Counterfeit Watchers Discussion Forum

To go back to the original question, if the members were to produce a definitive list, the next day the fakers would have read it and amended their "warez" and a new list would be required.

Short of opening the back, the only way to tell a fake from a genuine article is to have a photo of both to hand. Both photos should be taken at the same angle and, with the same lens.

Now move the photos to Photoshop (or similar) and raise the transparency of the the suspect watch to, say, 50%.

Move the transparency over the known genuine - spot the differences.

If you are good with Photoshop, you can get away with photos from slightly different angles and lenses.

Obviously there will be others that are easier to spot - fonts, spacing and style of minute markers, likewise the date window, sub-dials, batons, printing and texture on the face, number of teeth on the crown, hands, etc.

Usually, on eBay, the best guarantee is looking at the history of the seller - what's his %age rating? Does he usually sell high-end watches? How many has he sold? What's his returns policy? Does his sales pitch definitely say, without equivocation, "This is a genuine Omega/ Breitling /Tag/etc." or does it say something vague like "Wow! What a stunner! Looks good on the wrist!" or worse, "A fine example of Omega style" (note, not "of Omega" but "of Omega.

A bad photograph (too small or out of focus) is never a good start.