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6 April 2022, 11:59 AM | #1 |
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How can you really trust that a grey market Rolex is authentic?
I keep reading articles and seeing videos about counterfeit Rolex watches including “super clones”, with many suggesting that they are extremely difficult to tell from authentic. Even by jewelers who open the case and inspect the movement.
From what I can tell, grey market dealers get these watches from all over the place. Typically from other greys and in many cases in bulk. I’m sure they give them a thorough once over, and can probably filter out most of the fakes. But it’s not unreasonable to think that some could slip through. So even if a grey is selling what they believe is authentic, I assume there is some risk. And if one is paying the grey market premium over retail, is it worth the risk? Just wondering everyone’s thoughts on the matter. |
6 April 2022, 12:06 PM | #2 |
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I have often wondered the same thing. I guess if you buy from a reputable grey there is little risk. I bet there’s some people out there wearing a clone that think it’s real.
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6 April 2022, 12:07 PM | #3 |
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Buy from a trusted seller. If you don’t have one you can trust, stick with an AD. Just having a website doesn’t automatically make one a trusted seller either.
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6 April 2022, 12:11 PM | #4 |
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Yeah but even a trusted seller could pick up a super clone without knowing. Especially if they deal in volume from multiple sources.
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6 April 2022, 12:18 PM | #5 |
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6 April 2022, 12:22 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
So basically, unless you’re buying from a buddy that you know purchased directly from an AD, there could be some risk. |
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6 April 2022, 08:17 PM | #7 | |
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Quote:
I guess buying from a trusted seller is reducing the risk, but there will always be a tiny tiny risk regardless unless you buy from the AD |
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11 April 2022, 01:13 AM | #8 |
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Agree with you. That's why I personally would never buy from any source other than AD. It makes no sense to pay more to buy less guarantee.
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6 April 2022, 12:08 PM | #9 |
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Buy at an AD if you are worried.
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6 April 2022, 12:15 PM | #10 |
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I personally only buy from AD’s. It is mainly financial if I am being honest because i can’t afford the grey market mark up. But the whole “super clone” potential would definitely cause additional concern. But maybe it’s not that widespread.
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6 April 2022, 12:21 PM | #11 |
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6 April 2022, 12:26 PM | #12 | |
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Thanks very much, Hopefully it won’t be too much of an inconvenience. |
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11 April 2022, 07:52 AM | #13 |
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They actually had a couple of watches in Aspens AD a week ago.
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11 April 2022, 02:07 AM | #14 |
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Wouldn’t we all prefer to do that at this point. It’s been extremely difficult to buy anything for quite a long time from an AD.
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6 April 2022, 12:11 PM | #15 |
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I’m of the belief that there’s always risk buying online and if your lifestyle would materially change if you became a victim of online fraud, don’t buy online.
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6 April 2022, 12:19 PM | #16 |
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6 April 2022, 10:47 PM | #17 |
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6 April 2022, 12:15 PM | #18 |
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When you buy from a secondary dealer, you never know for certain, until it’s sent into a RSC. Then you find out if it’s real, and if it’s been stolen or not. Depending on the secondary watch dealer, they will/would stand behind the watch and take care of you.
With how good fakes are becoming, I think it may become a bigger issue in the not too distant future. |
6 April 2022, 12:20 PM | #19 |
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Buying used and serviced at an AD may cost you some hundreds$. but is probably worth it
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6 April 2022, 12:20 PM | #20 |
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This is a fair question, but the answer is easy. Buy the Seller.
On this site, I can personally recommend Tony (JustRolexes), DavidSW and Patrick (OCRolexguy). They stand by their products and are honorable, if they were some kind of issue, they will make it right. |
6 April 2022, 12:26 PM | #21 | |
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Quote:
So yeah, I’m sure they would stand behind their product, but it would entail sending it for service and authentication. Again, just throwing it out there for conversation. Not to point fingers or ruffle feathers. This may be a non-issue, especially with reputable grey dealers. But the whole super clone situation would make me a little nervous. |
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6 April 2022, 12:41 PM | #22 | |
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Do you really think someone who buys and sells as many Rolex as an AD does can’t tell the real thing from a fake/clone? I sold a watch to Takuya a few years ago and his watchmaker with Rolex and Omega certificates hanging on his wall examined it before he bought it. Obviously tbough if YOU have doubts don’t buy from them. |
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6 April 2022, 01:01 PM | #23 | |
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Quote:
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6 April 2022, 01:14 PM | #24 | |
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Quote:
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6 April 2022, 02:05 PM | #25 |
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For more than five years I’ve read hundreds and maybe thousands of recommendations of trusted sellers here on TRF. Not once have I read a tale about “super clones” or counterfeits being purchased from any of them. Not once. Not saying it can’t happen but five years is a long time.
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6 April 2022, 01:11 PM | #26 | |
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How can you really trust that a grey market Rolex is authentic?
Quote:
There isn’t a grey dealer on the planet that pops the hood on modern Rolex to check for fakes. They don’t need to. You will never see a modern Rolex with a modern real case, real dial, real hand set, real bezel and insert, and a real bracelet that has a fake movement. Never. As in it’s happened 0 times in the history of selling watches. Why? It wouldn’t make sense. The cost to put together a watch like that would be far too high and they wouldn’t be able to get everything. The need to pop the hood is negated when everything else is correct. |
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6 April 2022, 01:20 PM | #27 | |
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I am certainly not suggesting that grey dealers should open the case. Simply that the clones are apparently getting good enough to fool the experts. |
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6 April 2022, 02:10 PM | #28 | |
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Clones are fake cases with fake movements. The point being, their are no clones with real cases dials and hand sets. The movement would never need to be checked because you can see the problems with the watch before the movement. We don’t talk about specifics with fakes but compare the best fake to the real deal and you will see what i mean. Cloned Rolex movements are also not very good. Some really good pictures of fake movements on the web. From afar, pretty good. When you really look close, they are very far off. It’s a volume issue with greys. Most could catch it every single time if they looked. It’s not difficult. But they are moving so many watches collectively, stuff slips by. |
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7 April 2022, 03:50 PM | #29 | |
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Quote:
Super clones I have seen have not replicated movements down to the minutiae, timekeeping, time graph etc. With totality of the watch, papers, movement etc... I would feel confident on a grey market watch. |
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10 April 2022, 01:25 PM | #30 |
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