Counterfeit Watchers Discussion Forum

Having spent a month researching Rolex options for purchase on eBay myself, I decided to buy new from an AD this week. Here are my thoughts.

1. Moreso than seemingly any other brand, an "infrastructure" appears to have become established to create fake Rolex watches. You almost have to be "more expert than expert" to see through that on any Internet purchase.

2. Think long and hard about the price differential between what you are seeing on eBay and what you could do new and/or via brick and mortar. A lot of folks unencumbered by knowledge stated as fact that "Rolex never discounts." But put your name out there ... and you'll get eMails from folks saying 13% is not uncommon, and 16% is out there.

Okay, so contrast that w/ "used" and the almost certainty that you're looking at the first routine maintenance being on you (at $450-ish, round numbers), and you have to ask yourself if it's worth the HUGE risk for the price difference we're now talking about.

3. The ratings system of eBay has its own quirks that you'll need to overcome. First, as Sellers get larger, they set up feedback loops where they won't give you feedback until you feedback them. They weed out new buyers, which, in effect, means that you have to really dislike what they've done in order to give them a rating that will move them to 99.9% versus their retailiation that may tank your rating (on a basis of a handful of buys) to low-90's.

I won't consider a Seller under 99.0% and all that means is that they "qualify" for my next step. I go back a month or two, and eMail a number of their past Buyers, asking for candid feedback. I get paragraphs from 75% of them! You'd be suprised how often a positive feedback w/in days of item receipt becomes negative after a month.

4. Never buy w/out papers and box. First part of this is maybe more obvious; last part, it turns out, is a detail that's hard to duplicate, and thus, separates authentic from not many times. I have every receipt for every new watch I've bought and still own. Think about it: Wouldn't you? And if you cared so little as to keep this stuff on a $3000 purchase (Rolex new, low-end), what does that say about the "care," across the board, of the Seller here?

5. No questions asked guarantee of at least 5 days. Remember, COSC won't certify a new movement in less than 15 days, but a seller wants you to say, "yup, it's good!" in three? If I was selling my Rolex 14060M today, I wouldn't hesitate to give you an unconditional guarantee of authenticity. Now, I might look at YOUR ratings to see if you were likely to play me, buy the watch and return it for frivilous reasons. But, barring their acceptance of me, I want to see their general guarantee like this.

6. Watches are precision instruments. When you start talking to real experts, phrases like "mechanical marvel" and "relax and enjoy it" disappear. If I want a watch that "runs fantastic," I'll buy a Timex mechanical at Wal-Mart. If I'm paying for a COSC chronometer, then that is the standard I'm asking about. And I want a Seller who says, "runs -xx.x to +yy.y per day over a 7-day observation," not "within z second per day when my friend and I wound it yesterday." One says, "watch guy," the other says, "uninvested."

7. Even "authentic" may not be authentic. Rolex is a lot more particular about their watches and warranties than I've found Omega to be. Buying a Rolex w/ non-US papers can be an issue, even if new. Highly valuable "genuine Rolex bracelets" can be changed for less valuable "genuine Rolex bracelets" that are hard to distinguish by mere photos.

Remember, too, that anyone telling you that Rolex does not sell on the Internet. Period. Anyone who tells you that they are a go-between, that a "real" AD will actually issue you the papers, that person is telling you that they are comfortable cheating the system in a big way. What does that imply about their reluctance to cheat you, a one-time deal, in a much, much smaller way?

In the end, Will, a lot of people w/ nothing to lose will tell you how you should spend your money. Rather than joining them, I will tell you that I spent a LOT of time facing the same question you posed here, and, in the end, couldn't rationalize anything but buying new, from an Authorized Dealer.

Link to "Wearing a watch like James Bond"