Today I came across a vintage watch booklet which had the following slogan on the front page:



Encountering this was one of those moments that, although you are already being aware of it, really drives home the point of just how much times have changed. I mean, really, who could get away with using a slogan like this in 2011?

Anyway, time for a bit of fun...see if you can answer this:

Who is the company that this slogan belongs to, and what year is it from?

A. Patek Philippe, 1942.

B. Jaeger LeCoultre, 1920.

C. Rolex, 1966.

D. Omega, 1947.

Scroll down for the answer!

















*NB: This slogan was used for at least 10 years prior! For those interested, an excellent article on the subject written by Jake Ehrlich is available here.

Collectible Omega Sportswatches from the '70s

Collectible Omega Sportswatches from the '70s
- an Evening with Jon Wallis; April 20, 2011, 5:30pm

Want to know more about the vast range of Omega Sports watches from the 1970s? Need to know your Flightmaster from your Speedmaster and your Constellation from your DeVille? Want to know which are the most accurate and which are the rarest? Contemplating a vintage Omega dive watch and want to understand the range? Want to get to know some quartz watches that actually are collectable? And of course, we hope to answer those questions and more on the night!

So, come along to the presentation on Wednesday, April 20 and Jon Wallis (Author of The PloProf Book and DeskDivers.com and PloProf.com websites) will talk you through the collectible Omega watches of the decade. Jon will answer your questions too! Feel free to bring along your 70's Omegas on the night so the group can revel in Omega's '70s glory, and of course we can time your watches on the timing machine as well.

BOOKINGS: This is a private session at our premises so seats are strictly limited to 12. To reserve your seat please call us on 02 9232 0500. Cost: $40 per person.

Pop Quiz: The Results are in!

The response to the quiz was overwhelming! A total of 247 replies were received within 24 hours.

Quite frankly though, I was a little disappointed with the number of incorrect answers, especially since the correct answer was there - a simple guess should have had a one in four chance!

Some of you went to great lengths to explain why one or the other case back was 'wrong' by taking into account style of letters, font, symbols, logo type, finish of steel, model and reference numbers.

Yet only ONE correct answer was received:

"Dear Nick,

Both are genuine! I’m from Sabah, Malaysia.

Regards,

Michael Lee"

Well done Michael!

This just proves that our northern neighbours do know their watches and are good students of horology!

(Michael: Please email me your address - I have a small present for you).

"Original or fake?" is my favourite watch topic. Often, there is no easy answer and it takes a great deal of effort and expertise to become 'fluent' in this area of horology. Putting the pieces together, working backwards and employing every available forensic skill is often challenging...but always rewarding.

The purpose of the quiz is to encourage you, my fellow watch enthusiast, to question everything and to have some fun along the way :-)

In regards to case backs: I hope to be able to present you with a brief article on what to look for in order to avoid pitfalls. Stay tuned!

It goes without saying that buying a fine timepiece based on photos is like handing over your wallet to a stranger. If your chances are 247 to 1 then basically you stand NO CHANCE against online scammers! Scary!

Now, are you ready for your second chance?

(And If you find my emails of no value or if I'm wasting your time then of course, feel free to unsubscribe - see below for details)

I want you to win :-) so although today's question is not much easier, you should have more chance of scoring with only 3 answers to choose from.

Below is a photo of four Rolex dials, the first one is from a Datejust model and the other 3 from a Submariner.

The second photo shows the reverse side - and the third one shows writing on each dial in detail.

Note that only one dial is signed "Rolex".




Question: Which dial/dials are GENUINE Rolex dials?

A. only dial number 2. is original
B. all dials are original
C. all dials are fake

Mail your answer to nick@clockmaker.com.au

Have fun!

Pop quiz: Fake or real?

So you think you know your Rolexes? Then here's a little pop quiz for you:

Shown below are two case backs.


Which answer is correct?

1. Case back 1 is a genuine Rolex, case back 2 is a fake


2. Case back 2 is genuine Rolex, case back 1 is a fake


3. Both case backs are genuine


4. Both are fakes

Before you rush to answer, take your time to study both
case backs (enlarged images below).




Send your answer to nick@clockmaker.com.au

Good luck and have fun!

***Need help?
Here is a tip: Case back 1 comes from Datejust model Ref. 16234 [steel/18K white gold], and 2 from Submariner 16610...

Another day, another fake...

As you may already know, the ultimate reward for a watch dealer is the 'discovery' of an unworn sleeper: a watch which is 30 or more years old, yet in unworn condition.

Last Monday we received a call from a young lady who wanted to sell a “beautiful and unworn gold Omega watch”. Unfortunately the Omega Geneve in 18K solid gold case accompanied with the "original" receipt of purchase (dated 1972) turned out to be just another fake. Yes, the movement cal 601 was an original Omega movement, but everything else - the case, bezel, case back and bracelet - was unfortunately after-market production.

The dead giveaway was the shape of the case. And even more so, the inscription found inside the case back:


While it could fool an untrained eye, for an expert this case back was a painfully amateurish attempt to deceive. The logo type, the engraving, the style - in fact, the lot - was just wrong.


In this particular case, the engraving was done by hand using a sharp engraver (Omega case backs are stamped, not engraved). The quality of workmanship was pathetic too; each and every letter was engraved out of line, and even the Omega symbol is out of shape.


