How to buy an Omega buckle and avoid fakes for your vintage Omega watch

The market for vintage Omega watch buckles in 16mm and 18mm is quite a minefield, with counterfeit examples flooding eBay and the range of genuine Omega tang buckles confusing. Here we break down the best options for a high quality, authentic Omega buckle.

Anything used or cheap is probably bogus

Almost every clasp offered for sale cheaply on eBay is a counterfeit component produced to very low standards. These buckles are cast, not machined from a single piece of metal, making them significantly weaker than genuine Omega buckles.

This weakness allows the buckle to bend, often enough for the spring-bar to come loose and allow your precious watch to fall to the ground. Even the stampings stating that these buckles are stainless steel are illegitimate, they are made from whatever metal was available cheaply to the producer, and they will often rust.

Genuine vintage Omega buckles are quite hard to come by online, and even then, won't be up to the same standards as a modern part from Omega. For this reason, I approach buckles the same way I approach spring-bars, seals and crystals, by only using genuine new parts from the manufacturer.

The best steel 16mm Vintage Omega buckle: STZ010566 (Seamaster 1948)

It doesn't have a sexy name, but the STZ010566 is the perfect choice for any 18mm lug vintage Constellation, Seamaster, Geneve, De Ville, you name it.

It especially works well on cases with sharp edges and lines from the 1960s like the dogleg case CK14900 / ST 168.005 style watches where more rounded 50's style Omega clasps tend to clash.

This clasp, sold new on the Omega CK859 is still in active production by Omega, and while it costs north of $100 USD, you absolutely get what you pay for. If you examine the photos below, you'll notice that the buckle itself is machines from a single piece of stainless steel with a satin finished body, complimented by a polished Omega logo in the correct vintage Omega shape, with polished sides and tongue.

This is not a fragile or easily bent component, unlike the poorly cast rubbish often found online for sale, and even the tongue itself is attached with a closed loop, not merely a bent piece of metal.

Given how valuable vintage Omega watches are, it's worth having a clasp that won't fail on you and this 16mm width buckle will last just as long as the watch you fit it to, while looking better than any actual vintage buckle could.

Runner up, for 16mm 1950's Omega models with softer lines: STZ006410 (60th Anniversary Trilogy)

The Ref STZ006410 is another modern option with a far softer, smoother version of the vintage Omega logo, much more akin to the style found on 1950's era "beefy lug" Seamasters and even 1940's models.

This model was released for the CK2913, CK2914 & CK2915 60th Anniversary Trilogy Limited Edition watches, which gives you an idea of the time period Omega was targeting with this design.

Like the Ref STZ010566 above, this is a high quality machined steel buckle currently available from Omega that won't let you down and also costs slightly above $100 USD. It features an all-polished finish which may be preferable for some as well.

The best steel 18mm Vintage Omega watch buckle: STZ007063 (Speedy Tuesday 1)

The original Speedy Tuesday Alaska Radial dial is considered to be one of the best limited edition Omega models ever produced, with a unique design, vintage Omega logo on the dial, and importantly, a vintage Omega logo on the tang buckle.

This is a watch that had an exceptional amount of thought put into it, and the buckle definitely benefited from this too. The polished logo is a softer, more 1950's style, but with a stain finished main surface, it visually pops without being too complex to maintain.

As with the previous 16mm clasps, this is a modern machined design, made from high quality components and built to last and priced about the same, just above $100 USD.

Runner up, also 18mm with softer lines: STZ006410 (60th Anniversary Trilogy)

This 18mm variant of the trilogy buckle is identical to the 16mm variant, but produced in a larger size.

As with the other Trilogy tang buckle, this reference features an all polished finish with a rounded Omega logo and is available at the same price.

The best 16mm & 18mm gold-plated Vintage Omega watch buckles

The buckles above were all designed for steel watches with a vintage feel, there are no gold-plated variants of those available, so while it would be possible to have a jeweller electro-plate those steel references, it would also add to the cost.

Omega has long produced a simpler, recessed-logo design based on the modern Omega logo in 16mm with both a yellow gold (Ref 94511601) and rose gold (Ref 94511604) finish.

An 18mm variant is also available in a yellow gold plated finish only (Ref 94511801).

These buckles still cost about as much as the designs above, but are much simpler and less elegantly finished, though they are still very strong and durable.

Most modern Omega watches released in gold feature a solid gold buckle or deployment clasp, which is a vastly more expensive part than these gold-plated examples. As a result, the choice for new buyers is likely going to remain either these gold-plated designs, or an aftermarket plating job on one of the steel examples above for the foreseeable future.

What if I really want to go with vintage?

It is possible to get a legitimate vintage Omega buckle, but you're going to need to do a lot of research in order understand what it is you are looking at.

There is an excellent 60+ page long thread on Omega Forums, which is very much worth reading through to gain some insight into the variety of real buckles are out there, how they differ by country, and how much you should be willing to pay.

About Omega buckles

About Omega buckles, Having collected many Omega buckles over the years, I wanted to make a thread called “Let’s make the Ultimate Omega buckle thread”. I felt there was a lack of info on the subject and many fakes on the market, which led people to ask the same questions over and over. So, I…

Omega Watch Forumsomegastar

It is still quite a challenge, even for experienced collectors, and even real Omega buckles from 70 years ago are not going to be of the same quality as modern examples today. For this reason, and for peace of mind, I still prefer to buy mine new in a sealed package.