The Differences in a Fake Rolex & a Real Rolex

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Rolex is a Swiss watch company that is synonymous with style and luxury. Rolex was founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf, a 24-year-old Bavarian. Rolex has become the largest luxury watch brand in the world, with revenues of about $3 billion and an output of between 650,000 and 800,000 watches a year, according to Stern Business. Learn how to spot the differences between fake and genuine Rolex watches to avoid purchasing an imitation.

Logo

Use a magnifying glass to examine the tiny Rolex crown logo directly below the 6 o'clock marker on the watch face. The crown logo on fake watches is poorly designed, often with uneven edges. The crown logo on authentic Rolex watches is obvious by its robust design, clean edges and distinguished appearance.

Caseback

Check the watch's case back. A fake Rolex watch will sometimes have a clear or skeleton case back that allows you to see the inner mechanisms of the watch. Genuine Rolex watches never have open case backs.

Examine the case back for any designs or engraving. Fake Rolex watches often have engraving or other designs on the case backs. The case backs of genuine Rolex watches will be smooth and without engraving. Genuine Rolex watches also have a 3D hologram encoded sticker on the case back. Fake Rolex watches do not have holograms on their stickers, but patterns that stay the same when viewed from different angles, unlike a real hologram.

Magnification Bubble

The crystal watch dial on authentic Rolex watches features a circular bubble that greatly magnifies the date. On fake Rolex watches, the magnifying bubble is off-center and made of glass, and fails to offer much magnification.

Weight

Feel the weight of the watch in your hand. Authentic Rolex watches feel very sturdy and heavy, because they're made of gold and steel. Fake Rolex watches are made from cheap materials, such as base metal, and feel very light.

Dial

Check the numbers on the watch dial under a magnifying glass. They should have clean, even edges, which are usually not found in imitation Rolex watches.

Serial Numbers

Locate the serial numbers on the side of the watch. The serial numbers on authentic Rolex watches are very smooth and engraved with great detail in very fine lines. A fake Rolex watch will feature an engraving that has a shoddy appearance. Many Rolex watch counterfeiters will use the same series of numbers on all their fake watches.

Sound

Check if the watch produces a ticking sound. If it does, it's a fake. Authentic Rolex watches do not tick.

The Second Hand

Observe how the second hand sweeps across the watch dial. If it makes jerky, uneven motions, the watch is a fake. The second hand on genuine Rolex watches move in a smooth, gliding motion across the watch face.

Watch Band

Examine the watch band. Authentic Rolex watches have solid links, compared to fakes which have hollow links. Fake watches usually use pins to hold the links together, instead of the high-quality screws that genuine Rolex watches use.