First off, let’s be real, spotting a fake can be tricky. They’re getting better at it, these counterfeiters. But there are definitely telltale signs. Like, that rotating anchor thingy on the face? Supposedly, it’s a big giveaway. Apparently, on real Rados, it moves! But on the fakes? Stiff as a board, or maybe not even there. I’ve even heard stories where it just…falls off. Awkward.
And the price? C’mon. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably IS. We’re not talking about a minor discount here; we’re talking about a watch that normally costs hundreds (or thousands!) being sold for like, $50. Red flag city!
Then there’s the caseback. This is where things get interesting. Apparently, some fakes have this rotary brushed caseback, which… okay, I don’t even know what that means exactly, but the point is, it’s a bad sign. Like, a big, flashing neon sign that screams “FAKE!” I mean, who even has time to know all these details? It’s exhausting! But if you’re gonna drop some serious cash (even fake-watch-level serious cash) you gotta do your homework.
And the overall “feel” of the watch. A real Rado feels…substantial. Solid. Like it could survive a small nuclear explosion (okay, maybe not, but you get the idea). A fake? Usually feels cheap and lightweight. The materials just don’t compare, ya know? Like the difference between a silk shirt and a potato sack.
Now, I gotta be honest, I once nearly got suckered into buying a fake. It looked SO good in the pictures! But then I started digging around online, reading forums, watching videos… and suddenly all the little details started popping out. The font on the date window was slightly off, the color of the gold plating was too brassy… the list went on.
One thing I saw that really stuck with me was about the inside of the caseback. Apparently, if you can see the “inside” too easily, that’s a bad sign. It’s all cheap and stamped-looking. A real Rado is all about the quality of the materials, both on the outside and the inside.
The real danger, I think, is when the fakes are *almost* good. Like, they cost hundreds of dollars, not just 50 bucks. That’s when you really need to be careful, maybe even get it looked at by a professional before you buy.
