I've thought long and hard about posting this but I feel my reputation and longevity here will support my honest love for watches and (now increased) loathing of fakes / replicas.
A few months ago I got into the tiresome conversation about fakes / replicas / homages with a friend. Said friend cannot understand why anyone would spend thousands on a watch when "there are ways to get perfect replicas from China and nobody would ever know".
After schooling him on the negative impact these things have on the industry I also had to ask "who are you trying to impress? Do you want people to think you can afford a (insert brand name)?" "Isn't it better to spend your money on a genuine watch like the rest of us do?"
This all fell on deaf ears and sure enough he ordered one. Now as he knows I'm a fan of the Explorer, low-and-behold he's only gone and bought me a fake. Very kind of him but.... :(
An Explorer 1 no less. Now we come to the reason for me posting this. With the knowledge on this forum I doubt anyone would get duped when thinking they're buying the real thing however there are people in the general population (particularly using eBay) that would definitely be fooled as the quality of this thing is phenomenal. I just can't believe how good it is. To the untrained eye this is a Rolex Explorer.
The dial is stunning and the markers spot-on. The rehaut is correctly marked too I believe. Now in the hands of the Rolex experts they will be able to spot it but I tell you what, I would have had to come to the forum experts as I wouldn't have had a clue whether it's real or not.
As for wearing it, I can't. Honestly there's something very, very grubby about having it on. I know it's a fake and that doesn't sit at all well with me. I certainly wouldn't want anyone that knows me to think I had a real one when the likelihood of me affording one is unlikely. What would I say if asked whether it's real? It doesn't even get a place in the watch box, it's relegated to a separate drawer.
There's no winner in the answer to that question. What I will say though is that I now know I don't like that model, it does nothing for me at all.
So for those people here that aren't Rolex experts and are thinking of buying one, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get the right advice from the right experts. PLEASE don't take the chance of being ripped off.
As for me, I have a watch that I won't wear :(
I don't think I should post pics as Eddie would then have pics of a fake on his site.
Be careful out there!