
A Rolex watch is a real status symbol and a highly desirable item. However, although Rolexes are one of the most well recognised and reputed manufacturers of quality watches in the world they are also one of the most imitated with thousands of counterfeit Rolex watches of varying quality being produced all over the world.
When you’re buying a Rolex watch this is something you should be aware of as there are literally thousands of fakes being passed off as genuine Rolex watches by unscrupulous sellers. Sometimes the fake will be very obviously counterfeit. If the quality is low and there are blatant indications of the watches lack of authenticity such as spelling errors on the face or a ‘made in china’ stamp on the back then you should be able to identify it is a counterfeit quite easily. However, there are some fakes circulating that are quite close the genuine article and to the untrained eye may look like authentic Rolexes. Popular models such as watches from the Rolex Datejust series are often copied to a surprisingly high standard.
One of the biggest giveaways is the price. If the watch is very cheap then there’s a fairly high chance it’s a knock off as people don’t just give away top of the range watches such as Rolexes. There are plenty of other things you should look out for too that will help you to differentiate between the fake and the authentic watch. First off, if the watch has a clear glass back to the case it’s a fake, Rolex have never produced watches with this feature. Also, the magnification bubble for the date on a genuine Rolex produces 2.5x magnification, it’s usually less on fakes and the bubble is often off centre. Also, the second hand on a genuine Rolex has a sweeping movement, something that it’s quite hard to replicate, so this is often an indication of a counterfeit Rolex.
There are other indications of a fake Rolex, but those are some of the more common signs. In some cases a fake is so close to the genuine article that only an expert would be able to identify it as a knock off.