Fake Rolex

[Orologi67]

a customer brought in today a couple of watches needing batteries and a rolex watch his brother bought with ill gotten gains somehow ending up in my customers possession. I didnt ask.

So i was charged with assessing whether the watch was authentic or fake. 

I looked at the dial/hands under the microscope and that area looked pretty legit.  I got out my rolex opener, took off the bracelet and opened it up to see the mechanism. No no.  The 2 red gears of the automatic mechanism were chipping paint.  The decorative swirl pattern on the plate/bridges looked like a kid did them.  And the overall finish of the edges of bridges/plate was horrid.  Also hairspring didnt have that weird swirl that looks like a kink, and the balance wheel was lacking those knurled setting nuts.  And the incabloc spring for the balance looked odd.  Nothing inside had that swiss precision of fit and finish.  

He said his bro paid $700 dollars for it.  

Ive got the very same 3135 rolex disassembled on my bench right now in covered trays so i showed my customer the difference in the quality under the microscope. And theres also very slight differences of bridge shapes.  Especially the balance cock.  

[Tudor]

Although the replica 3135 runs ok after a service, it take about a nanosecond to realize your not looking at anything from Switzerland. 

[Orologi67]

2 hours ago, Tudor said:

Although the replica 3135 runs ok after a service, it take about a nanosecond to realize your not looking at anything from Switzerland. 

The dial and hands were pretty well finished under the scope.  Thats what got me.  I thought the bracelet was a bit flimsy but it really wasnt until i opened it up that i knew pretty quick it was a repro.  However.  I agree i did see potential for overhauling.  

[Tudor]

I’ve worked on a few of them. They’re not bad but few Rolex parts interchange. 
 

One I posted here I tried to fit an aftermarket replacement barrel and the pinion size was different...

[jdm]

i think that these "good quality", expensive fakes are the worse ever in the counterfeiting industry, and should be fought with full energy.

The reason is that they can easily be the enabler of actual scamming, where a victim that honestly doesn't know better is had for thousands of dollars.

These are not just the cheesy fetish of poseurs that find smart to spend more on a fake than on a bespoken genuine piece.

[eezy]

A lot of fakes are worthy of merit in their own right. Why they have to spoil it for themselves by using somebody else's name is beyond me. They are not going to sell for any more.

It's not just the scammers who are to blame, the likes of Facebook supports them with sponsored ads. My FB is swamped with scam adverts.

[Watchtime]

I read these Rolex with asian 3135's are pretty expensive and aren't as good in quality as the ones with a Swiss 2824/2836 movement. Only thing is the tube and crown are in the wrong position with the latter. It seems on the newest Asian VR3135 versions parts are pretty good interchangable