Authentication Standards

Omega · Seamaster Diver 300M · Ref. 210.30.42.20.01.001

The 2018+ dial is ceramic with a raised, laser-engraved wave pattern; a flat printed wave dial belongs to earlier references.

TSIKOLIA · GDF (Georgian Defence Forces) · Ref. GAF44/3

The GAF44 military series is documented in four colourways — Khaki, Black, Grey and Desert — treated as dial variations under one reference rather than distinct SKUs. Khaki and Black are firmly attested; Grey and Desert are reported but less firmly confirmed.

Bulova · Accutron · Ref. Accutron Spaceview

A very large proportion of watches sold as Spaceviews are converted standard 214s: the dial has been taken out and a Spaceview crystal fitted. Every component is genuine Bulova, the movement is correct, and the watch runs exactly as it should. What is wrong is the description. Classify this as MODIFIED — an authentic watch in a configuration the factory did not sell it in — and not as a counterfeit. The distinction matters commercially, because a factory Spaceview is worth substantially more than a conversion, and it matters ethically, because calling a genuine watch fake is its own kind of error.

Rolex · Submariner No Date · Ref. 5513

Gilt (to mid-1960s), then matte with painted markers, then glossy 'maxi' dials late in the run. A gloss white-gold-surround dial on an early case is a red flag.

Jacques Bianchi Marseille · JB200 · Ref. JB200 (1982)

Modern dials read “Jacques Bianchi Marseille” (name at 6 o'clock on the Re-Edition). Vintage and re-edition divers carry the frogman/scuba-diver silhouette; the Poulpro sub-line replaces it with an octopus. Note a documented vintage look-alike diver retailed in Paris signed “Jacques Ryter” — same design DNA, different name; a genuine vintage Bianchi carries the Bianchi signature.

Jacques Bianchi Marseille · JB200 · Ref. JB200 Re-Edition

Modern dials read “Jacques Bianchi Marseille” (name at 6 o'clock on the Re-Edition). Vintage and re-edition divers carry the frogman/scuba-diver silhouette; the Poulpro sub-line replaces it with an octopus. Note a documented vintage look-alike diver retailed in Paris signed “Jacques Ryter” — same design DNA, different name; a genuine vintage Bianchi carries the Bianchi signature.

Vostok · Amphibia · Ref. 420

Brand text appears as 'Восток' (Cyrillic), 'Vostok' (Latin) or 'Wostok' (legitimate Soviet export spelling). 'Антимагнитная' (antimagnetic) is a period-correct Soviet marker. 'Сделано в СССР / Made in USSR' = Soviet era; 'Made in Russia' generally from ~2001; ~1992–93 transitional dials often carry NO origin line (period-correct, not suspicious). There is no legitimate factory 'КГБ/KGB' dial — those are souvenir/aftermarket. Too-crisp or wrong-font vintage dials are often redials of a genuine watch (originality uncertain), not counterfeits.

Rolex · Sea-Dweller · Ref. 1665

The two-line red 'Double Red Sea-Dweller' text belongs to earlier examples; later dials carry single-line white text. Repainted red text is a common fraud.

Patek Philippe · Nautilus · Ref. 5811/1G-001

The Nautilus dial has fine horizontal embossing and applied white-gold markers with luminous inlay; a flat printed or grainy dial indicates a fake.

Patek Philippe · Nautilus · Ref. 5711/1A-010

The Nautilus dial has fine horizontal embossing and applied white-gold markers with luminous inlay; a flat printed or grainy dial indicates a fake.

Patek Philippe · Nautilus · Ref. 3700/1A

The Nautilus dial has fine horizontal embossing and applied white-gold markers with luminous inlay; a flat printed or grainy dial indicates a fake.

Patek Philippe · Aquanaut · Ref. 5065A

The Nautilus dial has fine horizontal embossing and applied white-gold markers with luminous inlay; a flat printed or grainy dial indicates a fake.