The second line was even worse: it looked to me like it had been engraved by some old half-blind crook working by candle light. I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard!

Ironically, the middle case itself was nicely done. It was highly polished and would appear attractive and even desirable to anyone whose best watch had been a Russian Raketa or Poljot.

The "original" receipt was issued in Italy and printed in both Italian and Serbo-Croatian. No doubt, the intended market for this forgery were cashed-up Yugoslav customers who flooded Trieste in early 1970’s.

While I had to politely decline to buy this watch, it certainly has brought back some memories from my early days as watchmaker-apprentice from my father's workshop. Very often, "new" Italian watches were brought to my father's workshop and he was often left with no other choice but to break the bad news to gullible buyers.

The world of forgery knows no borders and when it comes to watches, this trade has been alive for at least 500 years. Back then, the master con artists were the Brits and French, followed by Spaniards and citizens of New Colonies. Italians, Russian and Romanians had their run in 1970’s until global trade took off in China, Vietnam and Korea.

Today, thanks to the advancement of Internet, there is practically no country that is not involved in some form of watch scam, fraud or forgery.

Another day, another fake...

Aquadive Depth-Time Model

An e-mail we received from DeskDivers' news desk - A MUST READ!


Back in 1968 a small watch company filed a patent for a cool idea to measure
depth on the dial of a normal dive watch. They decided to back that watch
with technology through and through using cutting edge ideas including
hydraulics and an electronic movement. What started out as a good idea
became a seriously good product (not without its ups and downs of course),
yet within 10 years the company was no more - quite a rollercoaster of a
ride for any business!

Click here to get the full story

The “secret signature” business

We are constantly bombarded by fake items; from leather bags, to clothing, to jewellery, to watches, “knockoff” versions are everywhere.

For some reason, most people seem to think this is a relatively recent occurrence due to the sheer volume of fake stock currently available, when in reality, counterfeiting is as old as humankind itself!

There is a small pocket of the consumer market that is fine with the phony version of larger brand products, but ultimately production of these goods harm the original manufacturers and those willing to pay for brand name and the quality that comes with it.

The problem with fake goods is that the quality of them is now almost as good as the quality of the originals, and in some cases, even authorised service centres are unable to distinguish between genuine and fakes!

To combat this, it is common practice in the watch industry that the manufacturer would use a “secret signature” to mark his product.
Here is an example of Cartier’s signature: a rose symbol stamped on the middle case, just above 12 o’clock and underneath the bezel.


This symbol is not there for the end user. It is well hidden and tucked away from the eyes of counterfeiters as well. It is there for the service centres as assurance that they are assessing and dealing with the genuine article.


Of course the “secret signature” does change from time to time, which makes our own investigative more interesting!

Yes, we've seen them all.

Every now and then, a watch brought in for repair reminds me that fine watches are not designed and built for those who have no appreciation for fine mechanical engineering.

Pictured below is a four years young Rolex Submariner 16613. What exactly happened to it will remain a mystery, and even more so how it happened; but one thing is certain: applying brute force will not do any good to the fine winding system of any mechanical wrist watch.

Here is a brief explanation of what happens when you pull the winding crown
to set the time:

The stem (attached to the crown) will engage a number of setting levers, which
will in return push the clutch wheel to engage with the intermediate setting wheel. From there, the motion is transferred to few more wheels and finally to the hands.


Needless to say, the gear work is very fine and requires gentle handling.
Applying too much force too quickly will definitely cause problems.

To put the things in perspective, here is a shot of a clutch wheel and set wheel
next to a 5 cent coin:


If those wheels are free to move and lubricated properly, they will withstand
significant winding force. However if the wheels seize up or are jammed (by a loose crew or case clamp) then unfortunately something will break.

And here is another close-up:


Note the stripped teeth! In addition, the hardened steel setting lever was bent too!


Black specks shown above are actually broken off teeth that have lodged themselves
deep inside the watch movement, causing the watch to stop.

And all this could have been avoided with just a bit more care and common sense.

The photo below shows partially disassembled Rolex 3135 with calendar and winding system removed.


The bottom line is this: if the winding or time setting feels strange or tight, restrain yourself from applying any excessive force. Leave it as is and take it to your watchmaker. Often this is a tell tale sign that your watch is due for an overhaul.

The last thing you want to do is to cause further damage - which is not only completely unnecessary, but very costly too.

Cartier alarm clocks

If you are one of my regular subscribers, then you are well aware that I am a sucker for Cartier alarm clocks. Fine Cartier clocks have been in production since the late 1800's, and some of the finest examples are now worth many hundreds of thousands of dollars! They have always been regarded as toys for the privileged few, but in today's era of mass production, it is nice to know that Cartier is still designing fine alarm clocks.

Yes, starting your day with the soft chime of a Cartier alarm clock is one of life's little luxuries...

A pleasant buying experience

The experience of buying a high grade watch should be no different than one of buying a sports car or diamond ring. It should be a pleasant, memorable and definitely a satisfactory event.

At the end of the day, you - the buyer - is parting with a large amount of money,
so you should expect to be treated not just professionally, but with respect. After all, when it comes to buying a new piece of jewellery or a watch, that buying experience is included in the price of your item.

This is exactly why retailers spend a great deal of money to impress you with
the shop fit-out, the luxury packaging, the red carpet and the glass of champagne. Don't get too excited though, you are the one who is paying for the lot (including the fake smile!).

