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Rolex news and stuff
Rolex Fakes Knockoffs can be found in a lot of places. The Troubleshooter picked up fake Rolex watches and counterfeit Mont Blanc pens in Mexico. In the United States, the Troubleshooter purchased counterfeit Versace and Chanel sunglasses, as well as look-a-like Coach totes. In Tijuana, Mexico, shopper Teresa Trucchi bought two Rolex watches. Despite the fact that shop owners told her the watches were not authentic, Trucchi admitted she could be fooled. "They look like Rolexes to me," Trucchi said. To see if professional jewelers could tell the difference between a fake Rolex and a real one, the Troubleshooter went to Unicorn Jewelers in Rancho Bernardo. Jeweler Fred Nasseri laughed when he saw the fakes, packaged in black plastic bags. These, by no means, are real," Nasseri said. How can consumers distinguish the real from the fake? Nasseri said authentic Rolex watches have clearly etched serial numbers and model numbers and boast 18-carat gold. Genuine Rolexes do not have skeleton backs and they are also much heavier than fakes. John Brozek, author of "The Rolex Report," said many counterfeit watches are pretty good copies of the real thing. "Someone who didn't know the difference would be fooled on this watch. Even someone who's knowledgeable, this is a little tricky," Brozek said. Brozek said counterfeiters are getting better at producing real looking fakes. "It does shows they're getting a little more sophisticated. It shows they're spending a little more effort in certain areas. They are trying to duplicate cosmetically even more so," Brozek said. Brozek said counterfeiters are even using color copiers to rip off the look of genuine Rolex boxes. "In order to gain trust, they're actually counterfeiting the accessories and the packing that goes with the watch," Brozek told the Troubleshooter. So why would consumers buy a fake watch anyway? Nasseri said it is all a matter of status. "A lot people buy it for show," Nasseri said. "It's a matter of $50 versus $5,000. A lot of people have $50. They don't care if they're buying imitation because they know it." Are consumers fooled by the imitators? Michael Campbell inspected the watches and noted that there is "not too much of a difference at all." Stefan Purnell agreed. "This will work," Purnell said.
Rolex Replicas and Omega Jan 22nd 2004 | BEIJING SELLING genuine watches in China might sound like a tough challenge. The country is one of the biggest and best producers of fakes, including reproductions of expensive foreign watches that sell for a tiny fraction of the price of the real thing. Given China's awful record on the protection of intellectual-property rights, you might expect foreign luxury brands to stay well away. Yet Swiss exports of watches to China are growing fast, to nearly $150m last year. Last week, Omega, part of Switzerland's opened its first “flagship store” in downtown Beijing. A few kilometres east of the luxury hotel in the city centre where the Omega shop is located, hawkers in Beijing's famous Silk Alley display trays crammed with fake watches. A man's Speedmaster Broad Arrow, a type that costs more than 100,000 yuan ($12,000) at the new Omega shop, goes for less than $80 in fake form. Yet Kevin Rollenhagen, the head of Omega's operations in mainland China and Hong Kong, says he does not believe Chinese are natural consumers of fake products “if they can afford the real thing.” Statistics and anecdotal evidence suggest that he may be right, at least when it comes to expensive watches. While many Chinese do buy fakes, they are generally not among Omega's target customers—the very rich. One of the most telling signs of Chinese demand for the genuine article can be found in Hong Kong, where Omega officials say that some 50% of sales are to visitors from the Chinese mainland. As Omega watches cost more than $1,000, those buyers must be members of a wealthy elite who still think the watches display their owner's status, despite the prevalence of replicas. Omega opened its first mainland store not in one of the booming coastal cities but in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province in the decaying industrial north-east. The region may be struggling, but there is still money around, much of it in the hands of officials. One of the region's biggest corruption cases involved Shenyang's then mayor, Mu Suixin, who was noticed by a Hong Kong reporter wearing an expensive imported watch that was far beyond what he should have been able to afford on a mayor's salary. Investigators reportedly found more than 150 genuine Rolexes stashed away at Mr Mu's home. Mr Rollenhagen says that Omega's sales in China are growing by about 15% a year. The country is among the ten biggest markets for the brand. True, the rate of growth is “slowing down a bit” as China lowers import barriers (easing the entry of rival brands and other luxury goods) and urban Chinese spend more on formerly state-provided necessities such as healthcare and housing. National pride stopped Omega winning rights to be the official watch of China's first spaceman, who orbited the earth last year. That honour went to a Chinese brand, Fiyta. As for fakes, there is no sign yet that the pirates in Silk Alley are running out of time. Rare Rolex watch went on sale (Jan 29, 2004) The gents’ timepiece is one of only five made in 1950. And it’s the last one in the collection available to buy. The five watches were the first to show the day, date and phases of the moon on a “black star” dial, in keeping with Rolex’s tradition of designing timepieces for mariners. The four other models have been sold individually for up to £300,000 to collectors in Hong Kong, New York and South Korea.The watch is being sold at the first National Fine Art and Antiques Fair at the NEC in Birmingham.Paul Meyer, of Hertfordshire based Beech Ridge Antiques, who are selling the watch, said: “It is a beautiful, stunning looking model. “I have had so many calls from people already asking to buy it but I have said it is going on sale at 11 am and not before.“Rolex have a two-year waiting list for their current models.“They are very nice but this watch is different.”
Rolex Gives $1 Million to St. Paul Technical College The Rolex watch company is donating $1 million to a technical college in St. Paul. Rolex USA will give St. Paul College $200,000 a year for the next five years. The money will go exclusively to the school's watch-making program. BIG ROLEX HEIST
The robbery at Mayors Jewelers, 1000 Lincoln Rd., took place at approximately 8:30 p.m., while several salespeople and customers were inside. According to the police report, a group of hooded men ran into the store yelling ''Get down, nobody move,'' then used sledgehammers to smash the cases holding Rolex and other watches. They ran out of the store and fled in two waiting cars, the police said. ''Robberies like this are very uncommon in Miami Beach, and it was committed by someone who knew what they were doing,'' said police spokesman Robert Hernandez. ``Criminals like these, they come a few days before, case the store, decide what they want, then come in methodically to take what they want. This was not your rookie robber.'' The Lincoln Road Mayors was also the victim of the city's last smash-and-grab robbery in 2000, Hernandez said. The modus operandi was virtually identical in that case, and the criminals made off with approximately $150,000 in watches, according to the police report. After the 2000 robbery, the jewelry store hired off-duty police officers to provide security, but the management later discontinued the service, police sources said.Store representatives could not be reached for comment. The police are looking into a possible link with a similar robbery in Coral Gables, Hernandez said.''When you have more than one of these crimes, it's often the same people,'' Hernandez said. ``They use the same procedure and just go from county to county.''
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