I think the watch is fake, but....

[BBH]

I have been looking at a "2008, M Serial number" 16610LV "green" Submariner that is posted for sale on my local "Craigslist". The seller is a local pawn shop. The watch really looks great, absolutely authentic to my educated, but NOT expert eye. The only thing missing is the micro etched "Coronet" on the crystal.

When I mentioned that there should be a micro-etched crown on the crystal, an anti-counterfeiting measure used since around 2002, he professed to not know what I was talking about. I went back there today with my own illuminated loupe to see if I had just simply "missed" the etching. The shop keeper greeted me with the update that he had spoken to a "Rolex Rep" who informed him that some watches, even of the same model, have the etching, and some don't. The "rep" further stated that Rolex has lots of "un-etched" crystals that they need to get rid of, so "some have it and some don't". (I realize the green crystal Milgauss watches DO NOT have the etched crystal.)

The illogic of this apparently missed the pawn shop owner, but obviously (at least to me...) if "some have it and some don't", the anti-counterfeiting value of ANY etched crown is totally neutralized. That Rolex even HAS old, un-etched crystals that they are financially worried about is also ludicrous... (Why not "etch" the "un-etched" crystals? Don't they ALL start out as "un-etched"?).

In other words, the rationale for the missing etching seems like pure and simple BS to me. The watch is a very good fake. Comments?