How to Spot a Fake Rolex: The Ultimate Guide

If you’re considering buying a pre-owned Rolex, your first thought is likely “How do I spot a fake Rolex?” Counterfeit Rolexes are notoriously common, and they’re only getting more and more accurate. While it’s almost impossible to spot the most advanced modern fake Rolexes without examining them closely in person, the vast majority of fakes will have tells that can be spotted if you’re aware of some fundamentals. “How do I tell if a Rolex is fake?” is a question that doesn’t have a short, conclusive answer, but we’ll try to make it less daunting. So without further ado, here’s our updated guide to spotting a fake Rolex.

How to Spot a Fake Rolex: The Basics

There are a few things I immediately tell people when they ask me how to spot a fake Rolex.

Know the reference you’re looking at

Ultimately, one of the best ways to spot a counterfeit is by knowing what a real version of that particular model looks like. If you’re looking at a Submariner Date, figure out if it’s a 16610 or 116610 etc. and know the characteristics of each.

Knowing the reference number helps you know what the watch should look like. For instance, this way you’ll know that a Sea-Dweller ref. 126600 should have a cyclops, while all other Sea-Dwellers shouldn’t. In general, a Rolex sales listing without a proper model number is a red flag.

Do I need the box and papers?

Modern luxury watches should generally be accompanied by warranty documentation. It’s very common for old watches to be missing paperwork; that’s understandable. But a 2-year-old Rolex with no warranty card is a bit of a red flag. Don’t let your guard down just because a seller has papers, though–they can be faked too.

When in doubt, get an expert opinion

It can be difficult to know how to spot a fake Rolex without an expert eye. In recent years, criminals have gotten a lot better at creating convincing knockoff luxury watches (and Rolexes in particular). If you read this guide and still have any doubts about a watch you own, look up good watchmakers in your area and take it in for a service. They’ll be honest with you and tell you if it’s fake. And if it’s real, you can have it serviced and brought back to tip-top shape.

Buy the seller!

If you’re shopping for a pre-owned Rolex it’s best to choose a trusted grey market dealer with a good reputation and an authenticity guarantee. “Buy the seller, not the watch” is an enduring mantra among watch enthusiasts for a reason.

More Guides to Spotting Fakes:
How to Avoid Buying a Fake Audemars Piguet
How to Avoid Buying a Fake Richard Mille Watch
How to Spot a Fake Cartier Love Bracelet

Commonly Counterfeited Rolex Models

While Rolex has been successful ever since the launch of their Oyster in 1926, they didn’t become “hot” with celebrities until the mid-1960’s, and they only started surpassing Omega in sales (based on chronometer certifications) and leading the luxury watch world around 1970. Fake Rolexes seemed to first appear in a big way in the 1980s.

Counterfeiters tend to fake the most popular Rolex models of their day, primarily because they are liquid, and these are what they fake most accurately. The most common faked Rolex models seem to be the Datejust and Submariner, followed by the GMT-Master II and Daytona.

Very old unpopular Rolex models are very unlikely to be faked. So if you see a tiny 1940’s Rolex cocktail watch, for instance, it’s probably real.

How to Spot a Fake Modern Rolex Movement

A good starting point when assessing if a Rolex is genuine is to pay attention to the watch movement. The seconds hand on a real modern Rolex ticks 8 times per second (or 5-6 times per second on a vintage model), creating a “sweeping” visual. Many fakes use cheap quartz movements, so if it ticks only once per second, unless it’s an Oysterquartz or a Texano (not likely) it’s surely fake.

But nowadays, almost all fakes tick 8 times per second like they should. So one way to know how to spot a fake Rolex movement (if the watch is opened up) is to look for the Microstella system. Modern Rolexes use a “Microstella key” to slightly adjust the rate faster or slower, instead of a traditional regulating arm. So if you know how to spot a regulating arm you can spot a fake Rolex movement in most cases!

Rolex Cyclops Real vs Fake

Rolex’s cyclops provides a distinctive 2.5x magnification, and the date should fill up the cyclops window nicely. A lack of magnification is a common indicator of a counterfeit. The date numerals should be nicely centered within the white box; fakes are often off-center, like the two images on the left below. The cyclops on the right is real.

