Fake Rolex, Justified ?

[sneijder]

Before you shoot me down, bear with me.

RemaL appeared on another thread asking about a Sinn UX, and I jokingly linked to the Bonhams auction recently that was hawking one of these :



A military issued Sub at around 30k IIRC.

Then someone on the 'Bell and Ross snide' thread mentioned a couple of hooky watch sites and I went looking and found they did a knock off of the above. Now I will happily wear a 'homage' if it's a sterile dial or a close to the knuckle Seiko similar styled piece or somesuch. I would never be such a shallow twonk that I'd flash a non kosher Rolex around.

However I'd love a knock off of this as it's such an iconic thing. I don't mix with people who know a sausage about watches, although I guess they would know a Rolex if they saw it. I would happily explain it's a fake as I could never afford the real thing. Or should I just get one and wear it in the house. I know what the real answer is, I can't afford the real thing so I shouldn't wing it, *sigh*

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Thanks for that link !

Just to be clear, it's the Broadsword one I'm prattling on about, Not the Mercedes hands.

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That's a good find, I was pretty sure the snide I found had the Seagull movement at a cheaper price, went to double check and the website's died a death. Apparently it moves around a bit but that's just too much messing around for my liking

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Motorrad said:

It's possible to buy an excellent fake of that particular piece and other historic Rolex watches. Far better than I've seen linked to on here BTW. Fakes with genuine, well regulated ETA movements, custom dials with better quality finishing, correct custom crown guards, proper O rings and 100M waterproofing for between $300 and $500 US.

The question is are you willing to support organised crime and steal someone else's intellectual property? If so you're no doubt the kind of person who will also purchase stolen goods and has a similar low level of morals throughout all your life.

I'm not which is why I concentrate on purchasing and enjoying genuine pieces.

Personally I think Pistonheads should forbid any discussion of counterfeit merchandise, these threads come up all too often for my liking.

Edited by Motorrad on Friday 20th November 21:40

I guess you didn't read the original post properly before you dove onto your keyboard, but thanks for the input. For someone who's keen not to finance Nazi counterfeiters you seem to know an awful lot about the subject.

This was my best bit :

'has a similar low level of morals throughout all your life'.

For what it's worth, as previously mentioned, the website (that was never linked to) hops around all over the place so I won't be bothering risking it.

[sneijder]

No worries, fake adverts tend to get pulled straight away on here and folk who proudly admit they wear a fake tend to get pounced on sharpish on here.

I have to say though, I thought the link to sales funding nasties was a bit of an urban myth from the powers that be, from your experience is that true ? I'm not asking for specifics but if the monies really do go 'up the tree' to some dodgy activities that puts a whole different slant on it.

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This is why I would want one, because James Bond had one (OK, so I now see his had the Mercedes hands)

I've never aspired to own a Rolex , I really don't think I fit into their demographic. If I did own a snide of the above I would never try to pass it off as the real thing, I would willingly explain what it was, as the proper thing is made of unobtainium.

What I wasn't asking was 'Oi, ladz were can I get a Fake Roleks so I look minted innit :P'

• I know James Bond wore Seiko digitals too, I'm hunting one down also.

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After mulling it over I've gone off the idea. I'd never wear the thing, I already have a diver on a NATO.

I'll just drop hints from now until I retire !

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Silver993tt said:

Motorrad said:

sneijder said:

I have to say though, I thought the link to sales funding nasties was a bit of an urban myth from the powers that be, from your experience is that true ? I'm not asking for specifics but if the monies really do go 'up the tree' to some dodgy activities that puts a whole different slant on it.

The factories are run by organised crime rings, it's the only way they can operate. We aren't talking about small time crooks here, it's a multi million dollar business.
As for the vendors I suppose it's analogous to if you believe small time street drug pushers are a detriment to society or not.

and the manufacturers of so called "original" watches aren't crooks when they charge $1000s for something that has a manufacturing cost of $10s? More the fools that support these companies.

But they do rack up costs with sponsoring high end charlie sports, full page ads in all the glossies and not screwing them together in a sweatshop in China. These companies insist on George Cloony, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo DiCaprio and John Travolta etc to hawk their watches. It is a bit more than a lump of (not your avarage) steel. Most of these companies have been around since the year dot, and they'll be looking at the long term picture all the time. The result of this is, they won't put the breaks on because business is slack at the minute and knock them out at cost. Most of them have a brand name that's worth a fortune to preserve, indeed one or two are the brand name slapped on a totally different outfit from the original.

