Thread all abt ROLEX - Part 2

[fade_white]

As in, is there a possibility that some of the watches (used or new even) could be unauthentic? After all, these timepieces are rare and seeing the stock replenish daily is quite hard to believe. I'm rather new to the luxury watch world and I'm thinking of dropping $13k-$20k on a brand new Explorer or ND Sub so I just want to make sure my purchase is safe.

Hi Bro I think you also like me, have a lot of paranoid concerns. A lot of people are ok with letting go a bit and buying from reputable grey dealers with great track record. U may suspect the dealer, the authenticator, seller, etc etc the list is endless.
For me, the only way to have an airtight 100% peace of mind is to journey with AD. YMMV. It’s up to you depending on your comfort level.

 

[Nitron]

I see. Licensed grey meaning?

Replying to your multiple posts. I think your perception of the lack of supply of watches is incorrect. The supply of watches in the secondary market is always going to be an ocean as compared to a tiny swimming pool of supply from ADs for popular sports watches. Ppl are selling watches bought in 2022/ 2021/ 2020 all the way back to the day Rolex was founded, whereas ADs only sell current models at fixed manufacturing capacity. So you get the idea.

If a grey dealer shop has a lot of stock and a lot of watches, it just means they have a lot of capital or they do consignment business (like watch exchange), it doesn't reflect the demand/ supply of the watches itself. How you see the demand/ supply is the PRICE. If the grey market price of a No-Date sub is the same price as retail, you will start to see them on the shelves of AD for sale.

As to making your purchase, I think Brightime and Chuan have been around for a while now. Just ask them how they authenticate. End of the day, there's no 100% percent sure they are selling you an authentic piece, probably 99% sure. If you are extra paranoid, after purchase, bring it to Top Hour lucky plaza, and pay $50 to the Uncle to authenticate. That should help you sleep better at night.

Most cases of fake watch scams are when you buy from someone through an online marketplace, without meeting a third-party authenticator to do the deal. Have not heard of cases of fake watches from long-standing grey dealers.

Just a word of advice, do some homework on how to compare fake vs genuine Rolex and study a little bit. You will feel a lot more comfortable when you go to those shops, rather than walking in with zero knowledge. Through your conversation with the salesperson when you talk about authenticity, the legit shops will openly share how they check for real vs fake. Anyone hiding info is a red flag.

If you're still uncomfortable, then I suggest you go to the AD route (though is a very off-putting process for new watch collectors). Hope this helps. Good luck with your first watch!

 

[gaoxing84]

Weekend a bit busy then don’t want entertain my friend lor. My friend is big fish but it’s not as if they need his business honestly.

Big fish should go ad game.

 

[metamofia89]

Replying to your multiple posts. I think your perception of the lack of supply of watches is incorrect. The supply of watches in the secondary market is always going to be an ocean as compared to a tiny swimming pool of supply from ADs for popular sports watches. Ppl are selling watches bought in 2022/ 2021/ 2020 all the way back to the day Rolex was founded, whereas ADs only sell current models at fixed manufacturing capacity. So you get the idea.

If a grey dealer shop has a lot of stock and a lot of watches, it just means they have a lot of capital or they do consignment business (like watch exchange), it doesn't reflect the demand/ supply of the watches itself. How you see the demand/ supply is the PRICE. If the grey market price of a No-Date sub is the same price as retail, you will start to see them on the shelves of AD for sale.

As to making your purchase, I think Brightime and Chuan have been around for a while now. Just ask them how they authenticate. End of the day, there's no 100% percent sure they are selling you an authentic piece, probably 99% sure. If you are extra paranoid, after purchase, bring it to Top Hour lucky plaza, and pay $50 to the Uncle to authenticate. That should help you sleep better at night.

Most cases of fake watch scams are when you buy from someone through an online marketplace, without meeting a third-party authenticator to do the deal. Have not heard of cases of fake watches from long-standing grey dealers.

Just a word of advice, do some homework on how to compare fake vs genuine Rolex and study a little bit. You will feel a lot more comfortable when you go to those shops, rather than walking in with zero knowledge. Through your conversation with the salesperson when you talk about authenticity, the legit shops will openly share how they check for real vs fake. Anyone hiding info is a red flag.

If you're still uncomfortable, then I suggest you go to the AD route (though is a very off-putting process for new watch collectors). Hope this helps. Good luck with your first watch!

Thank you so much for the detailed info and advice! I have been looking through YouTube on how to spot fake vs real Rolexes. Videos from Adrian Barker and Jenni Elle gave me some info like the laser-engraved crown, smooth movement feeling when rotating the crown, thickness of the border around the lumed hour markers, font style and size, 2.5x magnification and the printing of dates and such. However their videos always have a disclaimer at the end, about how some good fakes can replicate such signature feels/signs. But thanks for recommending Top Hour. I guess that's my next stop once getting my first piece.

 

[Bloodcrave]

Thank you so much for the detailed info and advice! I have been looking through YouTube on how to spot fake vs real Rolexes. Videos from Adrian Barker and Jenni Elle gave me some info like the laser-engraved crown, smooth movement feeling when rotating the crown, thickness of the border around the lumed hour markers, font style and size, 2.5x magnification and the printing of dates and such. However their videos always have a disclaimer at the end, about how some good fakes can replicate such signature feels/signs. But thanks for recommending Top Hour. I guess that's my next stop once getting my first piece.

you can meet with the seller there so the top hour uncle can authenticate right on the spot
you dont wanna buy 1st, then go home authenticate

 

[metamofia89]

you can meet with the seller there so the top hour uncle can authenticate right on the spot
you dont wanna buy 1st, then go home authenticate

So I could ask one of the sales person from Watch Exchange to meet up at the Top Hour shop to authenticate before buying? Is it a common practice to do with grey dealers?

