Short answer
Reference 323.10.44 is a steel Omega Speedmaster chronograph with a 44.25 mm case. Genuine versions use an in-house automatic caliber with a co-axial escapement and trade used from $4,000 to $7,000. Counterfeits show four tells: a chronograph layout that does not match the caliber inside, etched caseback text instead of engraved text, weak or absent lume, and a price under $1,000.
Read the reference number
Omega reference numbers break into blocks. In 323.10.44.51.01.001, the first block sets the case family and material, the second sets the bracelet, the third sets the case diameter, and the last blocks set the movement and dial code. A seller who shows 44 on the card but a 40 mm case on the wrist is selling a mismatch. Compare the digits on the caseback, on the card, and on the movement.
Movement
The 44.25 mm co-axial Speedmaster uses the Omega 9300 family, or the 9900 on later references. Both are automatic, both have two barrels, and both run about 60 hours on a full wind. The 9300 has a co-axial escapement, a silicon balance spring, and two sub-dials: small seconds at 9 o'clock and a combined hour and minute counter at 3 o'clock. Many counterfeits use a Valjoux 7750 base. That movement has three registers at 12, 6, and 9, or a modular plate that shifts them. Look at the dial layout first. A three-register dial does not match a 9300 caseback.
Turn the watch over. The genuine display back shows Geneva stripes on the rotor, circular graining on the bridges, and an engraved Omega wordmark with the Co-Axial line. Counterfeit rotors carry laser print, flat finishing, and a rotor that wobbles on the wrist because it winds in one direction.
Case and caseback
Genuine engraving cuts into the metal. Fake engraving sits on the surface. Run a fingernail over the reference number and the serial. On a real case you feel the groove. Fakes blur the fonts, print the wrong weight, or stamp the reference number of a different dial color on the back. Ask for a caseback photo taken at an angle. Light that rakes across the surface shows laser etching as a shallow mark with soft edges.
Dial, hands, lume
Indexes on the 44.25 mm dials are applied metal, set with Super-LumiNova. Genuine lume glows green on most Speedmaster references. Fakes use paint that glows dim, or not at all, and the index feet sit uneven. Check the printed minute track: the 5-second marks sit at equal distance around the dial. Check the hands: the chronograph second hand returns to 12 with one push of the reset, and stops at 12 when you stop the chronograph. A reset that lands 1 mm off 12 points to a cheap movement.
Price and paperwork
Used 323.10.44 watches trade from about $4,000 to $7,000 depending on year, condition, and box and papers. Counterfeits sell from $150 to $600. A new 44 mm co-axial Speedmaster for $800 does not exist. Cards matter: 9300 references carry COSC chronometer papers, and later 9900 references carry a Master Chronometer card with the METAS test result. Ask for the card number, then compare it to the serial on the caseback.
Verification steps
- Photograph the caseback and the movement through the display back.
- Ask the seller for the reference number, the serial, and the card.
- Take the watch to an Omega authorized service center or a watchmaker with a timing machine.
- Pay with a method that allows a chargeback if the watch fails inspection.
Omega does not run a public consumer serial lookup. The practical check is a service center or the local Swatch Group office. If a seller refuses an inspection, end the deal.