The short answer
"V5" is not an Omega reference. Omega has never used version numbers like that. The tag comes from the replica trade, where a factory or a reseller slaps a version on a batch of copies to suggest it is the fifth round of refinements. It tells you something about marketing. It tells you almost nothing about the watch in the box.
Buyer's Guide: Fake Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra V10
If you are searching the term, you are probably trying to work out whether the fifth version is worth the money and whether it looks close to the real Seamaster Aqua Terra. Fair questions. The honest answer is that the label is a sales device, and the useful information sits somewhere else entirely.
Why version numbers even exist
Replica production runs are small and informal. A workshop makes a batch, gets feedback from buyers and forum posters, tweaks the dial print or the date window, and ships again. Each tweak gets a number. V1, V2, V5, sometimes V10, sometimes a whole new factory name invented overnight.
Two things follow from that. First, the numbers are not standardised across sellers. One person's V5 is another person's V3. Second, a higher number does not mean a better watch. It means a later batch from whoever is labelling it that week.
Fake Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra v7: What the Label Really Tells You
What actually separates one batch from the next
The differences are usually small and specific:
- Dial texture and the gradient of the teak deck pattern
- Date wheel font and how well it lines up in the aperture
- Hand length, lume fill, and how clean the polishing is on the bevels
- Bracelet end links and the feel of the clasp
- Which movement went in, which matters most and is the least visible in photos
Notice what is missing from that list. Water resistance, serviceability, and long term reliability rarely get mentioned, because nobody is pressure testing these watches and nobody is honouring a warranty. A copy can look convincing on a desk and fail the first time it meets a swimming pool.
The legal side is not a grey area in the US
Counterfeit watches carrying an Omega trademark are prohibited merchandise. US Customs and Border Protection seizes them at the border, and the seller's exposure does not end there. Trademark counterfeiting carries both criminal and civil liability under federal law. Buying one for personal use is a lower risk than selling one, but importing a counterfeit is still a seizure waiting to happen, and the parcel simply disappears.
There is also the practical trap. Replica sellers operate on prepayment, no chargebacks, and no returns. When a $400 copy arrives with a misaligned date wheel, the recourse is roughly zero.
How to judge what you are actually looking at
I would stop reading version numbers and start asking different questions. Does the seller show a real photo of the exact unit, or a stock image lifted from a factory album? Is the movement named, or is it "Swiss style"? Does the listing survive contact with a tape measure, meaning case diameter and lug width that match Omega's published figures?
Then compare against the source. Omega publishes the full specification for every Aqua Terra in the current line, including case size, movement, and Master Chronometer certification, which is tested and issued by METAS, an independent Swiss institute. That is the reference point. A version tag invented by a reseller is not.
The alternative worth a look
If what you want is the look of a teak dial sports watch on a bracelet, there are legitimate homages at replica prices that come with a warranty, real water resistance, and a service network. If what you want is the Omega name on the dial, the only version that carries it legally is the one Omega sells. Everything else is a copy with a number stuck on it, and the number is the least interesting thing about it.