Today, Rolex watches are at the peak of their demand and their secondary market prices are simply out of control. With that being said, I’ve noticed that the number of fake/counterfeit Rolex Warranty Cards out there has also skyrocketed. People can easily double their money by selling coveted Rolex professional models in the secondary market and watches that were typically sold ‘naked’ —without boxes or papers— are now being accompanied by fake boxes or real boxes but with counterfeit warranty cards. Because a ‘naked’ Rolex commands less than a full set with boxes and papers, some unscrupulous sellers have decided to buy fake warranty cards to add them to those ‘naked’ watches and leave no money on the table.
Recently, I came across a fully stickered Rolex that was being offered in NOS condition by somewhat of a reputable seller; however, knowing that there are tons of fake cards out there, I followed my gut and decided to inspect the warranty card as thoroughly as possible.
As a watch collector, I’ve purchased hundreds of watches throughout my life and maybe no less than three dozen Rolexes. While you would expect that my eye is well trained, I still prefer to also apply the well-known rule of ‘buying the seller’ or asking myself ‘if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is’.
This time I didn’t apply those rules of thumb and decided to take the plunge and check every bit of detail on the watch, the box, and the warranty card. While everything checked out with the watch and I could not find anything wrong that would indicate that the watch was counterfeit, the card had some issues. Luckily, the seller took the watch back and refunded my money.
Because of what I went through, I want to share with you how to try to authenticate a Rolex warranty card. Remember, this is just guidance based on my expertise and knowledge. The only one authorized to authenticate a warranty card is Rolex and its subsidiaries. Therefore, if you follow my advice and you get burned, WCL or myself assume no responsibility for your actions. Always do your homework no matter what.
Things to Look for When Authenticating a Rolex Warranty Card
There are different security elements to look for but the one that never fails is the hidden watermark on the upper left corner that can only be revealed with the use of a powerful UV black light. For best results try using the Lumintop Tool AA UV. In my experience, this is the perfect UV light for this task.
The first picture shows the suspicious card before being exposed to UV light —nothing seemed out of the ordinary— and then the second picture shows the faint watermark reacting to a dimmed UV light with the suspicious card at the top and the authentic one below. Finally, the third picture shows the suspicious card on the bottom and an authentic Rolex Warranty Card on the top. At full brightness of the UV light, you can see the differences really fast.
Per the third picture, you can see that the suspicious card has a fainter UV-reactive watermark, the hue of green on the watermark is slightly off and the ‘Rolex Jubilee’ pattern seems sloppy, choppy, and not perfectly sharp and solid as it is on the authentic card.
Another thing to look for is the way the numbers and letters are printed on the card with somewhat of a block formation on its font. Lastly, check the Rolex coronets on the front and back as they seem to be composed of holographic material but also double-check the three green lines at the front of the card. To the naked eye, these three lines look just like that but they are not just lines. These lines are formed by the words “ROLEX GARANTIE INTERNATIONALE” written repeatedly with no spacing over and over. Under a 10x magnification loupe you will be able to read such text. Now, even if you find this text that makes those green lines, still double-check everything and if your gut tells you something is wrong, follow your gut.
In today’s world, it doesn’t matter how many watches you bought in the past and how good you are at authenticating a timepiece. Do your homework, ‘buy the seller’ and always carry a 10x loupe and a UV light whenever checking Rolex warranty cards. And just as if the UV-reactive watermark wasn’t enough proof of a suspicious card, the back shows YYYY/MM/DD where the date of purchase is supposed to go. Typically authentic cards will have this information in all lower case and with an mm/dd/yyyy format.
Be safe and cautious out there, this watch collecting game is no longer as fun as it used to be. Watches are the new currency and crooks are everywhere waiting for you to trip.
