Passions Watch Exchange

About This Watch

Our Professional Authentication service.

Sometime in 2016, we were approached by a family whom have travelled thousands of miles from overseas to visit us just to authenticate this precious vintage Rolex. According to them, this watch was procured in Italy when their grandfather worked there between 1950s to 80s before returning home and has since passed on but this watch was handed down to them and is a family heirloom.

The watch was sent for verification with the Rolex service centers in their country and Singapore but both could not verify nor service it.

So, they were recommended to us by family friends and an appointment was fixed. To conduct a proper authentication especially for vintages, this solid gold Rolex with complications was left overnight in our premises so that we can study and research upon it carefully.

Unfortunately, much to their dismay. This watch turned out to be a fake. This watch was fabricated by experts in the vintage watch industry and someone with profound knowledge on vintage Rolexes. The type fonts, numbers and hallmarks that were stamped on the back cover are all period correct but there are flaws. The dial is a re-print over something else but expertly done. The movement is a proper Valjoux 72C, a variant of the 72.

All functions work exactly how they should but the entire gold case is faked or at least modified from a donor watch of lesser brand then modified to look Rolex. The bridge on the movement has a non-factory engraving & done to deceive. Crown is likely an original from the Cellini series.

Overall, this watch is still worth some money for the functions and alloy but should this watch be genuine, it will easily fetch over US$200K. This model has appeared in auctions and even books but the world is a better place now with knowledge and we are sharing it with public for education. Over the decades we have identified several faked high value vintage watches especially in gold as the alloy is soft and easier to work on but there are steel pieces as well since the value has increased tremendously so please be very careful of your source.

This watch is NOT for Sale & returned to the family.

For those who are buying on trading platforms please practise care and due diligence. We are here to help you from potential financial loss.

Please call to make an appointment with us to ID your watch and the service starts from S$150.00. We only authenticate vintage watches on a case-by-case basis but welcome all modern watches. We check everything including the accessories, certificates, manuals and boxes as those can be faked as well.

Caveat Emptor