Fake or Real Rolex?

[sentarius101]

Hello all,

I don't want to be "that guy" but I need some help. My grandfather passed away several years ago, and going through his stuff I found a watch that says it's Rolex brand. My dad says it's fake, and I believed him. But I started to wear it, and examined it for a while, and I'm having doubts. Obviously, if it was real, I wouldn't want it to go to waste considering how valuable they are. I haven't jumped in without doing research, however. I looked at several guides for spotting "fake" Rolex's, and it seems to have none of the obvious fake spots. It's apparent model is a 1999 Submariner Date Blue, with a two tone steel(?) and gold bracelet as well as a blue bezel and gold face. It looks exactly like this one: ht tps ://www . bobswatches . com /rolex-submariner-16613-champagne-serti-dial-with-blue-bezel . html (sorry, not enough posts to post proper links. Remove the spaces between in the address. Admin please no remove :P).

I looked at the watch's second hand first off, and it seems to be a clean sweep. I listened to the ticking, and I couldn't hear anything unless the watch actually touched my ear. I looked at the face, and everything seems to be fine except for one small part, the 1000ft print is a bit close, and the ft form a sort of h shape. It has a real cyclops on the crystal, protruding outwards and magnifying the date. I checked the crystal, and I could see the laser-etched crown at the 6 o'clock position but it wasn't easily visible, it's very small and I needed to catch the light right to see it. One of the sites I went on said if you pull the crown out and rewound the clock, the date would change at the 6 o'clock position instead of the 12 o'clock position, and it does that too. The bracelet looks okay as well, with some wear and tear. The clasp works fine and works like the Rolex clasps I've seen, and it has Rolex stamps on it as well as the crown on the main part of the clasp. The back of the watch is clean metal, and has no markings. As well, it had a green holographic Rolex sticker on it too, but I removed it and in the process it got destroyed. The serial numbers look engraved well and don't look 2D. I removed the bracelet and had a look at the serial number as well, but I didn't have the correct tools and damaged the spring-screw-thingy's holding it in place. The serial number looks engraved as well, and said 16613. The crystal looks clear, maybe acrylic crystal, but when viewed at an angle (almost directly side-on) appears milky (but still a a bit clear). The crown also has a rubber seal on the edge of it and screws in. I'm pretty sure it's automatic/kinetic as when I picked it up and started moving it it started working again. I haven't tested it's waterproofing, because if it is fake I don't want to damage a perfectly good watch.

Now for the problems. As stated, the ft are merged to form a weird h shape. The bezel is a bit hard to move, and the crown is also a bit hard to turn. This could be because it's quite old and my grandfather didn't take good care of it, as well they lived in Saudi Arabia so that may have damaged it too. The metal looks smooth, but in some positions (mainly along the bracelet) it looks brushed (not smooth). The crystal has a tiny scratch on the edge of it, and the edges of the crystal are a bit rough. The second hand sweep may not actually be smooth, and I have no real Rolex (from that time) to compare it to. I also have no papers or evidence if it's real or not to refer to, and if it does turn out real this'll make it difficult to prove or even send in to Rolex to get repaired or something. The pearl on the bezel at the top of the watch came off, and had some glue residue on it. I glued it back on as a temporary fix. In some places the gold seems to have worn off.

I'll provide pictures and videos (such as of the sweep and the clasp), but these will be hosted on Imgur as I don't know how to use the site and I'm on mobile :P

Thank you all, I hope I didn't waste your time and hopefully you can help me :D

Pictures and video (album): ht tp:// imgur . com /a/ 4qIw5De (again, remove spaces in the address)

As well, if I don't get a conclusive/definite yes/no, could someone recommend where I might get someone to look at my watch? Watch shops near me don't deal in watches anywhere close to a Rolex and may not have the skills to determine whether it is or isn't real. Thanks again!

[NKflyer]

Your dad is correct. It's fake. Grandfathers' watches are almost always fake, it seems lol!

[Tools]

Rolex gold is gold, it doesn't "wear off".

[sentarius101]

Originally Posted by Tools

Rolex gold is gold, it doesn't "wear off".

True, but I have had the gold on my second-hand Seiko watch rub down from use. Regardless, it does seem I have a very good fake on my hands. I'll keep wearing it because it has all the functionality of a real Rolex and, really, who would be able to tell the difference between a fake and real Rolex without actually holding it? I don't plan on giving it to anyone to inspect any time soon :P. Thank you, have a good day! Hope I get my ideal job, so I can afford a real one!

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by sentarius101

...it does seem I have a very good fake....

There is no such thing as a good fake.

I understand your attachment to the watch because it belonged to your grandfather, but the best thing to do is to keep it in a drawer.

[J_1964]

Not Even Close... Almost too many differences too count between this and the "Bobs Watches" example. Yeah, Fake.