The Rolex Oyster is a popular men's watch with many replicas on the market.
While most retailers are probably honest, the barrage of counterfeit material for sale has many of us skeptical about making expensive purchases. Rolex watches have been one of the most popular brands to counterfeit. If you are in the market for a men's Rolex Oyster, you may have several questions regarding its authenticity. Fortunately, there are several steps you can to take to distinguish a genuine Rolex from a fake.
Instructions
Simple Observations
1. Know the price point. The Rolex brand of watches carry a heavy price tag. The retail price for a man's Rolex Oyster start at $3,000. Be suspicious if you are being offered a Rolex for much less than that.
2. Check the dealer's license. New Rolex watches are only sold by authorized Rolex dealers. If your jeweler is not indicated on their website, they can only sell vintage or used Oysters. Beware if they claim to be selling you a new Rolex Oyster.
3. Do a quick spot check. Rolex watches are made of solid metal material and high quality craftsmanship. Beware if a watch appears to be lightweight, has missing links, or appears poorly made in general, it's probably a fake.
Detailed Observations
4. Observe the caseback. The men's Oyster caseback is smooth and metal. Fake Rolex's have appeared with clear casebacks to display the chronometer or have been engraved with logos, crowns or writing. The only known Rolex Oyster with an engraved caseback was the Sea-Dweller, which had the following inscription written in an arc: "Rolex Oyster Original Gas Escape Valve."
5. Look for a laser coronet. As a new security feature, models designed after 2002 use feature a Rolex coronet on the 6 o'clock position of the crystal. The coronet should be finely etched and is only visible at a certain angle with oblique light. Counterfeiters have not been successful at replicating the fine detail of the coronet. A fake Oyster Rolex may display a coronet etching that appears thicker and easily recognized by the naked eye.
6. Make sure the date is correctly magnified. The Rolex Oyster has a glass bubble on the crystal called a cyclops, which magnifies the date.The magnification should make the date 2.5 times the size of the number and should fill the entire cyclops. Some counterfeits will have dates that appear smaller.
7. Examine the appearance of the reference number, which is engraved on the side of the case between the lugs. The engraving is done with very fine lines that catch the light. Some counterfeits use acid etching, which makes the numbers appear close together. Counterfeiters may also repeat the same numbers. "R863698" is commonly observed on fakes.
8. Inspect the hands and seals. Counterfeiters sometimes mix and match hands to save money. Some counterfeit Rolex styles will have hands that are the wrong shape or size.The winding crown will also have the Rolex crown logo and three dots engraved on its surface.
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