What Is the Fake De Ville 424.13.40?
The 424.13.40 code belongs to the Omega De Ville Prestige 39.5 mm on a leather strap, and a fake De Ville 424.13.40 is any watch built to look like that reference without coming from Omega. The code works as shorthand for a whole family, not one single watch. That is why two watches sold under the same label can differ in dial color, case metal, and movement.
The code is also incomplete on its own. Omega adds five more groups of digits after it, and each group changes something: metal, dial finish, strap, and calibre. Buyers who search 424.13.40 tend to want the stainless steel model with the silver dial and Roman numerals. That version carries a 39.5 mm case and an automatic Co-Axial movement.
De Ville 424.13.40 Specs at a Glance
- Case: stainless steel, 39.5 mm across, polished bezel
- Dial: silver or white, Roman numerals, date window at 3 o'clock
- Movement: automatic Co-Axial, about 48 hours of power reserve
- Crystal: domed sapphire with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistance: 30 m (3 bar), enough for rain and hand washing
- Strap: black or brown leather with a pin buckle
Size is the detail people skip. A 39.5 mm case sits close to 40 mm, so it wears wider than the older 36 mm De Ville models. If you want a small dress watch, measure a 39.5 mm case on your own wrist before you order.
What Does First Copy Mean for This Reference?
First copy means a watch built to match the original's outside, not its inside. The case shape, dial printing, hand shape, and crown position follow the real watch. The movement inside is a third-party calibre, and the caseback carries no Omega engraving unless the seller states that it does.
Grades in this market shift from seller to seller. One shop calls a watch first copy because it copies the outside. Another uses the same term for a watch with a decorated movement and a sapphire crystal. Ask for photos of the dial, the caseback, and the clasp before you pay. A seller who will not send them is a seller to skip.
Real vs First Copy: Where the Differences Show
Dial and Hands
The dial is where copies fail first. Real De Ville Prestige dials have crisp Roman numerals with sharp serifs and clean printing. Copies print the numerals flat and let the ink bleed at the edges. Check the date aperture too: the cut should be square with clean corners, not ragged or off-center.
Hand shape is the second giveaway. The hands on the Prestige taper to a point and reach the minute track. Copies use thicker hands that stop short of the track or run past it.
Case and Caseback
Run a finger along the lugs. Real cases are polished to a mirror with no machine marks, and the lugs flow into the strap without a hard edge. Cheap copies leave a visible seam between the bezel and the mid-case. Caseback engraving is the fastest test: real text is deep and even, while copy text is shallow and sometimes spells the reference number wrong.
Movement
The Co-Axial calibre in this family beats at 25,200 vibrations per hour, which is 7 beats per second. Watch the second hand for ten seconds. A fast, smooth sweep points to a mechanical movement, and a single tick per second points to quartz. A quartz copy is not a bad watch, but it should not carry a mechanical price.
What a Good First Copy Should Include
- A case size within half a millimeter of 39.5 mm, confirmed with a caliper photo.
- A dial with sharp printing and correct logo placement. Blurry text ruins the look at arm's length.
- A sapphire crystal instead of mineral glass. Sapphire shrugs off desk scratches; mineral glass collects them in months.
- A leather strap with tight stitching and a working pin buckle.
- Water resistance for splashes. Ask if the case was pressure tested, and keep it out of the pool either way.
- A return policy in writing, with a deadline you can meet.
Common Mistakes Buyers Make
- Buying from the first listing without comparing three sellers.
- Trusting studio photos. Ask for a phone photo in daylight.
- Ignoring the strap. A cheap strap makes a good case look wrong.
- Assuming a high price means high quality. Price tracks the movement and the finish, not the label.
- Forgetting to confirm the full reference number before paying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 424.13.40 the full reference number?
No. It is the first part of a longer number, and the digits after it define the metal, dial, and strap. Two watches can share the 424.13.40 prefix and look nothing alike. Match the full number when you compare listings.
What size is the De Ville 424.13.40?
The stainless steel Prestige in this family measures 39.5 mm across the case. Older De Ville models ran 36 mm to 38.5 mm, so this reference reads as a modern dress watch on most wrists.
Can a jeweler tell a first copy from the real watch?
Yes, and most watchmakers can do it in a minute. They open the caseback, inspect the movement and its finishing, and check the serial number against service records. The outside can pass a casual glance. The inside rarely does.
Does a first copy need servicing?
Third-party automatic movements benefit from a service every five to seven years, the same as any mechanical watch. Many owners replace the watch instead, because a service can cost more than the watch itself.
How to Buy a Fake De Ville 424.13.40 Without Regret
Decide what you want first: a quartz watch that looks right on the wrist, or an automatic that keeps time and feels right in the hand. Quartz copies cost less and need no winding. Automatic copies cost more and open a service window later.
Compare three sellers on the same reference. Look for the same details in every photo set: lug shape, date window, hand length, and clasp finish. The seller who shows those details without being asked knows the watch.
Omega and De Ville are trademarks of Omega SA. This guide explains how copies compare to the original and does not claim that any first copy is an authentic Omega product.