Modern manufacturing has made it almost impossible to spot a fake Rolex

[LittleLebowski]

https://gizmodo.com/modern-manufacturing-has-made-it-nearly-impossible-to-s-1835267932


At one point in time, it was easy to spot a fake Rolex, as most knock-offs used a non-mechanical Quartz movement inside that resulted in a stuttered ticking movement of the watch’s second hand. But as the experts at Watchfinder & Co. discovered, that’s far from the case today. The best Rolex fakes can be almost impossible to spot, even for expert collectors.

[Grey]

https://gizmodo.com/modern-manufacturing-has-made-it-nearly-impossible-to-s-1835267932

Time to buy rolex fakes and flex on all the "poors" out there...

[LittleLebowski]

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/dmxefhfy78lkxezrrc0l.gif

[HopetonBrown]

When you have such a conspicuous symbol of luxury that hasn't changed much since its 1950s debut, the fakers have had a long time to get it right. Kinda like Louis Vuitton bags.

Also, the fit and finish of a Rolex isn't to the level of others, so they're intrinsically easier to replicate.

Another thing to be wary of in the secondary market are the "Frankenrolex", which is a Rolex cobbled together from several non-functioning ones.

If you are looking at purchasing a Rolex but don't care about "flexing on the poors", check out the dive watches from Jaeger-LeCoultre or Blancpain. The MSRPs are often much higher than a Rolex, but since they're not as well known amongst the unwashed masses, resale can be considerably less. So you can get more watch for less money, and not worry about unwanted attention, as the guy behind you at the Arco doesn't know what a Fifty Fathoms or Master Compressor are.

PS: play a prank on a friend wearing a Rolex with Roman numerals. Tell him you know his Rolex is fake and you can prove it. Ask him, without first looking at his Rolex, what symbol is the Roman numeral 4. Then tell him to look at his watch.

[willie]

Are the nice fakes made in in a particular country?

[farscott]

If you know the particular watch, finding the fakes is not too difficult. Rolex has made quite a few changes since I started "acquiring" watches in 1990. But there are a lot of Rolex models, so one person can find it difficult to be knowledgeable on all models.

When I bought my 16238 (18K YG Datejust made in 1990), the watchmaker pulled the movement so I could examine it and photographed the markings on the case, bracelet end links, and clasp. Once you have seen a few dozen real samples, the fakes become easier to ID. Fake dials are pretty easy, especially ones with diamond markers, due to the way Rolex picks and sets gems. The hallmarks on the case and clasp often tell the story.

In the Rolex world, used watches are bought with the adage of "buy the seller, not the watch". Deal with known people in the hobby and things are good. I have bought watches from DavidSW in Orlando and Capetown Diamond in Atlanta. Both are GTG.

[OlongJohnson]

Back when we were poor students and shortly after, all my idiot friends who bought fake watches bought fake Rolexes. I've never actually seen a fake watch of any other brand.

So when I finally did get a decent watch, it wasn't a Rolex.

[hufnagel]

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/dmxefhfy78lkxezrrc0l.gif

i'm assuming the 2nd one in the paired sequences is the fake.

[jwperry]

Back when we were poor students and shortly after, all my idiot friends who bought fake watches bought fake Rolexes. I've never actually seen a fake watch of any other brand.

So when I finally did get a decent watch, it wasn't a Rolex.I have fake Omega & Armani watches I bought in Italy.
Everyone assumes a Rolex is a fake, but not others for some reason.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

[blues]

I don't think anyone should be admitting to buying, owning, selling counterfeit goods. (Call me prudent...or careful. Or aware that strange things happen.)

[farscott]

i'm assuming the 2nd one in the paired sequences is the fake.

Yes, that is correct. The biggest clues are the markers and the edges of the hands. Take a look at the hands when the "Daytona" text is shown. The fake's hands lack the radii on the edges of the hands on the real timepiece.

The Rolex crown at 12:00 is also a giveaway.

[JodyH]

I love the topic of fake watches on gun forums.
The same people who have zero issues with fake luxury goods (like Rolexes) pitch shit-fits over things like Chinese Aimpoints or airsoft KAC stuff.

Quite amusing.

BTW: I haven't found a fake Rolex yet that can't be caught with a timegrapher. It's easy to fake the "look", faking the actual mechanical performance is a whole other story.

[Greg]

#CasioG_ShockMasterRace (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=CasioG_ShockMasterRace)

:cool:

[KellyinAvon]

I bought a real Rolecks outside the gate at Osan Air Base, Korea. It might have been a Rolodex, it's been a long time now.

[JodyH]

#CasioG_ShockMasterRace (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=CasioG_ShockMasterRace)

:cool:
#JF_GShockMasterRace (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=JF_GShockMasterRace)
#GW_5000_1JF (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=GW_5000_1JF)
#GWG_1000_1A3JF (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=GWG_1000_1A3JF)

:cool:

[hufnagel]

I bought a real Rolecks outside the gate at Osan Air Base, Korea. It might have been a Rolodex, it's been a long time now.

the stories my dad used to tell us about all the crap that he could get that was fake whenever he landed in the Philippines to do things that we were never able to be told about, we're legendary. Is also the story about the two accidental hookers he picked up one night.


