MUST READ; Obvious clues on spotting a fake watch!! : eBay Guides

Hi, my reason for writing this no-nonsense guide is to educate the uneducated, the ignorant, or simply the undecided. I'm not trying to be eBay police or a Do-Gooder, I dont care if some muppet will pay £250GBP for a high grade replica.....its when some poor buyer is scammed out of £1000-plus for a £25 P.O.S. that I could pick up in downtown New York etc.....    Read this, and remember!!

Replicas are very good these days, 98% of people will be surprised at how good they are. Probably only 2% of people know what a high end replica actually looks and feels like. The "original" papers & box sets have also been replicated to a stunning degree of accuracy.

FIRST OF ALL - ASK THE SELLER FOR THE SERIAL NUMBERS, AND MODEL NUMBERS - IF NOT SHOWN IN PHOTOS

Check that the model numbers correspond to the genuine, for that year etc. The genuine manufacturers websites can provide this info.

Ask for close up photos of the dial, the case back, inside of bracelet and clasp - if not already shown.

ANY GENUINE SELLER WILL ALREADY HAVE SHOWN ALL THIS INFO UPFRONT, this is after all, an opportunity to show off the best Swiss-made watch that money can buy, right?

Dont fall for the "my camera isn't very good" excuse.

Look for serial numbers on the case back, between the strap lugs or under the lug. Bracelets will also have serial numbers etched into them. A quick Google search of the number will tell you what model it belongs to. DO YOUR HOMEWORK, DON'T BE CONNED OUT OF THOUSANDS!

A lot of high end Swiss watches (especially modern ones) will have Anti Glare coating. It gives off a blueish purple hue when the light catches the glass. Does the glass look 'cloudy' or show a lot of reflection? Chances are, its not original glass.

Have pictures of the genuine watch (from the Official site or well known jewellers), compare it in minute detail, but start with the obvious:

Does the case shape & size look in proportion? Is the bezel too big or small? What about the bezel pearl (if it has one, the luminous blob to indicate '12'), does it match the original?

The logo on the dial & strap; does it match the original? You have to be very very careful with this one, imagine drawing an outline of it, and compare with the original.

Does the Crown (the winding/setting knob) protrude too far in or out?

Is the Helium Escape Valve (if fitted) too high or low?

On the dial and bezel: do all the lettering fonts match the original? Are they too feint or heavy? On the original, ALL details are 100% perfect and sharp. There is no such thing as an imperfection - they (the Swiss makers) don't allow it through, hence the price. Another clue is on the Date wheel (if applicable); does the font match? Is the date wheel black with white numbers or vice versa? If not, its not original. This is a dead giveaway on many fakes.

Chronograph watches; in other words watches with Stopwatch complication - the sub dials are not always bright silver. ie. the Breitling Navitimer has pearl white sub dials on ALL of its range. They were never bright silver. Another example; Omega Chronos - they haven't yet replicated the Omega & TAG Heuer chrono movements where the dials are close together in the "3, 6, 9 (o'clock) format". The dials are too far apart. For example, the Planet Ocean Chronograph and the Monaco Chronograph. Check the originals' picture and you will notice.

If a photo of the movment is shown, look for stamping on the rotor (if applicable), under the escapement wheel (the shiny gold coloured wheel); it might read "ETA" which is circled by a cloud. Be aware, even replicas can have Swiss movements fitted in them!! On a Panerai, which uses the Unitas manual wind movement (amongst others). If the movement is visible through a glass back, the text "OFFICINE PANERAI" should be clearly visible without having to 'angle' the watch. If the text is obscured by the case (or part of), chances are that its not original.

