Tips of Spotting Fake Rolexes - Part 2

[HEARTLESS-531]

Gents,
Thanks for all the guidance and advice on the first post about spotting fake Rolexes, especially corey.m and junior varsity. The bottom line was this - most of you recommended staying away from EBAY and only buy from authorized dealers. So I did. I bought a gorgeous date just - salmon dial - stick figure - stainless steel from an AD in Vegas. I found the same watch for about 1k less on EBAY but after reading some of the links you guys sent me....let me tell you, I sleep great at night.
So back to the fakes....
Ok. So. I'm in Dallas on business. I take another date just that I have (my wife bought me 10 years ago for $2k). She bought it from a jeweler in LA. On the receipt, the guy wrote 'gold coins'. OMG. Lately, it's been dropping time so I took it to the Rolex Service Center (ROLEX USA) in Dallas. I give them the watch and they take it apart and assess it right there - how much it would cost to refurbish, service movement, etc. So was it a fake? No! It was real. But, someone put the wrong bezel on it and the wrong crystal. They did everything for $1300. Great service!! In speaking with the technician there, he didn't understand what all the hoopla was about fakes. He indicated that as soon as a master watch repair guy (is that the term) opens up a Rolex, they know right away if it is a fake or not. All the fancy CADCAM work to replicate a Rolex goes out the window when they open it. Moral to the story - buy from an AD, if you can't - get an AD to inspect your purchase to ascertain authenticity. And to all the Rolex haters ....in the end, it's all about a very valuable commodity that we work with everyday and how much we value it - TIME.

 

[Suave]

i thought this was a guide to spotting fake rolexes. . .​

 

[zippyh]

So what did they do for your $1300? I hope that included a new bezel and crystal.

 

[Bandit44]

$1200 seems excessively high for a service. They must have charged you an arm and a leg for the new bezel. Omega is the same way with their bezels- replacement cost for my Seamaster is about $300.

I recently got my Omega back from an authorized service center. For a full service, it cost me $400 and they replaced all the gaskets, the dial, dial hands, crystal, and some mechanical parts. All the worn parts were put in a plastic bag and mailed back with the watch. Looks brand new.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Is there a dust in it?

 

[HEARTLESS-531]

Sir,
They gave me a credit towards the new, proper gold bezel and kept the old one. They also replaced both hands, something about luminesence that I didn't totally understand (anyone?) - apparently it can leak into the movement(??). New crystal. I was shocked at how easy they made it for me. And they don't charge your card until the work is done and ready to mail.

 

[bjornb17]

That is great, but what does it have to do with the price of tea in China?

 

[GBer]

Originally Posted by Suave

i thought this was a guide to spotting fake rolexes. . .

​

Hmmmmm, let's put it back on track...

Anyway - The date magnifying glass should actually magnify and form a subtle bump

Another - The movement of the second hand (if it has one) should be "smooth" without loud clicking every second

Another - The register markings, fakes usually have something different than the usual Rolex stopwatch and more along the lines of dates. The stop watch should work.

Another - Should be sapphire glass, so it should not scratch or dent easily (e.g. with a razor blade)

Feel free to add

 

[bleachboy]

I have a pretty big watch collection, and a few of them are fakes.

I have a fake Rolex Daytona. It weighs the same (to the gram) as a genuine one. Serial number is engraved between the lugs, on the inner bezel (along with the ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX), actual hologram on the caseback with serial number, Rolex crown laser-engraved on the crystal. Swiss high-beat movement modified with Rolex markings and stuff.

In other words, all these tips will save you from crappy fakes. Good fakes -- counterfeits really -- are virtually impossible to spot.

 

[HEARTLESS-531]

Excellent points.

Originally Posted by GBer

Hmmmmm, let's put it back on track...

Anyway - The date magnifying glass should actually magnify and form a subtle bump

Another - The movement of the second hand (if it has one) should be "smooth" without loud clicking every second

Another - The register markings, fakes usually have something different than the usual Rolex stopwatch and more along the lines of dates. The stop watch should work.

Another - Should be sapphire glass, so it should not scratch or dent easily (e.g. with a razor blade)

Feel free to add

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by bleachboy

I have a pretty big watch collection, and a few of them are fakes.

I have a fake Rolex Daytona. It weighs the same (to the gram) as a genuine one. Serial number is engraved between the lugs, on the inner bezel (along with the ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX), actual hologram on the caseback with serial number, Rolex crown laser-engraved on the crystal. Swiss high-beat movement modified with Rolex markings and stuff.

In other words, all these tips will save you from crappy fakes. Good fakes -- counterfeits really -- are virtually impossible to spot.

1. Buy Rolex in question.
2. Replace movement with genuine Valijoux movement
3. Replace face with genuine Daytona face
4. Replace crystal
5. Call it a real Rolex
6. Save replaced parts, just in case

 

[woolymammoth]

Originally Posted by GBer

Hmmmmm, let's put it back on track... Another - The movement of the second hand (if it has one) should be "smooth" without loud clicking every second Feel free to add
My Rolex second-hand is not smooth and clicks fairly loud...

 

[Singular]

My advice; if it is a modern model - just pop it open. It will show immediately. If it some kind of exotic vintage - ask the geeks, you're paying lots for small details that fakers love to "enhance" watches with.

The general advice that GBer gives is virtually worthless - if someone wants to sell you a fake pretending it's real, it will fulfill all the requirements listed.

/M

 

[kulata]

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

1. Buy Rolex in question.
2. Replace movement with genuine Valijoux movement
3. Replace face with genuine Daytona face
4. Replace crystal
5. Call it a real Rolex
6. Save replaced parts, just in case

Valijoux 7750 won't work on a Daytona. Seconds at 6 on a daytona as opposed to seconds at 9, standard 7750. There are modifications of the 7750 out there but they are not reliable.

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by woolymammoth

My Rolex second-hand is not smooth and clicks fairly loud...

OysterQuartz.
Gets them every time.