Unfortunately those very same luxury retailers are often the first ones to rob you of that precious commodity.

Indeed, the "fancy" buying experience is often overvalued and poorly delivered.
Why bother buying at full retail price from an authorised and exclusive dealer when
the moment you walk out of that glamorous shop your watch (or car, or diamond ring) loses 30, 40 or even 60% of its value?

Some buyers are victims of their own mindset and they will continue to buy (and pay) retail simply because they are incapable of considering alternatives. There are numerous, but here are a few:

- buying from an authorized dealer located in the suburbs
- buying last year's model on sale
- buying a new, identical item from a non-authorized dealer or
- buying a pre-owned watch in mint or near mint condition from a second hand dealer

You would be surprised how much you can save once you decide to break away
from that 'must be brand new' mentality.

Indeed, some of the finest pieces of jewellery, diamonds, fine watches and clocks, objects 'd art, paintings, books, scientific instruments, motoring - even real estate - have already been passed from generation to generation often increasing in value. All of these objects are no longer available new, yet when sold at auction they generate great interest and attract knowledgeable buyers.

Interestingly enough, based on years of dealing with collectors and savvy customers,
we know that those who actually have more disposable income and can afford luxury
are very happy to buy fine pre-owned items!

To put things in perspective: out of the entire quantity of fine watches in circulation, brand new watches account for just a fraction of a percent. A mere tip of the iceberg!

Therefore if you have consciously excluded the idea of owning fine pre-owned stock, you are not doing yourself any favors.

For an educated buyer, the ultimate buying experience is VALUE FOR MONEY and a thrill in hunting for timepieces which are no longer available
from authorized retailers. They love to save, not to lose money; they buy items which are not necessary the latest hype but those which have already depreciated, have a proven resale record, have reasonable resale value and can be bought at a significant discount.

Finally, in order to get your business and take your buying experience to the next level, many second hand dealers and watchmakers will provide additional services like case and bracelet polishing or adjustment, valuation, repair and servicing, or even a trade-in or buy back option of your timepiece.

As we always say, those who are not in a hurry and have realistic expectations will always get a better deal and ultimately be rewarded with a truly satisfying buying experience.

Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 MARS Titanium watch
A rare collector's set

"Selling" online

As most watch collectors are aware, there are a near-infinite number of second hand watches for sale online through a multitude of dealers – some reputable, some less so.

The information age has made it so simple for the dodgy types to cut and paste from websites and use these legitimate sounding ads to con unsuspecting buyers.

I was recently tipped off to this ad by a friend. The fact that this particular dealer "borrowed" his product description from my own website is nothing new - I am actually more surprised that one of my ads ended up on Gumtree Cape Town, South Africa (of all places!)



The bottom line here is simple. If the seller doesn’t give you the opportunity to see the item in person, DON’T BUY!

There is a huge difference between “selling” online and selling online. It may seem obvious to say, but many buyers are still falling for it – don’t be one of them.

Lost & Found

Have you stopped to think what would happen if your watch were to be misplaced or lost? It's a situation that can happen to anyone, so I thought I'd share this email enquiry that I'd recently received about this very situation:

Hi Nick

Just a superquick query - we found a Breitling watch on the street yesterday morning. My partner knew of the brand & that they were a good quality watch - and expensive! We handed it in to our local Police Station. My partner said there appeared to be some kind of number on the back....Is this number able to be used to track the owner? I'm horrified that someone has dropped such an expensive watch. It was close to the roadway, as if it had come off someone's wrist while getting into a car. There are 2 aged care homes nearby & we've dropped in there with negative results.

Many thanks in advance
T

---

Dear T,

First of all, you must be congratulated on your honesty! In your effort to locate the owner of the lost watch, you've gone way above your duty of care. Well done!

To answer your question: Unfortunately, numbers on the case back are not directly related to the owner. There are two lots of numbers on it: 1) The model reference number, which (in the case of Breitling watches) starts with a letter followed by 5 or more numbers. The second lot is the unique serial number.

It is always a good idea to record any numbers or text engraved on the case back of your watch. If it is lost or misplaced, this is crucial piece of evidence which will help in the identification of your watch.

Better still, have your watch valued and insured! Insurance valuation does not cost much (we gladly provide free insurance valuation for all watches we sell). In the unfortunate case of loss or theft, please contact Police and your insurance company promptly.

Back to your situation: We do hope that police will be able to trace the owner of the Breitling, however, if the watch remains unclaimed for a certain period of time, legally you will become it's owner. :-).

The police will contact you and you will have every right to claim it, keep it or sell it - assuming, of course, that it is a genuine Breitling.

Thanks,

Nick

More Lost & Found here

---

Some related stories sent in by one of our readers:

'Some years ago I was running along the beach at Kingscliff, northern NSW and found a watch lying in the sand. The watch was a diving model Tag Heuer – quite an expensive watch back then. Whilst I would have loved to keep the watch I knew the owner would have also loved to get it back so did the right thing and handed it in to a local police station.

Several months later I received a call from the police station to advise me the watch had not been claimed and I could pick it up – I was delighted! However, the following day I had another call from the police to advise me not to bother claiming the watch as it had been stolen, along with some other valuables, during an overnight break-in at the police station. Oh the disappointment!'

