How to Spot a Fake Watch

The 3-second tests

1. Date magnification. A Rolex cyclops magnifies 2.5x — fakes manage 1.5x at best.
2. Second-hand sweep. Most fakes use cheap quartz under a "sweep-style" hand that ticks 4-8x per second instead of true smooth sweep.
3. Caseback engraving. Look for crisp, deep stamping. Fakes show shallow, fuzzy edges.

Giveaways even good fakes miss

• Weight feels too light by 10–20%.
• Rehaut (inner bezel ring) engraving misaligned.
• Lume colour off — too yellow or too green.
• Crown logo not perfectly aligned at 3 o'clock.