One of the most confusing points is around the condition. In your search, you’ll most likely come across two replica watches that look exactly the same — the same manufacturing, model, reference, and so on — but with a wide price difference. To add to the confusion, the fake rolex watch that seems likely to have had a harder life apparently had some impact on its case, or its face had weathered in the sun and was more expensive.
It all comes down to some of the collectors’ preference for originality. A watch in ‘honest’ condition, i.e. one which has never been polished by a service center to remove any scratches, is incredibly rare and therefore more valuable. While polishing can bring a watch back to its showroom shine, it does so by removing minute layers of metal and, if done enough times, leaves lugs uneven or eradicates those wonderful chamfered edges along the flanks.
A similar philosophy applies to the dial. Any vintage watch will have a dial which signs of age; the question is, what kind? One displaying a nice patina, or those known as ‘tropical’ (where a black dial has faded to an attractive even brown color) is highly sought after. However, one showing signs of water damage, such as staining on the markers, is to be avoided and they can sometimes mean that the replica rolex watches may have internal problems as well. The dial of a vintage timepiece can account for up to 85% of the total value.
The condition should also be consistent. Both dial and handset should display the same level of aging, it is a total sign that one or the other has been replaced at some point. Delicate cases, service dials, or hands-on vintage watches do not cause any transactions to fail, but they need to be identified and priced accordingly compared to those with the correct dial, original watches.
