FAKE IT 'TIL YOU MAKE IT

Catching out the imposters has become harder than ever and the problem's growing

- Richard Holt

Spotting a fake watch used to be pretty easy. You could pick it up and feel the weight, look at the finishing on the corners of the case, listen to the movement, check the quality of the glass and the lettering on the dial.

There were always loads of little tyre-kicking details that would end up leaving a supposedly expensive luxury watch looking distinctly cheap.

Things have changed. Rubbish fakes that you can spot a mile off do still exist, but they are the type that people buy with open eyes. If you go to a market stall and spend £40 on a watch that claims to be a (possibly misspelt) Panerai, you’re not being ripped off – you know full well what you’re doing. But at the other end of the scale there are counterfeit watches so good even an expert with an eyeglass can’t tell them apart from the real thing. The design details are all spot on, the materials are high quality and some take the deception to such a high level that even taking the back off and looking at the movement doesn’t immediately give the game away.