Short answer
The 424.13.40 reference is an Omega De Ville Prestige Co-Axial 39.5 mm, a thin steel dress watch on a leather strap. Replicas of it sit in a strange spot. The design is plain, so a copy photographs well and passes at a distance, but plain dress watches are also the hardest to fake up close because there is nothing to hide behind. No busy chronograph dial, no chunky bezel. Just a clean face, a slim case, and hands that have to look right. Most replicas of this reference run an ETA 2824 pattern movement, not the co-axial caliber 2500 the real watch uses, and that gap shows in case thickness, rotor noise, and beat rate. Know the handful of checks below and you can sort a good one from a bad one in about a minute.
What the real 424.13.40 is
This reference family covers the De Ville Prestige Co-Axial 39.5 mm in steel on leather. You get a 39.5 mm case, 20 mm lugs, a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inside, and the caliber 2500 automatic with a co-axial escapement, a 25,200 vph beat rate, and about 48 hours of reserve. Dial side it is a dress watch to the bone: applied Roman numerals with round dots between them, thin feuille hands, an applied Omega logo, and a small date window. "Swiss Made" sits at the base of the dial in tiny type.
That is a short list of features, which is exactly why fakes of it get caught. There is nowhere to hide a crooked marker or a fat case.
Which replica tier you are looking at
- Quartz, $60 to $150. Mineral glass, printed dial text, markers sitting too high or too low, a stamped buckle, and a ticking seconds hand. Easy to spot and not worth the shipping.
- Mid automatic, $250 to $450. Usually a Seagull ST2130 or a Hangzhou 6460 (both ETA 2824 patterns), sometimes a Miyota 9015. Sapphire crystal, decent polishing, dial fonts that are close but not quite there.
- High end, $500 to $800. Swiss ETA 2824 or Sellita SW200 inside, better case finishing, tighter dial print, correct strap hardware. This is the ceiling for this reference.
None of these have a co-axial escapement. Not one. If a seller claims a "1:1 co-axial clone" with a real co-axial escapement, you are being sold a decorated 2824 with a stamped rotor. The architecture is different and you can see it the moment the back comes off.
The tells that matter on this specific watch
Case thickness and profile
The real watch is a thin dress piece, a hair over 10 mm, with a slim bezel and lugs that curve down toward the wrist. Take a caliper to any replica you are considering. Anything at 12 mm or more will sit wrong under a shirt cuff and it will not photograph like the real thing from the side. Ask the seller for a profile shot on a flat surface, not a wrist shot.
Dial printing and markers
Look at the Roman numerals. On the genuine dial they are applied, polished, and sit flush with clean edges. On cheap replicas they are glued on and sit either proud of the dial or crooked. Check the spacing between the "Swiss Made" text and the bottom marker. Check the date window too: crisp edges, thin numerals on a white disc. A fuzzy date font is one of the most common flaws on this model.
Hands and crystal
Feuille hands should be polished, thin at the base and pointed at the tip, with no burrs or rough edges. The crystal is a tell as well. Genuine inner-only AR means the dial deepens a little at an angle. If the crystal throws a blue or purple sheen straight on in daylight, it carries double-sided coating and it is wrong.
Movement and beat rate
Put the watch on a timegrapher, or have a watchmaker do it. The caliber 2500 runs at 25,200 vph, which is 3.5 Hz. An ETA 2824 or any of its clones runs at 28,800 vph, which is 4 Hz. That number settles the question in seconds. Two more checks: rotor engraving on a real 2500 says Omega with the correct caliber marking, while replica rotors are often stamped with the wrong caliber number or a logo that is slightly off. Then listen. A rough 2824 clone makes a raspy whirl when you spin the rotor, while a serviced 2500 is quiet.
Caseback, strap, and weight
Steel Prestige models on leather mostly use a closed back with an engraved medallion, though Omega has used display backs on some runs, so confirm the exact reference before you judge. The strap is 20 mm, alligator grained leather, with a steel pin buckle that should have a clean stamped logo and no file marks. The whole watch on leather comes in around 70 grams. If it feels like a brick, the case is too thick.
Pre-purchase checklist
- Ask for a caliper photo of the case thickness.
- Ask for a timegrapher reading, or plan to test it yourself.
- Ask for a straight-on dial shot in daylight and a macro of the markers and date window.
- Ask for a movement photo with the caseback removed, or at least a rotor shot.
- Confirm the lug width is 20 mm and the strap hardware matches.
- Ask whether the crystal has AR on one side or two.
Price and water resistance
Below $250 you are buying quartz or a rough automatic. Between $300 and $500 you hit the sweet spot for this reference, provided the dial print is clean. Above $600 the money goes into the movement and the case finishing. Water resistance on any replica is a claim, not a spec. The genuine watch is rated to 30 m, which is splash protection at best. Do not swim in a replica, and do not shower in one.
The honest verdict
The De Ville Prestige is a quiet watch, and a quiet watch punishes sloppy copies. If a replica gets the thickness, the dial print, and the hands right, it wears convincingly in normal life. If it gets those wrong, no movement upgrade will save it. Spend your attention on the case and dial first, the movement second.