Five Things to Look For When Buying a Rolex

You're a man among men, respected and admired for all you do; desiring and getting only the best, you deserve the best timepiece, a Rolex. And the real thing, not a fake that you picked up cheap.
Rolex watch hype has caused a surge in the replica Rolex industry and there's few days going by without spam emails offering a fake Rolex or other Swiss-made replica luxury watch.
This article is for guys like you, hungrily eyeing a Rolex but lacking time to research enough to avoid getting scammed. Rolex dealers, master watchmakers, and even fake makers offer helpful tips to save you big bucks and big heartaches:

1. Only authorized dealers sell a new Rolex watch with factory warranty. There's no exceptions to this!
2. Straight bands=good, kinked bands=bad. If the bracelet doesn't match the watch, go to the next dealer. This tells you if it's real or fake. Hold it over a soft surface face down. Check the bracelet links. Are they nice and smooth or kinked up? They may've stretched a bit, but shouldn't kink. If they're kinked, it's probably a fake.
3. Look out for the second hand "ticking" second by second around the dial; on a real Rolex it runs smoothly.
4. Another feature of a genuine Rolex is the bubble-like date window on the GMT, Submariner and other models. If the date number or the magnifying bubble is crooked or off-center, it's a fake.
5. Genuine Rolexes have a hologram-encoded sticker on the back with a unique reference number and the Rolex crown logo above. Fakes may have stickers on the back but usually not true holograms and won't change appearance when rotated or viewed from different angles.

If you want to order a used Rolex online, avoid being swindled and read these tips:

• Check the website's address and make sure it ends in .com or something else familiar; make sure the website isn't hosted by a free domain company like Geocities or Tripod.
• If buying from eBay, always check the sellers rating and review their most recent feedback and email the seller with questions about the item. Where did it come from? What is the serial number? When was it last serviced? Is it keeping good time? If they don't respond, they're not your seller. There'll always be another seller with another used Rolex that will be perfect for you.