We do see the odd fake here at the workshop, but as we don’t accept them knowingly, it doesn’t happen too often.
This Submariner came in, and on first sight, nothing was wrong with it….I only got suspicious when the movement turned out to be in very bad condition – this watch should be no more than 7 years old!
This is not what a 7 year old movement looks like!
Now we put our deerstalker hats on and got thinking. Why would a watch have an old, beaten up movement in it?
After a bit of head scratching, we decided that the only possible explanation was that the case was fake.
A close look at the engraved serial number and crown – this is the fake case.
And that’s what the real deal looks like for comparison!
The 40 mark on the bezel of the fake watch case …
… and the real deal.
Fake dial …
… and a real one for comparison.
Without a very good loupe or a microscope, you have no chance of spotting the fake. It feels like the real thing, the bezel turns very nicely, and I would struggle myself to spot it on first sight.
So, if you are planning to buy a Rolex watch, be very, very careful out there!
Dear Christian,
You probably know this but your audience may not. Since 2001-2003, if you look at the sapphire crystal,at just above the 6 o’clock marker, you will see the Rolex emblem, laser etched with pin holes of differing depths (using the right magnification and lightning).
Kind regards
Andrew
Dear Andrew,
You might be surprised but for a while now you can find the fakes having that engraved.
Yes, I’ve seen that recently.
This article about the Fake Rolex is fascinating and the images are just spectacular. Thanks for posting the article about this expert topic “Fake expensive watches”. I read this article with excitement.
Great site! I have a Roamer 522 and would like to know if the winding gear (MST 6385) in the automatic mechanism should be solidly fixed to its pinion. Or, should the wheel fit snugly but be able to slip under stress, the way a canon pinon/wheel slip?
Thanks
I was wondering, why all this research, since the mechanism points the difference at the first sight…
Because people buy watches without opening them? Try to go to your Rolex dealer and tell them you want to see the movement…
Nice review. Keep sharing!
Raily amazing Watch
The above dial photo examples of a fake and a real watch are for two different watches, one a date watch and one a non-date so the font line up will be very different. Re the fake, all the lettering lines up incredibly well on the top and bottom half of the dial, compared to an original. The letters don’t look as thin and sharp as they should, particularly the E of ROLEX which looks thicker but it is difficult to tell from these photos. Case engraving looks poor in comparison to the original.
I recently wrote a report for a client to present to an auction house on a fake watch and the watch in question was incredibly well put together which as you say is worrying.
Whenever you see an X with two almost identical sides, run for cover. There’s a whole village in ‘nam where they have assembly lines and specialists for everything, but they never get this correct ;))
Wow – It’s amazing the learn that a fake watch made it into your shop unknowingly.
It just goes to show that we all must stay vigilant when buying, especially pre-owned, and only work with trusted and reputable sellers who have the appropriate documentation and paperwork.
The fonts used on the dial don’t look right. Spacing is uneven as well.
Hi! Would you please post some more photos. It would be interesting to see the rest of the movement, also.
Thank you,
Bogdan
The movement is a genuine Rolex movement, so there is nothing special to see there.
it is not the first time I hear about a genuine movement in a fake case… coincidentally, in a matter of days…
so the movement was in a bad shape because the case was not weatherproff? Or was the movement an older, beaten movement put in a nice looking case?
I am only guessing here – the seller badly wanted a real Rolex movement in there, as the fake movements are pretty easy to spot. So he took a movement that was cheap enough to obtain, and that wasn’t in great shape, and came out of a watch that had suffered water damage.
yeap… so the second scenario…
Good to know!
Thank you for sharing this!
PS I know this is a controversial subject… but I do enjoy the debate. As mentioned, I do not own a clone and not rushing to buy one – however I do find the concept fascinating. I have been reading many posts on a clone watch forum and it seems that the folks on there are possibly more into watches that the average person wearing a premium end watch, most know a good deal of how a movement works and what part can be taken from one factory clone to be used on a different factory clone to get a smoother operating watch.
The cases are very good, and parts of the movements aren’t bad. But where it all falls down is the hairspring, balance and escapement, where the Chinese clones are pretty basic.
