Tips to Help You Determine Authenticity of Used Rolex Watches
Everybody would love to own a Rolex at some point in their lives. However, for the vast majority of us, this is almost impossible considering their price. It is not for nothing that Rolexes are such status symbols, after all. Luckily, however, you could consider looking for used Rolex watches. If you do, however, you need to make sure that they are completely authentic. The following tips should help you to determine that.
Tips to Determine Rolex Authenticity
- Check the bottom of the watch. It should never be made from glass. Usually, it is plain steel without inscriptions, hallmarks, logos or serial numbers. Naturally, the previous owner may have had it engraved personally. A very small number of Rolex watches have the words “Rolex” and “COMEX” engraved on the bottom. These are incredibly rare, however, and will probably cost you more than a brand new Rolex model from the store. There are a few other exceptions, but they are few and far between.
- Look at the bezel. It should match the model and the color of the dial.
- The finish will be top quality. There shouldn’t be any sharp edge (other than the lug ends), and the mirror polish on the side should be flawless.
- You should find numbers between the lugs of the watch. Next to the 6 o’clock point on the watch, you should be able to find the serial number. The reference number is next to the 12 o’clock point. You should see the words “ORIGINAL ROLEX DESIGN” here, followed by a number of four or five digits. You can cross reference this number with the model, which can be done online. Do also check the quality of the engraving. If it looks of poor quality, do not purchase it. On newer watches (2005 and newer), the serial number is engraved inside the cage edge, at the 6 o’clock point. A watch is definitely a fake if it does not contain these numbers.
- Do not judge authenticity by the bracelet of the Rolex. One thing that Rolex is not very good at is making bracelets and people often replace these. What matters is that any replacement is of high quality and of the same material as the original strap. However, the owner should be honest about the fact that it is not the original one.
- Any of Rolex’ gold watches have “Montre Rolex S.A.” on them. This is engraved in the inner workings of the watch itself. Unfortunately, there are a number of high quality gold fakes around, and being made of gold, they are often very expensive. It is even more important, therefore, that you find out whether the item is genuine or not.
Rolex has always worked very hard at making sure it is difficult to make true to life replicas of their watches and they have been reasonably successful in this. What counterfeiters hope, however, is that you do not know what to look for and hence believe their models to be the real deal. Make sure you check properly, therefore.
