Counterfeit Intelligence

Caseback · Rolex · Ref. 126610LN

Submariner casebacks are plain and screw-down. Any display/exhibition caseback is an immediate disqualifier.

Caseback · Seiko · Ref. 6306-7001

The premium the JDM reference carries makes the caseback the obvious target, and on a Turtle the caseback is a separate, freely interchangeable part. Never accept the caseback number alone: confirm it against the hacking test and the jewel count on the movement. A caseback saying 6306 over a non-hacking 17-jewel movement is a misrepresented watch.

Dial · Universal Genève · Ref. 885103

The defining fraud on the reference. Reproduction dials are made to a good standard and are fitted to genuine, correctly period Universal Genève chronographs, which means every conventional check on case, movement and hands can pass. The evidence is in the dial itself — printing that sits on rather than in the surface, register rings whose edges are too sharp or too soft, subtly wrong wordmark proportions — and in aging that does not match the rest of the watch.

Dial · Universal Genève · Ref. 885103

A real Nina Rindt dial moved into a better case. Harder than a reproduction to detect, because the dial itself will pass any test applied to it in isolation. Consistency of aging between dial, hands and case is the available evidence, together with whether the case's own reference stamping matches.

Movement · Hamilton · Ref. 950B

A 992B represented as a 950B is the classic Hamilton fraud and it is committed on the movement rather than on the watch. Look for engraving that differs in depth, tool character or alignment from the surrounding factory marking, for a serial prefix inconsistent with the claimed grade, and above all for a jewel count that does not match. All three have to agree.

Movement · Tissot · Ref. T137.407.11.041.00

The commonest PRX counterfeit. A ticking seconds hand is conclusive; a smooth sweep at 4 Hz is nearly so. Where the caseback is a display back, the substitution is visible directly — the C07 has a distinctive single large bridge and a Tissot-marked rotor, and generic movements do not resemble it.

Movement · Bulova · Ref. Accutron 214

Where an Accutron has been counterfeited or, more often, rebuilt around a cheap replacement movement, the substitute is quartz. It fails both signature tests at once: it ticks once a second and it is silent. No inspection of the case or dial is needed.

Movement · Chanel · Ref. J12 Calibre 12.1

Where a counterfeit reproduces the exhibition caseback, what is visible behind it is the giveaway: a generic movement with applied decoration rather than the Kenissi architecture. Where the counterfeit fits a solid back to a reference that should have a display back, the substitution itself is the finding.

Case · Hamilton · Ref. Ventura (1957 Electric)

Reproduction Ventura cases are made, and a genuine 500 or 505 movement in a new case is the most convincing construction available to a seller. The tells are in the case: interior finishing that is too clean, machining marks from modern tooling, and case markings that do not match the case-maker conventions of the period. This is a re-cased watch — record the movement as period-correct and the case as the problem, rather than condemning the whole.

Case · Rado · Ref. DiaStar 1 (1962)

The economical counterfeit reproduces the shape in plated steel. It fails both material checks at once: too light for tungsten carbide, and it scratches. Where the plating has worn through at an edge, the base metal is visible and settles the matter.

Case · Rado · Ref. Ceramica (high-tech ceramic platform)

The standard counterfeit for every ceramic watch in this catalog. It fails the thermal test immediately, is heavier than it should be, and scratches. Where the coating has worn at an edge, metal shows through — ceramic is the same material all the way through and cannot wear to a different colour.

Case · Hermès · Ref. Cape Cod

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.

Caseback · Tissot · Ref. T137.407.11.041.00

Counterfeiters sometimes fit a solid back to a reference that should have a display back, precisely to hide the movement. Check the reference against the specification before accepting a closed back as normal.

Combination · Seiko · Ref. 6105-8110

Enough loose 6105 parts exist that complete watches are built from them. No individual part need be counterfeit for the result to be misrepresented as an original watch. The check is consistency: dial, hands, bezel insert, crown, case and movement should all tell the same story about age, wear and service history.

Crystal · Tissot · Ref. T-Touch (tactile crystal platform)

Counterfeit T-Touch watches reproduce the printed indications around the crystal and the dial layout while omitting the touch system entirely, because the sensing layer is the expensive part. The watch looks correct and does nothing when touched.

Cyclops · Rolex · Ref. 126610LN

The genuine Cyclops magnifies the date ~2.5x and fills the lens; weak magnification or an off-centre date is a common tell.

Dial · Seiko · Ref. 6217-8000

Original 62MAS dials are scarce and reproductions are readily available. Print quality of the depth text, the tone and texture of aged tritium, and the shape of the applied markers are the comparison points. A refinished dial should be recorded as a refinish rather than as a fake; the two are different findings with very different consequences.

Dial · Seiko · Ref. 6105-8110

The 6105-8110 is among the most reproduced vintage Seiko dials. Compare the depth text print weight, the exact position of the applied Seiko logo, the shape of the minute track and the ageing of the luminous plots against a dated original. A dial whose lume is uniformly bright while the hands' lume is aged is a mismatch worth resolving.

Dial · Seiko · Ref. 6139-6002

The yellow dial carries the price premium in this family, which has made it the most reproduced Seiko chronograph dial. Compare print weight of the minute track, the shape of the applied Seiko logo and the tone of the yellow against a dated reference example. A crisply printed dial in an otherwise honestly worn watch deserves scrutiny — as does a yellow dial in a case whose serial predates the variant.

Dial · Rado · Ref. DiaStar 1 (1962)

Reproducing a freely pivoting emblem on a dial costs more than printing one, so counterfeits routinely print it. Tilt the watch: the genuine anchor moves.

Dial · Rado · Ref. Integral (ceramic-link platform)

The characteristic Integral counterfeit prints the anchor, misaligns the RADO wordmark relative to the markers, and gets the Swiss Made placement wrong. Combined with a bracelet that is entirely coated metal, the identification is straightforward — the difficulty with these is volume, not subtlety.

Dial · Franck Muller · Ref. Cintrée Curvex

Copies smooth out the deliberate irregularities in the numerals, producing lettering that is more even than the original. Because the numerals exist in no typeface, the copyist has no source and must work from photographs, which is why this error is so consistent.

Movement · Seiko · Ref. SKX007

Complete counterfeit SKX watches exist and are sold at close to the genuine used price. The movement is the reliable check: the 7S26 has a distinctive bridge layout and rotor marking, and does not hack or hand-wind. A watch whose seconds hand stops on pulling the crown is not running a 7S26, whatever the dial says.

Movement · Vostok · Ref. 420

Because 'Vostok' (meaning 'east') is hard to trademark, Chinese-made lookalikes are sold under the name. Authenticity hinges on a genuine Chistopol 24xx movement and Amphibia case construction, not the dial name alone.

Movement · Hamilton · Ref. H69439931

Because the model's selling point is that it is hand-wound at a low price, the common counterfeit fits a cheap quartz or an unbranded automatic. The direct check is the winding behaviour: a genuine H-50 has no rotor, cannot be shaken into life, and must be wound. A Khaki Field Mechanical with a seconds hand that runs without ever being wound is not one.

Strap · Hermès · Ref. Cape Cod

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.

Bezel · Seiko · Ref. 6139-6002

Replacement tachymeter rings are made in quantity. Font weight, the spacing of the numerals and the colour of the ring against a known-original example are the checks. This is a common and often openly disclosed replacement rather than a forgery indicator on its own.