Bracelets; long gone are the days when they were chrome plated, and went green with sweat! They're all stainless steel based now. As mentioned earlier, they should have serial numbers for ID and repair purposes. The links should all be a consistent spacing. For example, on an Omega Planet Ocean replica, the last link near the case will be further away from the end link (which actually fitted to the case) compare with the other links. On a Breitling Navitimer (Navitimer bracelet) replica, the last link near the clasp is one piece. The genuine last link is actually about 5 pieces!! Back to Omega links; they are all linked using pins and pressure sleeves. Some replicas (ie. Seamaster) will use split pins and/or screws. Not easy to spot, but worth knowing anyway. Genuine Rolex, screws. Gen Breitling, screws. Gen Panerai, screws. Gen TAG, pins.

Leather straps; all non Swiss straps have "GENUINE LEATHER" stamped inside. Think about it; the Swiss speak French (& German), they don't need to stamp an English notation about what their strap is. A stamp like "Cuir Veritable" is much more likely, along with a bunch of serial number stamps. Genuine straps are usually thick and look very very well made. A cheap imitation will be too thin, and have a tan colour leatherette lining - which you would normally find on the lining of a belt, for example. The buckle/clasp should be substantial in appearance, with very clear cut stamping or etching etc of the makers' logo/signature. It should be consistent in weight, not heavy stamp on once side, fading out on the other.

Now, Rolex - yes probably THE most copied watch brand. Infamous for it. Some tell tale signs:

the Rolex Coronet logo (the crown), located on the Crown (the winding knob) sometimes it had 3 dots underneath it, sometimes a line, sometime nothing. Check with a picture from the original.

Can you see the logo etched into the glass in the 6 o'clock position? Not always applicable, but check anway.

Serial number, between the lugs. Although good replicas will also have this.

Green hologram on the case back. Another replicated item - it should correspond to the model number.

There are many, many more things I could list here - but to the untrained eye, it is meaningless. I hope you (as the buyer) will take heed and look for these things, if you hate the idea of being scammed. If you want to pay hundreds for a replica, fine, just know what you are buying - some fools will pay hundreds for something that is available for £25 on the internet. If you are a scammer, and wish to con people out of thousands by lying about "my dead uncle/father/brothers gift from Timbuctu" or "the ex-wife left everything but this" or "unwated gift - sorry i lost the receipt" (yeah, as if - you wouldn't lose your cars V5 document so easily, would you?). So if you are a scammer, get a life....and a proper honest job. Unless of course, you want to share a cell with a horny weightlifter???!!

UPDATE: It has become clear that during 2007-2008 onwards, ETA automatic movements are now being replicated and sold as "Swiss made". Movement types 2824, 2826 and 2836 (GMT) have been copied to an extremely accurate standard. Even the Makers' stamps and codes have been included in the copies. Only an experienced horologist/jeweller or watchmaker will be able to differentiate between genuine and fake. Whereas this is not just a warning about being conned into buying a replica, it is also a warning to those buying replica movements advertised as "Swiss made", or generic watches containing movements advertised as "Swiss made".

*CAVEAT EMPTOR*

UPDATE: August 2010. Since 2009, the Omega movement 3313 has been replicated. The 3313 is used in Planet Ocean Chrono, Seamaster Chrono 300m, Speedmaster Chrono automatic etc. Earlier in this review, I mentioned that the close sub-dial arrangement had been hard to copy; but now they have done it! For example, the 2 most obvious tells on a Planet Ocean Chronograph (high grade replica) are: extremely sunken date wheel (a 2mm gap under the dial), and the other tell being the placement of the chronograph pushers. On the genuine, the pushers are close to the winding crown. On the fake, they are further apart. This is because the fake movement is derived from the copy of the Valjoux 7750 movement, which was further modified to replicate the 3,6,9 dial layout and therefore creating the sunken date problem.

Many fake watches for sale on the internet contain cheap automatic or quartz movements. These grades of cheap copies are so visually inaccurate that a close comparison between it and the genuine should be easy enough to do.

Also during 2009, a modified movement was released, replicating the Rolex 3135 etc. It is based on the copy of the ETA 2824, but incorporates decorated plates, bridges and rotor - imitating the Rolex markings. The genuine Rolex movement however, still looks substantially different on closer inspection.