Rolex vs. Fake?
There are many fakes out there, some that are barely operational as watches, others with Swiss ETA movements in well-made cases (that cost almost as much as a Rolex). Stay away from them all. The vast majority of fakes can easily be spotted by a member of the Rolex forum either due to poor quality or differences from genuine watches. The only fool-proof way to be sure that a Rolex is not fake is to have a watchmaker examine the movement–the Rolex movement is laid out differently from all other movements and a bogus watch will be immediately apparent. There are no fakes that will fool a Rolex knowledgeable watchmaker. Many fakes come with boxes, papers, hang-tags, and the like. James Dowling cautions that you should “buy the seller, not the watch.” If you don’t trust the seller, walk away. If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.