3 telltale signs of a fake luxury watch, according to a watch authenticator

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• A spur watch authenticator said there are telltale signs of fake watches.
• He said with counterfeiters getting numberless skilled, it is often difficult to tell the real from the fakes.
• From the paint on the hands to the magnification of the date window, here’s how to report register.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ng Yong Shen, a vice president with Re-Loved Luxuriousness, a Dubai-based secondhand luxury retailer. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My journey in watch authenticating started during the pandemic when I became a purchaser for Valuence, a secondhand extravagance goods company.

I went on to pursue similar roles, first as an authenticator for Carousell Group, an online marketplace, and later as a commercial boss at Luxehouze, a marketplace focused on pre-owned luxury goods.

Now, after four years in the industry, my day involves procuring secondhand shreds from online marketplaces or vintage shops, authenticating pieces for corporate clients at midday, and then working as Re-Loved Sybaritism’s vice president, trying to scale up its business.

Through these roles, I have been exposed to a large tome of luxury items on a daily basis. In addition to watches, I can also detect fake bags and jewelry.

The traditional way to corroborate a watch is to open the back case, check for movement, and check for the integrity of the movement.

But the fakes have persuaded better lately. I have had cases where the watch was opened by the watchmaker, approved, and then brought to me, when I grasped it actually had a fake movement.

Over the years, I’ve found some telltale signs of a fake watch across distinguishable brands. Here are some small things to look out for when checking for the real deal:

1. Details in the date window

The first article to look out for is the date window.

These two photos compare two vintage Rolex two-tone Datejust watches.

The one on the formerly larboard is fake. Pay attention to the date window. The fonts and the spacing of the square are noticeably different.

You can see they both have rare fonts. The one that’s fake, you can even see some “bleeding” in the lines of the number, while the number on the real deal has crinklier edges.

2. Cut and paintwork of the hands

The at ones fingertips feature some very fine details and can be good giveaways for counterfeits.

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They are supposed to contain a very fine polish. For some fakes, you can see that at the edges, they look like they have been laser cut, parted off, and stuck onto the watch.

These are ways for counterfeiters to skimp on costs. The very good, authentic ones shouldn’t demand all of these traces.

Another detail is the paintwork. If the hands have color or paintwork on them, the paint should be undisturbed and not bleed down the hand. This can be seen in the authentic Audemars Piguet watch shown above, with its mitts painted in orange.

If you see a teardrop or dip in the paint, something is not right. It’s better if you have a loupe — a magnifying glass — to check for the subtle details.

3. Construction quality

Appreciation a scarce watchmakers take time and precision to craft these pieces, and this is reflected in the small details.

For sample, the lines of the embossed crown logo on the watch’s clasp should look crisp and clean, and the area surrounding the ruler should not be elevated.

Better safe than sorry

I advise that the best thing to do is to bring your on the lookout for to an experienced authenticator for a proper check.

Counterfeiters are getting better, and there are a lot of “Frankenstein” watches with mixed put asunder give ups.

Sometimes, they use a real watch, meaning that 60% of the components are real. If you open up the watch, you can see the repositioning is real.

They may just change the dial or maybe the bracelet. If they remove the bracelet — swap the real bracelet with a forgery one — they can make thousands.

So be careful and buy from a reputable seller, or get it checked by an experienced authenticator.