Legend of Replica Omega Watch

The branded replica watch market is introduced to a bevy of new chronographs, each touting the ability to fill a void in the horological aficionado’s stable every single year. These replica watches are highly affected by industry trends in that the designs and technology backing, their opportunities of becoming time-tested classics are often slim to none. This is why so many fans decide to invest in heralded icons like Omega’s legendary Speedmaster, that have no chance of going out of flavor anytime soon. We’ve seen lots of stunning references throughout the space-faring chronograph’s history, though none with a production run as long as the famous model. 
In the lineage of Speedmaster references, the 145.022 enters the picture at a really interesting time in both the history of the replica Omega and the world itself. This was also the very first Speedmaster to incorporate the Cal. 861 movement, which the current production Speedmaster calibers are still based on to this day. These are without question the most desirable of the 145.022’s, since they can often be found with applied metal logo’s on their dials, and the coveted “Dot Over 90” bezel inserts that now command handsome sums on their own.
To the untrained eye, this watch might appear the same as the 145.022-68, but after taking a closer look, scholars and trained collectors will note a more squarely ended chronograph hand, shorter plots on the dial, and the Omega logo painted right on the dial.
Later, Omega replica would release other models, together with the 145.022-76 and 78. These are featured by the loss of a dial step and the addition of stamped case-backs. It’s worth picking out that as the 78 would indicate, the reference as a whole had a decade-long run, making it the longest-running Speedmaster reference in the history of the model’s production, and arguably one of the most significant references in Omega’s back catalog. It’s not only the fake watch that celebrated the brand’s momentous achievement of getting one of their watches on the moon itself but the watch that endured the “Quartz Crisis” as well. 
So why is the above replica watch we talked about such an important and popular reference? On one hand, some variants stand as one of the most accessible entry points into the world of important vintage chronographs, given the length of their production run, and the plentiful nature of available examples. Secondly, they’re extremely reliable, as a result of the less delicate, cam-actuated Lemania-based Cal. 861 movements.