Another watch story that had a good ending follows:

'A good friend had his car broken into a couple of years ago at Byron Bay and had his 1970s Omega Seamaster stolen. Several months later a work colleague had his car stolen from the beach at Kingscliff (about 40 mins drive north of Byron). Months later, the police found this car in QLD and advised my colleague of the find and asked if he had lost an Omega Seamaster watch that was in the car’s glove box. On being told this story, I told my Byron Bay friend to contact the QLD police just in case it was the same thief and his watch. He did this and described the watch to the police – yes it was his – it had returned!'

Dislodged hour markers

The dreaded scenario: whilst admiring the fine details of your new Rolex, it accidentally slips through your fingers and finds itself on a one way collision course with the floor. In the milliseconds before it even hits, a number of possible outcomes flashes through your mind - none of them good.

After the impact, you examine the watch carefully. Although there is no visible major damage and it seems to be functioning correctly, you do find that an hour marker has dislodged itself from the dial. What should you do?
First and foremost, pull out the winder in order to stop the watch and avoid any possibility of the loose hour marker scratching the dial.

Secondly, you have two choices to consider in regards to repairs. You can take it to a Rolex service centre where it is highly likely that service will involve replacing the dial and overhauling the watch altogether, which can set you back roughly $1500. The other option is to bring the watch to us, which will set you back all of $50 – free if you purchased it from us.

Why the drastic difference in price? Because we see this as a simple repair (assuming there is no damage to the mechanism itself). Each hour marker is held in place with 2 “feet”, and can easily be set in place permanently with a microscopic drop of adhesive – no replacements necessary!

Treasures of the Reef

Nick,

You may have forgotten – it was ages ago when I was last in your showroom – but I did promise to give you a copy of the report we sent to Rolex after my wife lost her Lady Datejust off the coast of South Australia many years ago, only to have it turn up, miraculously retrieved from below the waves, where it had been lodged in a reef.

Attached is a copy of the original report to Rolex. It’s brief (I think Rolex cut it down from its original word length) but it still covers the essentials, a copy of the cover of the Rolex booklet and the Rolex letter to me.

There’s a bit more to the story – the involvement of a pawnbroker, Rolex in Melbourne and the police but those are side issues.

The reason I’ve not fulfilled my promise to you is that in our move from Sydney to Adelaide (again), our copy of the Rolex publication that our report was reprinted in was mislaid or just plain lost. In early December this year (with Christmas coming and nothing to offer you), I decided to write to Rolex in Geneva and ask them if they still had archived copies of their publication dating back to the 80s.

I returned from Adelaide today and found a copy of that original publication and a nice letter from Rolex.

To say I was surprised would be an understatement.

Will you please consider me a man of my word? Yes, belated, but I’ve done what I said I would do.


My best to you,

Lance


PS I’m into your web site almost every day. I do want you to sell me that old, non-working Submariner I’ve pestered you about.

BREITLING: The Spare Link Saga

A couple of weeks ago, a lovely young couple was in our shop, looking at a fine Breitling Navitimer watch for the gentleman. After seeing the watch and with some careful consideration, they decided that it was precisely the watch they were after and that they were ready to purchase it – but just one thing stood in their path… the bracelet was a bit too small, and would require two extra links to comfortably fit on his wrist. Unfortunately we did not have any spare links for this specific watch, but told them that we would immediately contact DKSH, the authorised Breitling Service Centre, to source the links. The couple was seemed disappointed that they couldn’t take the watch home that day, but would wait until we had gotten the appropriate links.

We phoned DKSH that day, and they requested that we submit a fax specifying the desired part. We did so, and followed up after a couple of days to verify that they had received our request. DKSH informed us that the man responsible for watch parts was out of the office, but they would get back to us. Finally, we received a phone call from someone at DKSH asking for some additional information, a bracelet number, which we provided straight away over the phone. This gave us some (false) hope that they were actively trying to locate the links.

After several days of silence, we called back, and were told that despite giving the bracelet number, the man we really needed to talk to was out sick. Calling back four days later, the man was still sick! By then, it had been more than a week since our original request. Again after a couple of days, we phoned and were finally able to talk to the repairman who handles spare parts. He informed us that he had just gotten back to work after being ill; he had received our parts request, but it was in a large stack of other requests, and it would be a few days before he would be able to get back to us. After getting in touch with the relevant person at DKSH, we gave him a bit more time. A week passed and no response, so we called back. We were able to speak with the service manager, but unfortunately did not have any luck. She informed us that the repairman was extremely busy with watch repairs, and most likely would not be able to get to our spare links request until after the holidays. Despite being the service manager, she nor anyone else at the company, is able to locate and distribute spare parts except for the repairman who remains flat out or just plain “out”.

Before this entire debacle, we knew that DKSH was notoriously difficult to deal with, but their inability to supply two spare links has brought it to a new level. We are fighting ignorance; we are fighting continually arrogant people with no sense of customer service.

The tragedy of this story is that there is no ending. Three weeks has passed, and we are still unable to source the two necessary spare links to give the Breitling Navitimer a new home and we have absolutely no idea if the links are available, how much they cost or how long it would take to get them delivered.
Honestly, I doubt that there is a single person reading this who believes that answering a simple spare link request should take more than a fax and follow-up call. Neither does anyone believe that drilling a hole in a piece of stainless steel is rocket science; these links are not hand-carved out of some rare extraterrestrial metal, they simply come out of a link-pooping machine!

