Rolex is Among the most coveted luxury brand names on the planet, recognized for high-quality, durability, design, and Status. These an aspirational timepiece comes along with a hefty rate tag and so it’s of no surprise that the enterprise of faux Rolex’ is becoming quite valuable. As a result, understanding how to Spot a Phony Rolex is critical when building this type of higher value obtain.
Nowadays, some faux Rolex’ are so very good which they should be partially disassembled right before they may be identified as counterfeit and can even idiot the gurus!

And have confidence in us they’re superior!
Many of the pretend watches that we stumble upon are very simple to location having a experienced eye but usually there are some – that might fool most professionals beneath normal scrutiny. And I’m not talking about throughout a area or even across a desk, I suggest with your hand and having a loupe. Furthermore some extremely intelligent fakers have adopted a ‘two from just one’ follow…
Visualize you've one genuine look at and 1 ‘Tremendous bogus’. The actual one particular is worth say, £ten,000 as well as the Tremendous faux is worth nothing at all. They swap the movements so they now have two watches; A real circumstance and bracelet that pass all tests and a movement that received’t be found right up until the again is eradicated, and an excellent pretend Which may prompt you to open the caseback just To make certain… any time you do, the motion is actual so it should all be Alright…
Listed here are our ten suggestions on how to location a faux Rolex:
1) Unauthorised Sellers
Buying a Rolex is a serious expense, whether for satisfaction or small business, it’s a lot of cash to aspect with. As a result, our primary piece of advice is – only buy a luxurious enjoy from the dependable seller or seller.
Believe in is essential when buying a pre-owned Rolex and listed here my Mate, Google is your best friend.
Normally opt for a reliable, reputable/authorised seller over a random particular person you discover on the internet. There may be a slight increase in Price but that’s the cost of reassurance.
Look at the seller’s offering heritage and opinions – Primarily trusted assessment affiliations like Trustpilot.
Shopping for by using Global watch offering platforms for instance Chrono 24 and Watchfinder, are a great location to start as the homework has previously been done about the sellers.
eBay has not long ago launched a luxury goods arm and we offer by means of this platform. Even so, we're vetted being a Trustworthy Seller and any look at over £2000 is going to be despatched for eBay authentication. Note – you do not have this stability with specific sellers and internet sites like eBay and Craigslist could be rife with pretend Rolex from’ [email protected]’.
Obtaining on the web generally is a minefield, particularly if not from a reliable seller. Therefore, if you choose to go down this route, you absolutely ought to see the check out before you element with any dollars. Down below are some additional physical clues on how to spot faux Rolex watches.
two. Motion
Cautiously open the back again from the enjoy – a faux merely simply cannot match the craftsmanship and precision of a real Rolex calibre. As well as, Just about every legitimate movement may have “Rolex” engraved on it.
Nevertheless, thanks to contemporary technological innovation it is much more difficult to tell the difference, confer with our former illustration of the “Tremendous Faux”.
Yet another clue – if it’s a quartz movement, alarm bells must begin ringing as all Rolex watches in addition to the Oysterquartz of the 1970’s to 1990’s have mechanical movements.
three. Seconds Hand
On a genuine Rolex, the ticks of the seconds hand are so clean, it appears like it’s gliding. If there is any stutter – it could be a phony. It's also possible to test listening, a real Rolex will be silent.
Rolex has produced a little quantity of battery-driven watches in past times. These were referred to as ‘Oysterquartz’. Rolex has never manufactured quartz versions of the Submariner, GMT-Master or other preferred products.
four. Fat
Given that 1989, Rolex has made use of the best metal on this planet called “Oystersteel” (904L stainless-steel), which happens to be rust and corrosion-resistant and importantly – it’s weighty! In the event the enjoy you’re holding feels gentle, it absolutely was very likely created with more cost-effective steel and is also a pretend. The difference is delicate, however , you can certainly come to feel it.
