Rolex Submariner Black Dial Oystersteel 40mm Men’s Watch 114060

I ordered this watch on a Wednesday. I got some mysterious calls on my mobile phone that night that I ignored. The next day the same number was calling me again so I answered. It turned out that it was from an Amazon call center making sure I had placed the order. Once that call was over I got notice of shipping almost immediately and the following Monday it arrived. It came in a “large” Fedex box and two corners of the box were obviously squished/smashed pretty good. The box was weighted towards the opposite end of the damage. Don’t get me wrong it was looking a bit squished but not crushed in. I opened the box on the heavy end and took out a plastic-bubble wrap envelope that had been sealed around the watch box itself.

Now, at this point I’m thinking that the shipping practices of this company, Gold Watch Company, are substandard. I would have been much more reassured if the packaging had shown some sensibility to the fact that a $7000+ watch was inside!

OK. I opened the bubble wrap and took out the Rolex box. It looked pristine. No dents on the corners and very clean. Excellent!

Now, my biggest concern in purchasing this watch (not my first Rolex by the way, but the first in over twenty years) was counterfeiting. From what I read on the subject, Rolex is one of the most counterfeited products in the world and the Submariner leads the list. So I did as much research as I could on this subject; how to tell you go ripped off with a fake. I’ll fold my points on what features/items I checked to determine whether it is or is not a fake into the rest of this note.

The watch has a quite heavy/solid feel in your hand; it is substantial. I weighed it: 152 grams. On Yahoo I was told that weight itself wasn’t any way to tell a fake or not as good fakes simply incorporate enough heft to pass. I also searched for what a Rolex Submariner should weigh. Unfortunately, this varies by model. As I understand it the internals and size have changed over the years.

Over all appearance is as perfect as I could wish. I have examined the entire watch very, very closely with my naked eye.I didn’t see any scratches or dents anywhere except there is some slight wear marks on the satin finish in the center of the back. I guess it may be impossible to be absolutely perfect. Now, speaking of perfect and also supposedly another thing to look at for counterfeiting is the watch dial face. The dial face is perfectly smooth and I don’t see any difference in the “blackness” across the dial face. The black color (or the lack of color) seems to be neither shiny or obviously matte finish. Look great. OK, another supposed counterfeiting clue is the crispness and clarity of the letters and whether or not the “A” in Submariner is squared off on top or not. The real one’s should have a squared off top. On my watch the letters are super crisp; almost inhumanly so, they look perfect. It’s obvious that the letters are somehow deposited on the dial face; if they are printed in some fashion it’s an amazing job; they are also raised in height above the dial face. The hour markers (triangle at 12, rectangular at 3, 6 and 9 and round for the rest) are outlined in silver and filled with luminescent stuff. I don’t care what the stuff is. The hour markers are precisely placed and look great; they are raised above the dial face quite a bit more than the text.

OK, on to the hands. I don’t think I need to describe them other than to say they look exactly like the picture and are perfectly sharp in appearance between the luminescence and the silver parts. The big thing supposedly in determining whether it’s a fake is whether or not the second hand moves smoothly or clicks/jumps from second to second. On this point here are some interesting facts: first, if you look at the second hand there are three parts I’m looking at: the silver “ball” opposite the “second pointer” end, the rear if you would, the sharp pointer that is close to the second markers on the dial face and the luminescent “ball” between the pointer and the center of the watch. Now, if I look at the two “balls” the second hand seems to move entire smoothly, no jumping or clicking from one position to the next. However, if I look at the tip of the pointer I can see it jumping in about 1/4 second or 1/3 second increments. Now that isn’t perfectly smooth sweeping action, but it’s not “one second increment” jumping either. To my mind, a mechanical watch like this one uses gears to move the hands (I believe) and I’m not sure that they could get it to move completely smoothly.

UPDATE: On the movement of the second hand. I went in to an authorized Rolex dealer today and expressed interest in a new Submariner with no date. They let me handle it, wind it and put it on. I looked closely at the movement of the second hand and it moved identically to the one I bought here on Amazon.com.

Another source for counterfeit “tells” said that the bezel should turn in 1/2 second increments; it does. The same source said that there should be no audible click as the bezel moves. Well I can easily year a click when I turn mine but I really wonder if this means it’s a fake; I don’t think so at this point.

Well, it’s on my wrist, looks great, feels great. It’s ticking away. As of right now I think that I am very satisfied with this purchase. It isn’t for everyone and certainly at over $7K it’s not in everyone reach, but if you are looking for a watch of the highest quality this is a good bet in my mind. It’s new, it’s covered by an Amazon warrantee for two years.

I’m thinking of turning it in to an authorized Rolex dealer for a “cleaning” and refurbishing and see if they tell me it’s a fake.

As I mentioned above, I have several Rolex’s besides this one. I think I’ll have one of them refurbished/cleaned and get a relationship going and after several months I’ll have them take a look at this one.

UPDATE: 11/16/2016
I returned this watch yesterday. Why? Not for any problem or doubt about this product. The watch I received was genuine Rolex and was to be a gift for my son. Because of the cost of the item I discussed it with him and he decided he wanted something else instead for the financial outlay.

I have the new 12 series and it gains 3 minutes a month. I have sent it back to the dealer 4 times and they can’t adjust it. They told me that Rolex standards are -2 minutes and +6 minutes a month. I wear this watch every day. Very unhappy with it and do not recommend!

The watch is gorgeous, light and beautiful.

However, when you buy online, there is no warranty from Rolex as it is not an authorized dealer. Even the price is not what it should be…