No, they do not. When looking at serial numbers on a real Rolex, you will notice a few things. You might have a fake. By using our site, you agree to our. Take it to a Rolex watchmaker let him open and tell you. Typically, Rolex owners register their serial numbers with Rolex USA and are able to report it as lost or stolen. Rolex S.A respects your right to privacy and is committed to maintaining your confidence and trust. Run a search on a watch against our international database to see if it has been reported to us as lost, stolen or the subject of a claim. In addition to looking at the serial and model numbers, you can also reach out to the Rolex headquarters to check if the watch in question was reported missing. This service gives the possibility to traders and privates to check if the watch you are buying is not stolen. Many fakes are easy to spot. This means that on a real dial, everything is perfect from the spacing of letters to the evenness of the wording. For the most part, you will not find any engraving on the case back. Another important fact to know is 99% of Rolex watches use a mechanical movement. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. A Comprehensive Guide to IWC Pilot’s Watches, Why the Universal Geneve Polerouter is By Far the Most Iconic 1950’s Watch. For other ways you can tell if a Rolex is real or fake, keep reading! To create this article, 44 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article proves it is real, as I have. It is very small and may be hard to see, so make sure you bring a magnifying tool or move it around in the light until the light catches the etching. But except for those, the rest of Rolex’s case backs should be solid. Adding a Rolex to your watch collection could be a great way to fill out your statement pieces. One of the most obvious ways to tell a real watch from a fake one is the presence of the Rolex logo. If you see anything else, then it is is a fake Rolex for sure. ", "Foggy case. Spinnaker Watches: Are These Affordable Divers Really Worth It? In fakes, you will often find misspellings or uneven fonts, and often the spaces are just a touch off. It is thought that counterfeiters add this clear caseback to help vendors sell watches to unwitting customers by allowing them to view the workmanship inside the watch. If you are dealing with a low rent model, you may find that the little crown and subsequent lettering do not appear on the watch face. If you are buying from a dealer you don’t know, then practice due diligence and check them out. On the flip side, when you are holding a fake Rolex, you will notice the significant lack of weight. And the more likely possibility is that it is a fake Rolex. Stick to reputable dealers and sites that offer a guarantee. For instance, the submariner the A goes flat at the top, there is no pointed A. You must get very close magnification to see it. This is the reason there is a significant market for counterfeits. Prior to its launch, and post Rolex shutting its lost and stolen register, we operated in a mercy world; always intent to do our best by our customers, but very aware to vulnerabilities. For instance, some jewelry appraisal services can run at a cost of up to $180 per hour. Get into a quiet location and listen to the watch for several seconds. We hope that with the points we made above you feel better equipped to know how to tell if your Rolex is fake or not. Inexperienced customers may be wowed by the inner workings of the watch, rather than alerted to the fact that something is wrong. If you would like to search stolen-property.com in order to determine if a specific Rolex has been reported stolen on this site, you may do so by entering the serial number in the upper right corner of this page. Counterfeiters often try to mimic these engraving, the result often appears like the serial number has been roughly etched into the casing. ", "It help me with all the little details. Hence why there are so many fakes around. You can also look at the winding crown to tell if you are dealing with a real or fake Rolex. But as we said, newer generations have become really good at making these watches look as close to the original as they can. I know, check your seller, etc. Approved. Therefore, if you are looking at one that has a price tag in the hundreds or lower, the odds are it is a fake, or possibly stolen. Over the years the accuracy, reliability and elegance of Rolex watches has made it set standards in the industry. This leaves the watch with a bit of heft to it. ", Where on fakes it looks like a normal A. People from all star athletes, to royalty to adventurers like to wear them. Amid the current public health and economic crises, when the world is shifting dramatically and we are all learning and adapting to changes in daily life, people need wikiHow more than ever. Other than that not only was it a good article, but sufficiently, articulately well written. The sooner you take action the better chance you have to recover your stolen watch. When you talk to anyone in the horology community, one name will always pop up as a must-have luxury piece in your collection: Rolex. The print on a genuine Rolex will be perfect, and very cleanly done. That is why when purchasing a new Rolex, you will definitely want to pay close attention to where you are buying it. Also, if the Rolex feels really lightweight when you hold it, it's a sign that it's not real. Is there a Daytona 1992 24 model of a Rolex? "I was wondering for a very long time how to tell an authentic Rolex from a fake one, and these points showed me I, "Got a 1500 Rolex Date for 2500 Euro's, and I doubted the authenticity. Thanks. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Second Hand; On a Rolex, the second hand is used to tell the secondary time zone. For high-quality counterfeits, however, it may be necessary to consult a professional. Assume that there are no lucky coincidences when spending the kind of money that it takes to purchase a Rolex. Dealing with recovering a stolen Rolex isn’t a topic luxury watch owners want to think about. "Look at the lettering of the make. If the watch has a box check the boxes for fakes usually the wood is like a chipboard and the cushion is like a poor quality suede material. But even if you have the time and the equipment, unless you are a professional, doing a water-resistance test could lead to possible damage. And since we have already established that most Rolex’s use a mechanical movement, this is a dead giveaway that the piece is not a real Rolex. However, even with the best fake, you can see that the movement simply doesn’t have the minute detail and precision as a real Rolex would. Pawn shops can be a mixed bag — they may have genuine Rolexes, but they may not, depending on the individuals who sold the shop the watches. Genuine Rolex watches should have a self-mechanism system which means the watch powers to the movement of your wrist, so no, all Rolex watches do not run on battery. If you would like to search stolen-property.com in order to determine if a specific Rolex has been reported stolen on this site, you may do so by entering the serial number in the upper right corner of this page. The back plate should be blank, as stated in the article above. Some counterfeiters do attempt to copy this etching, but it is extremely difficult to duplicate with the precision of an actual Rolex. Counterfeiters could take a serial number from a genuine watch and proceed to "engrave” it on their fakes. ", "I'm in the process of buying a Rolex, and this information will help me make my decision. The idea that even during normal circumstances $2.4 million worth of Rolex watches could have been stolen so easily from the Watches of Switzerland store is preposterous. This is the reason there is a significant market for counterfeits. A good one will. at purchase and future sale, to protect you from unknowingly buying or selling a stolen watch. Rolex watches do not use 14k gold or even gold-plated metals in any of their designs. This is the case reference number and will be labeled with the words, "ORIG ROLEX DESIGN.". An original Rolex will have sharp and detailed engraving located between the lugs. This hand should move with a smooth sweeping motion. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. One of the best things about Rolex watches is that they are designed to be super water-resistant. What if my Rolex has "18K" engraved on the back? Now just like most things, modern technology has helped counterfeiters get better at concealment. It is a platform that gives everyone the opportunity to enter, free of charge, your lost or stolen watch, with the purpose of being able to trace it. ", all the bits I want, except a box. If it's making a slow ticking noise like cheap watches normally do, it's a sign that it's fake. It's also worth mentioning that, obviously, any sort of misspelling is also a dead giveaway that the watch is a fake. I want to buy a high-end (10K-15K) Rolex on E-bay. A real Rolex will have finely etched grooves and a crown engraved on its top. Sentimental value cannot be replaced or insured but taking initial precautions with a new watch will help in the event your watch is stolen. 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