London CNN —Swiss luxury watchmaker Omega says it has been the victim of “organized criminal activity,” alleging three of its former staff members admitted working with intermediaries to sell a fake Speedmaster watch for some $3.4 million dollars. The watch was bought by Omega itself for 3.115 million Swiss francs—25 times the auctioneer’s upper estimated price—at a Phillips auction in in Geneva in November 2021. “OMEGA and Phillips were the joint victims of organized criminal activity involving the selling of this specific watch by auction,” the statement added. “This timepiece is currently a key piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation that must also bring to light the seller of the watch. “The watch was bought by OMEGA for the OMEGA Museum and we understand from OMEGA that it has discovered that the watch is composed of unrelated parts from various sources, and that OMEGA employees may have been involved in assembling the watch.

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Persons: “, Omega, Phillips, ”, Giovanni Alegre, “ OMEGA, ” Phillips, Buzz Aldrin, Ryan Reynolds, George Clooney, Rory McIlroy Organizations: London CNN, Omega, Phillips, CNN, OMEGA, OMEGA Museum Locations: Swiss, Geneva, Bienne, Switzerland