We have been offered many watches over the years that have been counterfeit. Many of these watches and jewellery have been bought whilst on holiday. On holiday you are relaxed, maybe in love and maybe you have had a drink over lunch. These are the times maybe not to consider a major purchase even if the price seems very good in comparison to the UK, Unscrupulous traders know this and often pray on it. They also know that you are on a flight in a week and you will probably never return. So please take heed.
A quality watch should be considered and researched. After all it may be your companion for many years. It should not be bought on a whim. A few years ago we were offered an unboxed 18Ct Gold mens Rolex Wactch that a man had bought whilst in the far east. Now we tested the metal and we can tell you it was solid gold. We removed the back of the watch and it had a Rolex movement. It even had serial and model numbers making it an early 90's model. But there was something not quite right and we could not put our finger on it. We sent it to another expert on the South Coast and he was not sure. So we sent it to a renowned expert in London and low and behold it was confirmed as a fake. Wow a solid gold fake but with an old, but real, Rolex movement in it.
Those of you in the know will be aware that this is a £15-20000 watch when new. The chap had paid £6000. The crooks had gone to all of the trouble of making a counterfeit bracelet and case out of gold and fitting a Rolex movement. We estimated that the watch cost about £1500 maybe £2000 to put together. Not bad to then have a watch masquerading as a £15000 original. You may say that we should have sent it to Rolex to be destroyed but we couldn't do it. We told the chap and gave it him back. The gold was probably worth £750-1000 so that was something but we certainly felt for him.
So there is a story. BUYER BEWARE!
