Quick answer
The replica Omega 3320 worth buying is the automatic chronograph version built on a serviceable Chinese chronograph base, with a sapphire crystal and case finishing that holds up to a loupe. Three criteria decide everything: what movement sits inside, how the case and dial are finished, and whether the seller will show a running video of the exact unit shipping to you. Quartz versions and decorated-rotor versions over a weak base fail at least two of those three. If a listing cannot clear all three, the price does not matter, because you are buying a watch you will stop wearing.
What the "3320" label actually means
Omega's 33xx series is the Co-Axial chronograph family, part of the line Omega built around the Co-Axial escapement it introduced in 1999. Replica listings borrow those numbers as shorthand. The same watch often appears listed under 3300, 3301, 3303, 3313, or 3320, and the number tells you little about the specific dial, case size, or bracelet you will receive. Treat "3320" as a category marker: an automatic chronograph in the Co-Axial style. Your first message to any dealer should ask for the exact reference being copied, the case diameter in millimetres, and photos of the front, back, clasp, and crown at an angle.
Option 1: Quartz and quartz chronograph versions
These are the cheapest listings and the ones that surface first in a search.
- Pros: low entry cost, accurate timekeeping, no winding, slim case that sits flat under a cuff, cheap to replace if it dies.
- Cons: ticking seconds hand is an instant tell, pushers feel hollow with no defined stop, caseback depth and overall weight read wrong in the hand, dial printing is often flat and grey.
Buy it if: you want a low-cost beater for travel or a first experiment, and you accept that anyone within a metre can spot the movement. Skip it if the watch is meant to be your daily wearer.
Option 2: Entry automatic with a decorated movement
These run a basic automatic caliber with a plated rotor and imitation perlage under a sapphire or mineral caseback.
- Pros: sweeping seconds, better case weight, the back looks convincing at a glance, mid-tier pricing.
- Cons: decoration often hides a movement with no spare parts support, chronograph modules can be bolted on with a mushy pusher feel, plating on the rotor wears through within a year of daily use.
Buy it if: you want the look and the sweep, you will not lean on the chronograph much, and you can absorb the cost of replacing rather than repairing the watch.
Option 3: Automatic chronograph on a proven base (top pick)
Two movement families dominate this tier. One is the hand-wound column-wheel chronograph derived from the Venus 175 design, sold by Seagull and its suppliers. The other is the automatic 7750-style chronograph, which several Chinese factories now build with acceptable tolerances. Both are supported by independent watchmakers, which is the real reason to choose them.
- Pros: correct start-stop-reset feel with a defined pusher click, sweeping seconds and a sub-dial layout that matches the watch being copied, spare parts and servicing available outside the dealer network, holds value better if you resell.
- Cons: higher cost, case sits thicker than the genuine article, still not a genuine Co-Axial movement, a full service can cost close to the purchase price.
Buy it if: you wear the watch at least a few times a week, you plan to keep it for years, and you want the chronograph to work. Ask the dealer which base movement is inside before you pay, and keep that answer in the chat thread.
Red flags that should end the conversation
- No movement photo, no running video, or a video that shows a different watch than the one listed.
- Photos lifted from an enthusiast forum or from an official brand site, which a reverse image search will reveal.
- Claims of a "Swiss movement" at a price that cannot cover a Swiss chronograph, or a seller who will not name the movement family.
- Dial text with wrong font weight, crooked logo printing, or a date window sitting off-centre against the crown.
- Bracelet end links with visible gaps at the lugs, or a clasp that flexes when squeezed.
- Pressure to pay outside the platform, or a pre-order with no shipping date.
Seven checks before you send money
- Confirm the case diameter and compare it to the genuine reference you actually want.
- Request a video with the watch running, chronograph started, stopped, and reset on camera.
- Ask for a macro shot of the dial text and the date window.
- Ask for the caseback open, so you can see the rotor, the balance, and any engraving.
- Check the crown action: it should click into each position with defined stops.
- Confirm crystal material. Sapphire is standard at this tier; mineral is acceptable only at rock-bottom prices.
- Ask about water resistance claims and do not test them. Keep any replica away from showers, pools, and salt water.
Living with it: service, water, and storage
An automatic chronograph left stopped for months will need winding and wear before it settles. Expect a new replica to run in a wide daily range at first, and if it stays far outside, have a local watchmaker demagnetise and regulate it, which costs little and fixes most complaints. Water resistance on replica cases is nominal no matter what the listing says, because gaskets and caseback sealing are the first things factories cut. Store the watch on a soft cloth, keep it away from strong magnets such as tablet covers and speaker cabinets, and budget for a service about every three to four years if you wear it hard.
Who should skip this
If you want a chronograph you can swim in, hand to a jeweller for warranty work, or pass down, no replica 3320 will satisfy you. If you want the Co-Axial look, a working automatic chronograph, and the freedom to service it locally, the tier-three version is the only sensible purchase. Buy the movement, not the logo, and the watch will earn its place in the rotation.