The July 2025 OECD report ‘Counterfeiting, Piracy and the Swiss Economy 2025’ claimed an annual loss of $1.4bn to the Swiss Watch industry.  If true, as by far the most widely faked watch brand, Rolex would have borne the brunt of that loss, and yet they seem to be doing OK financially.

I would argue that only a tiny minority of fake Rolexes are a substitute purchase, as someone who can afford to buy an expensive watch is unlikely to buy a fake instead. Some are an addition alongside the genuine watch, but most take revenue away from cheaper, but less prestigious brands in the £200 – £1000 price range.

It could even be said that a general fear of Super-Fakes drives consumers to Authorised Retailers, benefitting the Manufacturing Brand at the expense of the Secondary Market.

Yes, Rolex and a few other Swiss brands incorporate some anti-counterfeiting measures in their watches, such as laser-engraved coronets, hidden in the crystal, or Cartier’s secret signature, but these are swiftly replicated past the point that a casual observer can tell the difference.

I am regularly asked for ‘advice’ on LinkedIn by companies offering more advanced, technological anti-counterfeiting solutions, but these need to be adopted by the Manufacturers – who don’t see the need.

Of course, the Brands know their watches are real, as do the initial retail purchasers, and therefore, unsurprisingly, they really don’t care about anyone else further down the ownership chain.

If you take a watch into the likes of Rolex or Cartier and ask them to authenticate it, they won’t. If, as a Dealer or Pawnbroker, you were to phone a brand for authentication guidance, you will receive a short, sharp reply.

Fakes are predominantly a pre-owned watch issue, affecting Dealers, Pawnbrokers, Auctioneers, Valuers, Insurers, and Secondary-Market Consumers.  This is why brands can be so frustratingly unhelpful when it comes to authentication, and why sadly, the Secondary Market needs to look after itself.

Endorsed by the NAJ, and the only company in the UK offering support such as this,The Watch Scholar provides the training and resources that the brands won’t.

In fact, a Dealer who completed our course in May covered their cost of training within days by rejecting two sophisticated counterfeit watches that would definitely have cost them in both money and reputation.