Is it possible: To be sold a "real" watch with fake movement/parts?

[kingaustin]

Hello there, in the past year I've purchased multiple stainless steel models, to name a few: a hulk, batman, pepsi all from grey dealers.

is there any chance at all that these could be legitimate as it appears on the outside but internally the movements swapped? I bought these all blindly and I have no reason to think they are otherwise legitimate, however I just have a thought in the back of my head that I have spent close to $50k in watches and it would supremely suck if any of these carried any type of fake parts, unknown to my untrained eye. Whether intentional ( though i doubt the resellers I have purchased from would risk their reputation) or perhaps the grey dealer did not know when taking these watches in they could possibly carry fake parts internal or external.

I purchased from the following resellers: sdwatches, ocwatchguy, and bobs watches. I know all these guys carry STELLAR reputations, however, I can't help but imagine there might be one or two 'tainted' watches, that would slip through the cracks, and I know i'm just being paranoid. Has there any been any cases in the past that perhaps any of the above or any other resellers that have had any sort of issues?

What is stopping the shady dealers from swapping out a part here and there and offloading them as 100% authentic?

i realized these watches they i purchased are technically 'grey', do they still carry the warranty if within the year period?

[kingaustin]

[77T]

You should have had each one opened up and validated when you purchased them. Small price to pay your local AD or certified watchmaker for such a check.

Those questions you asked can’t be answered without seeing inside...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[kingaustin]

Originally Posted by 77T

You should have had each one opened up and validated when you purchased them. Small price to pay your local AD or certified watchmaker for such a check.

Those questions you asked can’t be answered without seeing inside...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

These were purchased online. Unfortunately no local ad close by will open the case, they aren’t an official service center.

[Hub6152]

If you have the official Rolex warranty card that is still in date then the watch carries the warranty not the owner. Very very very unlikely a grey dealer is going to tamper with a watch when theres actually no point in doing so since grey dealers also have reputations to uphold just like any AD. The vintage market is another matter though.

[asiparks]

you are worrying about nothing.

is it possible that someone could bung in a fake move ? yes, anything is possible, but neither of the sellers you bought from are going to risk their business to make a few dollars on the side.

If you're in the business of selling fakes, far easier and more profitable to sell a whole fake watch on eBay or CL than piss around opening up watches, changing out dials and hands etc.



Vintage, as mentioned above, is a different story.....

[jrs146]

Originally Posted by asiparks

you are worrying about nothing.

is it possible that someone could bung in a fake move ? yes, anything is possible, but neither of the sellers you bought from are going to risk their business to make a few dollars on the side.

If you're in the business of selling fakes, far easier and more profitable to sell a whole fake watch on eBay or CL than piss around opening up watches, changing out dials and hands etc.



Vintage, as mentioned above, is a different story.....

Never day never. I have a friend who bought a submariner from someone that was a real case/dial/bracelet but had a fake movement. My friend sold it unknowingly to a trusted seller here on TRF who listed it for sale without knowing the movement was fake. In the end it was discovered and by another person and eventually made its way back to my fried. However there is a good chance that it could have gone unnoticed and ended up in another buyers hands. Always be careful and don’t expect that every gray dealer is checking every single part.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GLADIATOR]

Originally Posted by jrs146

Never day never. I have a friend who bought a submariner from someone that was a real case/dial/bracelet but had a fake movement.

Be MIGHTY careful, according to everyone on here, its just not possible - even though it is!

[Daryl]

dont worry and enjoy your watches:)

[crowncollection]

Movement pics needed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tyler1980]

a real watch with a fake movement would imply that a real watch was sourced. Then they pay even more money to modify it with a fake movement? seems like a lot of hassle when you have to get the real watch anyway. where is the money for the seller in that? cost&risk to their business vs benefit is not there.

Possible, but unlikely

If i was 100% confident in the watch on the outside, i would be confident that its real on the inside and especially so for these particular hot watches. When you get into vintage maybe i would pay more attention to the movement.

[GLADIATOR]

Originally Posted by crowncollection

Movement pics needed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Basically what he says

[kzm40]

On current models, seriously.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by kingaustin

Is it possible: To be sold a "real" watch with fake movement/parts?

Yes.

Does this also worry you about your car, phone, tv or pc?

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Yes.

Does this also worry you about your car, phone, tv or pc?

now im scared. what if the mechanic is in on it too? do i have a fake car with all the correct exterior bits

[crazymcmichael]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

now im scared. what if the mechanic is in on it too? do i have a fake car with all the correct exterior bits

Yerps i swapped your genuine land rover motor for a fiat-ducato one in the middle of the night when you where asleep and you still drive around in it while unsuspicious Now i did build the genuine LR motorblock on a carton box and did a few wheels on it too and drive around on it...

When I first came to town,
They called me the roving jewel;
Now they've changed their tune,
They call me Katy Cruel,

[007timer]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Yes.

Does this also worry you about your car, phone, tv or pc?

I have to disagree with you. There are fake Ferrari 250 GTO's out there. China has copied the iphone & TV's, and PC's are the easiest, Dell Shell with junk hardware.

The OP has to go get the watch opened up and checked out. There are movements out there that are stamped "rolex" but to the trained eye, its easily detected.

[GLADIATOR]

Originally Posted by 007timer

I have to disagree with you. There are fake Ferrari 250 GTO's out there. China has copied the iphone & TV's, and PC's are the easiest, Dell Shell with junk hardware.

