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Omega has a long and illustrious history having been founded in Switzerland over a century ago. The Omega speedmaster as a series is one of the brands best selling watches alongside the seamaster. Not only this, but the watch has serious historical significance having been the first timepiece to be worn on the surface of the moon by Buzz Aldrin. The brand still has a strong connection with NASA and continues to make watches for space voyages, with the most recent design being the Omega spacemaster.
With all of that being said, the Omega speedmaster is a reasonably expensive watch and not affordable for everyone who likes the style. Although it is far from the most expensive Swiss-made luxury watch, an Omega speedmaster homage watch is much more appropriate for those who want to spend a few hundred dollars on a watch rather than several thousand.
Those with lower budgets should not be fearful as there are several watch brands that produce watches like Omega. They are not complete clones of the brand, but just watches that you would consider being an Omega speedmaster lookalike. Thankfully these companies make watches that are comparable to Omega from a visual standpoint. Of course, these watches are inferior in terms of craftsmanship, but this is to be expected.
Thankfully there is quite a large range of watch brands to choose from, so it is pretty easy to find an Omega speedmaster alternative to suit your needs. The best speedmaster homage for should be simple pickings when you browse the list below.
The ideal speedmaster homage must have a black (or at least dark) dial. Be made of stainless steel, have 3 subdials positioned in similar places, and ideally have a bezel displaying a tachymeter.
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Why Is The Omega Speedmaster So Expensive?
The Omega speedmaster is an expensive watch for a variety of reasons. Firstly, making a luxury Swiss watch is expensive. Although Omega is owned by the Swatch group, they are still a standalone company that manufactures their own movements in Switzerland – this is not cheap.
Secondly, Omega spends a lot of money on advertisements and celebrity sponsorship. Once again, this is not a low level expense. To put your commercials on international sporting events such as tennis and motor racing costs an extreme amount of money.
Lastly is the name and heritage of the brand. Omega was founded in 1903, whilst the speedmaster was created in 1957. Omega is an instantly recognizable brand and the speedmaster is an instantly recognizable watch. This creates a powerful brand image that can demand a high price.
In comparison to other luxury brands, Omega is nowhere near the price point of other companies such as Audermars Piguet, Rolex, or Breguet, but will still depreciate in value nonetheless.
Is Omega Speedmaster A Good Investment?
Not particularly. If you buy a brand new speedmaster, provided it is not a rare limited edition model, it will likely lose money. Although Omega is a luxury Swiss watch brand, it is not Rolex or Audemars Piguet. Omega watches are available to buy from authorized dealers across the world and are never really in short supply.
Once again, Omega watches are very well made and have a long and established brand history. However, they are not an exclusive brand.
Further proof of this is the list price compared to the used price. An authorized dealer will charge between $5000-7000 depending on which model of speedmaster you are buying. If you sell this same watch on a preowned platform such as chrono24, you will see the price is around $4000.
The Best Affordable Alternatives To The Omega Speedmaster
Bulova Lunar Pilot
Funnily enough, this could have actually been more popular than the Omega speedmaster. The lunar pilot is a legitimate space watch and at one point looked like the favorite to be first on the moon. Bulova had already been on many space missions and until a U-turn by NASA in favoring using the Omega brand, the lunar pilot could have been on Buzz Aldrins wrist.
The Lunar pilot is now made as a quartz watch, compared to being a mechanical hand-wound piece back in the early 1960s. This watch is far more accurate than both the original lunar pilot and the modern day speedmaster as it uses Bulovas precision movement which is accurate within 10 seconds per year. Bulova is not the brand it once was, but is certainly very respectable. In addition to this, you should be able to see the clear similarities between this and the Omega moonwatch. The only real visual difference being the squared off chronograph pushers.
Seiko SSB031
The Seiko speedmaster homage is fairly similar, but has obvious visual differences with the Omega version. Most notably are the 4 red markers alongside the red second’s hand. This color scheme clearly distinguishes the Seiko from the Omega.
Perhaps the most versatile watch brand in the world. Seiko is capable of making both luxury watches, budget watches and everything else in between. This particular model is very good value since Seiko uses its own in-house movements, dials and materials to cut down production costs. Not only this, but Seiko movements are both accurate and reliable. There is nothing luxury about this watch when compared with the genuine speedmaster, but it is great value for money.
