Reply With QuoteOriginally Posted by zecko
I've been offered this watch and whilst I'm 100% confident the movement is a real 3135, something looks a bit off with the rest of the watch. I haven't seen it in the flesh but from pics, the lume seems a bit uneven, the fonts on bezel numeral look thin, clasp edges seem odd, too rounded. Anyone out there could compare with the same model if they have? Thanks
Last edited by zecko; 29th April 2020 at 18:03.
I'm no expert but just a humble Yacht-Master admirer and owner but that looks like it's had a hard life. The blue looks off to me (almost two tone) and the bezel and insert look as rough as a dog thats eaten a Yorkie bar wrapped in onion. Is that some kind of rubbing on the clasp or weird lighting?
It's always tricky to offer advice based on photo's and I'm not a Rolex expert but may I ask:
Who is selling it (dealer/friend/ex lover)
Why you're so confident about the movement?
Why you're doubtful about the rest of the watch?
Last edited by Tony-GB; 29th April 2020 at 18:30.
Difficult to tell in those pictures, but to my eye the dial looks a shade off and the bezel isn’t crisp enough
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There are some good fake 3135 movements out there but I looked at a few forum posts about the sure signs of a real movement (some parts have never been copied perfectly) and it checks out. The issue is with the rest of the watch. The numbers on bezel insert just look different from YM close up pics but maybe that's because they're worn. As for the blue colour you mean the second hand right?
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looks fake to me always look at small details the screws on the links shoulders fitting the head
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Thought that as well but I just looked at my BLNR, picked up by myself at AD and the first screw is off, recessed in just like the YM in the pic! The other ones are perfectly flush with the link shoulder.looks fake to me always look at small details the screws on the links shoulders fitting the head
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Not an expert on this model but the watch looks definitely genuine to me. Just beaten up (or the picture actually exaggerates it).
All details on the dial look correct to me. Rehaut looks correct (which never looks correct on fakes). Compare it to this.
more pics
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Absolutely no doubt to me. Genuine watch. Fakes are good these days but they can't make the overall appearance look like that in the macro pictures. SELs are too perfect, date is crisp, rehaut looks correct and the dial is flawless.
First glance thoughts were fake.. I’m
Guessing there’s no paperwork?
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Serifs on the 2 look quite different on the date wheel
The pictures do make it look awful beat up
Correct, no b&p
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I'll have my money on it 100% fake rehaunt does not line up, all the screws look arful the shoulders don't fit the case as they should. coupled with no papers
the flat sides part on the open clasp but are flat not rounded. fakes rounded
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Last edited by bokbok; 29th April 2020 at 20:41.
"the flat sides part on the open clasp but are flat not rounded. fakes rounded"
what part is that?
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Don't know a damn thing about Rolexes, but just put 2 of the images from this thread together - OP's looks wholly unlike the genuine one, the indices alone are nothing alike. I suppose that may be a variation by year, but need someone who actually knows what they're talking about to confirm or deny -
I’m fairly certain these should have a Parachrom bleu hairspring, since the Rhodium dial came out 2016ish?
Could be wrong though
Two more pics if that helps, Frankenwatch maybe? The blue second hand does seem smaller. What throws me is that movement-wise it has none of the red flags that the high quality fakes have. There's 6-7 issues that even the best of 3135 fakes have, none of which are present here.
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Bottom line is there are plenty of Yacht-Masters out there and I suspect prices aren't going north anytime soon.
Just walk away if you're not sure.
good spot, that doesn't look blue to me
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I wouldn’t buy it regardless.
Looks buggered.
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I won't worry about that too many other things wrong with it, I would give it back. definitely Franken watch that
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With the Grey/Secondary market putting a premium on even the Yachtmaster it is always tempting when one turns up at a decent price but it really is a model which benefits from being in mint condition and of course not a fake.
If in doubt walk away, don’t get burnt.
Last edited by g40steve; 29th April 2020 at 23:14.
Even if genuine I wouldn't buy it. Looks battered.
Here you have a lousy photograph taken in bad lighting conditions and factory-standard studio photograph taken in perfect conditions and then enhanced and "auto-colored/corrected" with Photoshop.Don't know a damn thing about Rolexes, but just put 2 of the images from this thread together - OP's looks wholly unlike the genuine one, the indices alone are nothing alike. I suppose that may be a variation by year, but need someone who actually knows what they're talking about to confirm or deny -
Of course they look different.
