I have seen fake Rolex ephemera being offered to unsuspecting collectors and have inadvertently purchased at least a couple of fake pieces myself. Some collectors are not aware they have reproductions, as they pass on this junk, intentionally or not, to other unsuspecting collectors. It burns me up seeing this stuff around and other collectors getting taken for their hard earned money. Just like counterfeit watches, fakes devalue the authentic pieces, making rare pieces seem cheap and more abundant. They also cause fear and and frustration in other would-be hobbyists who shy away from real opportunities. I have documented the bogus pieces in this section so that people can learn to transact safely and avoid these reproductions.

Counterfeit Rolex ephemera can be easily recognized and avoided easier than fake watches.  With a little common sense and a good reference guide, such as this website, it is unlikely that your good money will be wasted.

Based on my limited experience, I believe that fake vintage Rolex ephemera is not very common. I have only seen a weak attempt at knocking off a few of the booklets and cigarette cards. It seems counterfeiters are using cheap printing methods and color copiers to make fakes that can only be difficult to spot in a poor picture, but they are easily identified in clear pictures or when examined in person.

Most collectors are probably wondering if there are good fake guarantee papers around. So far, the answer is: NO. As far as I have seen, very poor reproductions do exist. I believe they were made to accompany knock-off watches some years ago. They are very poor quality and are missing the security features. No one should be fooled. Rolex must have been aware that fakers would try to sell knockoff watches with counterfeit guarantee papers, so they took extra steps to to thwart attempts to reproduce these papers. This is especially true of the green guarantee papers that contain several anti-counterfeiting measures. Please visit the individual guarantee pages on this website for specific notes and comments.

If you have anything you would like to contribute to this section, or have an opinion or experience to share, please send me your thoughts via email or using the submission form.

Bob Smith
r.smith1680@gmail.com