ETA I'm on mobile waiting for fireworks. Speech to text sucks in crowds

[JAD]

the two accidental hookers he picked up one night.

They presumably tell in turn the story or the one Occidental John they picked up the same night.

[blues]

They presumably tell in turn the story or the one Occidental John they picked up the same night.

Or the accidental tourist.

[GardoneVT]

If you're about to lay out Rolex money for anything, a brief education on the product is simply prudent.A sensible person wouldn't spend $28,000 on a used car without an inspection- or buy such a vehicle from eBay sight unseen. I'm no watchmaker, but the casual research I did before ordering my Bulova & Omega was enough to discern the legitimacy of a potential watch purchase. Even the best fakes have tells, like being sold online by a guy named "RubyRod1997". Unless Rolex ADs start selling counterfeits, there is no problem.

Insofar as people who wear fake watches go, they're not fooling as many folks as they think.

[hufnagel]

They presumably tell in turn the story or the one Occidental John they picked up the same night.

Back in the 70s I guess the exchange rate was such that something like $10 USD converted into PHP was the equivalent of a small fortune, or at least of sufficient value for the bus boy to bring you back two hookers a couple minutes later, and not cheap/trashy ones either based on the description of them. :D It was apparently his first trip there solo. He learned fast, and no he didn't partake.

[perlslacker]

I have a two-tone Submariner, which is the most faked and "homaged" watch in the world, I think. I'm kind of sick of people asking if it's real, if it's an Invicta, if it's a Bagelsport/Deerfun/etc.

I need to get a real watch nerd piece like a Nomos or Grand Seiko so no one knows what it is.


#CasioG_ShockMasterRace (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=CasioG_ShockMasterRace)

:cool:

The GWM5610 is the best utility watch in the world.

change my mind

[hufnagel]

I'm too poor to get into watches, although many years ago I thought about it.
Now I spend all the "watch" money I would have used on guns and cars.

In the end, it's always a good idea to be an educated consumer, so as not to get fleeced.

[JodyH]

I need to get a real watch nerd piece
Get a Milgauss GV.
The green crystal is so difficult to replicate that fakes can be spotted from literally several feet away.

[GardoneVT]

I have a two-tone Submariner, which is the most faked and "homaged" watch in the world, I think. I'm kind of sick of people asking if it's real, if it's an Invicta, if it's a Bagelsport/Deerfun/etc.

This dynamic is what cracks me up about wearing fakes. Folks know fakes watches are easily ordered online, so they'll just assume your Rolex/Omega/etc ( genuine or not) is a copy until proven different. I'm not bothered by this, but I can understand how others might be.





The GWM5610 is the best utility watch in the world.

change my mind


Challenge accepted

http://ialreadyhaveawatch.com/articles/omega/x-33/images/MissionToMars-Omega-X-33.jpg

[willie]

l bought a fake Timex.

[RJ]

l bought a fake Timex.

I’ve got three Timex Ironmans. One is an OD / Black Model about ten years old and I replaced the battery. I have an identical newer model for range use.

I bought a new one in Blue for date night. :cool:

I think they are awesome.

[11B10]

Or the accidental tourist.



You can't resist those hanging curve balls, can you?

[JodyH]

I need to get a real watch nerd piece like a Nomos or Grand Seiko so no one knows what it is.

Sinn U1
Official watch of Pistol-Training.

[blues]

You can't resist those hanging curve balls, can you?

Low hanging fruit. What can I say? I throw myself upon the mercy of the court. ;)

[Duke]

Sinn U1
Official watch of Pistol-Training.

The sw200 movement in newest versions is total trash in my snobby opinion.


Maybe trash is too strong a word. A copy of a copy sort of. Hard for me to get excited about that.

The funky colors are tempting

[Baldanders]

#CasioG_ShockMasterRace (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=CasioG_ShockMasterRace)

:cool:

My Dad buys Chinese semi-knockoff G-Shocks (He didn't even know what brand they were copying, just liked that they were dirt cheap) of which he has given me several. When people used to complement me on my G-Shock, my standard line was " no, it's an 'S-Shock'. It's eleven letters better!" I wish my current solar powered one had the 'S-Shock' branding. I guess the S stands for Skmei.

They are the Rohm of watches.

[perlslacker]

Sinn U1
Official watch of Pistol-Training.

Only the bezel is tegimented!? What am I, a poor?


l bought a fake Timex.

Oddly enough, the $10 Casio F-91W is a widely faked watch.


The sw200 movement in newest versions is total trash in my snobby opinion.


Maybe trash is too strong a word. A copy of a copy sort of. Hard for me to get excited about that.

The funky colors are tempting

If the rumors of ETA halting sales outside of the Swatch group ever come true, Sellita is going to be pretty much all we have for Swiss ebauche movements.

