I had a co-worker who “had a line on” Rolex’s that were so good you couldn’t tell them from the real thing. They had “supposedly” fake serial numbers and appeared by all common standards to be real. He sold them for $250.
I never bought one, though I was tempted.
I found out, years later, that they were real Rolex watches. A friend of his had stolen an entire shipment of Rolex’s and discovered, because of the serial numbers, that they were difficult to fence.
The truth was discovered when one of the purchasers died and his heir, thinking that the watch was genuine, took it to a jeweler for cleaning and maintenance. The jeweler checked the Rolex against a database, discovered the property was stolen, and called the police. The heir had no idea where the watch came from, was able to prove he had inherited it, and so was not prosecuted, but the watch was confiscated.
I wear my dad’s, that he got in 1943.
It was a very inexpensive model.
When we were little kids living in Morocco on a SAC Air Force Base, my dad
was napping and my brother took the watch off of his bedside table,
put it on, and went to ride his bike.
He fell on his bike, and scratched up and broke the Rolex.
My dad never got it fixed, but did give it to my brother years later.
My brother never got it fixed, and does not care for watches.
I love watches and have many, so my brother gave it to me.
I had it fixed (primarily a new crystal and polish out any scratches).
It still keeps perfect time at 75 years old.
Perfect time.
Between the ears of a Rolex (behind the band attachments), one side
has the model number and the other side has the serial number.
I love it.