Cape Cod

What to inspect

The commonest failure on Cape Cod counterfeits. Genuine Hermès leather has a distinctive hand, an edge finish applied and burnished rather than sprayed, and stitching whose regularity comes from skill rather than from a machine seam. Counterfeit straps are stiff, smell of adhesive and solvents, and crack at the fold. On this brand the strap is often the fastest route to a conclusion.

What to inspect

The characteristic geometric error. Measure the inner dial square against the outer case rectangle and compare against a documented example; the ratio is fixed on genuine production and is routinely wrong on copies.