Note that on vintage Rolexes, cheap aftermarket crystals are common, so bad magnification alone isn’t a guarantee of inauthenticity. Also, Rolex notoriously produced a faulty batch of cyclops in about 2015 (it was so bad they had to remove all mentions of “2.5x magnification” from their website), so if you see a watch from that era with a “low-mag” crystal, it could be legit. Also, as noted below, If you’re looking at a Sea-Dweller manufactured before 2017, it should not have a cyclops.

Red Flag Serial Numbers

Fake watches often re-use the same (or partially the same) serial numbers. Beware if a watch’s serial ends in L6V6, U9N5 or Y2L3. If it starts with ER6J, K28, K25, Q66, S19, S28, S29 or S39 your eyebrows should also be raised.

How to Spot a Fake Rolex Caseback

With few exceptions (such as the Sea-Dweller and Milgauss), Rolex watches do not have specs, logos, or branding on their casebacks. A few vintage ladies’ models actually do say “stainless steel” on the back, and very old Rolexes often have serial/model numbers on the back. But as a rule, Rolex casebacks should be sterile (blank) aside from personal engravings.

Rolex released three watches with clear casebacks in 2023: The 1908, an updated platinum Daytona, and the “LeMans” Daytona. Four Cellini Prince references made from about 2005-2015 have exhibition casebacks as well, but aside from that, Rolex has always used solid casebacks. Counterfeiters often try to get overly fancy, and go overboard by putting clear casebacks on watches that shouldn’t have them. Although aftermarket sapphire casebacks can be installed on Rolexes, it’s certainly a red flag when assessing authenticity. If you know how simple a Rolex caseback should look, you can spot fake nonsense like the “Deville Swiss Made” back below in no time:

Caseback Stickers

For years, Rolex put stickers on their casebacks, apparently as an anti-counterfeiting measure. Naturally, counterfeiters were quick to start faking those too. Although Rolex dropped caseback stickers around 2006, counterfeiters actually kept putting stickers on much longer. So a caseback sticker that looks “too new” can be a red flag. Here’s an idea of what some legit caseback stickers look like:

Engraved Rehaut

The rehaut plays an important role in knowing how to spot a fake Rolex. Since 2008, all Rolex rehauts have had the “ROLEXROLEXROLEX” engraving. The serial number should be at 6 o’clock, so if the “ROLEXROLEXROLEX” writing goes all the way around with no break for a serial number at the bottom, that’s a sure sign of a cheap fake.

Real Rolex rehauts aren’t always aligned perfectly, but they should be close. The minute lines might not exactly bisect each letter, but if any minute line is so far off that it’s not even touching a letter, that’s a pretty conclusive sign of a fake.

Rehaut engravings on current Rolexes have a clean, sandblasted appearance. Some earlier engraved rehauts were hollow block letters, but they look very clean. Low-quality etching is indicative of a counterfeit.

Before the engraved rehauts, Rolex serial numbers were engraved on the case between the bottom lugs. Fakes often have poorly-engraved serials, or none at all.

Dial Stampings

As with the serial number, the stampings on the front of a fake Rolex may look faded, uneven or even misspelled. In this macro shot of a ref. 116500 Daytona, we can see crisp, glossy, slightly raised lettering:

Even these modern “high-end” fakes have lettering with a more flat, painted-on appearance:

More on the Rolex Daytona:
How Much Can I Get For My Rolex Daytona?
The Rolex Rainbow Daytona is Back for 2024
What is the Price of a Rolex Daytona in?
Best Alternatives to the Rolex Daytona

Laser-Etched Coronet (“LEC”)

From 2002 onward, Rolex started engraving the crystal with a tiny crown logo next to the 6 o’clock mark as an anti-counterfeiting measure. Counterfeiters often fake this, but they make it too visible, so counterintuitively, seeing this laser-etched coronet in photos is actually a red flag. A skilled photographer can capture a real LEC with the right lighting though, as shown below, and legit LEC’s are more pointillated and less “foggy” than fake ones.

Weight

Rolex watches are made with high quality materials, and their modern bracelets are quite heavy. Some fakes are indeed lighter, but being heavy certainly doesn’t mean it’s real. And being light doesn’t mean it’s fake–vintage Rolexes are far lighter than new ones, and owners of modern Rolexes sometimes (wrongly) assume old Rolexes are fake because of their lack of heft. But fake gold watches are never solid gold, so they’ll never feel as heavy as a gold watch should.

