How to Determine if a Watch Is a Real Rolex or a Fake

A non-Rolex watch can look like the real thing.

Rolex watches are considered luxury accessories and can most often be found at high-end department stores and jewelry stores. The Rolex Co. offers sports and dress watches for both men and women that vary in price from several hundred dollars to several thousand. As with many high-end brands, there are replicas available that are sold as Rolex brand watches but are in fact not authentic. Some distinctive markings on Rolex watches can help distinguish authentic items from those that are fake.

Things You'll Need

• Magnifying glass

Instructions

1. Take the Rolex watch to an authorized jeweler or watch repair store to verify the authenticity. Experts who are familiar with Rolex watches will be able to determine whether the watch is real or fake.

2. Remove the watch band. Look for an engraved number between the lugs (links) of the band. If there is no engraved number, usually around lug 12, it is fake. In addition, look for a serial number between the lugs at position 6. Non-authentic Rolex watches will not have a serial number.

3. Look at the metal on the watch. It should be solid quality, with no metal rubbing off at any point on the watch or between the lugs. In addition, Rolex watches are heavy due to the high quality of their metal content. Fake watches will feel noticeably lighter.

4. Look for a small, engraved Rolex symbol at 6 o'clock on the crystal, using a magnification device. While some fakes do have this symbol, they are crude and much larger. It will be difficult to see the Rolex crown on authentic Rolex watches with the naked eye. If you can see the crown on the watch easily, the watch is probably a fake.

5. Turn the watch over and look at the back. If the case back is clear and you can see the inside of the watch, it is not authentic. Rolex does not make any clear case backs on its watches. In addition, new Rolex watches will have a hologram sticker on the case back, with the Rolex crown positioned above the serial number. Hold the watch up at different angles. If the hologram does not change, it is probably not authentic.

6. Do not expect large discounts on Rolex watches. While some people can sell them for lower prices on websites such as eBay and some retailers will occasionally have a sale, if a price sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase a Rolex watch through an authorized Rolex retailer to be assured of its authenticity.

References

• Rolex.com: Watches
• Rolex Fakes: Fake or Bogus Rolex
• Quality Tyme: Rolex or Replica?