[Stephanie B]

l bought a fake Timex.
I have a pink Timex Indiglo. Pink, because I would take off my watch when doing minor aircraft maintenance and sometimes, it'd fall between the seats. Pink was easier to see. These days, I only wear a watch when I go to the movies.

When I was working, I regarded Rolex watches as an indicator that the guy across the table was going to either be difficult or a real asshole, for who the hell buys a gizmo that costs as much as an Acura to tell time. They're flaunting their status like a woman waving around her new engagement ring.

[Duke]

Only the bezel is tegimented!? What am I, a poor?



Oddly enough, the $10 Casio F-91W is a widely faked watch.



If the rumors of ETA halting sales outside of the Swatch group ever come true, Sellita is going to be pretty much all we have for Swiss ebauche movements.

Buy watches with in house movements....job done

[perlslacker]

Buy watches with in house movements....job done

Everyone below Rolex tier seems to modify ETA/Sellita movements just enough to get away with calling them "in house" these days. I have a Junghans like that.

And Rolex's movements aren't much to write home about in terms of horology. They're durable and reasonably accurate, which is awesome, but I don't think of them as being artful like JLC. Not to mention that Rolex's constant march upmarket is making it more and more difficult to own them.

[JodyH]

Buy watches with in house movements....job done
That's only good advice for major established brands.
Buying an in house movement is a good way to end up with an in house paperweight when the mechanical watch market slumps again.

[farscott]

When I was working, I regarded Rolex watches as an indicator that the guy across the table was going to either be difficult or a real asshole, for who the hell buys a gizmo that costs as much as an Acura to tell time. They're flaunting their status like a woman waving around her new engagement ring.

I sometimes resemble that remark. :)

Rolex made one product line with a decorated movement, the Cellini Prince. It also looks nothing like a Rolex Oyster as the design inspiration was from the Rolex Prince line, a line that predates the Oyster. The Cellini Prince models are somewhat obscure even to Rolex fans, of which I am one.

[GardoneVT]

Not to mention that Rolex's constant march upmarket is making it more and more difficult to own them.

Why is this a bad thing?

[Duke]

That's only good advice for major established brands.
Buying an in house movement is a good way to end up with an in house paperweight when the mechanical watch market slumps again.

True. Which is why buying no name makers is odd to me.

[Duke]

Everyone below Rolex tier seems to modify ETA/Sellita movements just enough to get away with calling them "in house" these days. I have a Junghans like that.

And Rolex's movements aren't much to write home about in terms of horology. They're durable and reasonably accurate, which is awesome, but I don't think of them as being artful like JLC. Not to mention that Rolex's constant march upmarket is making it more and more difficult to own them.

Skydweller and YM II have unique and useful (relatively) complications.

I’m one of the few who love omegas coaxial work - just not the brand and non-existent 2nd value of modernish pieces.

[perlslacker]

a local dealer has good prices on some co-ax Aqua Terras (https://amzn.to/2XNmZUS) and they tempt me every day

[Wondering Beard]

a local dealer has good prices on some co-ax Aqua Terras (https://amzn.to/2XNmZUS) and they tempt me every day

Succumb!

39717

[Norville]

a local dealer has good prices on some co-ax Aqua Terras (https://amzn.to/2XNmZUS) and they tempt me every day

Great watches, my wife has one. I wanted an AT GMT, then my dealer lost the line.

The current Rolex strategy is baffling, but they make money so I’ve stopped trying to figure it out.

[okie john]

WTF would it take for Rolex to bring back the 1016? The current Explorers are a blinged-out travesty compared to that one.


Okie John

[Duke]

WTF would it take for Rolex to bring back the 1016? The current Explorers are a blinged-out travesty compared to that one.


Okie John

Odd

I have a mkii Dial 214270 and find it’s the Rolex people notice the least.


Is it an aged Matte dial with painted markers in dull tritium? No. But I don’t think bling covers it either


About a reissue of sorts - I’d bet never.

[Wondering Beard]

WTF would it take for Rolex to bring back the 1016? The current Explorers are a blinged-out travesty compared to that one.


Okie John

Not a 1016, but close enough (https://www.rolex.com/watches/explorer/m214270-0003.html)?

https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/1556027813342-6fqp6pww2nu-7b47bd6f571c2faa90334e04609f9d45/3S3A9616.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&auto=format&ch=Width%2CDPR%2CSave-Data&fit=crop&fm=jpg&q=55&usm=12&w=700&

It's the modern version at 39mm.

[blues]

My only automatic...


39768

[Wondering Beard]

My only automatic...


39768

Really nice!

I just got the modernized version:

https://pistol-forum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=39586&d=1561841309

[blues]

^^^^Very nice, T. Some beautiful watches here. My uncle, (father's brother), was a watch connoisseur and had quite a collection for many years. He eventually sold pretty much all of them as far as I know.

I bought my Omega in the spring of 2003 as a gift to myself when I decided that I was going to buy a home in NC and pull the plug on the job at year's end. (The only other decent watches I own are Concord and Tag Heuer but they run on batteries.)