anyway after a couple more weeks & another e-mail to the webmaster, I got a reply from Omega about my watch.
I think they still have such a huge backlog of "old" requests that they are still working through them.
I personally hope they are working on (developing & testing) a new 21st Century way of providing us with this information. & come Jan 4th we will all be glad they had a 6 month "rest".
Steve
Confusion say :- "Man with 1 watch KNOW time. Man with 2 watches never sure !"
The later moon-watch back from the early 80s would have a 45xxxxxx movement # and be a 145-0022.
As far as I know the ref 145-022 would be a seamonster back 861 speedmaster pro, most of these have movement #s around 30-32xxxxxx made in the early 70s.
Shaun.
: Hi People,



I am 29 and consider myself as a new collector. got a Valjoux 7750 Oris for $400 a year ago, and
recently narrowed down my second watch collection choice to either Zenith Rainbow Flyback or Omega
Speedy Moon. I chose Speedy moon for the space history factor(the Xpensive price of Zenith another
factor) and got my Indonesian watch collecting Boss to help me get a Speedy. He found one for me at a price
of $850 with no box or papers, but with original steel bracelet. The bezel has aged considerably,
dial faded but the watch is generally in good working condition. According to the shop he got it from,
the watch should be from around 1980 to 82.



I decided to send it for servicing at local authorized Omega repair centre, and was told my watch
would have to go to Omega Swiss centre as the Calibre is of vintage model. It would take up to 3 months for
the whole process and i decided against it. Taking it to another repairer i know took only 3 weeks,
and i decided to give that a try. I manage to get the Local Omega centre to confirm my watch as genuine
and got my serial number (4525xxxx)from the movement inside. The Calibre no inside was ST145022,
and the steel bracelet of type 1171. I then email Omega Vintage information the serial number,
hoping to find more info about the watch. This is what Omega told me:



your movement number is not registered in our files. This could happen in following cases :



1· Your watch is fitted with a genuine Omega movement which is a replacement movement and
therefore not registered in our files.

2· Your watch is fitted with a fake movement (not Omega) and therefore the movement number
doesn’t match anything in our files.

3· Your “Service Center” misread the movement number



I have send the watch to the other repairer and confirmed that there is no misread. So i have to
chose to accept Scenario 1 or 2 as the possible answer to my watch's identity.



My question is :



The local Omega centre has confirmed the watch as real, and i have never heard of FAKE
hand-wounded Chronographs(fake chronos are usually quartz) . Am i looking at a Really Highly skilled scam
here? Has anyone come across the same thing?



The replacement possiblity is one i am inclined to accept, though i am not sure if the quite
recent serial number(45xxxxxx) should be in a ST145022 861 calibre? Does anyone here have
replacement experiences?



Your input may help me understand the identity of my watch better, hope someone can help!



Paul











 
I send my serial number thru the form provided on Omega customer service a week ago. Initially they told me the number is wrong, but finally got back after a few mails with the watch information. Maybe thats why Omega has to do something about their system and reopen in Jan 2004