Ok, so you found your ideal watch and it doesn't cost a fortune either. But wait, what if it's cheaper because it's fake? How can you check for counterfeiting? I'm not talking about detailed inspection with a high-powered magnifying glass, just a few things that are quite obvious giveaways that point to a replica watch. Check these following aspects yourselves to a watch you going to buy:
The Crystal: Hardness and Reflection: A number of watch manufacturers employ a thin coating or veneer on the surface of the watch's glass crystal to reduce light reflections and its effects. This often gives the crystal a slightly blue tint viewed at most angles. If the watch you're examining is a reputable and well-known brand, you may have reason to be concerned if there are a large number of reflections from the crystal at various angles. High-end luxury watches today use a synthetic sapphire for the crystal, compared to treated glass that many cheap replicas use and a true sapphire crystal will be scratch-resistant. The Case: Details and Mechanism: Authentic watches have a transparent case back that allows you to see the watch mechanism and movement. They also generally have enhancing elements such as sophisticated gears and an intricate finish on the watch movement. Fake watches, on the other hand, have no decorations and expose a very plain mechanism with little or no detail and one look at it will often expose the watch as counterfeit. The Crown: Solid or Shoddy: Cheap replicas sometimes have the logo glued to the crown. Ascertain that the crown has no indication of glue or rough edges. The watch should also wind smoothly and effortlessly. Some replicas imitate the engraving on the watch crown with laser etching, but this method is rarely used on authentic watches. In addition, some watches have jewels embedded in the crown. On genuine watches this jewel is usually a sapphire or ruby while replicas normally use a glass or crystal stone that can easily be spotted by its dull appearance. The Band: Pins or Screws: Watches generally have leather, rubber, ceramic, carbon fiber, or metal straps or bands, which are straightforward to replace and customize to the owner's needs or taste. Quality leather watch bands are padded or have a soft leather inner section. Metal bands, on the other hand, are harder to duplicate. The cheaper bands are made of low-grade stainless steel and are typically held together with pins instead of the screws that most genuine manufacturers use. The more expensive bands are of higher-quality steel and use screws.