Forget the lighting and don't compare the left photo to a studio photograph.
Look at the dial print, look at the font, look at the Rolex coronet on the dial, look at how the dial texts align with the other letters and markers on the dial. They align perfectly and 100% similar in both photos. Look at "SWISSMADE" at '6 o'clock. Font is 100% identical, the placement is 100% identical, etc. etc.
Edit: Font is not identical. ROLEX looks thinner on the left one and the "DATE" looks a bit different.
But whenever someone asks "is this genuine?" with bad pictures, 50% of people will answer "it's a fake" regardless if the actual watch looks fake or not.
But when I look at it more and more, the rehaut and crown guards look different too. Genuine Rolex has "metallic" surrounding on the rehaut, with a metallic bevel. This looks "plasticy" (is that even a word?)
This is where the fakes always fail.
Either way if it's a fake, it's damn good and scary one. It's actually pretty sad if it turns out to be a fake. Let us know.
Last edited by JPE; 30th April 2020 at 09:13.
You need Verv to comment on this. Apparently she's seen a fake one of these that was so accurate that the only clue was a single 'off' component in the movement. Their watchmaker spotted it.
I'm not sure if it's fake or not but just that doubt would be enough for me to walk away. In fact, if I was in the market for any heavily faked watch, I'd not only be doing my due diligence but I'd want a verifiable manufacturers service certificate / invoice proving it had been back to the factory (not 'our' ex rolex watch maker) for a service and the consumer protection of buying from a bricks and mortar business with history that I could actually visit to get resolution if things went south.
Also I'd suggest spending some time lurking in some of the fake watch forums out there, 9 times out of 10 fakes will be pulled apart by members trying to work out which factories make the best fakes - or what combination of parts will make the best franken fake. It's fascinating and horrifying but the more you know the less you can be taken advantage of.
Why would having a box and papers make any difference.. you can buy a real box anywhere and papers or cards are easier to forge than the watch..
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Fake case and bracelet. Movement is shot but genuine, most likely built from scrapped parts. Its even rusted on the click... Its too shabby for a 2016+ watch....
Walk away, quickly.
As stated already, far, far too much doubt/risk at what I would guess would be large amount of cash. Walk away.
It’s just adds to the reasons to walk away in my opinion.
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Agree!
Reading through this thread I was struck by the irony that no-one spotted the general scruffiness of the movement, for me that was the aspect that stood out as being definitely suspicious. You don’t expect a scruffy movement on a watch this age.
There are many great watches out there without box or papers.
This unfortunately is not one of those..
Never let box or papers sway your opinion as so many do
the watch itself is the only thing that matters and the correct accessories are just a nice bonus..
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100 percent.. I’ve baught a few loose watches but had no doubt of its authenticity,
I was just meaning it’s another nail in the coffin of it being a fake watch !
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The cloned movements have an ETA styled balance bridge which has two prongs coming off, where rolex have one. See below.
I agree with 74 that YM is a genuine (older) movement stuck into a god-knows-what-walk-away.
Where was it advertised??
If you have to ask if it’s fake then you obviously have serious doubts about it so just walk away,you’ll find another one
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You don't need to be a watchmaker to spot that! Anyone who's got a vested interest in spotting fakes should be educated to know why this is so obvious. If the fakes start coming out with a copied free-sprung balance that's correct in every detail then god help us.The cloned movements have an ETA styled balance bridge which has two prongs coming off, where rolex have one. See below.
I agree with 74 that YM is a genuine (older) movement stuck into a god-knows-what-walk-away.
It is the main tell at the moment, having looked at some very interesting discussion on fakers forums to educate myself. How long until the bad guys sort this out though. Second most obvious sign is the quality of the screws.
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bottom line no papers you always buy the buyer not the watch
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Yes, trust yourself.
Run....
The fonts on the OP definitely look thinner than I would expect, and in comparison with other genuine ones.
Whether that makes it fake or not, I don't know.
What I do know is that if I had YM money, I'd be buying from a proper dealer.
+1....... or from a trustworthy source. Personally I’d hang fire on making any expensive watch purchases until some semblance of normality returns, I suspect prices will fall over the next few months.
I’m a firm believer in always inspecting a watch before buying........not feasible at the moment!
I wouldn't have spotted it without having the watchmaker open the back up. The case dial and bracelet was worryingly good. I see a lot of fakes and the YM s-clone was heads above.
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