The vast majority of fake luxury watches in this world are cheap and easy to spot, but others have been cleverly designed. As technology advances with counterfeiting techniques, it is important for buyers looking at genuine timepieces that they understand what sets them apart from their counterparts on the market today.
The joy of owning a luxury timepiece is unparalleled, but it can be difficult to tell if you're getting the real deal. A collector knows what makes up true collectables; no misspelt logo or tell-tale signs until carefully inspected under magnification. Luckily for watch enthusiasts and collectors alike, there are some easy ways to spot replicas so that they don't end up wasting their time and money on knock offs.
Weight & Finishing
The producers of replica watches usually use cheaper materials, which inevitably weighs less than the real deal. Hold up your favourite timepiece and be aware that not only the watches are lightweight but also either a screw or connection in an imitation will have rougher edges unlike luxury pre-owned watches featuring hand-finishing done by skilled artisans who take their work very seriously.
Hands Movement
A luxury watch is a beautiful and intricate piece of craftsmanship. The internal mechanics within pre-owned luxury watches can be expensive to manufacture, so replicas often cannot imitate them correctly enough for quality assurance purposes. Fakes have been known in some cases where they rely on battery-driven components rather than working with an authentic movement like most high-end pre-owned timepieces would do naturally through their built-in quartz system; however, this leads many replica brands down paths such as ticking hands or other strange anomalies which are easily noticeable from moment one if you know what you’re looking at!
Typefaces
When it comes to telling the difference between a fake and an authentic pre-owned luxury watch, one of the best ways is by examining their font. Most luxury watch brands have proprietary fonts that they exclusively use on all watches so if you're familiar with each respective company's typeface then chances are good that you’ll be able to spot a fake pre-owned luxury watch easily if you examine the faces carefully. You could look for the following tell-tale signs:
- Crooked text
- Incorrect logos
- Spelling errors
- Sloppy fonts
- The unequal spacing between letters
Engravings
When it comes to luxury watches, the Serial Number is one of the most important clues. Model and serial numbers are etched with very fine lines in genuine pre-owned timepieces that have solid sandy impressions – but what about replicas? Most fake ones will share a similar numbering pattern as many other fakes due to being so costly and laborious (engraving each number) for counterfeiters. You could start your online search and if you find multiple listings for watches with the same serial number, then they're definitely replicas.
Date Windows
One way to tell an authentic pre-owned luxury watch and its replica counterpart apart is by looking at the date window on each one; with glass coverings for replicas, these small pieces of crystal will often get scratched or hazy over time while sapphire crystals in genuine watches remain pristine quality. This crystal is usually shaped in a way that magnifies the tiny numbers representing the date, making them easier to read. The glass-covered window doesn’t have magnification properties so it will be smaller and more difficult to view for people who are looking at their luxury watches.
The “Frankenwatches”
Some replica pre-owned watches are cobbled together from various luxury watch parts giving them the name “Frankenwatches” which can be difficult to detect. For instance – the face of the watch may have genuine Rolex movements but mechanics are made by different manufacturers and suppliers which makes them more unbelievable as an authentic luxury pre-owned watch.
Whether or not fakes are a good alternative to the real thing, most people would agree that they're an extremely poor substitute. The bottom line is you'll never get as much quality with your money and time invested in comparison to buying the original luxury watches.
But, what about if you want to sell your pre-owned luxury watch just because either you don’t want to wear it on your wrist anymore or you are in dire need of money, where would you look?
All you need is a trustworthy person or an online platform to do so.
Pre-owned Time (who happen to love watches as much as you!) is one such team of talented experts and technicians who thrive on assisting our customers with the most convenient and accurate quote possible. We know how much time these pieces actually take and aims to maintain all aspects including authenticity while buying from YOU.