Rolex · GMT-Master · Ref. 1675

Gilt (glossy, gold printing) dials belong to the earlier run; matte white-printed dials come later. Mismatched dial-to-serial is a common fault.

Hermès · Cape Cod · Ref. Cape Cod

Genuine dial printing is fine, evenly weighted and correctly placed, and the accent on the È is present and correctly formed. Counterfeit dials commonly get the accent wrong, thicken the letterforms, or misplace the PARIS line. As always, printing execution rather than printing content is the evidence — the text itself is trivially copied.

TSIKOLIA · P-47 Thunderbolt Chronograph · Ref. TWP47-47-2OG-LN

Per the brand, every case/dial colour corresponds to an actual P-47 production livery, the sub-dials echo cockpit instrumentation, and the etched fixed bezel evokes the aircraft cowl.

Frederique Constant · Heart Beat · Ref. Heart Beat

A genuine Heart Beat shows a balance wheel swinging back and forth at the movement's beat rate, with the hairspring visible around it. What counterfeits and low-grade homages put behind the opening instead is a decorative wheel turning steadily, a printed disc, or nothing at all. An oscillating balance reverses direction constantly and unmistakably; a rotating decoration does not. This can be judged from a short video and does not require the watch in hand.

Universal Genève · Compax · Ref. Uni-Compax

Because there is little money in faking a Uni-Compax, surviving examples are far more likely to carry original dials than the expensive references are. A known-original Uni-Compax dial from the same period is therefore a legitimate comparison object for the wordmark proportions and printing character of a Compax or Nina Rindt being examined. This is a rare case where the cheap watch is the reference material.

Rolex · Explorer II · Ref. 1655

Coronet shape, 'Explorer II' font and minute-track vary by documented Mark; service and redial dials are common. Cross-check dial mark against the production window and hand set.

A. Lange & Söhne · Lange 1 · Ref. 191.032

The patented outsize date uses a cross-and-ring double-disc mechanism; the two digits sit on one plane with no step. A single printed date wheel is incorrect.

A. Lange & Söhne · Lange 1 · Ref. 101.021

The patented outsize date uses a cross-and-ring double-disc mechanism; the two digits sit on one plane with no step. A single printed date wheel is incorrect.

TSIKOLIA · Seven Automatic · Ref. TW7A-46-1GN-R

The skeleton dial carries an oversized '7' motif positioned at 7 o'clock — a defining design cue of the Seven line.

Rolex · Cosmograph Daytona · Ref. 6239

Genuine exotic dials have specific font, block-marker and sub-register styling; redialed 'Paul Newman' conversions on ordinary 6239 dials are rampant. Expert dial authentication is mandatory.

Universal Genève · Polerouter · Ref. 20217

The A-spelling belongs to the first series only — the Polarouter name lasted a few months and the watches carrying it were built across 1954 and 1955, all on the bumper caliber 138SS. The check is ASYMMETRIC and it is important to get the direction right: a POLAROUTER dial over a micro-rotor is an inconsistency requiring explanation, usually a redial or a swapped dial. But a POLEROUTER dial over a 138SS bumper is FACTORY-CORRECT — the first watches to carry the new name kept the bumper caliber, and the movement changed to the micro-rotor 215 shortly after the name did, not simultaneously with it. Treating that combination as a fault would condemn a genuine early Polerouter, which is among the more desirable versions of the watch.

Hamilton · US Government Specification Field Watch · Ref. GG-W-113

Tritium-lumed military dials carry the marking required at the time, with the radiation symbol in the position specified for that contract. Its presence, form and position are period-specific and are not usually reproduced correctly on a replacement dial. Note also that tritium lume from this era is long dead: a military dial of the period that glows brightly has been relumed.

Rolex · Explorer II · Ref. 16550

Early white dials show a distinctive text spacing ('rail dial') and frequently aged to cream; both traits are heavily faked. Verify against known-correct 1985–1989 examples.