Even so, it will get slightly tough with more mature watches with Oyster bracelets from your 1980’s and before as these have hollow inbound links produced by stamping. These hollow bracelets are much lighter than The present selection. Having said that, the ‘head’ on the observe need to even now be hefty and sense sturdy. Also, the bracelet conclude one-way links with a pre-2000 sporting activities Rolex are hollow and will feel a bit rattly after a few years have on to ensure that’s not automatically an indication of a low-good quality reproduction.
five. The Crown
Even the crown on a Rolex will be identifiable by the craftmanship. Just the high-high quality metal used by Rolex can keep the intricate information you find on a genuine Rolex watch. Thus, a sleek, basic, or brushed about crown will probably be a sign it may be a fake Rolex.
6. Dial, Hands & Clasp
The obvious tell is misspellings, even so as we’ve now mentioned, lately fakes is often excellent.
A genuine Rolex are going to be perfect when made, and bogus Rolexes are going to be significantly less refined. So, receive the magnifying glass out and Check out the hands, hour markers, dial and clasp for uneven fonts, inconsistent Areas among the lettering/quantities and smudges.
Even the tiniest imperfection on a fresh Rolex dial is incredibly rare so if it isn’t Definitely great, it’s quite most likely dodgy.
It’s a smart idea to have an official photo of the exact product you’re buying to compare.
7. Scenario Back again
Most genuine Rolex circumstance backs are easy and almost never manufacturing facility engraved or clear.
Some exceptions are.
-Rolex Sea Dwellers that are engraved.
-Milgauss’ are engraved.
-Comex Submariners and Sea Dwellers are sometimes engraved.
-Classic Girl Datejust types 6917, 69173, 69174 – engraved with ‘Chrome steel’
-‘Registered Design’ Armed forces watches …. but in case you’re buying a 5514 then hopefully you know very well what you’re doing.
-Due to the fact 2023, some models like the Daytona have experienced sapphire scenario backs
Needless to say, a number of people do have their watches personally engraved (we recommend you never to, for those who’re thinking of getting for expenditure), but This could be obvious from the engraved content.
eight. Laser Etched Crystal
Time for you to Get the magnifying glass out all over again!
Some Rolex watches generated from your early 2000’s onwards will have a very small laser etched crown within the six o’clock place about the crystal. The precision of the detail has created it hard for counterfeiters to replicate – so it can be a great indication of authenticity (or not).
But beware, while the presence from the etched crown need to suggest that the crystal is real, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is. Also, not even Rolex can let you know which references from which years must have the etched crystal (I’ve requested a number of individuals on many events), so don’t rely on this specific element.
nine. The massive Date
The cyclops (bump) over the day on several Rolex watches is a component with the brand signature. Its objective would be to Enlarge the date by two.five occasions.
Should the glass above the day is flat and/or doesn’t seem to magnify very nicely then, it’s extremely possible certainly be a phony Rolex.
As often you will discover exceptions as well as 40mm Rolex Sea Dweller and Deepsea Sea Dweller do not have a cyclops lens, despite possessing a date function. (They couldn’t make a glue robust plenty of to face the stress until finally 2019)
10. Product & Serial Numbers
This is maybe The easiest way to authenticate a Rolex observe. Briefly – every Rolex has a serial and product quantity which are deeply engraved and symmetrical, obvious to examine and in some cases glow in the light at selected angles.
On the contrary, fake Rolex watches can have a stamp that seems a little messier. It will possibly seem like numerous little dots or etchings and if acid etched it should have a sandy/grainy look.
To learn more on examining serial quantities and Rolex serial range tables, examine our detailed Manual to Knowing Observe Design and Serial figures.
In Summary
You really need to grasp your stuff. Being aware of how to spot a bogus Rolex is a crucial Element of the acquiring system. If in doubt, refer to stage one – always acquire through a dependable/authenticated pre-owned enjoy seller.
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