Anyway to know if it is real?

[rolexfan21]

Okay My father has a 20 000$ President Day-date and he bought it off his brother. Yesterday my brother in law came over and we compared rolex's... My dad's rolex is probably an older model and doesnt have the crown hologram like my brother in law's. We can see the hologram on my brother in law's watch but not on my dads (with the naked eye). I know older rolex's dont have the hologram, so i was wondering If there was anyway for me to find out if my dad's watch is real or not without taking it to a watch dude... lol. My dad guarantees its authenticity since he got it from the only licensed retailer in indonesia. Also, it really does look real since it is really heavy and does not feel cheap. I got a digital camera but its hard to take a nice picture because the shine keeps flashing off it lol.

[Lol-x]

It can be difficult to positively 100% identify a Rolex from visual appearances if you are unable to show photographs. In that case, it would be recommended that you take it to a Rolex dealer or service centre. A good qualified watchmaker should be able to set you straight if they have some experience with Rolex watches. You could take off the bracelet to make some inspection for identification marks and numbers, but if you are not experienced in doing so, you risk scratching the watch case and may not be conclusive in any event. Further, it would be desirable to see the movement, and in that regard, taking your watch to a qualified watchmaker is what I would do, even though it may be inconvenient.
Cheers

[Alcan]

Nobody can tell if it's real by looking at a photo online, but since you're in Toronto these guys can tell you in about 10 minutes. They're just west of Yonge St:

ROLEX CANADA LIMITED
Rolex Building
50 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario
M4B 3V7
416 968-1100

[mike]

What they said!

[tonelar]

It's also helpful to know that even a run of the mill watch shop can be fooled by the better copies. A friend's father bought a $200 souvenir when he was in italy several years ago, it was shiny and heavy and bore the Rolex name. His sons mistook it for the real thing and even had it verified at the local mall jeweler. The guy at the store swore that it was real, they claimed. It stopped running after about 9 years, when one of the boys took it to the authorized service center where he was told "we won't work on this here."

So, even a jeweler can be mistaken.

[colemanitis]

Try taking your pics without a flash. Just make sure you're in a well lit room, or outside during the day.

It sounds like it's probably legit, but your can bring it to an AD to be sure.