Nowadays, with the craze of luxury watches, most well-known brands have been copied. While some copies are still easily identifiable, others are increasingly misleading, and counterfeiters are quick to reinforce the illusion. “Even five years ago, it was easy for the trained eye to tell a replica watches from a genuine one. Today, you almost have to open the watch to find an ETA or Valjoux movement in place of the original movement to spot a fake. ." The author pointed out. There are five levels of assessment.
Still, changing the status quo is always possible. Fabrice Guéroux pointed out: "The reason is simple, and it is economic. If a manufacturer wants to make a 100% identical watch, it first needs to spend a lot of time and a lot of money to make the tools to achieve this goal, and the watch's The cost is at least around 75% of its original price. Real value. He then keeps all distribution investments, with a final profit of 0 euros. » Just to remind you, the authenticity of the movement is easy to verify - all you have to do is open the case and any It is obvious to anyone with minimal knowledge - the author looks at everything that can visually distinguish a movement. A real watch from a fake one. A Rolex Submariner Date (Ref. 16610) is used as an example, examined in detail.
More than twenty comparison points are discussed and illustrated. What follows is the development of a special case for collectible watches, which are strongly discouraged from being purchased by mail order. This warning is based on the fact that these watches are modified over time and you must be able to identify any spare parts. While the guide mainly deals with Rolex watches, the most copied brand in the world, the guide expands its scope to include Cartier and Panerai as well as A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Bulgari, Chopard, Corum, IWC or Vacheron Constantin. It presents various models on double pages in the form of a comparison table. While not exhaustive, it is a valuable tool for fine watch enthusiasts keen to avoid contributing to the fraudulent market.
Class covers models powered by Swiss movements, which are not in any case Swiss Made, nor are they 100% faithful to the originals. They even wear the correct serial number on the box and are issued a certificate of authenticity. Identifying them in photos becomes difficult and one must be extremely vigilant about proposals on the web. We can still differentiate between "home-made" watches, improved first-class watches, and exceptional fakes for collector's items now on the market.