Rolex-Alike

[atimegoneby]

I've just returned from a trip to Spain, while I was there I went to one of those Spanish village markets, usual stuff, then I came across a table full of fake watches so I bought one just to have a look ( hope I'm not going to be banned from the forum for committing such an act !  :judge:  :ph34r: ) 

The chap was asking 15 Euros but I bartered and got it for 10 Euros, ( about 8 quid )

with no date window & spelling mistake' it says on the dial ''suberlative chronometer''.

 

Slightly worryingly, later on I went for lunch with my other half & her sister, they both said they wouldn't have known the difference between that and a real one ! 

 

Phil.

[WillFly]

Tut tut - bad boy! In your bed! :D

Have you got a pic of the "suberlative" movement - just out of curiosity?

[bobm12]

Hi Phil,

 

As Will said, it would be interesting to see what is inside.

 

Some of them movements are even Swiss, but I guess you'll find mostly Chinese inside. My first move will be to open the watch and check that all gaskets are good and add some silicon grease sealant to both the back and the crown gasket/tube. I would even go to the extent to seal the crystal by carefully adding special transparent crystal glue to the edges where it fits. In my experience -- with some of those I've come across, I don't own any -- is that their watertight properties are iffy at best. Even sweat can get inside, some will fog the crystal in no time at all even in storage by permeating the natural humidity of the room.

 

The printing mistake may give it away immediately but, who will really notice that?! For MOST people, that's a real Rolex!

 

Me, being as I am with watches, I see it as a nice watch that may need a little elbow grease to preserve it and help it last. Nowadays, even the cheapest Chinese movements are greatly improved so you may be able to enjoy the watch for some time to come...and if not, it is only little money!

 

As an after thought, I would service it completely right away just in case. Most of them are assembled in a rather careless environment.
 

Edited October 20, 2014 by bobm12

[Geo]

I don't know how you can sleep at night having just done Rolex out of a £4000 sale! ;-)

[Legarm]

if nothing else, where can you buy a case and strap for 8 quid ..... :)

Edited October 20, 2014 by Legarm

[svorkoetter]

I think "suberlative" might be the opposite of "superlative", or maybe that's just "sublative" since "sub" is the opposite of "super". Is it a "Suberlative Supmariner"? :)

 

Also notice that your "Oyster Perpetual Date" has no date window. :)

[bobm12]

But it does have a window! Only it is closed, remember "Oyster" like in clam....It is a safety measure to avoid water in!

[dom]

Obvious fake is obvious. Its only people who don't know the real thing that fall for it.

Most use cheap poor quality Chinese automatics, the 'good' ones use copies of ETAs.

Personally I'm surprised by the attitude here, fakes have no place are poor quality and do nothing for watchmaking.

[WillFly]

Personally I'm surprised by the attitude here, fakes have no place are poor quality and do nothing for watchmaking.

 

I think we're all quite aware of the crap nature of fakes - hence the slightly amused posts above. Some watch forums even go so far as to ban any discussion of fakes, which I think is stupid, and doesn't make them go away.

 

I've never actually seen a fake watch in my life, to the best of my knowledge, and would never buy one - see what I think about them at: http://www.willswatchpages.com/fake-and-replica-watches.html - but, in a perverse way, to know more about what makes a fake a fake is adding to the sum of watch knowledge! Fakes, as you say, do nothing for watchmaking, but the collector should learn to know what to look for, and not all fakes are obvious to the novice.

[atimegoneby]

But it does have a window! Only it is closed, remember "Oyster" like in clam....It is a safety measure to avoid water in!

Well spotted Bob !  

 

this is the model with the ''suberlative watertight date window'', you just have to ask the date and it will tell you.  :lolu:

[Geo]

This is the model with the ''suberlative watertight date window'', you just have to ask the date and it will tell you.  :lolu:

Oh, I just don't know how you can sleep at night! :-)

[svorkoetter]

Some watch forums even go so far as to ban any discussion of fakes, which I think is stupid, and doesn't make them go away.

 

Agreed. But assuming you're talking about WatchUSeek, I think the intent is to stop discussion about how to obtain fakes, etc.  I see many discussions there, with pictures, about how to tell if a watch is fake, is my watch fake?, etc.  In other words, discussing fakes for the purpose of avoiding them is perfectly allowed, but I'm afraid this thread here would be deleted on that forum.

[ro63rto]

Agreed. But assuming you're talking about WatchUSeek, I think the intent is to stop discussion about how to obtain fakes, etc. I see many discussions there, with pictures, about how to tell if a watch is fake, is my watch fake?, etc. In other words, discussing fakes for the purpose of avoiding them is perfectly allowed, but I'm afraid this thread here would be deleted on that forum.

A lot more will be deleted now that they have sold it.....

[svorkoetter]

A lot more will be deleted now that they have sold it.....

 

I doubt it. The buyers bought it for the ad revenue. They're not going to do anything to drive people away. There was a lot of fear mongering going on over there, although it seems to have quieted down a bit.

[bobm12]

So, in short, this thread basically teach us all what to look for in fake watches so we can IDENTIFY them... Which IMHO, I believe does contribute to watchmaking.

