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Old 21 November 2018, 06:45 AM   #1
uracowman
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Fake vs Real 1675 Case

All,

Not sure if this question has been asked before but I can't find a good source. Does anyone have a guide or things to look out for when spotting a fake 1675 vs genuine 1675 case?

Some of the replica ones out there are really good, and I am a bit spooked.
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Old 21 November 2018, 06:47 AM   #2
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Fake cases are actually out there?
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Old 21 November 2018, 06:50 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by Wahlberg View Post
Fake cases are actually out there?
Yes and as the poster above mentioned some are very good. I know I am not educated enough to spot one.

This is why you have to take the approach of buying the seller more than anything. It's one thing that has always deterred me from the vintage game. Not only do I have to trust the seller in that case but I have to trust that he or she is educated enough to spot one too.
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Old 21 November 2018, 07:24 AM   #4
uracowman
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Fake cases are actually out there?
Yes and some are really good
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Old 21 November 2018, 08:42 AM   #5
MorningTundra
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It comes down to the engraving of the SN and Ref #... font, dept, position. It can quickly get subjective. Otherwise, steel, dimensions, finish are identical to OEM.
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Old 21 November 2018, 08:52 AM   #6
uracowman
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It comes down to the engraving of the SN and Ref #... font, dept, position. It can quickly get subjective. Otherwise, steel, dimensions, finish are identical to OEM.
That's what I have gathered as well. It's shocking how accurate these replica cases are.
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Old 21 November 2018, 09:14 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by derekhayden View Post
Yes and as the poster above mentioned some are very good. I know I am not educated enough to spot one.

This is why you have to take the approach of buying the seller more than anything. It's one thing that has always deterred me from the vintage game. Not only do I have to trust the seller in that case but I have to trust that he or she is educated enough to spot one too.
Many vintage dealers have little to no training in the art of counterfeit detection so "buying the seller" is not a guarantee that everything is correct or genuine.

There are certain areas of the watch to look at when trying to determine whether a watch and/or parts are genuine, but that is a subject that won't get much air time on a public forum. Submariners and Daytonas seem to be the predominant models for the full counterfeit treatment - not so much for the GMT models.
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Old 21 November 2018, 09:34 AM   #8
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General shape most often oversized lugs and crown guards. Easiest and best way to spot fake cases is to conpare the engravings. Very rarely they get the font and engraving right.
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Old 21 November 2018, 09:57 AM   #9
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Time Stamp 1:42 for GMT Supercases...

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Lots of fake ROLEX here ~

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Old 21 November 2018, 10:46 AM   #10
MorningTundra
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Fake vs Real 1675 Case

Quote:
Originally Posted by uracowman View Post
That's what I have gathered as well. It's shocking how accurate these replica cases are.

Mid cases are really tricky.

Engraving styles vary by ref and period. Transitionals muddy the water further.

It really seems to come down to how many authentic ones you’ve handled and whether you really know the reference you’re handling.

At some point you gotta ask, if it’s really indistinguishable and impossible to prove, does it really matter any more?



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Old 21 November 2018, 03:51 PM   #11
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Most of the fakes I saw where Tudor Submariner Snowflakes. Anyway, the moment I see a vintage Tudor or Rolex with very clean dials, cases that has no dings/scratches and surface corrosion in between lugs, bottom case and inner case backs, I would ran away immediately.
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Old 21 November 2018, 06:53 PM   #12
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Most of the fakes I saw where Tudor Submariner Snowflakes. Anyway, the moment I see a vintage Tudor or Rolex with very clean dials, cases that has no dings/scratches and surface corrosion in between lugs, bottom case and inner case backs, I would ran away immediately.
I wonder what percentage of people are unknowingly wearing fake vintage rolex.

I can’t help thinking when I see these folk with tables full of vintage rolex on instagram... are any of them original.

After that uk auction house knowingly selling a fake vintage sub this year who can you trust!
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Old 21 November 2018, 11:34 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by springer View Post
Many vintage dealers have little to no training in the art of counterfeit detection so "buying the seller" is not a guarantee that everything is correct or genuine.

There are certain areas of the watch to look at when trying to determine whether a watch and/or parts are genuine, but that is a subject that won't get much air time on a public forum. Submariners and Daytonas seem to be the predominant models for the full counterfeit treatment - not so much for the GMT models.

^^^^



Quote:
Originally Posted by Erpin View Post
Most of the fakes I saw where Tudor Submariner Snowflakes. Anyway, the moment I see a vintage Tudor or Rolex with very clean dials, cases that has no dings/scratches and surface corrosion in between lugs, bottom case and inner case backs, I would ran away immediately.

There are a lot of them out there that are fakes, and they are getting better. Bad guys can make kaching. But the tells are still there.
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Old 21 November 2018, 11:50 PM   #14
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No matter how skilled the bad guys are, there will always be the legends around here exposing them and bring justice to the passion!
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Old 22 November 2018, 01:09 AM   #15
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It's sad and sick.
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Old 23 November 2018, 09:57 AM   #16
Erpin
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Sometimes its also greed that buyers get lured in. A friend of mine last year came to my house and happily announced that he made a great deal on a Tudor 7928. He proceeded to show me the watch and said that the owner was an old man who got the watch as a parting gift from his rich Arab boss.

I asked him how much he paid and he said $3k. I told him that the price was way below market and he would have done well IF the watch was real. He gave me a sarcastic look and asked why would I say his watch was a fake. I went to my room and got my 7928 and I told him to compare both watches. After several minutes, he stood up and left without a word.

A few days later he called and was mad at himself for getting duped. Apparently, he saw the watch advertised for sale in one of our local "buy & sell" websites. He sent a message and they agreed to meet in a mall. The old man gave him that story of working in the Middle East for a local businessman who gave him that watch as a parting gift when his contract expired. The old man proceeded to tell him that he does not know much about the watch and asked for an offer. My friend blurted $3k and immediately the old man shook his hand. He was caught off guard by the sellers reaction that he decided to fork out the payment immediately without verifying the authenticity of the watch. End of story.
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Old 23 November 2018, 01:52 PM   #17
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great watch!
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Old 24 November 2018, 08:47 PM   #18
snowflake
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One way of knowing the fake case is to see any etch pits; fake cases are pit free. I remember my dad used to ware his 1603 when swimming in the sea and many people in that era did the same with their oyster models. So most of the vintage oyster cases must develop etch pits typically between the case and case back where salt water may be trapped, causing etch pits.

I have 1675 and 1603 form the 60s and 5513 from 80s. All of them show many etch pits underneath the o-ring. Such pits cannot be replicated new and I don't think fake makers are that obsessed.

The only problem is that this approach does not work if the original owners were gentle enough not to swim with their watches...
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Old 25 November 2018, 11:21 AM   #19
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I would post pics here, lots of experience between the members here. Depending on the age, the area between the lugs should be a tell. If it looks to new and it’s a 60’s or 70’s watch without any marks from the end-links I would be worried.

The more determined people are with better resources and access to info on how to fake, the more people will use it to scam people.

Buy from trusted sellers who have return policies because you never know.


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