Items Tagged With Rolex

The replica watch industry is an ever-changing environment.  While many of the low-end watches may stay the same over time, the high-end replica watches are constantly in a state of flux.  A high-end replica watch maker may go through several "generations" of product before hitting a sweet-spot.  This means the fake watch buyer gets to be the guinea pig.  It also means that the avid buyer may actually buy several versions of the same watch, just to get the "latest" example from the manufacturer.

Brand new in 2005 the Rolex Cellini Prince is an innovation for Rolex. This is the first modern Rolex model with a display back. Surprisingly replicas of this watch have turned up quite quickly. The replica Cellini Prince shown below is indicative of the fake Cellinis on the market. They're made with lower-grade steel and inexpensive components. This fake Cellini has an display back, which shows a cheap Asian movement instead of the highly decorated Rolex movement.

Another major flaw for this watch is the fact that is made out of stainless steel. Rolex is currently only offering this watch in solid gold, at a price of $15,000 per watch. It pays to do your research.

The Rolex DateJust is one of the classic Rolex designs. This watch has been replicated to a variety of quality levels. The replica watch shown below is a copy of a 2005 or later DateJust. While at first glance it looks accurate, in reality there are several glaring flaws, including overall build quality and horrible date magnification. Also note the slightly offset date on the date wheel. Genuine Rolex watches have a very high initial quality, while replica Rolex watches have basically zero quality control.

The Day-Date is a commonly made replica Rolex model.  ETA (and several Japanese firms) manufactures movements that mimic the functionality of the genuine watch.  There are several clues to look for, including dial printing and weight of the watch.

The example below is quite accurate, but for one detail: Rolex does not a two-toned Day-Date! 

This is an example of an earlier high-end Rolex Daytona replica.  It used either a Swiss (genuine ETA) or Asian (copied ETA) 7750 movement.  The 7750 has sub-dials spaced farther apart than the genuine Daytona movement, and this is evident on this copy.  There is an unnatural appearance to the subdials.  Also note that the second hand is at 9 o'clock on this replica, instead of at 6 o'clock as it is on current genuine Daytonas.

We go more in-depth on Daytonas in the Replica Watch Report.