 

[o0KelviN0o]

Top Hour so good? $50 anyhow say also you lan lan

 

[Bloodcrave]

i went to swiss sav for authentication few months ago when they're still at tanglin
the fee was 280, but their microscope has a camera connected to a screen, so you can also see everything the microscope sees

 

[Nitron]

So I could ask one of the sales person from Watch Exchange to meet up at the Top Hour shop to authenticate before buying? Is it a common practice to do with grey dealers?

I think he meant if you buy from someone else. I don't think grey dealers will entertain this process as they are physical stores running their own businesses. Maybe someone with experience buying from them can give you a better idea. But I suggest you just head down and see how it goes. No harm just browsing and chatting with them.

This is from Watch Exchange FAQ "If necessary, we welcome any further authentication requests prior to purchasing and at the buyer’s request." so you can ask them.

Buying from Brighttime should be no problem ba..

Actually, the Rolex card serial matching the watch serial is a very important piece of the puzzle. The superfake manufacturers all print the same serial number, so you can quickly do a google check if it pops out. The superfake also will not fake out the warranty card, they just sell the watch. So the majority of scammers will say "lost Rolex card and box"

 

[Nitron]

Top Hour so good? $50 anyhow say also you lan lan

He does a full thorough check even on things like the no. of metal links, and whether any contents of a full Rolex set are missing (card/ green tag/ manual etc.)

He will inspect with a scope, wind the mechanism, help you see the dial, etc for any changes, check serial and comment on scratches. The real key factor is that he will open the back case and inspect the movement, let you see, take pictures until you are happy, and close it back.

If you buy newer models using new calibre (3285 for GMTs, 3230/3235 for Subs), one look can see the material (the Jewels/ spring/ finishing) and tell if fake or real. Superfakes still mostly use older AAA movement with crap finishing on the materials. The movement pieces are the hardest to replicate, and not cost effectivefor a superfake manufacturer to capex to do a full replica.

Similarly, the super tiny Rolex mark at 6`oclock that is naked to the human eye is too difficult and not cost effective to make a sharp replication.

 

[gaoxing84]

So scare then queue at ad lor.
No need so stress.
It's just a watch.

 

[gaoxing84]

So I could ask one of the sales person from Watch Exchange to meet up at the Top Hour shop to authenticate before buying? Is it a common practice to do with grey dealers?

They ask you don't buy.
Waste their time.
Go queue at ad best.

 

[bwaysaikryptonite]

lol @ going to buy from some grey dealer then going some shop or uncle and let them open up case back and tell chiu authentic or notch for some $… new watch suka suka open up omg can’t even imagine….even b4 teh uncle open maybe teh grey shop bengs already drop in box so no dents but movement inside koyak or shocked already but watch still wrap nicely with plastic chiu as buyer will notch noe and still think ish spanking brand new in coffin box

 

[Nitron]

lol @ going to buy from some grey dealer then going some shop or uncle and let them open up case back and tell chiu authentic or notch for some $… new watch suka suka open up omg can’t even imagine….even b4 teh uncle open maybe teh grey shop bengs already drop in box so no dents but movement inside koyak or shocked already but watch still wrap nicely with plastic chiu as buyer will notch noe and still think ish spanking brand new in coffin box

This comment just makes you sound ignorant. Nothing wrong with that, Hublot appreciates your support.

 

[edchys]

There is this tick tokker who bought a precious metal daytona from watch exchange. Then he went to an rolex boutique to size the bracelet. Guess what? The watch was actually sold from there. I think the person who sold to watch exchange will likely lose his vip status with rolex.

 

[derkaiser94]

This comment just makes you sound ignorant. Nothing wrong with that, Hublot appreciates your support.

People play AD game he gets salty. Buy from grey now also salty. Really deserves a Hublot.

 

[Damienic]

There is this tick tokker who bought a precious metal daytona from watch exchange. Then he went to an rolex boutique to size the bracelet. Guess what? The watch was actually sold from there. I think the person who sold to watch exchange will likely lose his vip status with rolex.

Sounds familiar. Think I saw that video before. It was on his YouTube channel as well. The guy who bought the previous metal Daytona was still gloating over the “misfortune” of the original owner who got the watch from AD

 

[Damienic]

I have heard a case before of someone buying a Rolex that turns out to be a fake from Maxi cash. The fake was so good that it fooled even the staff at Maxi Cash. So far, never heard of such cases of people buying from reputed grey dealers like Brightime, Watch Exchange and so on

 

[gaoxing84]

There is this tick tokker who bought a precious metal daytona from watch exchange. Then he went to an rolex boutique to size the bracelet. Guess what? The watch was actually sold from there. I think the person who sold to watch exchange will likely lose his vip status with rolex.

lol watch exchange cannot size meh. lol nub

 

[C4l3b]

lol watch exchange cannot size meh. lol nub

No, he did it purposely to sabo the original owner.