Navigating the Risks - LuxeAuthentic

Authenticate Watches

Increasingly high-end precision tooling has enabled the production of higher standards of fake Rolex watches which can easily be passed on as genuine ones. Each day the fakes are getting better and closer to the original ones including the watch movement housed in the watch. It takes many years of experience and trained eyes to differentiate the real from the fake.
Even experienced watchmakers/pawn shops have been fooled due to their carelessness.
The increasing difficulty to purchase watches from Rolex Authorised Dealers has resulted in consumers turning to 3rd party (grey) dealers or private sellers for purchase which can be risky (for a novice) as the watches may not be authentic or original.

With counterfeits and watches with fake parts becoming rampant, Rolex Service Centre Singapore has stopped providing authenticating services.
Without years of experience in dealing with Rolex watches, it is near impossible for a novice to tell if the watch they purchase is genuine.
Once you have purchased a fake watch, getting your hard-earned money back is near impossible as the seller can rebut that you have swapped the watch for a fake to ask for a refund. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to authenticate the watch during the purchase in the presence of the seller (whether from a shop or a private seller).
Having the proper box and warranty certificate does not 100% guarantee that the watch is genuine. The box and warranty certificate can easily be faked furthermore, the most valuable item is still the watch itself.
Fake watches have also found their way into precious metal Rolex watches due to its high transacted prices worldwide. As of this writing, these fake precious metal Rolex watches are getting better each day, making it difficult for an average consumer to differentiate a genuine from a fake without the help of an experienced Rolex authenticator.

Myth	Fact
Purchasing Rolex watches with a box and warranty certificate (complete set) is considered a safer purchase.	As long as you are not purchasing the watch from a Rolex Authorised Dealer, the risk of purchasing a fake watch is still present. The box and warranty certificate may be genuine however, this does not mean that the watch cannot be swapped with a fake one.
Purchasing a brand new Rolex watch from a grey dealer (with or without a shopfront) or a private seller should be safer than purchasing a preowned watch.	The problem with purchasing from a non-Authorised Dealer is that the source of the watch is unknown. Therefore, purchasing it from a grey dealer (even with a shopfront) or private seller still carries the risk of getting a fake if you do not get it authenticated.
I can still get a refund from the grey dealer or private seller after the purchase if I found out later that it is a fake.	It is near impossible to get your money back if you do not authenticate the watch on the spot during the purchase as the seller can claim that they have sold you a genuine watch during the transaction. It is then for you to prove to them otherwise.