They will keep decent time, but will come nowhere near the accuracy of the original.
Longevity will also be a problem.
That said, value for money compared to the original isn’t bad 😉
I would never buy or wear a clone, but it’s very interesting to see at what speed the quality of the clones evolves.
I’m surprised they haven’t tackled the escapement and balance situation yet…
I have seen on the forums that some people but the clone then drop an original ETA in there. Some will then go on to install a genuine bezel, date wheel and sometimes even a gen dial. On top of that I’ve seen people having the case reshaped so it’s blueprint accurate to the original. Of course they have probably spent £2k by now … of course stealing someone else’s IP is wrong, but I suspect they are two very different markets and the luxury manufacturers probably aren’t that worried. I do admire the tenacity and deep enthusiasm of the clone community.
I have read and heard that clones are supporting terrorism, however I have done quite a lot of digging around on the net and from what I can tell, they are more like professional laboratories! It is a professional industry (https://www.europastar.com/magazine/highlights/1003782633-red-star-rising-a-europa-star-visit-to-a-chinese.html) (this is a dated link, but it seems that quality has only improved over the last decade). They are selling these ‘super reps’ for £400, the work and engineering that goes into that is breathtaking. If ever they decided to release an £800 watch I’m sure they could make a true 1:1 clone. I actually have mixed feelings about this. My love of watches is for the design and engineering, and NOT for the prestige and bragging rights. If I was to wear say a fake Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 that is indistinguishable from the original unless under a eye lens, then I am sure I would enjoy the design every bit as much as the person that spent £50k I would not be ashamed to tell people that it is a clone. But like I say, I do have mixed feelings. Though I would wear a clone, this would only be so I could enjoy iconic styling, otherwise I feel that money is better spent on a microbrand, or vintage. My current everyday watch is a Tissot PR200 Automatic Chronograph. It is a Swiss made watch (part of the swatch group) and I love it (as much for sentimental value as it was a gift), but its an £800 watch and the movement looks so ‘factory mass produced’. There is more time and effort in a Chinese Clone movement. I also suspect that although the parts of the Tissot own brand movement have been assembled in Switzerland, it wouldnt surprise me if the parts had been manufactured in china first.
I can’t comment on links to terrorism or crime – some may, some may not, is my guess. I too, have mixed feelings like yourself, James – the design and feel is as important to me, the wearer, as the satisfaction that it represented the apogee of craft and precision (or indeed made me appear of high net worth..).
The problem comes when they break, which is more likely. I have a number of watches, some of which are clones from ‘overseas’ – including a beautiful fake Patek 5711 – but as a layman I don’t know what’s inside. What I can see through the exhibition casebacks is generally fine looking, but for all that, I have to accept that if it breaks, then that’s it – it’s dead.
Imagine sending such a piece to Christian, whose expectations and tooling are focused on quality materials and specifications. Instead, soft metal with low tolerances risks leading him into all manner of extra and unexpected situations, none of which can just be backed up by sourcing a genuine part (would it even fit?).
I’d love to find someone who could fix my fakes, if/when they break; but it would be like going back 80 years, as regards the engineering, the quality control, and the risks. (Never mind the workers rights.. ) It’s sad to throw away a beautiful thing that no longer serves its timekeeping purpose, but I can understand why pro repair people simply say No.
Wow, I would not have spotted that. That is a very different fake from the ones I have seen in the past, which as you say Christian, you could spot a mile away. What did the rest of the movement look like? convincing?
Someone put a real Rolex movement into the watch. I only started suspecting something was wrong because the Rolex movement was old and beaten up …
Hello, I got burned on a IWC Mark 18 super fake. The case looked perfect, even an AD could not tell by the outside. The movement was very close to the naked eye, engraving looked correct. But under the loop the fake was exposed. The fakes are getting better every day. With the prices on these watches rising, they’re are more unscrupulous people are coming into our community. Good luck out there.
It is scary how good fakes are getting. 20 years ago, you could spot them at a mile distance, and nowadays, you need a microscope…
Rolex are fraught with danger. I hope this chap didn’t get fleeced too much!
5K!