In the second-hand luxury watch market, scams are unfortunately commonplace. Without the certificate of an expert watchmaker, there's always a chance that a watch is totally or partially fake. In this article, we'll take a look at the most common types of prestige watch scams.
Counterfeit watches
These are both the crudest and most common scams. In this case, the watch purchased is entirely fake and attempts to imitate a luxury watch model, the most counterfeited models being the less complex models of the best-known brands, such as the Rolex Datejust. Often, these counterfeits are not of very high quality, and the trained eye of a discerning buyer will no doubt be able to spot the distinctive signs of a counterfeit watch: fake magnifying glass on the date, lack of water-resistance, erratic hand movement, non-metallic components... However, some counterfeits can turn out to be of very good quality, the only really noticeable difference being in the movement inside the watch. These counterfeit watches will need to be examined by a watchmaker to detect any flaws. The best counterfeiters will even go so far as to replicate the watch's serial number, thus creating a "doublette". If you're familiar with this term from the automotive world, for watches it's the same principle: the counterfeiter takes an existing serial number from a real watch and affixes it to a replica of the same model, making verification and traceability of the watch much more difficult. This can be avoided with a certificate of authenticity.
Frankenstein watches.
Also known as "Frankenwatches", this term refers to watches composed of parts from different watch models in reference to the Frankenstein monster from Mary W. Shelley's novel. There are two types of Frankenwatches:
Watches that do not correspond to any particular model and are made up of different parts of watches. These are more of an artistic project than a counterfeit because any watch lover will recognize that the watch in question is a kind of patchwork that does not correspond to any official model. It can however be sold to an unsuspecting buyer, which is why it is always advisable to check the authenticity of the model of the watches you buy.
Watches that correspond to an existing model but whose components have been changed. This type of Frankenstein watch is much more pernicious because it allows to fraudulently sell "original" watches with some components that have been replaced. A Rolex GMT-Master reference 1675 would be dressed with a back cover of 16750 for example. This kind of small detail is much more difficult to spot by an uninitiated eye and often requires the expertise of a confirmed craftsman.
Please note that a watch restored with parts conforming to their original models is not considered as "Frankenwatches"! This brings us to:
Restored watches
Restored watches are not fake watches: they are authentic watches with components that have been replaced by new components that are identical in every respect. So why mention them in an article on scams in this case? Well because in some cases, a restored watch can be sold as an "original" model. The difference may seem benign for a recent watch model but for vintage watches and especially for rare limited-edition collections, it can make all the difference in terms of price, as original watches are much more expensive. In conclusion, if selling a restored watch is perfectly legal, selling a restored watch as an original watch is not and it can make a huge difference for a collector's watch. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to determine if a watch is simply in very good condition or if some of its parts have been changed, so it is important to be careful to always buy a collector's watch, especially for a vintage model, accompanied by a certificate attesting to its authenticity and traceability.
The "tribute" watches
The increasingly popular trend of "tribute" watches is to produce a watch that is very similar to a prestigious model without being a counterfeit. This practice, which is similar to a form of plagiarism, is perfectly legal and it is even possible to find very good quality "tribute" watch models that represent an interesting economic alternative to prestigious watch models. The problem with tribute watches becomes more apparent in the second hand market where some ill-intentioned sellers may sell a tribute watch as the model it is supposed to imitate. Of course, a discerning buyer will soon spot the deception upon inspection of the watch, which is why this practice is mostly done online where the buyer has less control over the product being sold. Here again, the presence of a certificate of authenticity helps to dispel any doubts about the watch being sold.
