How to tell a fake watch
The Luxury watch industry is one of the biggest second hand market places in the world and unfortunately, one that is rife with replicas. There are literally millions of people out there wearing fake rolex, fake panerai and all sorts of other brands and some knowingly, but enough believe they’re sporting the real deal.
Our Official Watches guide will help you to avoid being duped and hopefully save you some money along the way. (Commission welcomed.)
If you are in the market for a real luxury watch, you should plan on spending quite a bit of money. If you think you have found a great deal on a luxury watch, make sure it is authentic and not a fake or stolen watch you are actually buying. Don’t get carried away by the great deal you think you are getting and focus on quality. There are many Internet sites and auction sites that claim they are selling real luxury watches, but in reality, their products are as real as Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. The first clue will be the price. Anything under $250 is probably a fake.
Luxury branded watches are not sold at a discount of more than 50%, no matter what the circumstances. Even the most generous dealer will not give you a discount of more than 50% off the retail price, so if the watch is cheaper than this, log off, walk away, put the kettle on and forget about it completely and then come back to your watch search when you’ve accepted that it most probably is TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
Also, just because you find a watch on a website, and that website looks credible and trustworthy, it does not mean they are selling real luxury watches. Some fake watch sites look quite official and are created to give that effect and dupe the consumer into parting with their thousands. Make sure you buy your watch from a well-known dealer to ensure that you are not being ripped off. It helps if they have an address or a store that you can visit, should you have any issues with your purchase. You can often easily check their address using Google Maps street view to see if their shop is where they say it is.
If the only place you see a particular watch for sale is on the Internet, this may be another sign that it is a ‘knock off’.
Luxury brands are also NEVER sold at clearance or end of the season sales. There is no need for the retailer to sell their valuable timepieces at such high discounts.
Rolex
A real Rolex has some heft and weight that the fakes simply can’t duplicate because they use cheaper, lighter materials. Nor will real Rolexes (with the exception of the Quartz series) tick. They have a special smooth mechanism that means there will be no audible sound. Only the more recent Prince models are going to have clear case backs, where you can see the workings inside. One easy test is the crystal itself. Put a little water on it: with a proper Rolex the liquid will bead together. On the fake, which uses glass, it will simply smear. If you’re serious about your examination, use a magnifier to show the etched Rolex crown just below the 6. It’s tiny, but very clear, and generally not done well by fakers. Genuine case backs will also have a hologram sticker. The fakes might try to duplicate this, but move the watch around in the light and you’ll see it’s not a real hologram.
They’re most definitely not the real thing. They might fool the eye at a passing glance, but with a more detailed examination the differences are apparent. It’s not only Rolex that’s the target of the fakers, but other expensive and exclusive brands like Breitling, Panerai and Cartier.
Breitling
With lots of dials, Breitlings tend to be very much a boys’ toy. You’ll encounter many fakes, but they’re easier than most to distinguish. The inner bezel should blend into the dial, not have the black ring so typical of fakes. You find, too, that the logos on real watches, both the name and the wings, are embossed, not printed, onto the dial. The case back will be engraved, not stamped, and the watch’s finish will be brushed. Finally, all those smaller dials will not be raised on a proper Breitling.
Let’s take keep a specific watch in mind as we assess the best ways to verify its authenticity. The Breitling Bentley 6.75 is one of the most often replicated watches on the market. It is an enormous watch, weighing almost a pound, and 49mm in diameter- a lot of fakes will have a heavy head, but the ‘stainless steel’ bands will feel light in comparison. The real watch is heavy all over.
The main thing to look for in a replica Breitling Bentley (Breitling Bentley 6.75 A4436212.G573.970A) is the logo- most replicas will have the logo simply printed on the face, whereas the real thing has it embossed into the dial. The applied wings logo is too thin on the fakes, fragile-looking, with too much white space. Also, cheap fakes tend to have at least a little bit of smearing on the logo or writing on the face of the watch. This is pretty easy to spot if you have a magnifying glass. Checking the logo is the easiest and most effective way to catch counterfeits.
Don’t forget to check the back engravings for misspellings- all the writing is in Swiss-French and may be hard for you to verify, but you can find pictures online and check letter for letter.
On the back side of the links in the band, there should be a clear manufacturer’s marking, and the strap should have the model number. If the watch lacks these marks, it’s definitely fake. Also, the steel used in the fakes, for obvious cost-cutting reasons, is usually cheaper-looking than the steel used for real Breitlings. Plus, the nine o’clock subdial in fakes shows the days of the week instead of the date, and the font is often wrong when compared to the real thing.
Keep a look out for raised subdials- they’re supposed to be flat and flush with the face, not raised or domed. Also, another great test is to hold the watch head and try to move the bracelet strap from side to side- a fake Breitling will move, the real thing will hold firm. And keep your eye on the strap itself- the screws and patterns should be well-made and smooth, and the joints should be flush, not raised or rounded.
A final test is the bezel- the circlet around the face of the watch that rotates. On the Breitling Bentley, it is, again, very sturdy and difficult to move. If the bezel spins effortlessly, you’re holding a fake Bentley 6.75. Overall, just keep in mind what a precise, large, masculine watch the Breitling Bentley 6.75 really is, and don’t be deceived into buying something that is messy or too delicate.
Panerai
Many of the fake Panerai watches have the number E0117/1950 on the back – if you encounter this, you know you’re dealing with a fake. The crystal will not be as good (as with the Rolex, it’ll be glass, not genuine crystal). The strap will have more stitching too – on the original the straps look, perhaps surprisingly, rougher. But the real test comes in the dark. There, the fake simply won’t be as bright, especially on the writing that reads ‘Luminor’.
Cartier
The simplest way to tell if a supposed Cartier watch is real or fake is to remove the case back. The real deal will have ‘Cartier’ inscribed on the movement, something the counterfeiters aren’t going to duplicate. Real watches will also be quite heavy, as opposed to the lightweight fakes. Additionally, authentic Cartier watches have scratchproof glass, something the fakes can’t boast, which is can be fairly easily tested. As a final note, look for the cabochon stone that should be on the winder; if it isn’t there, the watch isn’t real.
If you think you have found a real luxury watch, be sure to do your research. You can do this research from the comfort of your own home using the Internet. Do a search on the brand of watch you would like to purchase. If your watch is not a fake, dealers will discuss its quality. Collectors and owners will also be discussing the assets of the watch. If you can’t find anything like this when you do a search, beware that it may be a fake. Two brands that are often replicated are Krug Baumen and Montre Suisse.
Just remember that any deal that seems too good to be true, usually is. Luxury watches are not going to be sold at 70 to 95% off. These low prices are made to draw your attention away from the quality and onto the fact that you will be saving a ton of money. Make sure you pay attention to quality so that you don’t get ripped off. When investing this much money into a watch, make sure you also invest the time to make sure it is the genuine article.
With perfectly good working watches being so cheap in shops, you may wonder why there’s such a market in fake, big-name watches. One main reason is the profit margins in selling them as the real thing but another clear reason is that some people want to have the status, without having to pay the thousands of pounds that the real thing usually costs.
Watches, and generally watches for men, are regularly faked. Most of us have heard the stories of the £20 “Rolex” that doesn’t work at all, but these days the counterfeiters have become pretty good at what they do, producing models that work very well and look rather authentic to the passing eye.
Be warned and buy wisely.
About the Author
Joannis Mousicos
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