Rolex Watch Buying Guide – 5 Telltale Signs Of A Fake Rolex
The most obvious counterfeits can be identified within seconds of contact. While many of these tips will not apply to watches that are bought online...
The most obvious counterfeits can be identified within seconds of contact. While many of these tips will not apply to watches that are bought online, knowing the basics of counterfeit identification is a great first step.
1. Second Hand Movement – Save for a short time where Rolex made Quartz powered watches (OysterQuartz) all Rolex movements are mechanical. This means that they have a smooth sweeping motion when the second hand moves around the dial – “ticking” about 5-8 times per second.
High-end replicas can also try and duplicate this smooth sweeping motion but don’t be fooled. They’ll typically use a fake Chinese or Swiss movement that is mechanical (not Quartz battery powered) that is not as smooth. It will tick about three to four times per second.
2. Clear Case-Back – A lot of high-end brands build their watches with a clear case back to show the complexity of the movement. Seeing the gears and cogs magically ticking away is mesmerizing but don’t be fooled!
Rolex has never made a watch model with a clear case back. This is an instant sign of a fake.
3. Watch weight – A combination of high quality materials in the movement, case and bracelet add up to quite a bit of weight. An all gold Rolex which is quite light is a good indication of hollow links, or simply steel that is gold-plated and thus, a fake watch.
4. Cyclops Lens – Rolex is the inventor of the Cyclops lens over the date window. This is a raised piece of glass in the 3′ o clock position that magnifies the date about 2.5 times . Many counterfeiters try and replicate this unsuccessfully.
Poor imitations of this are evident if you look directly at the date. A genuinie Rolex should almost completely fill the Cyclops lens, whereas the fake will only be about 1.5x magnification and not fill the lens.
5. Bezel and Date Display – The alignment of the date opening and number display should be perfectly straight. Look closely at the printing of the date number (with a loupe if possible) and look for any signs of low quality printing such as uneven ink or artifacts on the background.
Genuine Rolex bezels are a dream to rotate. It is smooth and the click you get is very subtle yet solid. A real Rolex should click about 120 times while a fake one only clicks about 60 times. Fake bezels also make a louder noise and are very obvious to spot if you’ve felt a real one rotated.
Jaye Cadlah owns Time and Gems, an online retail store that specializes in since 1997. Go to their website to browse hundreds of pre-owned Mens and or stop by their showroom located in downtown Los Angeles. TimeandGems.com also has a number of guides on buying a preowned Rolex, as well as a frequently updated blog talking about all things Rolex.