3 reasons why Rolex fakes are getting so good, and some tips to avoid them from Watchfinder
Rolex fakes have existed for a very long time. But where it used to be pretty easy to spot an impostor – from the dull lustre of the cheap materials, to laughable aesthetic inaccuracies, to the sound of the rotor rattling from across the boardroom table like a bag of Skittles – it is now increasingly difficult. It’s something Watchfinder has demonstrated in this extraordinary comparison video. As I’m sure almost all of you will know, the meteoric rise in the popularity of steel Professional models like the Submariner, GMT-Master II and Daytona has meant that enthusiasts are paying as much as four times more than retail to get their hands on one. Such is the demand for these products. This means that now, more than ever, these illegitimate watches are really, really big business. And because only the uppermost echelon of AD cohorts can buy the real deal, fake Rolex watches are now also a mighty economy in their own right. As time goes on, the money invested into making them much higher quality is justified by the exorbitant prices, running now to the thousands, not hundreds of dollars people are prepared to pay for fakes. So, with this…
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It’s a story we’ve been writing in our weekly editorial meeting for months and months: the idea that lug to lug measurement is a more important fit-telling metric than any other. In layman’s terms, that’s the distance between the outer tip of two opposing lugs on either side of the case. So much discussion. So many feelings. So finally, after whinging and whinging about it, we identified that Zach was the most passionate on the subject, and he got the gig – a story was briefed to illustrate extreme examples of why lug to lug matters to the extent that other metrics we rely on, such as case diameter, can border on redundant in comparison. What Zach filed shortly after was unpublishable. It was more than 2000 words and veered wildly from the topic to another sibling topic, which is big watches that wear small. It was actually great, to be honest. So thorough and so in the pocket – Zach has a well and truly sub 7-inch wrist, so it was clearly something he’d thought a lot about, with many, many real-life examples to bring the subject to life. To cut a long story about a slender wrist short,…
Editor’s note: Back in March we threw the watches of two of hip-hop’s biggest names – Jay-Z and Drake – in a figurative boxing ring for a four-round bout to find out which collection was best. Both of these modern-day poets had absurd timepieces that spanned a number of different disciplines, and it was more than interesting to see the nuance between the two collectors. Now, without wanting to give too much away, one of these bar-spitting celebs has got the horological chops of a bona fide aficionado, while the other is just 110% hype beast. Want to know who comes out on top? Keep reading … Today, we’re facing off two of the music industry’s biggest names – the one and only Hova, AKA Jay-Z, is going to have his watches pitted against none other than Champagne Papi himself, Drake. There’s going to be four rounds in this horological heavyweight showdown, spread across four different categories – dress watch to die for, modded and murdered out mayhem, weekend warrior, and deathblow, the ultimate flex piece. Whose watches will come out on top in this instalment of Celebrity Death Match? There’s only one way to find out … Dress watch to…
If it’s the rugged tool watch charm of the Captain Cook or the historically energised dimensions of the Golden Horse, Rado is probably best remembered in recent years for the watches inspired by the archives of the brand. But there’s a part of the Rado family that watch enthusiasts might be less familiar with, a part that leaves the vintage design cues at the door and instead celebrates space-age materials with a contemporary flair. The Rado True Square collection hails from this lineage within the family. Ceramic cases that appear to be borderline liquid in their appearance, integrated bracelets and curious dials are what you’ll find here. Not a beads-of-rice bracelet in sight. As we take a closer look at the Rado True Square collection, we’ll be focusing on two references that encapsulate the breadth of what the collection has to offer, despite how similar the specs might read on paper – the True Square Automatic Diamonds and the True Square Open Heart. Siblings in name and body, but watches that present two very different faces to the world. First focusing on the Rado True Square Open Heart, and an immediate impression is made by the skeletonised dial. While some…
Editor’s pick: This story concludes with the author, Yannick Chan, saying “I’m really excited to see where Tudor is headed with the Fifty-Eight line. We will, no doubt, see a blue, burgundy, and *fingers-crossed* a GMT version of the watch in the near future.” One out of three came to pass in 2020, with the Navy version. It’s given rise, of course to lots of comparisons between the OG, this model and the new. We thought it might be useful to hear from a pretty devoted fan. There’s no review like an owner review, after all. Being a Tudor enthusiast (or, for lack of a better word, a bit of a fanboy), the Black Bay Fifty-Eight was the watch that really caught my eye amongst the new releases from Tudor at Baselworld 2018. Yes, like everyone else, I love the look and functionality of the Black Bay GMT, but being more of a vintage watch guy, the size and retro design of the Fifty-Eight really appealed to me. I’ve been dying to get my hands on the watch ever since, and I guess I wasn’t the only one. Just like the GMT, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight has been an instant…
Seiko’s 2020 arsenal of new watches has yet another devastatingly attractive addition in the Seiko Astron SSH073J. In parallel with the mechanical in-house divers and sports watches we can’t seem to get enough of, we find the ultra-precise Astron series, here shown in the dressy darkness of titanium and ceramic. I apologise in advance for more Star Wars references, but they are too tempting. With this on Mr Vader’s wrist, the Death Star would always be on time, as the Astron accuracy is legendary. We sing the praises of Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive and Quartz models with their beguiling mix of craftsmanship and mechanical excellence, but this is something else. The Astron series, with their tough, high-tech focus, does not get the column space they deserve, as they are damn impressive at what they do. This year is the 160th anniversary of Kintaro Hattori, the founder of Seiko, and they have chosen to mark this with a limited edition of their laser-sharp solar-powered GPS watch, the Astron SSH073J. And when we say devastatingly handsome, we mean it. It’s hard to think of a cleaner execution of the Astron, and the colour scheme? A symphony of black and gold in a…
Editor’s note: As we discussed here and in Part 1 of this article, watch lug to lug is an oft misunderstood element in finding the perfect fitting watch to your wrist. Here’s why. Ressence Type 1 Slim (42mm x 46mm) While some Ressence Type references push upwards of 52mm lug to lug, if you are looking for one of their more compact offerings, the Type 1 Slim is your best bet. At 46mm in lug to lug measurement, the 42mm case wears very well on the wrist. Its wire lugs taper the strap downward, creating an absence of unnecessary fixed length. This Ressence watch is a great example of why you need to pay attention to lug profile as much as case profile. Larger diameters do not necessarily mean a larger watch. The front of the watch is all dial, with no bezel to take up dial diameter. This creates the illusion of a much larger watch, but it is in fact just that: an illusion. RRP: $20,600 USD/approximately $28,710 AUD Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic (40mm x 46mm) Starting to think 46mm is the perfect vertical length of a watch? Then the Bulgari Octo Finissimo is another watch that should…