A fake Rolex 124300 is a copy of the Oyster Perpetual 41. The real watch has a 41 mm Oystersteel case, no date, and the caliber 3230. Copies sell for $200 to $900 and run third-party movements. The tells sit in the case profile, the dial print, the rehaut engraving, the bracelet fit, and the movement under the caseback.
Real 124300 Specs
- Case: 41 mm Oystersteel, polished bezel, brushed lug tops
- Movement: Rolex caliber 3230, automatic, 28,800 vph, 31 jewels
- Power reserve: 70 hours
- Rate: -2/+2 seconds per day
- Crystal: sapphire, no cyclops
- Caseback: solid steel, screw-down
- Bracelet: Oyster, three-piece links, Oysterclasp with Easylink
- Dial: no date window, baton hands, applied coronet at 12
Case Size and Profile
Put calipers on the case at the bezel edge. The number should read 41.0 mm. Copies land at 40.5 mm or 41.6 mm. Check the lug tops: brushed on the real watch, with polished flanks below. Copies polish the whole lug or run the brush lines in the wrong direction. The bezel is polished and domed. A copy bezel reads flat at the outer edge. The crystal sits a touch above the bezel and shows no edge bevel.
Dial Print and Coronet
The coronet sits above the wordmark at 12. Real print shows five points, oval openings under the points, and a flat base. Copies show wide points, filled openings, or a base that touches the text below. The dial text sits level with the minute track. Copies show uneven letter spacing and ink that spreads at the edges. Hands are white gold with even lume fill. Copy hands show a wider bevel and lume that sits low in the frame.
Rehaut and Serial
The inner ring carries ROLEX in repeat, cut deep and centered on the minute markers. Copies cut shallow letters that drift off the markers. The 124300 carries its serial on the rehaut at 6 o'clock. Read it with a loupe. Copy serials turn up on more than one watch, and the font sits wide.
Bracelet and Clasp
Link faces are brushed and link sides are polished. End links sit flush against the lugs with no step and no gap. Copies show a gap at the lug line and a loose fit at the first link. The clasp carries a stamped code inside. Check that the Easylink fold adds its 5 mm. Many copies skip it.
Movement Check
Pull the caseback. The caliber 3230 uses a free-sprung balance and a Parachrom hairspring. The rotor carries the Rolex wordmark and the caliber number. Copies show a plain rotor, a regulator arm, and a hairspring with no blue tint. Run the watch on a timegrapher. The 3230 holds 28,800 vph and a rate inside 2 seconds per day. A copy drifts past 10 seconds and shows a weak amplitude.
Questions to Ask a Seller
- Send a photo of the rehaut at 6 o'clock, taken with a loupe.
- Send caliper readings at the bezel edge.
- Send a shot of the clasp code and the Easylink fold.
- Send a timegrapher printout with amplitude and rate.
- Send a photo of the movement with the caseback off.