A loss of sale is really something we can live with, but such a blatant attack on our intelligence and the intelligence of our customers is not something we are going to put up with any more.

Update December 23rd .
Another week passes, and we contact DKSH Breitling Service Centre once again enquiring as to current status of our request. Unfortunately there is no progress as they’re closing soon and reopening on January 4th. We are told that they will deal with our enquiry in due time (?)...

ROLEX: Don't mess with us Mr. Tran!

"Can we speak with Mr. Tran?"
"Tran speaking!"
"Rolex here. You owe us $2.2 million".

7,000 fake Rolex watches are steamrolled in Philly



(AP) – Apr 27, 2010

PHILADELPHIA — A steamroller has crushed about 7,000 fake Rolex watches in Philadelphia under the orders of federal authorities seeking to deter would-be counterfeiters. Customs officials staged the destruction Monday to highlight law enforcement's role in protecting intellectual property rights. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say the watches were seized from Binh Cam Tran, who pleaded guilty last year to charges including trafficking in counterfeit goods.

Tran is serving six years in federal prison. He has been ordered to pay more than $2.2 million to the Rolex Co. Authorities say Tran fabricated hundreds of thousands of fake Rolex watches in his home near Philadelphia. Officials seized about 24,000 counterfeit watches and enough parts to create 1 million more.

Time to move on

After nearly 35 year behind watch repair bench, I think I am ready for downsizing. Servicing 'all brands, all makes, all models' is no longer practically possible. Swiss manufacturers refuse to supply spare parts to independent watchmakers and with no spare parts there is very little I can do to fix your timepiece.
I've started apprenticeship in my fathers workshop at age of 12. I clearly remember times when we could get almost any spare part shipped in no time. Swiss spare parts dealers were bending backwards to get our business!

Unfortunately for watchmakers, time has changed. Small, independent, highly skilled and experienced watchmakers are now seen as 'pain in bum'. Big brands wants all the repair work done 'in house' which allows them to act like any other monopoly. They charge what they want, they give no options.

In all fairness, if you are perfectionist then you should have nothing to worry about. Your watch will be serviced/repaired/restored to factory-new condition by it's Swiss maker. Yes, such service is expensive and will take for ever but quite frankly no independent watchmaker can provide service that can come even close to factory standard.

Since I have run out of most spare parts for most brands (except for Rolex for which I am still able to source spares from overseas supplier) as of this month I am providing repair service for Rolex watches only. More precisely for makes and models manufactured between 1960 and 2005. This includes all Datejust, Date, Precision, President, Submariner, GMT, Explorer and other sports and standard models. The only exception is Rolex Daytona, Tudor and OysterQuartz line.

Focusing on one brand will allow better turnaround time and hopefully better overall service. It will allow me also to step away from work bench and spend more time sourcing, buying and selling other fine timepieces and to finally commence restoration of vintage Rolex watches from my own collection. It's time to move forward!

Who the *#$% is Jackson Pollock ?

Before you jump on me for using a profane language, let me clear that above sentence is actually the original movie title. But more about that later.

Suppose you have choice of buying a 1 year old Rolex 16613 and the same model watch, but 3 years old. Which one would you go for? Well this is no brainier; while the younger watch is an obvious choice, you would make the right decision only in case that said younger watch is also in significantly better overall condition.

The key word here is the overall condition.

Unfortunately with vintage watches, overall condition is less important. The predominant factor is ORIGINALITY. You don't really want a watch in your collection which is a marriage of bits and pieces. Such watch may keep time, but the time keeping in vintage watches is even less important than overall condition.

Lets expand this bit further. You are a keen collector, knowledgeable buyer, ready to part with rather large sum of cash on an extremely rare piece. What would be the predominant factor that you'll be looking for in a watch now?
The overall condition? Originality?
Price? Resale value? Investment potential?

All of above, of course, but to a degree.

To tell you what the key point is would be too easy. And if I do so now, you will have no reason to watch one of the best documentary movies I've ever watched
on this topic!

The movie is called "Who the *#$% is Jackson Pollock".
It is available at your local video store.
Rent it tonight and watch it because the key point or moral of the story is so brilliantly presented - it will change your understanding of rare, valuable and unique objects (and the way they are they traded) forever.

Aussie websites cash in on counterfeits

[Jeweller Magazine, July 2010]

Jeweller has discovered that Australian-based websites are openly selling counterfeit watches and jewellery from well-known brands under the guise of “replicas”.

Investigations by Jeweller have established that a local website – www.***Replica***.com.au – sells exact copies of well-known brands including Tag Heuer, Breitling, Omega and Rolex.

The website is registered to a company called Brantley Pty Ltd and Australian Securities and Investments Commission records show the company as having two, Sri Lankan-born, directors; Kristiaan Martenstyn and Peduru Jayalath.

The registered address of Melbourne-based Brantley Pty Ltd is Unit 1508, 18 Waterview Walk, Docklands and the website lists a telephone number as +61 414 015 405 and makes the following claims; “We are Australia’s #1 Replica Watch Retailer, 1 Year FULL Replacement Warranty, 7 Day Risk-Free Money-Back Guarantee.”

