I purchased this fake booklet from a member off one of the major forums
from Germany for over $500. After I received his package, I compared it to my
originals and within minutes I knew it was a cheap fake. He swore to me it
was from 'his father's' collection and in the end refused to give me a refund. I filed
a complaint with Paypal to get my refund. The seller used a color copier
to duplicate the original, quite a simple trick. With a value of $500,
it's no wonder people are trying to knock off these booklets with color
copies, it only costs them a few dollars.
Beware, that although this section describes a specific incident with
the Submariner 'Seafoam' booklet, fakers can use the same method to
reproduce similar booklets this genre, including booklets for GMTs,
Daytonas, and Explorer IIs.
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Which booklet is fake?
Answer: TOP
Notice the size of the booklet is slightly smaller than the bottom (correct) booklet, and that slight difference gives it away immediately. The
color variations are not critical since the booklets had many versions and were produced over
almost a decade. Still, the fake is more out of whack
than the other booklets with the color. Maybe your eyes are better at seeing
color than mine.
Here is the fake (bottom left) compared to 3 other correct booklets:
Why would this be a dead giveaway when there are acceptable size
variations between other correct pieces?
Variations do exist on printed pieces, especially on
one-page booklets. But, these booklets were produced with
tighter printing tolerances than other Rolex ephemera. Regardless of version,
these booklets have a variance of no more than
1/16" in terms of their size differences. The fake booklet size difference is
exactly 1/8" and this is way out of acceptable range.
The correct size is: 4 7/8" x 3 1/2" (12,5 cm x 9 cm)
The fake size is: 4 3/4" x 3 3/8" (12,2 cm x 8,7 cm)
Why don't the counterfeiters simply make the correct size?
If you ever used a color copier or computer to scan existing color printed
material, then you probably already know. When using a color copier, which
is in essence a color scanner, to reproduce a previously printed page,
especially a color page, the image degrades significantly at 100% (or
larger). If you reduce that image even slightly, the quality appears to
increase. If the fakers reproduced the booklet at 100%, then the images
would be far worse. I guess they figure people will be put off more by poor
image quality than the slightly smaller size.
There is another dead giveaway, that absolutely confirms this fake. The dot
patterns of the printed images.
Which is fake?
Answer: THE TOP
This example (below) is taken from the bottom right corner of the same
two (above) under an 8x loupe.
The patterns on the top are from a modern
color copier. This particular color copier, 'makes' colors by overlaying the dots almost
one on top of the other. The old Rolex booklets from the 1970s make colors
using a traditional printing method with primary colors (Cyan, Magenta,
Yellow and Black) and rosette patterns.
Other than these two facts, it is difficult to be 100% certain you have a
fake. The paper feels a little different, but not enough to be certain.
Obviously, if you have an original to compare, it is much easier. Keep in
mind that although, I am comparing two exact versions, you could make the
same conclusions using a different booklet, such as an Explorer or GMT
booklet.
If you have other dead giveaways, let me know and I will include them in
this section!
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