My wife may have bought me a fake Rolex...

[bionicboogie]

... for my 40th birthday and it pains me to say it, but she may have been taken.

Here is the situation:

It is a 1999 A Series Sub (transition model) 16610 Swiss only that was bought through a friend of a friend. I don't suspect him, but his associate may be the one who duped my wife. It had the green case, all the papers, etc.

I showed it to another friend who is a watch aficionado, and he suggested it may be fake. He was basing it on the weight, the feel of the band and that there is no engraving on the caseback. From the research I have done, there shouldn't be anything on the caseback apart from a hologram sticker on the newer models.

Once he suggested it was bogus, I became crushed and did a lot more research. The reason I think it may be fake is relating to the number of bezel clicks it takes for a full rotation. My bezel is a little loose (occaisionally will slip and allow a slip in both directions), but my real concern is that it is one click per second, not the 120 per full rotation.

Is this 60 clicks per full rotation normal for this model or a dead giveaway that it is fake?

Apart from groups like this, how does one find out if it is real? I suppose I could take it to Rolex directly and have them disassemble it to look inside but that may set me back another couple hundred back when I may have already been taken for over $5000.

I was feeling on top of the world before, as though I had finally been granted permission into a wonderful and exclusive club. Now a just feel like another putz who has taken advantage of... any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Paul

[Rjwareagle]

can you post pictures?

[digitalvinyl]

Any watchsmith should be able to look at the movement and tell you of it's real or fake. Should cost a few dollars max.

[jerseyden]

Surely if you take it to your nearest Rolex AD they will be able to authenticate it there and then.

[Goiguidoc]

Please send us pics!
Otherwise, difficult to help.

[bionicboogie]

pictures coming soon... thanks everybody

[bionicboogie]

I spoke w Rolex on St Clair directly... they were very helpful and suggested I bring it in for authentication.
Unfortunately, they want $150 for the job (I'll gladly pay it... may be a bit much, but at this point, I don't mind).

[bionicboogie]

Thanks again,

Paul

[DARK_KNIGHT]

Well, it might cost you "zilch" if you post pics.

[bionicboogie]

I tried posting pics, but it appears I have to wait for the moderator to approve them.

[cleanfreak]

be sure to post pics of the movement as well ;)

[Welshwatchman]

Pics fixed.

[tudorman8276]

...even has the correct 501 B end piece on the band...

...BTW, WELCOME to the BEST Rolex Forums on the planet!!!

[dysondiver]

pics are a wee bit fuzzy , but looks ok , try the old adjustment test , ie unscrew the crown , and pull it out to set the time , and see if when you turn the crown clockwise the time goes clockwise , or anti clockwise ,,,,, hope its clockise , lets know.

[GradyPhilpott]

It does look okay to me, but I must say that when you post pictures of the dial, the coronet and the Rolex name should not be obscured. Those are two key elements that the fakers can never seem to get right.

If it were mine and I had a doubt, I'd take it to an AD and have the watchmaker pop the back and verify the movement.

We have some eagle-eyed members here, but a physical inspection by a Rolex-certified watchmaker is incontrovertible.

[mboverst]

You're good, stop worrying and enjoy it!

[britincali]

Looks perfect.

[rajurama]

The bracelet is hollow maybe that's the reason your friend felt it cheap. The new sub has solid links. However now the last test is to open it up and also click a photo of the movement. Surely the watchmaker will also know about it. Can you also send us a pic of the certificate if it was with it?

[robertneville]

I'm with the rest. i think it looks good! ENJOY!!! Ill be in Toronto in a few weeks if you want someone to see it in person.

[zlin08033]

Looks good to me :-) Enjoy it. Without movement picture, no one can be sure though.
BTW, your friend based "no engraving on the caseback", he really doesn't know Rolex, hahaha.

[azguy]

Yeah, no worries, I think you are good to go.

But you should have someone pop the band off the case and make sure the serial numbers on the watch matches the paperwork. I would also have it pressure tested too; just in case you decide to take it for a swim.

Lastly, if you enjoy picture taking with your watch set the hands at 10 & 2 and the date on 26 or 28 and that provides some nice balance and a full date window.

Oh, welcome to TRF

[bionicboogie]

My goodness,
I had clients in for the last few hrs and I return to all of these wonderful and thorough responses!
Thanks so much to all... I am feeling much better.
However, I have one lingering doubt. What about the bezel clicking once per second rather then 120 clicks per full rotation... seems strange to me.
I will post a few more pics (hopefully in focus) soon.
Again,
Thank you all very much,
Paul

[Brendan]

It could just be a wear issue. I've seen watches with a tired bezel/click spring that felt like they were less then 120 clicks to the circle. It looks good to me, wear it in good health!

[bionicboogie]

last pic...
In all honesty, I lost sleep last night... I am so grateful that you have all helped.
Thanks so much

[DCgator]

Congrats on the Sub!

[toph]

PHEW... it is A Ok!! enjoy

[Gaucho20]

Nice watch. Wear it in good health.

[bionicboogie]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5839767...57629125218094

here is the shot of the unobstructed face

[bionicboogie]

oops... insert image not working for me right now

[blue lion]

What a good feeling knowing it's real. Enjoy.