Last week Jeweller contacted Martenstyn, who confirmed that the company had been operating for two years but claimed his actions did not breach any Australian or international laws. He went as far as describing his business as operating in a necessary industry because consumers demand the product.

“I wouldn’t call it counterfeiting,” Martenstyn said, adding that his products were “high-end replicas” produced in Geneva, Switzerland. Interestingly SwissReplicaWatches.com.au states, “We say NO to dodgy ‘fakes’ from Asia.”

According to intellectual property expert Lisa Egan, a senior associate at law firm Middletons, assessing whether product is counterfeit is quite straight-forward.

“If a business is using brand names without any authority [form the brand owner] then it’s likely to be a trademark infringement,” she said, adding that selling exact copies could also be a “design infringement”.

Egan confirmed that the term “replica” was incorrect – copies carrying a brand’s logo are classified as “counterfeit” goods.

Martenstyn justified his operation by claiming the website “helps” the watch brands.

“People who buy from us, they are not going to buy the original, so it doesn’t directly affect the trademark owners. In fact, it helps them,” he said.

Egan said the only reason the site could remain online was if none of the affected brands had taken action.

“It’s up to the owners of the brands to take action against it and have that content removed,” she said.

Martenstyn claimed he had never been contacted by any of the brands featured on his website.

“We’ve never actually had any issues at all. If we were to have any sort of issues with the trademark holders we are happy to work to meet a resolution,” he said.

The blatant nature of such operations raises questions about why the websites are allowed to remain online in Australia, given the potential damage caused to the brands’ reputation and integrity.

Interestingly, Rolex managing director Richard De Leyser said he was aware of the website.

He refused to comment on the matter any further, but said: “We take any infringement of our copyright very seriously.”

Martenstyn said he would continue operating the website for as long as his business was profitable.

“The reason we are in business is because consumers demand the products,” he said, adding: “The day that consumers no longer wish to purchase such goods, that’s when we wouldn’t supply them any longer.”

Rather than taking a low-key approach, further investigations reveal the company appears to be ramping up its operations, having recently advertised for two customer service representatives.

“We are looking for two new members to join our dedicated and friendly team that specialises in supplying high-end luxury goods such as jewellery, timepieces and paintings,” the online advertisement reads.

Egan said there is a number of steps companies can take to protect their intellectual property from online counterfeiters.

“The first port of call is to send a letter to the operator of the website,” she said, adding that Google can also be contacted to have a website excluded from search results.

“If that’s not dealt with appropriately then court proceedings could be issued.”

Egan said responsibility lies with the brands to protect their own copyright.

“I think brands need to be really vigilant in monitoring these websites. It’s really about the brands taking a proactive stance and making sure they’ve got their brand appropriately protected,” she said.

Martenstyn stressed that he had not been contacted by any of the brand owners about his website and added, in an interesting twist of logic, that he believes that his business activity is legal because no one had contacted him to say it wasn’t.

He added that his legal advice is that he is not in breach of the law.

In addition, a disclaimer on SwissReplicaWatches.com.au states that the brands “cannot prosecute any person(s) affiliated with this website”, citing code 431.322.12 of the Internet Privacy Act.

Many more online stores display similar disclaimers, all citing code 431.322.12 of the Internet Privacy Act.

Another Australian website, DesignerWishlist.com.au which offers Tiffany and Gucci labelled jewellery cites the same code, stating: “Any person representing or formally employed by any of the brands offered cannot enter this website. … If you enter this site and do not agree to these terms you are in violation of code 431.322.12 of the Internet Privacy Act.”

Apart from the fact that a broad disclaimer like that would not be accepted by a court, Jeweller’s research could find no evidence of the existence of the, so-called, Internet Privacy Act. It appears to be a disclaimer used by many counterfeit websites in an attempt to deter legal action.

Jeweller emailed Martenstyn asking, “The Terms & Conditions section of your website refers to the "Internet Privacy Act". We can find no such Act, can you direct us to it?”

Martenstyn was also asked whether he agreed that the product his business sold was counterfeit given that it carries the logos of well-known brands.
At the time of publication Martenstyn had not replied.

Legal advice obtained by Jeweller indicates there is no law that prohibits legal action against a website. Any information obtained from these sites may be used by the affected companies in court proceedings."

Epilogue: July 6, 2010.

After reading the above article I was literally in an overwhelming state of disbelief and shock.
Is it really possible that someone based in Australia would display such
arrogant disrespect for Australian Commercial Law?

Or could this be just a late April fools day joke?

So I've decided to ring the above mentioned mobile phone number in order to
find out what is really going on here.
- Hi, my name is Nicholas Hacko. I am a watch dealer.
I've just visited your website and wonder if you also wholesale watches?
- Hi. Well I am just a watch dispatch person you need to talk to my boss.
- That's fine. However, it is important that before we enter into any business transaction, I want to make sure I am not breaking any laws...
- What do you mean?
- Well you guys do sell fake watches, right?
- No, not fakes. We sell replicas.
- Replicas, fakes, same thing...
- No, no. Our replicas are NOT fakes!
- Oh sorry, my misunderstanding. So you actually do sell genuine Rolex watches?
- No, no. You don't understand the difference with fake and replica...
- Huh?
- ... not genuine Rolex, just Rolex replica. But definitely not the FAKE Rolex.
- OK I see. You sell REPLICA Rolex!
- That's exactly right. Genuine replicas which look identical to real Rolexes.
- Very good. So would you be able to accept payments in replica money?
- What do you mean, I don't understand???
- You know, the replica money. Money which looks identical to real money but it is just replica. Like the stuff I can print on my printer...
- [laughter...] I don't know, I am just a dispatch worker. You really need
to talk to my boss [more laughter...]
- OK - let's say that I do come into agreement with your boss and he does accept my replica money for his replica watches - which sounds like a perfectly fair deal to me - would you accept that replica money as your wages?
- [upset voice] Are you serious??? I don't work for fake money!!
- No, no, no - it is not FAKE money, it is just REPLICA money, mate ...
- Sir, I am busy, if you have any more questions please send us an email.
Our email address is info@Replicax.com.au .
Thanks for calling. [phone hangs up]

