A watch’s bracelet can also have a lot of telltale signs of its authenticity, some that are easier to spot than others. The four styles of bracelets by Rolex are Oyster, Jubilee, President, and Pearlmaster, in addition to different strap options, as seen below:
• Links
- Comparing these two watches again, you can see a couple visible differences in the bracelet links of both watches. On the real Rolex, the links are brushed metal all the way around the bracelet. Whereas on the counterfeit Rolex, only the outer links are brushed metal while the center links are polished and shinier in appearance.
- There is also a noticeable difference in the size of the links and the width of the bracelets. The bracelet links on the genuine Rolex are thicker and more robust looking compared to the links on the replica that are much thinner and more slender in appearance, which in turn make its bracelet more narrow in width compared to the real Rolex bracelet.
• Clasp
- The clasp on the authentic Rolex bracelet is much longer than the clasp on the fake Rolex, which you can clearly see with both clasps side by side.
- The positioning of the Rolex coronet/crown on the clasp of each watch is different. The crown on the real Rolex is positioned so as the very bottom of the crown serves as part of the hidden flip-lock clasp mechanism – designed as a ledge to make it easier to open. On the replica, the whole crown is fitted within the center link with no part of it hanging off the edge like it does on the real Rolex. Additionally, the “hidden” flip-lock clasp on the replica isn’t very hidden at all and is clearly a separate piece that protrudes out further than the rest of the clasp.
- On the fake Rolex, you can see two buttons – one on each side of the clasp – designed as a push-release mechanism for the clasp. On the real Rolex there are no buttons as none are needed to open the clasp, which is opened using only the hidden flip-lock clasp.
If you open the clasps of both watches, you can see the inside of the real Rolex’s clasp has an engraving of an emblem – with the word “ROLEX” in the center and the Rolex crown above it – as well as the (very small) words “GENEVA” and “SWISS MADE” engraved to the right of the emblem. You can see that on the inside clasp of the replica, there are no engravings whatsoever.
Interestingly, the reverse is true about engravings on the back side of the clasps of both watches. This time, the back side of the clasp on the replica can have an engraving of the words “STAINLESS STEEL”, while the back side of the clasp on the authentic Rolex has no engravings whatsoever. The fake will be a little harder to detect on this aspect alone, however, you can see the difference between the two.
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Diamond Jim is a master jeweler, diamond dealer and precious metals broker. Pineforest Jewelry has been a proud member of the Independent Jewelers Organization and the Retail Jewelers Organization for many years.
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Credit to The Watch Standard for these articles.