The OP has to go get the watch opened up and checked out. There are movements out there that are stamped "rolex" but to the trained eye, its easily detected.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by 007timer

I have to disagree with you. There are fake Ferrari 250 GTO's out there. China has copied the iphone & TV's, and PC's are the easiest, Dell Shell with junk hardware.

The OP has to go get the watch opened up and checked out. There are movements out there that are stamped "rolex" but to the trained eye, its easily detected.

Not sure what you disagree with

I answered the OP's question with a yes.

Then I asked if he was worried about fake parts in other things, because it happens.

Bottom line is who you buy from as everyone here knows.

[crazymcmichael]

besides the fact that you might be better off with the fiat motor

[tigey]

I have seen plently of watches at "reputable" jewelers with aftermarket parts. I recently saw a submariner with a aftermarket Pepsi bezel, and aftermarket crystal. They wee asking $7K. When I pointed it out, and the sales guy was offended and said it was 100% authentic each watch checked by their in house watchsmith. It was sold the next time I checked.

[Vamp]

Originally Posted by tigey

I have seen plently of watches at "reputable" jewelers with aftermarket parts. I recently saw a submariner with a aftermarket Pepsi bezel, and aftermarket crystal. They wee asking $7K. When I pointed it out, and the sales guy was offended and said it was 100% authentic each watch checked by their in house watchsmith. It was sold the next time I checked.

Pretty wacky put together man, but its not really what the OP is talking about. Seems like he knows a thing or to about watches and would like you be able to tell if someone did what that jeweler did. He's talking about the stuff that cant be seen. Which like other posters have said could happen but chances are its way to much of a hassle and more than likely would not happen.

[bobby81]

In answer to your first, yes there are some Watch dealers that sell Watches that are not 100% authentic. These Watches Dealers sometimes use non Rolex parts in place of genuine parts that for one reason or another have ceased to work. I have even heard it said that some Rolexes have been made up of several broken Watches’s to create one working watch, these watches are referred to as Franklin Watches for obvious reasons. If purchased from a reputable Grey Dealer you really would have no cause to worry because these reputable dealers check out their stock in great detail to make sure that there was no non Rolex part that replaced the original part or if there was a part replaced it was with a genuine part. Now regarding the Warranty if there is some of the original warranty left, say the warranty is for five years & the Watch is three years old you still have two years of the Manufacturers warranty left & as has been pointed out here so many times the warranty follows the Watch not the person providing the warranty card was filled in fully with the AD’s stamp, signed, dated & swiped at point of sale to activate the warranty. So now were back to the components of the watch, a part that is not a genuine part, or the watch has in any way been altered, by other than a qualified Rolex technician will invalidate the warranty. I have heard it said that even to alter the bracelet will invalidate the warranty. Though I am not sure if that is actually the case. But I have purchased a few Rolexes from one Grey Dealer & had no issues granted the Watches were brand new with there protective stickers on. But if you purchase from a trusted seller you will have nothing to worry about. Complete peace of mind

[tigey]

Oh you mean like a genuine watch that has the movement replaced with an ETA or something? I suppose its possible. But then why would anyone do that to a Rolex?

[GLADIATOR]

Originally Posted by tigey

Oh you mean like a genuine watch that has the movement replaced with an ETA or something? I suppose its possible. But then why would anyone do that to a Rolex?

To make a fast $3000

[007timer]

Originally Posted by GLADIATOR

To make a fast $3000

Exactly, it not more.

[ThatExplorer]

Well you can have a gen dial on an ETA movement but due to where the dial feet are on a Rolex dial they would have to be chopped off and “glued” dial dots to hold it to the movement.

The Gen Rolex hands will not fit in an ETA cannon, the sizing is different so that’s out of the question. They make ETA DWO that are very very close to Rolex DWO but they aren’t as clear, centered etc.

ETA movements can fit in a Gen case but the crown/ stem height is usually off by some and out great tension on the movement and can bind up and destroy it.

The Chinese movements (SH3135), SH4130 (with blue balance spring) you can swap some Gen parts in there but they take some filing down and removing a jewel in places. You can easily put a Gen auto wind bridge on these movement which I have seen personally for Sub $300.

Also have seen a very nice Fraken watch of a GMT II with a SH3135 movement that was modified with a slew of Gen parts to make it a GMT with CHS and function. Dude spent over 1k on the parts to modify the movement, 2k on dial, insert, bezel assembly, another 300 on crystal and gasket. $500 on the hands. Plus the cost of the Chinese watch which was $500 IIRC. So around 4300-5000 to have a fake watch with Gen parts, to each their own but at that price point you could buy a decent used Sub, Explorer, EXII, DJ etc... just seems silly to me.

Just some food for thought.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GLADIATOR]

Originally Posted by ThatExplorer

The Chinese movements (SH3135), SH4130 (with blue balance spring)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It does NOT have a "blue" Parachron Balance Spring anything like the Rolex "Parachron BLEU" spring.
Its just blue heated steel.
Shock protection is old fashioned modified KIF not new Paraflex.

to name just a few differences!

its nothing like a genuine ROLEX 3135 or 4130

[ThatExplorer]

Originally Posted by GLADIATOR

It does NOT have a "blue" Parachron Balance Spring anything like the Rolex "Parachron BLEU" spring.

Its just blue heated steel.

Shock protection is old fashioned modified KIF not new Paraflex.



to name just a few differences!



its nothing like a genuine ROLEX 3135 or 4130

Never said it was like the Rolex one just stated it’s blue in color just something to be aware of.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GLADIATOR]

Originally Posted by ThatExplorer

Never said it was like the Rolex one just stated it’s blue in color just something to be aware of.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes Blue steeled.
Also many other differences
Regards