Watch making today evolved to a very prestigious fine art and there are thousands of watch enthusiast all over the world who collect luxury and rare watches. A luxury watch today is an ultimate status symbol on par with luxury cars and boats and some watches may fetch more than your average house is worth. In this article, I would like to share with you some tips that I have learned over the years on how to spot fake or replica watches when buying them second hand.
Counterfeiting has been around for years and is not a new phenomenon. Most popular luxury watches today have their design copied and counterfeited many times over. Counterfeiting is becoming very common and we all know that we can buy replica watches on the internet for as low as $50. These watches come in many different qualities and some more sophisticated replicas have an original high grade movement which makes it very hard to tell the difference and buyers have to be extremely vigilant when purchasing watches outside of reputable dealers.
Here are a few basic principles you should adhere to when buying a luxury watch over the internet:
• No real luxury watch sells for less than $350
• Most luxury watches are sold through well known dealers and never sold online. Many luxury watch companies actually prohibit sale of their watches online by their dealer network..
• You will not find a dealer selling brand new luxury watches for 50% off retail - that is not possible!!! If a deal is too good to be true - it is probably a scam.
• A genuine luxury watch will be discussed intensively on the internet when you do a Google search. If you can't find a lot of discussions about a particular brand on the internet blogs and watch forums, chances are it is not a luxury brand.
Now let's discuss for a minute some tips about how to identify a counterfeit watch. You have to be a vigilant buyer and know what a genuine model that you desire looks like. Browse the internet and find a particular manufacturer's website and carefully note the different models offered and where you can buy them from an authorized dealer.
The next step is to go to a dealer and familiarize yourself with the real thing. You must handle the real watch and become familiar with all aspects of the watch such as the face or dial, bracelet, clasp, etc. It is very important to get the feel of the weight of genuine watch because fakes will often be of less quality material and will weigh considerably less than the real thing.
The next step is to understand where the serial and model numbers of a particular brand are located so you can identify them when you look at the watch you are about to purchase. As the counterfeiting becomes more and more complex, many replicas today DO have these numbers as well, so it is worthwhile to call the manufacturer directly to confirm that the numbers match the right watch. It is very important when buying a used luxury watch to make sure that the watch comes complete with all the paperwork, inner and outer boxes and a warranty card stamped by the authorized dealer the watch was purchased from, and finally, original sales receipt will also show you that the watch is legitimate. You have to be extra careful if any of these are missing and concentrate on the details of the watch to try and authenticate it further.
Ask yourself some questions. Are the logos and dial details seemed poorly reproduced? Are some of the functions such as chronograph don't seem to work? Is the bracelet or the watch body flaking off or losing color in some spots? Does the watch seem to be too light weight? Does the clasp on the bracelet seem to be not locking properly or becoming too loose? Is the serial number or model number missing? Is there some kind of water evaporation on the crystal? Is the price too good to be true? All or any of these and many other symptoms indicate that the watch you are looking at may be a replica.
The bottom line is that there is no straightforward approach to differentiate between a genuine and a fake watch and it takes years of practice and trial and error to get it right. I have been buying and selling gold jewelry and watches for many years and even today I am amazed sometimes at the sophistication of some fake watches that I have seen. Recently I have encountered a fake watch with original movement but a fake case made out of real gold. My advice is to get a second opinion when not sure and only buy from reputable dealers. I am a watch enthusiast and if you are in the Ottawa area, feel free to drop by our store for a free assessment of your watch as I am always looking to improve on my skills of identifying fakes and would be more than willing to look at your watch.
Ernest Marbar is the owner of Gold Lobby located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In business since 1967, we are Ottawa's #1 buyer and seller of estate jewelry and fine luxury watches. If you are considering to buy or sell gold jewelry or a fine watch, please contact us for a no obligation quote.
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