Bezel Feel

Rotating a Submariner bezel results in smooth, subtle clicks. It feels noticeably better than bezels on cheap divers. Modern GMT-Master II models have spring-loaded ball bearings underneath their bezels, resulting in a smooth, satisfying rotating action. If you’re not sure if the Sub or GMT in your hands is legit, give the bezel a spin and see if it feels “cheap.”

Basic Indicators of Age: Do They Match Up?

Even within a single reference, Rolex has been known to produce several variations. For ref. 16610 Submariner Date models, for example, solid end links (“SEL”) replaced hollow end links (“HEL”) around 2000. The SEL’s aren’t really that much more solid than “hollow” ones (“slightly reinforced” might be more accurate, as you can see below). However, collectors almost universally agree that the SEL’s indeed feel significantly more solid than the HEL’s, which have their own lightweight charm.

Knowing what hollow end links look like, and when they were phased out, is helpful when assessing the age and legitimacy of a “Rolex” watch. Let’s go over a timeline of useful Rolex milestones to know:

Notable Changes in Recent Decades

1997-2000: Tritium phased out	Modern non-radioactive lume began to replace tritium in the Rolex lineup in 1997. If you see a watch that looks like a Rolex that came out in 2012, but it says “T SWISS T” at the bottom, it’s fake.
2000 – Solid end links debuted	As mentioned, the Sub Date got SEL’s in 2000, and they were added to the rest of the lineup in the following years.
2002 – Lugholes disappearing	Lugholes were removed from Sub Dates and GMT’s around 2002. If you see a 16610T or 16710T model, just remember the “T” as being short for “there’s no lugholes!” 5-digit no-date Submariners kept their lugholes until the end, though; 14060m was the final Rolex model with lugholes.
2002 – Laser-etched coronet	The LEC also began appearing around 2002. So if you see a 1970’s model with the LEC, for instance, run away. Note that the Milgauss GV, with its green sapphire crystal, has no LEC.
2004-2008 – Engraved rehaut debuts	The engraved rehaut first appeared on some Turn-O-Graph models in 2004, but it wasn’t commonly seen until 2005 and it wasn’t on the entire lineup until 2008.
2006 – No more caseback stickers	Since 2006, Rolexes no longer come with green stickers on the casebacks.

Made in USA? On a Rolex?

One might think that “U.S.A” stampings on the bracelet of a Swiss watch would be a red flag, but from about 1959-1979, Rolex frequently used locally-sourced bracelets. Complete watches were often taxed more heavily than incomplete ones, which is why you can find real vintage Rolex bracelets made in the U.S.A, as well as Mexico, Japan, and South America. Nowadays, Rolex’s supply chain is more vertically integrated and entirely Swiss-made.

Learn More: Overview of the Rolex Supply Chain

Fake Rolex vs Real: Common Giveaways

Knowing how to spot a fake Rolex is mostly about knowing what a real one looks like, but there are often some dead giveaways. Let’s go over some quick ones.

Low-Quality/Mismatched Engravings

Some fake clasps are pretty convincing these days, but let’s tackle one that can be pretty quickly dismissed. A quick search of “62523H” reveals that code belongs on a two-tone Jubilee bracelet, not a steel Oyster. The low-quality black writing, combined with the poor embossing of the Rolex logo, are more signs of a fake.

ebay Marconis

Marconi was an early brand of the Rolex Watch Co. and you can find some real Rolex Marconi watches from the 1920’s, but the Rolex Marconis that litter the landscape of ebay (usually in the $1,000-$1,500 price range) are almost entirely fakes. They are hodgepodges of old watch parts with a “Rolex Marconi” stamp added to the dial, often found in South America and Japan. Stay away from watches that look like this:

What is a “Floating M” Rolex Submariner?

Rolex Submariner dials have gone through various tiny typeface and spacing adjustments over the years. Where it says “1000 ft. = 300 m” on the dial, the bottom of the “m” almost always aligns with the bottom of the 0’s. If the “m” is a bit raised, that’s called a “floating m” and a lot of fake Submariners have that. However, although relatively uncommon, that is a real dial variant! So if you already have concerns about a Rolex you’re looking at, a “floating m” should make you even more suspicious. But it’s not enough to condemn a watch as fake on its own.

