How to spot a fake Rolex

How to tell a real Rolex from a fake

Rolex is the most counterfeited watch brand in the world, and modern "super clones" can pass a quick glance. The listings on this page are filtered to eBay's Authenticity Guarantee where available, meaning a professional authenticator inspects the watch before it reaches you - which matters more here than on almost any other item. The checks below help you judge a listing.

The Cyclops and the date

The Cyclops lens over the date should magnify it 2.5 times, so the date number looks large, bold, and fills the lens, and the lens itself is visibly domed (convex). On many fakes the magnification is weak - the date looks only slightly larger, sits off-centre, or floats in the middle of the window. A flat, low-magnification Cyclops is a strong fake sign.

The laser-etched crown and rehaut

Since around 2002, genuine Rolex crystals carry a tiny laser-etched crown at the 6 o'clock position, made of microscopic dots that are almost invisible without a loupe. Fakes either skip it or etch it too large and obvious. Since 2008, the rehaut (the inner ring between dial and crystal) is engraved "ROLEXROLEXROLEX" all the way around with the serial number at 6 o'clock - if the engraving runs around with no break for a serial, it is a cheap fake.

The caseback and movement

Almost every Rolex sport model - Submariner, GMT-Master, Daytona, Sea-Dweller - has a solid, plain screw-down caseback. A clear "exhibition" caseback showing the movement on one of these references is an almost certain fake; counterfeiters add them to show off the clone movement. The ultimate check is the movement itself, which no fake replicates perfectly - but that requires a watchmaker, which is exactly why buying Authenticity Guaranteed removes the guesswork.

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