Help. have i bought a duff watch?

[Fagin]

Thank you

[BH13GMT]

Nice one mate, glad you can NOW enjoy the watch, a thread like this is always good for boosting your post count have a nice Rolex NYE

[Fagin]

Not much good for your nerves though, cheers

[Fagin]

I have noticed that most of the time people cover over the serial numbers on their pictures etc, Is it a problem having my serial number on public view???

[honeybear]

Originally Posted by BH13GMT

Question for the OP

Can u change the time with the hour hand jumping per hour leaving the minute hand stationary? I dont think fakes can do this.

The watch the OP posted has the correct hand stack, with the GMT hand above the hour hand, so it should be able to quickset the 12 hour hand. The way to distinguish a fake from a genuine watch in this instance is to see if the date changes when the 12 hour hand is moved in quickset mode at the correct time.

Edit: I see the movement is verified, all is well.

[honeybear]

Originally Posted by kilyung

He bought it used from a private seller off eBay. Wouldn't you if you had? He'll get it checked out and all will be fine.

If I bought it from a private seller where we did a face to face transaction, I would ask it to be at a local watchmaker, who could take the caseback off to verify the movement, before parting with my money.

[BOA]

Originally Posted by Fagin

I have noticed that most of the time people cover over the serial numbers on their pictures etc, Is it a problem having my serial number on public view???

Generally not considered a good idea to share the full serial number, but you're not the first to do it, and I haven't yet read where someone discovered their serial number had been used in an illegal way. Not yet anyway.

Glad this all came to a good conclusion, or I would rather think a happy beginning of your enjoying your Rolex as the New Year begins.

[Fagin]

Thanks BOA

[Fagin]

Just like to say a big thank you to everyone who has watched this thread, or contributed towards it.

Whether you initially thought I was here with bad intentions or the watch was fake or the watch was real or I was a scammer or hiding something etc, etc ,etc , I don’t really care to be honest. What matters is we are all here for the same reason, to enjoy our authentic watches and share our interest, and if this thread makes a buyer more cautious when they are buying a luxury watch then this forum has done its job of making it harder for the scammers and con merchants out there, and that sits just fine by me, I would like to make a donation to the site if possible but got no idea how to go about it ?

So thank you all for your time and Happy New Year to everyone,

regards Fagin.

[GradyPhilpott]

Soon you will see a sticky on the General Discussion board about 2013 Pledge members.

You can become a pledge member at that time.

https://www.rolexforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2

[Fagin]

Thanks grady, will keep an eye out

[joseluu]

Originally Posted by MonBK

I think Fagin made a spelling mistake when he registered.

There should have been a K in the middle instead of the G.

What is your point?

[legend9999]

Originally Posted by joseluu

What is your point?

x2

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by joseluu

What is your point?

Originally Posted by legend9999

x2

If one has to explain a joke you probably still wouldn't get it.

[joseluu]

Originally Posted by MonBK

If one has to explain a joke you probably still wouldn't get it.

You only seem to like your own jokes, but this one goes a little too far, doesn´t it?

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by joseluu

You only seem to like your own jokes, but this one goes a little too far, doesn´t it?

Agree, I love my own jokes but as far as this one goes notice when it was posted in this conversation and perhaps it will make more sense to you (probably not).

[AK797]

Your watch is OK, main tells on the best fakes are incorrect hand stack and thin bezel numbers, so this looks fine.

[Fagin]

Hi aksing, I have had it checked and all is fine. Its back on my wrist now and enjoying it

[AK797]

Enjoy it, Nick, its my next watch so Im studying the fakes of it to make sure I buy safe.

[BH13GMT]

Originally Posted by Fagin

Hi aksing, I have had it checked and all is fine. Its back on my wrist now and enjoying it

Right lets close this thread and moving forward lets see this famous GMT in the WRUW threads

Nothing to see here, please move along in an orderly fashion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NNOrp_83RU

[Bangel]

I've followed your thread(s) closely and I'm so pleased it all worked out in the end. Congratulations on your watch.

It's interesting how the situation evolved. Imagine all the angst you could have saved yourself if you didn't include a photo in your first post in the General Discussion section. As you mentioned, at least it has been an educational experience for all of us!

[1340jas]

I have just completed reading this thread and found it very interesting. I am so glad it turned out well for you. I hope you have very many happy years wearing the GMTii it looks realy nice.

[Fagin]

BH13GMT,

asking, good luck with the search

Bangel, tell me about it, ieven thought it worked out for me, i have learnt a lot more in a few days on here than six months of reading books etc

1340jas, thanks mate.

