Browse > Home / Shopping / How To Buy A Real Rolex – 5 Ways To Instantly Spot A Fake

How To Buy A Real Rolex – 5 Ways To Instantly Spot A Fake

December 12, 2009

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. Movement – Simply looking at the movement of the watch is enough to blow the cover on most fakes. Rolex watches (with the exception of the Oysterquartz) appear to have a silky smooth “sweeping” movement – The “sweeping” movement comes from the busy Rolex movement ticking five to eight times per second.

Many high end fakes will almost duplicate this effect but the keyword is ALMOST – even most of the high end fake watches tick around three to four times a second. This still generates a similar “sweeping” illusion but it is immediately apparent that it is not as smooth as a genuine Rolex movement.

2. Clear Case Back – Another giveaway for a replica Rolex is the clear case back. This is a transparent window on the back of the watch case that shows the movement inside. Despite many fake Rolex watches using quartz movements, there are some “higher-end” models that use a mechanical movement.

Rolex has never made a watch model with a clear case back. This is an instant sign of a fake.

3. Weight – Should the watch pass these two initial visual tests, the weight of the watch can be a telltale sign to a fake watch. A genuine Rolex watch is extremely heavy for the size (due to high quality materials used) and most replicas will not come close to matching the weight of a real Rolex. While the weight of a watch should not be the end-all to the authenticity of a watch, a suspiciously light weight “Rolex” should be an invitation to take a closer look.

4. Cyclops – All Rolex models with the date feature will feature a Cyclops magnification glass; which is a raised sphere of glass that is designed to magnify the date display on the dial. The magnification on a genuine Cyclops glass will be approximately 2.5 times. Like many other attributes, a counterfeit Rolex watch may fall short of the capabilities of a genuine Rolex watch.

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. Date Display and Rotating Bezel – Rolex watchces are “perfect” in that the way the lettering is printed and alignment is extremely well done down to the smallest detail. If there are any artifacts in the printing of the date or if alignment is slightly off, it’s a clear indication of a fake.

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 has been selling Rolex watches since 1997. Go to their website to browse hundreds of Mens and Ladies Rolex watches or stop by their showroom located in downtown Los Angeles. TimeandGems.com also has comprehensive used Rolex buying guides, as well as a frequently updated blog talking about all things Rolex.

Written by Jaye Cadlah · Filed Under Shopping