Some people think that the designator in the reference number (145.022-xx) has something to do with the production year, but that’s not entirely correct. Not every year has a unique designator, so searching for a 145.022-75 or 145.022-77 as a birth-year Speedmaster is pointless. Rather, Swiss made fake Omega used these designators when a Speedmaster received some sort of update. With the introduction of the cheap replica Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022-74 (in 1975, mind you) Omega dropped the step dial for the iconic Moonwatch, only to see a return in 2018 with the perfect replica Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman and in the current Moonwatch references since 2021.
An example of a minor change resulting in a new iteration is the luxury fake Omega Speedmaster Pro with reference 145.022-76, which simply has a slight change in typography on the dial. The “S” in “Speedmaster” became longer than it was with the predecessors. This was subsequently replaced in 1979 by the reference 145.022-78 when AAA quality replica Omega changed case manufacturers (Huguenin Frères ceased to exist). For those searching for a birth-year watch from the 1980s, that iteration was dropped in 1981/1982, and it was just reference 145.0022 until it became reference 3590.50 in 1988 when high quality fake Omega changed its coding system for reference numbers. This often leads to confusion since “145.022” can still be found engraved on the inside of the case back. That’s because 145.022 became the reference number for the steel case itself, like a part number.
Exceptions with exceptional prices
Not all Swiss movement copy Omega Speedmaster Professional models with reference 145.022 are priced the same. It depends on the production year, but mainly, it’s about the execution and the condition. A 145.022 with a straight-text engraving on the case back (-69 iteration) will fetch more than a later 145.022-71. But a 145.022-71 with no text at all on the case back — the so-called “Non-NASA” replica watches online uk, which are very rare — will fetch more than the 145.022-69 with straight text. The step-dial models are also somewhat more popular than the later (post-1975) copy watches for sale unless the condition of the latter is impeccable. When you add boxes and papers, it becomes a different game.