[jolimont]

Originally Posted by Fagin

What matters is we are all here for the same reason, to enjoy our authentic watches and share our interest, and if this thread makes a buyer more cautious when they are buying a luxury watch then this forum has done its job of making it harder for the scammers and con merchants out there, and that sits just fine by me
.

great post

[PcarSBA]

I followed this thread with interest and wanted to make a couple of points for what its worth:

I agree the LEC is one of the best give-aways. If authentic you will see individual pixels. They look like triangular little craters on the inside of the crystal. I counted the number of pixels that make up one of the round tops of the crown. It's the same number every time. Typically, you need a strong light source or better yet a stereo microscope. On fakes the LEC is usually a continuous line and easier to make out. I guess it is not made with a laser. Once your blurr a photo a real LEC quickly can appear as the fakes because you don't resolve the individual pixels properly. I guess that's what set you up here.

But even with a real crystal and LEC you could still have a fake case with a cheap crappy movement. So the LEC is only part of the story.

Second, I agree that once you ask the magic question here things can go from helpful to witch-hunt within seconds and back. Not sure why that is but this happens all the time here. The justification is usually that the collective group is concerned about "trolls" wanting to verify their latest fake creations and bounce them off here. I disagree and here is why: If someone really spends the money to fabricate a super-fake he will be making/ordering thousands of watches. So this is a big-money operation where production usually happens in China. To set up tooling and all there is big upfront money (NRE) involved. I bet in that budget there for sure will be money to buy the real thing as golden sample. And, they will have access to a good stereo microscope, and know exactly where the final creation lacks compared to the real deal.

So honestly by the end of the day these guys probably don't need a forum like this to vet their quality. Wouldn't you agree.

Out of pure interest I did strike up some interesting conversations with some of the fake dealers during my last Malaysia trip. It was fun when these guys looked at my real SS Daytona and commented on it being a great fake of stunning quality. I was able to closely inspect all their different grades of fake SS subs and the better ones are pretty scary. Mind you these where not even the ones with ETA movements which are another notch up from what I saw. These had chinese movements with painted gears to make them look like a real movement. You will find ceramic bezels, current glide lock clasps and well-made crystals that'll fool a lot of people out there.

Bottom line, be careful and buy the seller. If in doubt, have a working exit strategy (money back from CC, etc.) or walk away. And if you don't have a good frame of reference (know the watch, had a real one in your hands before) and can't personally inspect it it's even more important to know exactly what you are getting into.

Happy New Year and glad this case worked out!

[Fagin]

It sounds like some of the fakes out there are getting very good, even more of a reason to be careful. With hindsight I know I could have come unstuck with mine just as easily. It would be a good idea for any genuine buyer not experienced in the brand to spend a few hours looking through this section and understand the very small differences that show up a fake watch against a real one. Bottom line get it checked BEFORE you buy it.

It is unbelievable how many fake watches that show up on here via eBay and others and its great that members on here give up their time and share their knowledge to help others from falling into the fake trap. They must have saved the unsuspecting public and fellow members hundreds of thousands £/$ by having adverts removed when a watch is fake without them even realising how close they came to losing their hard earned money. And of course not always a thank you in return.

What a great forum and a great bunch of blokes.

[AK797]

Just so you know on the latest super fakes the LEC is perfect so dont rely on that. And yes the latest super fakes are so good they can make near perfect fakes of brands much more distinguished than Rolex so always always be very aware when not buying from trusted sellers, in fact just dont do it!

[drainaps]

Very interesting and educational thread. It is true that things get a bit inquisitive sometimes, and that some (including me) are a bit trigger-happy with their (our) statements.

Re hand stacking of the IIC, the latest clones do get the hand stacking right (Hour /24H, Minutes, Seconds) and get the turning of the hands /crown right as well (crown clockwise -> minute hand clockwise). To me, these do not disqualify anything anymore.

I concede the laser-etching is often times crude in replicas, but I would never base my judgement on that only. I'm sure real crystals can be sourced in places like HK. They would probably have an etched S in the coronet, qualifying them as Service spares, but I'm sure you can be told a nice story about it by the seller.

Work on bracelets and clasps has also improved a lot.

I'm Asia based, and I take this as an opportunity to study fakes meticulously, going over them with my loupe in local markets.

IMHO, an usual giveaway in high-end replicas of contemporary models is the printing quality of the dials, and the white gold finishing of the hour markers. Which again scares me because we could clearly see in the OP's pictures that the sides of the 12 o'clock marker were far from perfectly finished, and his watch is legit.

To be frank, it's becoming nightmarish.

[Fagin]

Just for the record, the hour markers are perfectly finished, I just can't use a camera !

33.jpg

34.jpg

[Gulfstream]

What a great thread! Thanks to the veterans with a keen eye for detail.

Fagin, congrats on your watch! Now you have quite a saga to tell about your time piece.