Received my $245 Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean yesterday (from mirrors), took it to a high end jeweler/watchsmith this morning for fitting.
I told him up front it was fake, he asked where I got it. I told him ebay. He told me it was real. He even opened the watch and showed me side by side with the exact watch that he sells... he insists it is real. Incredible replica.
Thanks for the referral to mirrors.. very responsive and fast.
That jeweler must specialize in Casios. The stem and bezel material on the gens are a giveaway, the one I got looks and feels terrific but the stem is easily identifiable as a fake. Planet Ocean is a newer line, maybe they aren't versed in the line. I think with most gens the average person would never know the difference but if a "high end watchsmith" doesn't know, they can't be very good at their job. These guys can immediately identify the specific automatic movements, the casings, the moldings and the components. A lot of these guys buy watches from customers, shows and auctions and they really have to know the difference...and certainly do IMO. Not that any of that matters, if you like the gen then I think it's a great thing. I got the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra, very nice and it looks and feels real. It has a fairly meh band though and the movement is Japanese, not Swiss. Now with some of these in the $350 range they claim to replicate the movements as well, but I really find if hard to believe they can replicate the materials. The look, the design the general function yes. Who knows, I guess the only way to tell is compare it to the real thing side by side. I'm sure people do it all the time.
Maybe I'm wrong, not sure. Seems like there is an interesting underground knowledge base that seems to think they know the difference, or that there is no difference. I know I still prefer my Swiss Army diver over the gen or anything else I have.