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Spotting a Fake Rolex
1. Rolex has never manufactured a watch with a see-through case. If you see a glass-back case on a watch, you’re not looking at a Rolex. There are a few mechanical components inside which even display the signature crown to appear more impressive. This is perhaps the easiest way to recognise a counterfeit watch.
2. Rolex has never fabricated a case or a band with rubber; if you feel any rubber on the watch you know it’s a fake.
3. The crystal on authentic Rolex watches features a “Cyclops bubble” that offers 2.5 times magnification of the date, on fake Rolex watches this bubble is often off-centre or made of glass, and usually approaches only 1.5 times the magnification.
4. Skeleton dials display the moving parts of a timepiece. A skeleton dial may look trendy, but that doesn’t mean it’s a Rolex.
5. Genuine Rolex watches have the micro-etched crystal coronet symbol just below the 6o’clock position, counterfeit watches do not even attempt to mimic this feature, but many fakes will try to match the micro-etched Rolex logo that has become standard on genuine watches made after 2002. The mark is so small, it is often difficult to see with the naked eye, but can be identified under magnification. The detail is so precise that counterfeit models often cannot replicate the logo accurately.
6. Oyster Perpetual Rolex watches always have a screwed-back case – never a pop-up case.
7. Many fake watches come compete with fake hologram stickers, but some forgeries will attempt to re-create the hologram sticker that comes on all Rolex case backs. The sticker features a hologram of the Rolex Crown positioned just above the case reference number. Most forgeries are not hologram stickers at all, but simply patterns that do not change when viewed from different angles.
8. Rolex Oysters are fabricated of stainless steel, gold or platinum. Chrome or chrome-plate is never used.
9. Only men’s full-size Rolex watches have day and date features.
10. The case of a Rolex President is platinum, 18-carat yellow or white gold – never stainless steel or two-tone stainless and gold.
11. Rolex watches are not gold-plated. In the quest for how to identify a Rolex watch; look for either 14 or 18-carat gold.
12. Rolex does make a watch with a quartz movement – the Perpetual Oyster, but be careful before you buy. Quartz movements comprise fewer than 10% of all Perpetual Oysters. The other 90% are conventional automatic Rolex movements.
13. Rolex is a Swiss company that in years past manufactured watches in various other countries including the U.S, Mexico, Italy and Venezuela – but never China. A “Chinese-made Rolex” is a genuine fake.
14. Triplock Crown Seal – The Daytona, Submariner, and Sea-Dweller models feature an extra seal between the winding tube’s threads. Many replicas will completely leave this feature off or possess a fake seal that serves no practical purpose.
15. Authentic Rolex watches are very sturdy and therefore relatively heavy. Fake watches are made from cheaper materials and typically feel very light. Also, the bands on genuine Rolex watches are full whereas fakes often display hollow links.
16. The second hand on a genuine Rolex watch features a smooth and continuous movement that often cannot be duplicated by fake watches, their movements are often in small, jerky increments.
17. Many fake Rolexes will use regular glass instead of true sapphire crystal. A good test of the materials is to check the water surface tension. A smeared film of water will pull together on sapphire due to the extremely smooth surface.
18. Be sure to check the dial of your potential purchase to see if the lettering is precise. Under high-magnification, the type should reveal clean edges not found in many forgeries.
19. The serial and case reference numbers can be found in between the lugs on the side of the case. Authentic Rolex numbers are engraved with great detail and are very smooth. The numbers on fake watches often look “sand-blasted” or are roughly etched into the case.
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