zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Why I can't tell the difference between a real and fake Rolex?...Just kidding

: >Rolex fakes on
: the other hand cannot be distinguished from
: the real deal without opening the case or
: detaching the bracelet to expose the model
: and serial no...

: Complete and utter BS. If you had said
: "Science proves that there really is a
: Santa Claus who rides through the air on a
: reindeer guided sleigh, and the world is in
: fact flat" it would not have been more
: ridiculous than your prior statement. You
: don't know much about fake watches do you?

I admit I don't know much about fake watches because I don't buy them and I don't own a real Rolex either! I live in Malaysia and there certainly is no shortage of fake Rolexs. My father even bought a fake Sub to compare it with his authentic one and you know what, I had to look really close and inspect for awhile to notice the difference. The average man on the street who hasn't owned a Rolex will most probably not be able to tell the difference also. Even my mother who has seen my father wear his Sub on his wrist for the past 20 years couldn't tell the difference between a real and fake Sub when its worn... this experiment (my father's idea) was actually a source of great amusement when he tried it in our household. Anyway, before you go an insult my mother too, let me just say that I didn't base my decision to buy an SMP solely on the fact that there are less fakes... far from it, I bought it because I fell in love with its design. The same reason why I bought the X-33 which some would call a glorified Casio.

As I mention in the post to Matthew, I do not condone the sale or purchase of fakes because basically the sellers are getting a free ride and usually helping the illegal economy. Its bad enough there are fakes, its worst when fakes are sold as the real thing or switched with the real thing! I had a friend who owned a Rolex and when he was on holiday in Switzerland he stopped by either the Rolex factory or dealer to get them to regulate his Rolex; he was shocked when they told him that the movement inside was not Rolex!...He bought his Rolex from an authorised dealer too (so he doesn't know if the movement got switched way before he bought it or during servicing). In Malaysia its not uncommon for Rolex owners to be extremely careful and apprehensive about who they send their Rolex to for servicing (they don't even trust the main Rolex service center - they prefer to use wacthrepairers personally recommended by other Rolex owners)! I wouldn't want that kind of lack of peace of mind...
Unfortunately, that is the sorry state of affairs in this region with regards to Rolex.