Just when I thought it's time to start on vintage rollies...

[Ender]

Along comes reminders like this as to how good the fakes are becoming...da*n!



*Pic is lifted from a thread in another rolex forum. Mods, please delete if not appropriate

[caeden]

Yes, that is a decent FAKE dial....but still pretty easy to tell apart from an original MK4.

Don't let that put you down bro Ender...

Cheers!

[taxico]

i'm no longer going into vintage rolex watches... ie, acrylics. it's not just an entire watch that's being passed off as fakes, but even parts.

with manufacturing abilities improving over time, i don't want to be stuck with a watch i cannot knowingly sell, yet cannot keep...

i'm instead focusing on sapphire neo-vintage... there're still good buys out there. easy to own, easy to sell.

[edimars]

agree that with todays technology its easy to fake... but not only on vintage.. infact much more easy on modern watches.. if I were to be in fake watch business, I will go with new modern than vintage... why? there's no bible for new watches unlike vintage.. fake vintage won't be perfectly correct.. not as I can see..

[KuchingKu]

I went on a few trips to Shenzhen and HK.

They fake whatever brings in money...rolex, Pam, ap, cartier.

From what I see, mostly moderns. Reason: bigger market and easier to fake.

[pegasi]

Not only is it tricky to collect vintage, there is also not many collectors in SG for vintage watches meaning flipping them are a lot more difficult. Those who have tried offloading their vintage watches know what I mean...

[KuchingKu]

Not only is it tricky to collect vintage, there is also not many collectors in SG for vintage watches meaning flipping them are a lot more difficult. Those who have tried offloading their vintage watches know what I mean...

You are right and wrong. By flipping..do you mean selling or mean making money? Making money is same as others, depends on demand and supply. Selling is not as easy as modern cos the following is surely smaller. But there is a small but steady group of collectors in the region. So, it's a case of watch meeting the right owner. In any case, vintage collectors tend to hold their watches longer than modern watches IMO. Look at the number of ceramic sub lv on sale vs 1675.

[taxico]

there's no bible for new watches unlike vintage.. fake vintage won't be perfectly correct.. not as I can see..

most vintage collectors are not hoarding parts. these parts are no longer made by rolex. modern watches from rolex have parts that are, comparably, so much easier to find from unofficial channels (genuine).

due to the scarcity, more people are willing to pay top dollar for vintage parts/watches. plus... it's also easier to pass off a poorly made piece as a genuine vintage rolex part.

as for the improvement in manufacturing techniques - i don't foresee a time when there're such good modern fakes that it's impossible to tell, as the newer anti-counterfeiting features are making newer rollies more difficult to fake.

the laser-etched coronet is one example - it will cost too much to make a perfect fake.

if i had the money to make good engravings between lugs and on the rehaut + perfect laser etchings on the sapphire crystal, and also a good dial, etc...

...i'd be probably better off investing the money in machinery and tooling for manufacturing and reselling good movements! (eg, old movements that are in demand, eg, venus, lemania, zenith, JLC, rolex (1570?)...

[taxico]

You are right and wrong. By flipping..do you mean selling or mean making money? Making money is same as others, depends on demand and supply. Selling is not as easy as modern cos the following is surely smaller. But there is a small but steady group of collectors in the region. So, it's a case of watch meeting the right owner. In any case, vintage collectors tend to hold their watches longer than modern watches IMO. Look at the number of ceramic sub lv on sale vs 1675.

i think flipping usually means "re-sell" or dispose of, i think... whether for a profit or not...

most people would not consider a 1675 over a 16610LV due to price and age of the product.

not just 1675s are rare, but even non-sport rolex watches from that era are uncommonly seen for sale on forums.

perhaps people who bought them back them are still alive and wearing these remarkably hardy watches. (once i saw an ah pek on an AZ plate suzuki GN125 wearing a DOUBLE RED SD - the real deal! his handle bar stopped right by my car window!)

perhaps not many people back then could afford to buy such watches. or perhaps it a bit of both.

if the 1675 was available in sufficient quantities from pre-owned shops, AND for sale at say, $2,500... trust me, there will be more buyers for it than a green sub.

(un?)fortunately, the pricing and supply of vintage rolex watches simply mean there are less available for re-sale.

as a corollary, only a niche group of people would spend time and money buying and learning about these old watches.

and as you stated, this results in even more reluctance on their part, to be relieved of these precious old gems (especially the ones in good condition).

[cmclee]

The dial looks fine to me. What is wrong ?

[caeden]

It's totally FAKE...

[cmclee]

Thanks for the enlightening comment. Could you be more specific exactly which or what parts/areas shows it is fake ? Sharing such information would certainly help other vintage collectors on this forum to learn more.

Cheers !