How to spot a fake

[manivxr]

I think there's a psychological aspect to it too; if you're the type of person who likes to deceive then you're probably going to get more enjoyment out of wearing an accurate fake whereas I (and probably 99% of the people here) would feel guilty wearing a fake.

Could not agree more.

[Wilddyan]

I think there's a psychological aspect to it too; if you're the type of person who likes to deceive then you're probably going to get more enjoyment out of wearing an accurate fake whereas I (and probably 99% of the people here) would feel guilty wearing a fake.

This is an interesting view point- when I 1st got into watches I used to buy only fakes and used the RWI forum to find very good replicas (mainly because of bank balance), but also I was more about ascetics then provenance and horologic importance. However after buying my 1st gen watch there is no going back- I now have 5 genuine watches and still have 3 replicas. However I don't feel guilty to wear the fakes- I just feel like an idiot wearing them (although bank balance still wishes they were fake).

Am now obsessed with vintage and their importance to the evaluation of watches.

[Wallasey Runner]

I am not condoning fakes, but it is easy to understand why people could be attracted to them. Take a Paul Newman Daytona for example, HQ Milton in SF have just listed one at $119,000.00 - you could buy a second hand Ferrari or a small house in some parts of the country for that amount, but you could probably pick up a fake of the same watch for a little over £100.00.

Years ago I bought a fake DRSD that basically fell to pieces, but owning that watch inspired me to want a genuine version of the same watch, which I now do own, so some good came from it for me.

[Wilddyan]

I am not condoning fakes, but it is easy to understand why people could be attracted to them. Take a Paul Newman Daytona for example, HQ Milton in SF have just listed one at $119,000.00 - you could buy a second hand Ferrari or a small house in some parts of the country for that amount, but you could probably pick up a fake of the same watch for a little over £100.00.

Years ago I bought a fake DRSD that basically fell to pieces, but owning that watch inspired me to want a genuine version of the same watch, which I now do own, so some good came from it for me.

Ironically the only replica I still own that am ever tempted to wear is a pretty spot on PN Daytona- but a few times people have asked to see it up close and I feel like a tit.

[manivxr]

I popped in to a pound shop the other day looking for a bargain. Saw a guy wearing a white gold sub. Looking at him the first thought that crossed my mind was it was a fake. Why would a guy who can afford a watch like that be shopping at pound stretcher? Then it occurred to me that I was wearing a rolex and looking at the way I was dressed others would be thinking the same. But as it was a genuine article it made me smile. But I would have felt embarrassed if it was a fake and others thought it was a fake also.

[Michael_Mcr]

I popped in to a pound shop the other day looking for a bargain. Saw a guy wearing a white gold sub. Looking at him the first thought that crossed my mind was it was a fake. Why would a guy who can afford a watch like that be shopping at pound stretcher? Then it occurred to me that I was wearing a rolex and looking at the way I was dressed others would be thinking the same. But as it was a genuine article it made me smile. But I would have felt embarrassed if it was a fake and others thought it was a fake also.

You are thinking way too much... Lol

[Captainhowdy]

Why don't rolex use ar coating like other companies. There must be a reason.

They don't follow trends, they set them.

[manivxr]

They don't follow trends, they set them.

Not using a r is not exactly setting a trend is it?
I wonder which company did use the forest a r coating....

[learningtofly]

I've reading up on fake Rolex SubC and its quite scary. As I'm looking to pick up a Sub soon and if I purchased a fake I'm not sure I could tell. At the same time it makes me question the value of a genuine item, when there is no noticable difference to a high-end knock off.

You mean there may be no immediately discernible difference , to your eye. To be honest, if that means that you question the value of the genuine article then you'll never get why 99.9% of us bother posting here.

[893bet]

Interesting tips... I wonder if you could also spot a fake by its crystal, maybe by the lack of AR coating.

I remember reading about a test you can do to check authenticity of a watch crystal by putting a droplet on the crystal and looking at its behaviour (how it pools and runs off) is different to that of a fake watch. I assume a high quality sapphire has different properties to a cheap crystal.

I have yet to see a really good fake. Sure at a glance they look good but if you handle it for a minute and look closely the poor build quality will quickly become evident. It's is almost impossible to get caught with a fake as far as I am concerned if you practice due diligence and research what you are buying properly (assuming you have a chance to handle the watch before buying). The real risk is Franken watches which have the capability to fool a lot of people.

[monogroover]

I remember reading about a test you can do to check authenticity of a watch crystal by putting a droplet on the crystal and looking at its behaviour (how it pools and runs off) is different to that of a fake watch. I assume a high quality sapphire has different properties to a cheap crystal.

I think this is for sapphire crystals vs mineral crystals .. some cheaper replicas will have mineral where the genuine model would have a sapphire crystal.

I have yet to see a really good fake. Sure at a glance they look good but if you handle it for a minute and look closely the poor build quality will quickly become evident.

That really depends on the fake - a year or two ago someone here bought an Omega (Planet Ocean I think) and was really pleased with it until he discovered it wasn't a real one. An authorised dealer had even adjusted the bracelet for him, and they hadn't noticed either.

[Wilddyan]

[QUOTE=That really depends on the fake - a year or two ago someone here bought an Omega (Planet Ocean I think) and was really pleased with it until he discovered it wasn't a real one. An authorised dealer had even adjusted the bracelet for him, and they hadn't noticed either.[/QUOTE]

Some fakes nowadays are amazing- go onto the sales section of RWI, some are so spot on it's scary.

I am also not surprised the AD didn't pick up on it, especially if only adjusting bracelet

[karlamanda]

Like it. That's a good read -up. Cheers

[TomGW]

Rolex don't use AR coating, except under the cyclops.

Is the whole of the Cyclops not AR coated, or at least the curved outer surface? I'm asking because, I marked the surface of the Cyclops on my Tudor chrono and it was invisible most of the time but appeared as a dark mark depending on the angle. There was nothing to feel and it wouldn't polish off. Indeed polishing made it worse (bigger) so I assumed that there was an AR coating on the outside. I ended up removing the cyclops, which I was never too keen on anyway and prefer the watch without it, 'SD style'.