So there you go. I never thought that my newsletter would provide
a link to REPLICA ROLEX website, but this bunch of clown dummies
actually deserve as much publicity as we can offer.

Is there a lawyer in the house? Can we get free legal opinion on this one please :-) ?
(What a heck - we'll even take REPLICA LEGAL opinion from FAKE lawyers)
Happy collecting,

Nick Hacko

Bad mathematics

Gold stolen from watchmaker Rolex
AFP June 04, 2010

LUXURY Swiss watchmaker Rolex has been robbed of more than 15kg of gold - worth almost E15 million (US$21.83 million) - and a foundry worker has been taken into custody, a judicial official said overnight.

Rolex, whose status-symbol wristwatches cost several thousand dollars apiece, says the employee, a temp, admitted stealing 5kg of gold from the plant in Plan-les-Ouates, the official said.

The man's lawyer, Francois Canonica, said he has been detained and charged with theft and breach of trust, the ATS news agency reported.

"Whether he should be blamed for the extra 10 kilos remains an open question," said the lawyer. "It appears that the security system put in place by Rolex - supposing it has one - has shown its limitations," Mr Canonica said.

Oh boy... As they say, never let the truth spoil a perfectly good story.

Unfortunately this time the AFP got it wrong because 15Kg of gold is *not* worth 21 million dollars but only USD$ 576.000.

One can only hope that Swiss judge will do his maths before sentencing the poor idiot.

Less than perfect ? Fantastic!!!

While taking photos of K1964 Omega Moon watch, I've noticed something really unusual: there was something above the letters TER (speedmasTER). It looked like bit of dirt but under magnification it was clear that this was a 'metal left over' of casting / stamping during the manufacturing process!



Such imperfections are usually detected in foundry, or during assembly, engraving, polishing, or at least during final QC. Imperfect watch cases rarely appear on the market.

Strangely enough, this one slept through the net and neither the salesman or previous owner have noticed it.

Great conversation piece !

Every passion has its Holy Grail- have we found ours?

Every passion has its Holy Grail, and Rolex Daytona book collecting is no exception.

Yes, one can enter the Daytona book market for as little as $35.
And very solid subject-related book sells for $120.
But a hard-core Daytona collector serious about his investment would not settle for nothing less than $700 Bible called Rolex Chronographs by Pucci Papaleo editore.

Now, if you feel that $700 for a book is heaps of money then please keep reading.

The above mentioned Pucci Papaleo, self confessed "collector, devotee, historian, but above all willing victim of love for beautiful timepieces" is now ready to take you to the next level of book enjoyment.

His upcoming book "Ultimate Rolex Daytona" is volume of epic proportions:
the 12 KG book is "work of infinite complexity with the very best, and only the very best (Daytonas) chosen to portray every requirement of each aspect...with the one objective of crating something not only unique but above all undeniably beautiful".

The book is limited edition, 600 pieces typographically printed in seven colors
and high definition.
Papaleo hired highly specialized architectural photographers who took photographs
on optical bench. The end result is masterpiece with finest rendering of effects in
details, hues and textures.



So what is the book like this one worth to you? $1000? $3000 ? Obviously we are talking serious money here but if you want to reserve your copy then be prepared to part with solid $7,300 AUD (plus postage).

Again, if you think than only a madman would spend over $7K on this book then you are new to watches and watch collecting:
few weeks ago, the very first copy of Papaleo's book was sold at Christi's for AUD$ 44,065. Yes, it was a charity auction, but that hardly makes any difference.

[ Just in case that you are tempted to place an order for Ultimate Rolex Daytona make sure to talk to me first. If we can order few pieces as combine order, surely Papaleo will find bit of room to move on price :-) ]

And if you don't want to go above $35 then get yourself Patrizzi's Pocket Expert Daytona form my website http://www.clockmaker.com.au/books/
This one is very popular and selling fast, so you better be quick!

Private stock: bruised, battered and beaten

Last week I had request for one particular vintage Rolex Submariner.
Since private stock rarely sees daylight this was great opportunity
for a photo session. I ended up spending 3 days
pulling apart a number of Submariners and in the process I took over 400 photos :-)

Time well spent - I now have enough material
for a PowerPoint presentation called "Collecting vintage Rolex sport watches"
which I intend to present this month.
This 'watch talk' event is suited for both novice and advanced collectors,
especially those interested in Rolex Submariners.
Stay tuned for more! Oh yes - the new wall projector is on it's way
so expect nothing less than a full IMAX experience :-)



For a quick preview fell free to browse the private stock listed at
http://clockmaker.com.au/private

While I don't regard myself as a watch collector per se,
I don't mind hanging onto a few pieces.
This particular lot was built up over a period of 12 years
and consist predominantly of "virgin" (unrestored) Submariners.
A word of warning: if you are not familiar with vintage watches
be prepared for shock and horror!
Although some pieces are in top collector's condition, most
other Subs are purposely left unrestored, scratched and dirty.
Yes - some of them still contain dirt and soil - in the very same condition
I'd found them! Which is exactly how mad collectors want them.

