What Is the Omega Speedmaster 323.10.38?
The 323.10.38 is a 38mm Omega Speedmaster Date in stainless steel, a chronograph with a tachymeter bezel, three subdials, and an 18mm lug width. Omega ran a modular self-winding chronograph caliber (the 3304 family) on an ETA 2892 base with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module.
- Case: steel, 38mm across, about 13mm thick, 18mm lugs
- Dial: black or silver, 30-minute counter at 12, 12-hour counter at 6, running seconds at 9, date at 3
- Bezel: steel with a printed tachymeter scale
- Bracelet: steel with a push-button clasp and the Omega symbol on the buckle
- Water resistance: rated 100m when new
Used examples trade between about $1,800 and $3,000 depending on box, papers, and dial color. The 38mm size is the main draw. It wears smaller than the 40mm and 42mm Moonwatch cases, so it suits wrists that find a standard Speedmaster too wide.
What Does "Fake Speedmaster 323.10.38" Mean?
A fake in this context is any watch built to look like the 323.10.38 without Omega parts or Omega assembly. The market splits into three groups: quartz copies, mid-tier automatics, and higher-grade automatics that copy the case shape, dial layout, and bracelet.
Sellers use labels like super clone, AAA, and 1:1 for the top group. Those labels are marketing. No replica of this reference uses an Omega movement or the real 2892-plus-module stack, so the words describe finishing quality, not origin.
Replica Quality Tiers for the 323.10.38
Price tracks three parts of the watch: the movement, the dial printing, and the case finishing. Knowing the tiers keeps you from paying top money for a bottom build.
- $40 to $90 (quartz): mineral glass, folded link bracelet, subdials printed on or wired to a single motor. The chronograph often does nothing at all.
- $130 to $250 (meca-quartz or basic automatic): sapphire or hard glass, working chronograph, cleaner dial print. Case thickness runs 1mm to 2mm over the original.
- $260 to $450 (high-grade automatic): clone 7750 movement, sapphire with inner AR coating, correct subdial positions, solid end links, engraved caseback.
Past $450 the price stops buying accuracy on this reference. The remaining tells sit inside the movement, and no clone fixes them.
How to Spot a Fake Omega Speedmaster 323.10.38
Case and Crystal
Measure the thickness. A genuine 323.10.38 sits near 13mm, while most automatic copies land at 14mm to 15mm because the clone movement is taller than the Omega module. Check the crystal edge too. Cheap copies show a blue or purple AR tint at an angle, and the original coating reads colorless.
Dial and Hands
Look at the date window. Clone 7750 movements carry a day wheel behind the date, so builders either mask it or cut the window off-center. Printing is the second tell: on a fake, the Omega symbol and the Speedmaster text show soft edges under a loupe, and the lume glows green instead of blue-green and fades fast.
Movement and Pushers
Press the top pusher. A modular Omega caliber starts the chrono with a light, short throw. The 7750 clone feels stiff, and the rotor winds with a rattle on cheap builds. Open the caseback and you see a plain rotor stamped Omega, with a jewel count that does not match the 52 jewels of the 3304.
Bracelet and Caseback
Run a fingernail along the link edges. Real Speedmaster bracelets are chamfered and the screws sit flush. Copies show sharp edges and use pins instead of screws on the lower tiers. On the caseback, the seahorse medallion and the reference stamp on a fake are shallow and fuzzy next to a laser-cut original.
What Does a Fake Speedmaster 323.10.38 Cost?
Prices cluster around $60 for quartz, $180 for a working automatic, and $350 for the top tier with a clone 7750. Shipping adds to that, plus customs risk in the US.
- Quartz copy: $40 to $90
- Automatic, basic: $130 to $250
- Automatic, high grade: $260 to $450
- Service on a clone 7750 at a US watchmaker: $150 to $250
A used genuine example starts near $1,800 and holds value, while a replica resells for a fraction of what was paid. That gap is the real cost difference over five years.
Are Replica Speedmaster Watches Worth Buying?
A replica makes sense if you want the 38mm Speedmaster look at a low price and accept that it is a disposable watch. Water resistance claims on copies are not trustworthy, so keep them out of pools and showers even when the listing says 100m.
Three limits come with the low price:
- Parts. Clone 7750 parts exist, but not every watchmaker stocks them.
- Service. A tune-up can cost as much as the watch itself.
- Resale. There is no market. Expect near zero.
FAQ
Is the 323.10.38 easy to fake?
Partly. The case and dial are simple to copy. The modular movement is not, so every replica of this reference gives up accuracy at the movement level.
Can I tell a fake Speedmaster 323.10.38 from photos?
Sometimes. Ask for a crown-side shot with a ruler for thickness and a clear caseback shot. If the seller refuses those two photos, treat the watch as a fake.
Do replica Speedmaster 323.10.38 watches keep time?
A clone 7750 out of the box runs within about 10 to 20 seconds a day in most cases. Quartz copies run closer to 1 second per day, but they sell the illusion worse because the chrono hand ticks.
Does a fake Speedmaster 323.10.38 use a real Omega movement?
No. No copy uses the Omega 3304 or its ETA 2892 plus Dubois-Depraz stack. The movements found inside are quartz, meca-quartz, or Asian automatic chronographs.
Legal Note
In the United States, selling counterfeit watches is illegal, and US Customs can seize shipments at the border. Buying one for personal use is a different matter in most states, but the shipment risk stays with the buyer.