 

Also, the light spirit of the thread basically tells that not only we are learning but we are having fun while doing it and enjoying the sharing among good, knowledgeable and friendly people we appreciate.

 

And last but not least, the watch itself is not a culprit, -- the same way it is not our fault to be born -- but the people that brought them to light are. Therefore, I'll treat those unfortunate watches with respect and simply bear their presence which in a way enhance -- even "advertise for free" -- the value of the ones they copy. ( Otherwise, they would not exist at all! )

 

Just my respectful two cents!

[bobm12]

Making a comparison between the two pictures it is -- summarily-- evident that:

 

The hands of the good Rolexes are different (check out the straight portion of the "Mercedes" hour hands).

The seconds hand needs a longer tip (fake). 

If the watch had no typographical errors, the window that was noted before and a Cyclops would be in order. Otherwise no "date" should be written on the dial.

The "peep" on the bezel is too big and different type (fake).

The font is different on dial and bezel both in shape and size depending.

I would assume the Rolex logo (crown) is etched differently, and the metal band is also very different not only itself but where it meets the watch head. (some fakes include serial numbers/markings on the links like a real Rolex.

No Swiss on fake dial. Some fakes has this "Swiss or Swiss Made" sign under the seconds track which is not allowed by Switzerland's laws I believe.

 

All in all, many small details FOR THE TRAINED EYE, not for many of us, including me!

 

From the above sentence, IMHO, this fake is well copied (maybe not tops), but for the price it was "well made" if we can put it that way. (can't find a better word than "made"). The absence of "Swiss" trademark might have to do with liabilities both to the wearer and the seller...who knows.

 

I dare you guys to keep finding differences! :)

[svorkoetter]

The absence of the Swiss trademark has nothing to do with liabilities. The people who churn out these fakes don't care about that.

 

They'd be in just as much trouble for copying the Rolex logo as they would be for claiming their watch was Swiss, but since they're never going to be caught, who cares. And they certainly don't care about whether or not the buyer gets in trouble.

 

One of the reasons that Rolexes are so easy to fake is that there are so many variations. The typo is a give-away obviously, but the fonts can vary enormously between various releases of the genuine article, as can the precise shapes of the hands. One needs to be a real expert to know which shaped parts were actually used together. And there are date Rolexes with no cyclops.

 

Some more things that do give it away are that it's too shiny (a real sub has a brushed finish on the tops of the lugs), the bracelet doesn't fit between the lugs very well (too narrow), the bracelet is "inside out" (brushed centre links and shiny outside ones), and the borders of the rectangular and triangular indices aren't uniformly wide all the way around (I suspect the lume is just stickers that weren't very carefully centred).

 

PS. I'm not a Rolex expert, nor do I own a Rolex, but I've picked up a few things in my two years hanging out in the watch fora.

[bobm12]

Well spotted, those borders, svorkoetter! Yes, I guess liability doesn't have to do with anything in this market!

 

Oh I forgot, the watch is not claiming to be a Deepsea or a Seadweller so cyclops is necessary here.

Edited October 22, 2014 by bobm12

[WillFly]

As an afterthought, I wonder why Rolex have any need to use the word "superlative" on their dial in any case? A bit unnecessary, I would have thought - given that Rolex has such a reputation in the world of watches. Down here in Sussex we'd call that having your head up your **BLEEP** - but that's 'cos we're just rude mechanicals down here... :crazysmile:

[svorkoetter]

That wording is from the 50s, when slogans were more flowery than they are now. These days, it would probably be, "Literally Weirdly Accurate Chronometer". :)

[noirrac1j]

The watch world--or any area where replication,imitation, duplication, or emulation can be profitable is interested in noting the differences inherent in forgery, faker, counterfeiting, etc. Once the differences are known, that is where the interets ends. There is no point in discussing these watches--which are REAL watches by the way, just not real Omega, Rolex, Breitling, Audemar, etc, etc.

 

Ten lashes with a rodico cat-o-nine tail for atimegoneby for starting such a topic of anathema. Next case.

 

JC

Edited October 23, 2014 by noirrac1j

[atimegoneby]

Evening all,

I just thought I'd add this to an old thread, the fake Rolex I bought in Spain for 10 Euros in 2014 has only recently stopped !

I left it until it stopped before I opened it up, here's what I found.... 

[anilv]

will probably start right up with a fresh battery...

[digginstony]

Not everyone has thousands of pounds to spend on a watch anyway. It's a bit dubious where the revenue goes with these watches but now you've bought it don't forget the most important thing, ENJOY IT. As stated much can be done to rectify any defects and who knows, you may even be able to jump in the water and go swimming with it. More than most genuine Rolexes ever do I suspect.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[jdm]

Not everyone has thousands of pounds to spend on a watch anyway. It's a bit dubious where the revenue goes with these watches but now you've bought it don't forget the most important thing, ENJOY IT. >

There is no need to spend thousands of pounds to enjoy a fine watch. Many cost just tens and are lovely. I do not see how a watch lover can "enjoy" wearing a counterfeit piece made to deceive and project an inflated image of oneself. Ok for a prank at most.