Do you want to learn how to safely buy a vintage Rolex? Then start now with my “Antique Rolex Buying Guide” which is available to you online for free. But be prepared, this is a long article and will take you some time to digest.
Once again, I’ve noticed that even seasoned collectors often ask me for obvious advice about the originality of their vintage replica Rolex. In an evolving market where quality and honesty at auctions have become insane, I wanted to add a basic guide for you on how to determine the originality of a vintage Rolex and make all the details more understandable to any watch collector who is serious about their hobby. One of the main questions I always ask myself to determine originality is what has been done to the watch during its lifetime.
To complete my previous RPR post. A Brief Introduction to the World of Rolex and Patek Philippe Collecting, I now want to add my Rolex Buyer’s Guide to analyzing original vintage fake Rolex watches – or any type of vintage watch brand for that matter. After spending 25 years looking at the watch face, case and movement, studying what has happened to it over its life, and comparing and discussing it on dedicated watch forums such as VRF, I thought it was time to share some of my experiences. I will develop and update this thread further in the near future, but I feel it is time to start sharing the most necessary information with you.
As watch brands deliver watches around the world sometimes in different configurations due to import taxes, local tastes, or for example special orders, the final version is the one presented in their catalogs at the annual watch shows. As many global watch brands used to do, especially the stingy Swiss ones, the factories always use their remaining spare parts stock in their next designs. Then, because most iconic replica watches are not very popular when they enter the market, it sometimes takes 5-10 years or more to sell the initial batch made by the manufacturer. What we often see is that later delivered examples have different dials, bezels, and/or updated movements that make them not exactly the same in detail as when they were originally introduced.