One of the most sought after watches for watch collectors is the Rolex brand watch. These pieces of jewelry can come with a six digit price tag if you buy the watch new. But these watches are truly remarkable in that they last forever, gain value with time and retain an incredibly high resale value.
It’s tough for a watch collector to accumulate a lot of expensive watches. That is why many watch collectors go hunting for the timepieces at estate sales. Estate sales are sometimes thought of as “high-quality garage sales,” where a person hires a professional company, opens their home to the public and allows their home to become a high-end store for a day or two. Everything is for sale, including the watch collection.
If you happen to stumble upon a Rolex watch at an estate sale, it is important to know how to spot a real Rolex and there are a few ways you can tell if the watch is legitimate. While estate sale companies usually run an honest business, the homeowner may intentionally try to sell fake watches through the estate sale company. So here are some tried and true ways to spot a real Rolex.
• Look to the second hand inside the watch. If it stutters between seconds, then it uses quartz movement, meaning the watch is likely a fake. The stutter is usually accompanied by a ticking, and that ticking also tells you it is fake.
• A real Rolex watch is fairly heavy. They are made with high-quality metals that weigh a lot. So if a watch feels light in your hand, then it may be a fake.
• A Rolex watch will feature a winder that contains grooves, engravings and an artfully crafted grip. Fakes usually feature a rather simple winder.
• A Rolex uses a Cyclops lens to magnify the digit telling you the date. A fake’s date will not be magnified.
If you are a high-end watch hunter, check out our Los Angeles area estate sale listing at HeritageEstateSale.com. And visit our Ebay page for more!