Short answer
There is no Omega reference 1501. The number belongs to Rolex, specifically the Date 1501, a 34mm Oyster-case model from the 1960s and 1970s. So a search for "replica omega 1501" is usually one of two things: a seller who crossed the two brands in a listing title, or a hyphenated Omega case number trimmed down to its last four digits for search traffic.
If you are trying to buy something, that distinction matters. The watch in the photos is the only real reference point you have.
Where 1501 comes from
The Rolex Date 1501 used a 34mm Oyster case, a plexiglass crystal, and a 1570-family movement. Production ran from the early 1960s into the late 1970s, in steel and in two-tone, with smooth, engine-turned, or fluted bezels depending on the year. Original bracelets were folded-link pieces like the 7835 or 7836. It is a small, quiet watch, and it sold in huge numbers, which is why so many survive.
Vintage Date reps exist, but they are a narrow slice of the market. Most factories put their effort into modern Submariners, GMTs, Daytonas, and Datejusts, plus the Omega Seamaster and Speedmaster lines. A 34mm vintage Date replica is a niche product, and the quality reflects that.
The Omega half of the search
Omega writes case references in a hyphenated format, with a decimal point in the middle, not as a bare four-digit number. Dealers and marketplace sellers often drop the prefix to keep titles short, which is how a fragment like 1501 ends up attached to the Omega name. When a listing does this, treat the title as marketing and the photos as the product.
Omega replicas from Chinese factories are a real category, and the good ones are easy to identify: Seamaster 300, Planet Ocean, Aqua Terra, and the Speedmaster Professional are the usual subjects. None of them are a 1501.
How I read a listing like this
- Ask which factory made it. Vague answers usually mean no factory at all, just a reseller with stock photos.
- Request movement photos with the caseback removed. A vintage-style piece should show a low-beat automatic, not a decorated 28,800 bph movement with a fake bridge plate.
- Look at the stamps between the lugs. Reference and serial numbers on a 1501 should be shallow, clean, and readable without a loupe.
- Check the crystal. A 1501 has acrylic. If the photos show sapphire with an anti-reflective tint, the case is not a vintage Date case.
- Study dial printing at high magnification. Coronet shape, font weight, and marker plots are where cheap builds fall apart.
- Confirm the bracelet. Folded links with correct end link numbers, or a plain leather strap on a watch that should have had steel.
Price and red flags
Vintage Rolex Date reps are inexpensive compared with modern Submariner builds, usually because the case work is simpler and nobody is competing on accuracy. When a seller prices a "replica omega 1501" like a high-end modern rep, that is a signal to slow down. So is a listing that uses the same photo set across several different reference numbers.
Two more things I check. First, whether the seller can describe the movement in specific terms instead of calling it "Swiss style." Second, whether they will send a fresh timestamped photo. Sellers who work in volume usually will, and sellers who are drop-shipping stock images usually will not.
Bottom line
"Replica omega 1501" is a confused term. If you want the watch it points to, you want a Rolex Date 1501 replica, and you should judge it on case size, acrylic crystal, dial details, and the movement behind the caseback. If you want an Omega, pick a real Omega reference first and search for that. Either way, the photos and the factory name carry more weight than the title.