Short answer

The Omega Speedmaster Racing Master Chronometer is a real watch. Omega catalogs it as reference 329.30.44.51.01.001, a 44.25 mm steel chronograph. Counterfeits of that reference exist and sell for $80 to $600. Sellers copy the words "Master Chronometer" because the phrase sounds like a quality mark. No counterfeit holds METAS certification. METAS tests each watch for 10 days and logs the result under a certificate number that buyers can look up.

Specs of the genuine reference

  • Case: 44.25 mm steel, 50 m water resistance
  • Movement: Omega caliber 9900, automatic, co-axial escapement
  • Certification: METAS Master Chronometer, tolerance 0 to +5 seconds per day
  • Magnetic resistance: 15,000 gauss
  • Frequency: 25,200 vibrations per hour, or 3.5 Hz
  • Power reserve: 60 hours, two series-coupled barrels
  • Dial: two counters at 3 and 9 o'clock, date at 6 o'clock
  • Bezel: black ceramic with an enamel tachymeter scale
  • Crystal: sapphire on the front and the case back
  • List price on steel: about $8,000 USD

What Master Chronometer means

METAS is the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology. Since 2015 it certifies complete watches, not movements alone. The protocol runs 10 days across 8 criteria. It measures rate in six positions at two temperatures, rate after exposure to 15,000 gauss, and deviation after demagnetization. A pass allows 0 to +5 seconds per day average. Omega prints the certificate number on a card and stamps the movement number inside the case back. A buyer can match the two numbers and check the certificate.

Where copies differ

  1. Beat rate. Copies run at 21,600 or 28,800 vph. The caliber 9900 runs at 25,200 vph. A timegrapher shows this in seconds.
  2. Date position. The genuine date sits at 6 o'clock. Many copies move it to 4:30, a layout Omega did not use on this reference.
  3. Case size. Copies measure 42 mm to 46 mm. Omega made one size, 44.25 mm.
  4. Movement finish. Copies use a decorated third-party automatic movement with a printed rotor. The 9900 has a co-axial escapement, a silicon balance spring, and two barrels.
  5. Paperwork. A copy has no METAS number, or a number that returns no record.
  6. Magnetism. Copies lose rate beside a magnet. Few reach 1,000 gauss.

Legal position in the United States

Trafficking in counterfeit goods carries up to 10 years imprisonment for a first offense under 18 U.S.C. 2320. Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit watches at import. CBP states the personal exemption does not cover goods that carry a counterfeit mark. Omega records its trademarks with CBP, so the marks are enforceable at the border.

Unknowns

Counterfeit factories change movements and dial suppliers between batches. No public list maps a given batch to a given defect. Judge a specific watch by inspection, not by a seller's description.