How To Tell If A Rolex Is Real
The best way to tell if a Rolex is real is to take it to an authorized Rolex service center. Fake Rolex watches have become so sophisticated that unless you’re trained to work on them, you might mistake a fake Rolex for the real thing.
The market for fake Rolex watches has increased and with that so has the quality of the replicas. It’s easier now print accurate dials, produce mirror cases and bracelets, and even match the weight of a real Rolex. Knowing how to tell if a Rolex is real can be a complicated and a costly mistake for amateurs. Luckily there are experienced Rolex technicians that know how to tell if a Rolex is real.
How To Spot A Fake Rolex
Spotting a fake Rolex can be done by checking for common mistakes or differences on replica watches that are not found on a real Rolex. In most cases fake or replica Rolex watches have errors in the font and dials, the cyclops is not magnified, the second hand doesn’t sweep, the finer details are missing, the appearance of water damage, and the movement doesn’t resemble one that comes from Rolex.
Font & Errors On The Dial
Misspelling, incorrect fonts, and misplaced text used to be the easiest way to spot a fake Rolex. Although production of replica Rolex watches have improved, counterfeit manufactures still don’t have the tools that Rolex does. Printing exact clean dials in correct positions is still very hard to do even with today’s sophisticated replica production.
The Second Hand Doesn’t Sweep
Most Rolex watches ever produced were made with mechanical movements. This means that on a Rolex the second hand should sweep. If you spot one that ticks instead of sweeps, that watch has what is called a quartz movement. Quartz movements are cheap and often used in counterfeit Rolex watches to trick potential buyers. Rolex is seen as a status symbol so there are many people who buy Rolex watches that aren’t knowledgable. They often fall prey to the this type of mistake when spotting a fake Rolex.
The Date Cyclops Is Not Magnified
The Datejust, Submariner, Day Date, GMT Master II, and Explorer II collections all have a cyclops magnification bubble over the date window. Authentic Rolex watches have this magnification at 2.5x. The skill and cost to produce the same results for a fake is often too high. This is why on many replica Rolex watches there is a cyclops with no magnification. Identifying how to spot a fake Rolex watch will be much easier knowing this.
Water Damage
Replica Rolex watches are not concerned about accuracy or the durability. They are produced with one goal of mimicking appearance, not quality. This means that water resistance is not given much attention during the manufacturing process and there is little to no quality control for anything that comes off a fake Rolex production line. If you can spot water damage, which is very rare for a brand like Rolex, you might want to start looking for other signs that you are in the presence of a fake Rolex.
The Movement Looks Nothing Like The Real Thing
Real Rolex watches do not have see through case backs. This leaves room for replicas to take shortcuts by adding movements that do not look real. With how hard it is to spot a fake Rolex today, taking a look at the movement is the best way to make sure it’s real. When inspecting the movement for authenticity, look at the hairspring. Rolex produces a patented Blue Parachrom Hairspring. It’s very hard to produce and not likely to be done for a fake Rolex.
Little Details Aren’t Accounted For
Know the year and reference of the Rolex in question when trying to spot if it is real or fake. Rolex has done a fantastic job of adding in tiny markers or other unique details on its watches over the years. A great example is when they added the Rolex crown at the six o’clock position for their watches with the new generation of movements. Any Rolex with that little crown should have a specific calibre. Should those sets not match, chances are the watch is fake or has been tampered with.