But we'll talk more about that on the night.

(You may wish to bookmark the above link because I do intend to
list few more in near future).

Rolex dials: fancy and exotic

From the mid 1980s to the late 1990s Rolex was heavily involved in production of
very special, exotic watch dials. Those dials were mainly fitted to Date and Datejust
models. Precious and semi precious stones like sugilite, rose jasper, blue and green jadeite, pink opal, coral and almost every colour of shell were used to turn conservative looking Rolex watches into unique and distinctive timepieces.
My favorite exotic dial is blue sodalite which was used in production of gent's watches, including Daytona models.
Pictured here is a slab of Bolivian sodalite:



...and an 18K WG Daytona with sodalite diamond dial
on blue alligator strap:



Unfortunately fancy dial Rolex watches are not common and they rarely appear on pre-loved market.
The k1893 on today's offer is fitted with rare Arabia-shell dial. Great watch in 35mm unisex size.

Things that make you tick

Last week I've sold an Omega Seamaster chronograph watch to a customer in Melbourne.
Before shipping I've checked the watch for a timekeeping, as I routinely do.
Seamaster chronograph is based on Valjoux 7750 movement which is
fairly rugged and reliable chrono. The watch kept almost perfect time: +1 sec/day
with 'healthy' amplitude of 330 degrees and zero beat error.
All good!

The watch was double boxed and shipped to Melbourne with overnight
courier.

Following day I got an email from the new owner.
He was very unhappy to say at least; his new Seamaster was gaining
two minutes per hour!

Obviously, he had every right to feel 'cheated'.

And so did I ! The reason why a mechanical watch will gain time like crazy
is always of mechanical nature, and most common reason of all
is mechanical shock. Whether the watch was dropped by the new owner or poorly handed
by courier it was at that point irrelevant.
I suggested for watch to be returned for further inspection
and made an offer to repair it free of charge.
Sometime it is much easier to accept blame
then to argue (yes I am happily married man, I've learned this trick 20+ years ago).

So the poor bugger (Seamaster) arrived today.

As per my expectation, the reason for excessive gain was
neither mysterious nor difficult one to rectify. Nuisance, nevertheless.
(Fellow watchmakers reading this email have probably guessed what was the problem).



Due to sudden shock, first coil of hairspring was pushed underneath the stud. As a result, hair spring
was physically shortened. The rate of oscillation become much higher
and watch was gaining time. I've 'painted' that first coil in red so you can see
what I am talking about. Photo below is showing enlarged balance wheel assembly.





All that was needed to restore correct oscillating frequency was to
unjam that first coil stacked underneath the stud.
Two seconds repair job!
Below, I've painted this first tun in green so you can compare it's
"before and after" position relative to stud pin. Note the even spacing between
adjoining coils - approx. 2/10 of millimeter!




Bottom line: Valoujx 7750 is fine chrono movement
designed to withstand fair amount of 'bashing'. But it is still
a mechanical watch movement and as such definitely not shockproof.
Like with any other mechanical device, things sometimes do go wrong
and small imperfection can cause substantial malfunction.
If you are new to watches then I suggest to invest
bit of time learning about maintenance, servicing and performance
of mechanical timepieces. Such investment will pay off big time in the long run.

All Sydney watchmakers I know are bit 'coockoo' - they have spent years
learning and practicing watch trade, dealing with both watches and customers.
Reputable ones are stubborn and grumpy but very proud, trustworthy and
honest people. They know their stuff inside out - but believe it or not - have absolutely no control over
Australia Post Express overnight service to Melbourne.


Happy collecting!

Scratch-proof, shatter-proof, foolproof?

Watch crystals made of synthetic sapphire are often marketed as "scratch resistant", meaning they are very difficult - but not impossible - to scratch. Diamond can scratch them; so can man-made materials that incorporate silicon carbide. These materials are sometimes used to make tools or simulated-stone surfaces for furniture. The watch wearer should note that accidentally scraping a sapphire crystal against such a surface could cause a scratch.
So while your 'official and authorized' salesman would be more than happy
to tell you that your watch is fitted with scratchproof crystal, in reality
this is far from being the case!







Fine mechanical watches are definitely not shock proof either. Drop it on a hard surface and the crystal will shatter. Needless to say, expect further internal damage.



While the 'shock proof' myth originated in 1950s it really took off during the sixties / early seventies when ever creative advertisers of Swiss watches finally
managed to convince case making departments to mark mechanical watches as 'water proof, water protected, antimagnetic, nonmagnetic, schookproof, shockprotected, dustproof, unbreakable mainspring, and even ultrasonic!

My favorite all-time misleading caseback marking is "TROPICALISED WATERPROOF" which date from 1960s. While the watch mechanism and dial are long gone, the case back itself has survived remarkably well !