Omega Deville 7191315

$79.00
Rolex Yachtmaster 14006

$67.00
Tag Heuer Link 20125

$73.00
Omega Speedmaster 13239

$77.00
Tag Heuer Carrera 62806

$63.00
Omega Speedmaster 13025

$62.00
Rolex Classic 41181

$79.00
Rolex Datejust 7191050

$79.00
Rolex Classic 41250

$79.00
Breitling Chronomat 19145

$79.00
Rolex Datejust 14138

$69.00
Tag_heuer Classic 41464

$79.00

Fake Watches : what about fake watches

To create a gallery of "fakes" is to raise the controversial question of just what is (and is not) a "fake". Webster's Dictionary tells us that a fake is something that is "not what it purports to be". Let me use this simple definition as a frame of reference in this attempt to describe the types of "fakes" that are displayed on this page.

A first point to note is that we are talking about the watches themselves -- the case, dial, hands, movement, etc., that are assembled to create a watch. We look at the watch itself to determine whether it is "what it purports to be" or whether it is a "fake". This Gallery is not about the people who make the fakes, it's not about the people who sell them, and it's not about the representations that are made in connection with the sale (which may turn a fake into a fraud). Rather, we look at the watch itself, and only the watch. Someone selling a fake may describe it accurately (as a fake); in this instance, the seller is being honest. Still, the watch itself is a fake, so it belongs in the Gallery.

In defining what ia and is not a "fake", let's start with the easiest case -- the "pure fake". Someone takes an inexpensive chronograph, made by another manufacturer under another brand name, has the dial refinished to indicate "Heuer Silverstone", and adds the name "Heuer" to the movement. It purports to be a Heuer Silverstone; but is it not a Heuer and it is not a Silverstone, so all would agree that it is a "fake".

A second variety of fake is a watch that began life as one type of Heuer, but has been altered to purport to be some other type of Heuer. For example, a watchmaker can take a Reference 404 chronograph (made by Heuer, with no model name on the dial), and refinish the dial to add the more valuable "Carrera" name. It purports to be a Heuer Carrera, but it is not. Yes, it might be a Heuer, on a physical level, but it is definitely not a "Carrera". It is a Heuer Reference 404 chronograph with a (badly) refinished dial; it purports to be a Carrera, so it is a "fake".

Now we get to one of the most difficult situations -- a watchmaker takes parts from genuine Heuer chronographs (or from supplies of genuine Heuer parts), and creates a watch from the parts. The parts are all from the correct model, but the chronograph, as such, was created by the watchmaker, and not actually made by Heuer. "Made by Heuer" means just that -- this watch was assembled / made / created by Heuer. Can a watchmaker disassemble and re-assemble a genuine Heuer, in performing an overhaul? Of course. Can this watchmaker replace worn or damaged parts? Sure, this is an accepted practice in the industry. Can he replace the original hands with new hands that were made by Heuer, for this exact model? Yes -- at this point, the watch will no longer be 100% "original", but I don't think collectors would call it a fake.

Going further, let's consider the example of someone taking the major components from two or more timepieces (all of them the same model) and putting them together to create a working chronograph. For example, a collector may combine the case and movement from an Autavia 11630 GMT, with the dial and hands from another Autavia 11630 GMT, to produce a complete watch. In my experience, most would think of the resulting chronograph as "rebuilt" or "salvaged"; few would call it a "fake"; all would agree that, if its history is known, it will be worth something less than a fully original Autavia 11630 GMT, as produced by Heuer. What we decide to call these watches is largely "academic -- they will look absolutely "correct" and will usually go undetected.

Last on our list of categories are the so-called "Frankens" -- when someone has taken various parts from different Heuer models, and combined them to create a working watch. Have a look in the Gallery (below), and you will see a Carrera dial in a Camaro case, and a Daytona dial in a Carrera case. Are they genuine Heuer parts? Yes. Is the resulting piece a genuine Heuer Carrera or Daytona? No. It is not what it purports to be (a Carrera or a Daytona), so I classify it as a "fake".

I realize that this is a controversial topic, but readers consistently confirm that this Gallery of Fakes and this information is extremely useful. Accordingly, I present it for what it is -- one collector's opinion based on his own definition of what is and is not a fake. My view of "fakes" may be parallel to Supreme Court Justice Stewart's view of "obscenity" -- I don't know how to define it, but I know it when I see it.

I would welcome your e-mail with any comments on the watches shown in this Gallery, including additional information about how and where they were made. If anyone can present further information to authenticate any of these watches, as genuine Heuer chronographs, the watch will be removed from the Gallery. In two years of maintainig this Gallery, noone has demonstrated that any watch shown in this Gallery has been genuine.

Best Wishes,
watchbeef.net