Citizen
This Citizen speedmaster homage style watch is pretty high spec. As one of the more expensive watches on this list, you would expect that. In terms of movement, the watch is radio controlled, meaning it functions by synchronizing with the nearest atomic clock. This makes it far more accurate than the Omega speedmaster, or any other mechanical watch you can think of.
The watch has a variety of functions such as alarm, chronograph and perpetual calendar. Not only this, but the watch is Eco-drive (solar powered), super lightweight, as it’s made of titanium as well as having a power reserve indicator.
Granted it does not look exactly like a speedmaster, but this is Citizens own take on a classic sports watch. It is a little on the expensive side compared to other quartz watches, but given the complications, it is well worth every cent.
Benyar
This is the lowest price speedmaster homage watch that you will find. If you haven’t heard of the brand before, I’m not too surprised. Benyar is hardly a household name, but has been producing a lot of Chinese fashion watches for the last 10 years or so.
In terms of visual similarity, this watch looks like a speedmaster at a glance. Upon further inspection, you can see that the subdials are not in exactly the same position and have been rotated in 90 degrees. Not only this, but the chronograph pushers are actually quite large and oversized.
If you’re looking for a high quality speedmaster alternative, this it not for you, but if you’re after a budget lookalike, then Benyar are worthy of your money. Benyar is not going to win any prizes for originality or great movements, but for well under $50, they do offer a good deal.
Fossil Decker
Fossil is another brand that has a huge variety of different models, varying from the understated to the overly flamboyant. The decker is neither of these and sits nicely in the middle. In terms of the bezel, this watch probably looks the most like a speedmaster, there is just something about the sizing and spread of the numbers which matches very closely.
However, in terms of the dial, you can see that Fossil put their own originality into this watch. For a start, the subdials have been rotated 90 degrees so that they do not directly line up with those of the speedmaster. Secondly, the hands are a LOT thicker and very easy to read, even in the darkest of visibility levels. Lastly, there is a small date window at the 4 o’clock position which is absent on the Omega speedmaster.
Overall, this is a great looking watch and a very good price for the design. Fossil is not a classic or Swiss watchmaker, but they aren’t a joke either.
Swatch Irony
Swatch is a giant group that owns many Swiss-based brands, as well as producing a budget range of Swiss quartz watches themselves. The Irony collection are a group of watches made from sturdy materials such as stainless steel and are generally more durable than your typical Swatch fashion watch.
In terms of size, this is almost identical to a classic speedmaster, measuring 43mm which is pretty indistinguishable from the 42mm Omega. The dial is obviously different, with Swatch choosing to use a deep blue rather than plain black.
A key difference is that the Swatch irony uses a jubilee style bracelet rather than a classic stainless steel link pattern. This is mostly going to be a personal preference rather than any meaningful difference in quality.
Overall the watch is priced at a very fair point. It’s not a rip off, neither is it fantastic value for money.
Victorinox FieldForce
Victorinox are a very solid watchmaker that is most famous for producing Swiss army knives (most notably for the Swiss army). This watch is named the fieldforce, which is quite strange as it clearly isn’t a field watch and more accurately resembles a speedmaster.
Although far from identical to the Omega speedmaster, Victorinox is pretty much the cheapest Swiss-made alternative to the original as you will find. It uses a quartz movement and is not such a reputable brand, but solid enough. Victorinox offers a Swiss level of quality that other manufacturers do not, even though the watch is made in Switzerland, it is still available at a very affordable price point.
Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger are not a brand that is well known for making watches, instead you would usually associate the brand with jeans and various other apparel.
Watch snobs may not like the American brand, but its watches are not THAT different from other budget brands using Japanese movements and assembled in the far east. Movado is responsible for manufacturing Tommy Hilfiger watches, and there are not too many companies more experienced at watchmaking than them.
Whilst you will get a varying degree of designs in each season, this particular model really does look like an Omega speedmaster. The main difference is the red second’s hand and the fact that this watch is not a chronograph, but rather a multi-function dial. You will find a day and date wheel rather than a stopwatch, which is probably more useful in modern day.