Hamilton · Railway Special · Ref. 992B

Railroad service required bold Arabic numerals, a clearly marked minute track and, on the standard specification, black figures on a white ground. A 992B wearing a fancy, coloured or Roman-numeral dial is either a later replacement or was never railroad-service equipment. Montgomery-style dials with numbered minutes are a legitimate and desirable period variant, and are also the most commonly reproduced.

Rolex · Submariner Date · Ref. 1680

The red 'Submariner' printing exists in multiple documented 'Mark' variants with distinct feet/serif details; repainted red text is common. Cross-check dial mark against production window.

Rado · Captain Cook · Ref. Captain Cook (1962)

Sixty-year-old dials with dead lume are routinely refinished, and the anchor emblem is often replaced or re-fixed in the process. A crisp dial with even, bright lume on a 1960s watch has been restored. That is an originality finding; the model's value is high enough now to reward the work and low enough historically that it was often done carelessly.

Zodiac · Sea Wolf · Ref. Sea Wolf (1953)

Seventy-year-old dive-watch dials with dead lume are routinely refinished. The economics are the same as across this expansion's vintage brands: a tidy dial pays and a whole counterfeit does not. Crisp printing and bright even lume on a 1950s watch indicate restoration. A restoration finding, not a counterfeit one.

Universal Genève · Polerouter · Ref. 20357-2

Polerouter dials of this era are frequently refinished. The features that betray it are the fineness of the crosshair or dial texturing, the exact placement of the Universal Genève signature relative to the twelve marker, and the position and size of Swiss at the base. Original dials show printing sunk into the surface with slightly soft edges under magnification; refinished ones sit proud with edges that are too clean. Given the volume of redials, an original dial is worth a substantial premium — which is exactly why the reproduction of one is worth a forger's effort.

Certina · DS Concept · Ref. DS (1959 original)

As across the Priority 1 group, values sit in the range where refinishing pays and counterfeiting does not. Look for printing that sits on the surface, a minute track short of the edge, and Certina lettering with modern proportions. A restoration finding.

Yema · Superman · Ref. Superman (1963)

The same economics as the Priority 1 group: values high enough that a tidy dial pays and low enough that a whole counterfeit does not. Printing that sits on the surface, a minute track short of the edge, and lettering with modern proportions are the indicators. A restoration finding.

Mido · Multifort · Ref. Multifort (1934 original)

Mido made a great many watches at modest values, which is the exact condition in which refinishing pays and counterfeiting does not. Printing that sits on rather than in the surface, a minute track that stops short of the edge, and Mido lettering with modern proportions are the indicators. This is a restoration finding.

Tissot · Antimagnétique · Ref. Antimagnétique

Values are low enough that whole-watch counterfeiting is uneconomic and high enough that a tidy dial adds real money, so the market's characteristic defect is the refinished dial. Signs are printing that sits on the surface rather than in it, a minute track that does not quite reach the edge, lettering with modern proportions, and — the most reliable single indicator — Antimagnétique or Swiss Made positioned differently from period examples. A redial is a restoration finding. It is also extremely common, and reporting it as a fake watch would be wrong.

Hamilton · Ventura · Ref. Ventura (1957 Electric)

Sixty-year-old Ventura dials are frequently refinished, and a refinished dial is not a counterfeit — it is a restoration that costs originality. Signs are printing that sits on top of the surface rather than in it, markers set slightly off their original positions, and a Hamilton signature whose letterforms do not match period printing. Record it as a refinished dial with the value consequence, not as a fake watch.

Hamilton · Intra-Matic · Ref. H38416711

The 7753's registers sit horizontally opposed rather than in the 7750's tri-compax arrangement. A watch presented as an Intra-Matic Auto Chrono with three registers, or with registers in the 7750 positions, is either a different reference or is not carrying the caliber claimed for it.

Cartier · Santos de Cartier · Ref. WSSA0018

Genuine Cartier dials hide a 'Cartier' secret signature within a Roman numeral and use a precise rail-track minute ring; fuzzy printing or a missing signature is a red flag.