A lot of people – even seasoned collectors – can find themselves confused when trying to distinguish between original and authentic watches. The trick? Stop thinking of the words as synonymous. In this guide, you’ll learn about the big differences between these two categories of luxury watches and how it can help you be a more educated shopper and collector.An authentic watch is undisputed in origin, and not a replica or copy. This means that in order for something to be authentic, it has to be 100% real. Authentic watches are genuine pieces from brands – think of the big players like Rolex, Tudor, Omega, Patek Philippe and more.We use the word authentic in the industry to distinguish between genuine timepieces and fakes that are widely copied and sold. When a dealer gets their hands on a watch, the first thing they are going to do is check the authenticity of the watch; and as a buyer, you should be doing the same. As a buyer, the first step in guaranteeing you get an authentic watch is by always buying directly from the brand or a trusted and reputable dealer who can ensure that the watch is authentic.But how can you tell whether a watch is authentic? Well, we’ve created some great guides to help educate buyers and collectors – both on what’s real, and how to spot inauthentic details. Head over here to check out our official guide on the Top Ways To Spot A Fake Rolex.To be an original watch, the timepiece has to be an authentic watch. Because when you see a watch listed as original, it means that it is both a genuine timepiece from that brand, and one that has not had any later-era updates or alterations since it was manufactured and originally sold.Original watches are:Authentic Have not had parts replaced with later-era equivalents or been modified/altered in any way Sometimes in the industry, we also refer to original watches as ‘honest’ watches. And when we look at pre-owned timepieces – especially vintage watches, we often look for originality. This means we look for things like correct factory-installed parts, whether they’re scratched, chipped or faded.We also look for things like custom details that were added after purchasing, like diamonds or enhanced bezels which were later-era additions and unoriginal to the piece. There are even many buyers and collectors who will favor watches that have never had a polishing or servicing that could have hindered the natural aging process of the timepiece.
The dial has a lot things worthy of talking. First it is about the high readability. White dial has thick black Arabic numeral hour markers, the minute markers are also in black color, it is very convenient for the wearer to catch time from the dial. The big triangle marker at 12 and hour markers at 3, 6 and 9 are applied with Swiss Superlume material, so in dark condition, you will find these four markers will emit a strong green light, this improves the dial readability. There are three working subdials, they are sunken from the main dial. Each small dial works well and features a blue hand. Among them, small seconds subdial is at 9 o’clock, 30-minute chronograph counter and 12-hour chronograph counter are positioned at 12 and 6 o’clock repectively. At 3 o’clock, next to the hour marker, there are two square windows, the left window is displaying current day, while the right window is showing date, both have black font. All hands on the white dial use blue color, not only eye-catching, but also give your eyes fresh outlook.
When we talk about 007 series movie, if you are a watch fan, you will know that James Bond usually wore an Omega watch, in every 007 movie from 1995 to 2018, James Bond would have one Omega watch. Today, the replica watch I will introduce is an Omega Seamaster Commander limited edition model, the genuine watch was published on July 5th, 2017, it was released to commemorate the anniversary of James Bond 007 Series Film.The replica is made by UR factory, it is currently the best version and has improved all defects of previous editions. The replica uses a clone Cal. 2507 automatic movement, correct case back engravings, each watch has an individual limited number engraved on case back.Compared with genuine watch, the replica has two big difference, first, the helium valve button is not working. If you guys like this watch but need to do a long-term diving operation or engaging in oil exploration, I suggest you buy a genuine watch. Second, due to cost and technology limitations, the replica can not use the same co-axial movement like genuine. But the factory tried their best to make this clone 2507 movement look like genuine caliber in outlook.
Several years ago, Panerai published Luminor Submersible 1950 PAM 382, which raised a bronze storm in watch industry. The story between XF and bronze started from Panerai’s PAM 382. Afterwards, XF unveiled PAM 507, PAM 671, Zenith Type 20 Pilot Extra Special, Tudor Black Bay Bronzo, these are all art work of XF that are made of bronze material. So, we can see that XF factory continuously researched bronze and applied this material in their watch-making process, today, they released this IWC Pilot Spitfire bronze watch, it is the first IWC watch that is made of bronze.Actually, it is not hard to make a bronze case, but the difficulty is that bronze case should be oxidized to our expected result at the speed we want, XF has always been researching this, now the oxidized result on this IWC Pilot Spitfire has achieved a perfect condition, which is closest to genuine, compared with the bronze case from small factories, you will find that their oxidized color is uneven and there is even rusty spot.
The biggest difference between modern AquaTimer and previous AquaTimer watches lies in their bezel design. I more prefer the two color black and yellow bezel of old AquaTimer models. Here, let use be back to the replica we are discussing, it is the latest work from V6 factory, which has expanded their watch business into every Swiss brand. V6 factory published a lot of high quality replica watches in 2016, among them, Omega Spectre is the one that gained a great success. Now this IWC AquaTimer replica is made of 316L stainless steel in case and bezel, it looks very strong and tough. The bezel has grooves so it is easy for the wearer to catch even when their hands get wet. The dial has two levels, it has a great 3D visual effect. Hour markers, hands and diving scales on outer bezel are all applied luminous material.
Santos, the one above is equipped with a genuine ETA 2892 movement. However, I recommend the replica Santos with a Sea-gull 2892 movement, because it has a good case, dial, the movement is also quality, but the price is much cheaper.Portofino, this watch has the best version from MK factory. Perfect replica level, 2892 movement.The last one is a Jaeger-LeCoultre. It is the latest good replica in the market. The crystal has a green AR Coating, very unique. Movement uses Tianjin ST17 automatic.
