Watches are being faked on an industrial scale. Because of the illegal nature of the trade, accurate figures are impossible to obtain, but numbers have soared and estimates put the amount of counterfeit watches produced each year at a staggering 40 million, generating a profit of around $1billion for criminal gangs.
With such huge amounts of money to be made, it is no wonder that along with swelling numbers, the quality of the fakes has risen significantly.
In the old days it might have been enough to see the way the seconds hand moves to know that a black-market Rolex was not what it seemed.
But with cloned movements in well-made watches that can cost thousands of pounds, some fakes are all-but indistinguishable from the real thing.
Legitimate players in the luxury watch industry are keen to highlight the extent of the problem.
One in 50 watches sent to Watchfinder & Co. last year was either a fake or contained fake parts. This has meant uncomfortable conversations with owners who are almost always completely unaware their prized possession is a knock-off.
Watchfinder wants to arm people with the best possible knowledge on how to spot a fake watch, and has created an online game where people can test their knowledge.
The game features ten watches from brands including Rolex, Panerai, Breitling, IWC Omega, Hublot and TAG Heuer — a reminder that the criminals are copying a huge array of high value watches these days.
On each watch, you can zoom in for a close inspection before making a decision on whether it is real or fake.
Whether you are right or wrong, the game provides a bit of useful additional information on the clues to look for.
It is a bit of fun, but also with a serious message and a big of education attached.
The only way to ensure that a watch is not a fake is to get a Seiko or Grand Seiko with the Spring Drive movement, because there is no such thing as a fake spring drive.
Some of the ‘tells’ to how a watch was fake were not even visible in the photos you showed making it a little difficukt for us to spot. The IWC springs to mind.