[sneijder]

Aye, they had fixed bars for the NATO straps.

I'm not sitting here saying Rolex produce value for money watches, I'm pointing out where the money goes. A massive chunk they never see in the first place anyway as the retailer stuffs that under his mattress after knocking you a fiver off, then there's all the other costs I was waffling on about.

Another factor overlooked was mentioned on here a while ago, I forget who posted it. The gist is you can't just scribble 'Waterproof' on the dial and cross your fingers. IIRC it was anything over 200m has to be tested individually, and in the case of a Rolex this is 2 weeks. OK they probably do a fair few at the same time but it's another cost.

Again, I couldn't justify buying one claiming they are good value for money, but they certainly don't cost a tenner to make.

Lastly, Google 'Rolex Profits' for a bit of a surprise.

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I thought it was over 200m, that's why G Shocks etc say 200m, when in reality they can take more ?

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Vipers said:

sneijder said:

I thought it was over 200m, that's why G Shocks etc say 200m, when in reality they can take more ?

Taking into account even only a few commercial divers dive to 200 msw, (Oh and a lot of them use G Shocks), why does the average punter bother to buy one? the latest Rolex is outragious depth wise, 3900 metres, thats 2.4 miles in old money. Man can just about manage 300 metres, (984 fsw), still suppose someone will buy it but for the price, would be scared to wear it out of the house.

Because blokes buy them !

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+1 Pictures are required immediately.

Just out of interest when you given the watch, was the man who gave it to you known only as 'Q' ? Just checking, it's OK, I have clearance.

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deejuic said:

are we seriously starting the fake thread AGAIN? it's only been repeated about 500 times in the past year.

No we weren't, in a nutshell I was asking if a watch is a bit of a one-off, unobtainable, rocking horse poo and worth, say 30k. Would it be OK to buy a replica given that it's so obviously not real, just because it's such an iconic thing ie, James Bond had one and it would be nice to have. No-one would have been missing out on a sale of the 'real thing' as it was made 35 years ago.

What I wasn't asking was should I get a fake sub and wear it to work so everyone thinks I'm ace. The thread went off topic and I've since gone off the idea anyway.

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I was recently reading about the Rolex 'Deep Sea Special', the article had no illustration so I scuttled off to find one.







Cripes, and there's one coming up for sale soon :

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.asp...

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They sent some down the Mariana (sp ?) Trench in the 60's, don't think Sinn can boast that with the UX.

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Vipers said:

dr_gn said:

Vipers said:

sneijder] said:

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.asp...

Blimey, 32,789 FEET/10908 METERS rating, was they just playing safe I wonder, looks like a mini flying saucer from the side.

I know next to nothing about diving, but at those kind of depths, isn't a wristwatch a bit surplus to requirements?

Bearing in mind the max depth in the North Sea for commecial divers is 200 msw, and max in Brazil is 300 msw, which is the current max for a man to dive, why have any watch rated for some rediculous depth which man can't go.?

Even commercial divers don't usually bother with a writs watch, the Diving Supersisor topside keeps time on the dive.

Come on man, why have cars that go over 70mph ? I love useless tat, and if I drop my watch of the side of a trans Atlantic vessel I fully expect it to be working after the multi million dollar recovery operation.

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I agree, I thought the UX was the first until I found this.

The Rolex approach is rather brute force, and I would guess the technology wasn't around then to oil fill cases with no bubbles.

Our physics teacher explained forces exerted by using the example of an elephant wearing stilettoes, maybe they could do that if no-ones heading out to the trench soon.

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If Sinn are reading, I have found your new factory tester :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17FgJxDO9js

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mel said:

sneijder said:

The Rolex approach is rather brute force, and I would guess the technology wasn't around then to oil fill cases with no bubbles.

So what technology would be needed and why is it so difficult? In my simply basic engineers mind I just think that the final assembly would need to be done with the watch submerged in the oil? or is that too straight forward?

I guessed they were beginning this just after the war, and would have to use a fully synthetic oil that might not have been available then. Looking at it the military on both sides started using fully synthetic during the end of the war so they might have been able to.

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Amazing ! Dominic, is there a more important model of Rolex out there we should know about (diamond encrusted Stringfellow specials aside).