Gold “Acierinox” Buckles

While you’re avoiding ebay Marconis, go ahead and skip ebay Rolex buckles too. Fake Rolex buckles are so common that it’s healthy to be skeptical if you get one anywhere except a Rolex Service Center. Often, gold-plated fake buckles will say “ACIERINOX” which, humorously enough, means “stainless steel.” Real gold-plated vintage Rolex buckles do exist but they say “PLAQUE.”

Here’s an example of a genuine vintage gold-plated Rolex buckle:

Shrink Wrap

While it is theoretically possible for resellers of genuine Rolexes to wrap their watches in plastic, it’s not a common practice. Seeing the lugs wrapped in this stupid shrink wrap is a huge red flag, and often “904L” will be written in red:

How to Spot a Fake Rolex LEC: Spotting it at All!

We’ve shown you an example of a legit laser-etched coronet above. It doesn’t show up in most light. Fake LEC’s look more smudgey and less pointillated, and they’re way easier to see. Like this:

How to Spot a Fake Rolex Fluted Bezel: Too Smudgey

Real fluted Rolex bezels are made of solid gold, and they are extremely shiny. The fluted bezels of stainless steel fakes often show smudges and fingerprints more than a real one would. Honestly that “smudgey” fluted bezel is an underrated part of knowing how to spot a fake Rolex. On this same fake Rolex we can also see the poor rehaut alignment mentioned earlier. Minute markers should each go through a letter of the word “ROLEX” and although even real ones are often aligned imperfectly, the spacing won’t be this wonky:

“Quartz” on the Dial

Aside from the rare ref. 5100 prototypes, Rolexes never say “Quartz” on the dial unless it’s part of the word “Oysterquartz.” This tip can be useful when scrounging through estate sales or Goodwill, so you can quickly disregard watches such as this:

How to Spot a Fake Rolex Cellini: Date Windows, Lume, Seconds

Rolex has never put lume, nor a date window, on any of their Cellini models. Also, aside from the 2013-2023 models, Rolex Cellinis never have seconds hands! Those three facts are enough to know how to spot a fake Rolex Cellini in many cases:

Tudor Date Fonts on a “Rolex”

Vintage Tudor watches have several parts that are similar (and often interchangeable) to those of their Rolex counterparts. However, Tudors have their own distinctive date fonts. Sometimes, counterfeiters will use a mix of counterfeit, Tudor, and Rolex parts. Since many Tudors use ETA movements, and many fakes do too, it’s easy for fakers to use Tudor date wheels. If you recognize the Tudor date font on a so-called “Rolex,” that’s likely a “franken” like the watch below. If you know what a Tudor date font looks like, you should know how to spot the red flag on this fake/Frankenstein Rolex:

Lumed Hands on an Unlumed Dial

With few exceptions, if a Rolex has no lume on the dial, it shouldn’t have lume on the hands, either. Sometimes collectors and resellers of genuine Rolexes do “dial swaps” and forget to match the hands, but in general, lumed hands on an unlumed dial are a red flag.

Two-Tone Day-Dates

Rolex never made a steel-and-gold Day-Date. Two-tone “Day-Dates” like the one below are some of the most common fakes around. You don’t have to know how to spot a fake Rolex like a pro to know this one is fake:

How to Spot a Fake Gold Rolex: Gold Plating Rubbing Off

Although some obscure gold-plated vintage Rolex models (like 3386, 1550, 1024 etc.) do exist, Rolex has never used gold plating on any sports model, Day-Date, or Datejust. If you see gold plating that has rubbed off on these models, stay away.

Although the accuracy of counterfeiters is only going to get scarier and scarier, if you keep these guidelines in mind, you should know how to spot a fake Rolex in most cases. Just remember to research the model you’re purchasing, and that there’s no substitute for buying from a trusted, reputable dealer!

More Rolex Guides from Grey Market:
Rolex Serial Numbers: The Ultimate Guide
How Many Links Does a Rolex Come With?
How Does The Rolex Waiting List Work? Can it Be Avoided?
Breaking Down Rolex Prices: Retail vs. Actual Market for Top Models
Women’s Rolex Watch Guide