Till about the year 2000, an Omega watch was a "????" to me. I had developed an interest in space due to the fact that my father has been a rocket physicist and was involved in a lot of space programs. I was glued to the monitor or a TV whenever there was a space launch.

The same fervor that I share for space, I share for an Omega watch today, especially for the Omega Speedmaster Professional, alias the Moonwatch. I had always held in awe, a few of my acquaintances who sported the Omega Moonwatch, until I was told it was not the original but an Omega replica watch. I did not know that replica watches have evolved so greatly, when my eye that has been experienced in looking at and admiring an Omega Moonwatch could not see that the watch worn by my acquaintances has been an Omega replica watch.

Late in 2000, when I had an opportunity to shop for a new watch for myself, I was fresh out of college and just got a job, with the first month's wages in my pocket. It was obvious that my craving to own an Omega Speedmaster has only increased. I decided to have a look at the Omega website to shop for models that suited my aesthetic senses and my pocket. I wanted an Omega watch, an Omega watch that suited my personality, symbolically and functionally.

I came across the 40 th year anniversary edition of the Moonwatch bought out by Omega in 1997. Although it caught my senses and blocked them for some time, it really appeared to burn my pants along with my pockets. Well, I saw that I really could not afford to own it, but, it infused a sense of extreme interest in me to know more about Omega and Omega replica watches so that I will be able to wear one some day.

My interest and research led me to one of the biggest markets of Omega watches in the recent years, China. The fact that, the basic concept and functionality of a watch is to tell time and nothing more is the fundamental principle of the Chinese or for that matter most markets world wide. A watch is also a status symbol and a fashion accessory and a symbol of wealth, come to the fore when we come to the high worth individual markets.

In the markets of conspicuous consumption like the far east or the middle east, publicity of where you bought something and for how much is more important the product itself. So, the replica watches sell, since they are scarily close in resemblance to the originals with more or less the same functionality. The originals cost the earth and the replicas give you most of the earth without really burning your pockets.

The moral dimension of buying an Omega replica watch is certainly an important consideration. Buying a replica watch is more akin to downloading free music from the internet. The original manufacturers invest a lot in producing, marketing and selling the merchandise and the replica makers cash in on the popularity within a few weeks by selling at a fraction of the original price. So buying a replica watch may tantamount to stealing.

Well, considering the fact that an Omega replica watch looks good on my wrist and appeals to my sense of importance, I had to make a decision on my moral issues while buying it, whether to spend about $10000 on an original or buy an omega replica watch at $200. Money is important and it always wins.