Rolex Oyster Perpetual Quartz Ladies Watch

Bev, your thread has inspired me to pull what I believe to be my old (probably fake) Rolex ladies watch that I bought as part of contents of a jewelry box decades ago. Mine also has "Oyster Perpetual" along with the "diamonds" and some more words too small for me to see. Mine is from the era when titanium and gold were combined to be the design. I used to wear this watch periodically and would have thought I'd find scratches somewhere on mine from use wear but no scratches anywhere from use so mine is probably just a "good" fake.

For unknown reasons my winder knob is stuck in position, perhaps the old battery corroded and damaged the spindle inside? idk. I've always thought mine was a fake copy circa 1980s.

Years ago we had a Rolex store in a nearby upscale shopping center and I walked in ONCE to have the salesman show me a real ladies' Rolex. I didn't have mine with me, but I thought just as well because the salesman was so pushy that he'd have probably told me mine was a fake even if it was real - just to try to make a sale! heh

BUT THE ROLEX LADIES WATCHES STYLED THAT YEAR WERE LARGER AND VERY HEAVY and for price of $18k I walked out thinking: it would exhaust my arm muscles to wear a real Rolex!

It surely would have exhausted my pocketbook to pay that much money for a watch!

So yes I think mine's a fake. I've now tossed mine into my small pile of inexpensive watches that need batteries so I can see if it can have a new battery installed when I take them all to a jeweler to get new ones put in.

I cannot explain why I believe yours to be real but I do.
Please let us know what you discover.

 

BEAUTIFUL GLIDER! SCORE!!!

 

Bev, Lucille is right!! Do not open the back! Everywhere I've read they say that is a no-no unless you have one of those special tools and then really only a jeweler should do it. Here is a list I found with hints on detecting a Rolex fake.

"Here are the easiest ways to tell:
1. Is anything misspelled on the face of the watch?
2. Is the second hand short or does it reach all the way to the “hash” marks at the edge of the face of the watch? Fake watches usually have a short second hand.
3. Does the band react to a magnet? A real Rolex will not react at all. Most fakes will stick to a magnet because they use plated or low grade stainless steel. Do not place the magnet on the face of the watch.
4. Shake the watch from side to side. If you can feel or hear the rotor on the inside then the watch is a fake. A fake Rolex will make a distinct “scraping” sound. A real Rolex is completely quiet. A real Rolex is perfectly balanced. You can not feel the action of the rotor.
5. Wind the watch fully. Set the time to your phone. Now set it on a desk for 24 hours exactly. A properly serviced Rolex will be off by a few seconds at the most. Almost all fakes will stop after about 8 to 12 hours. If the fake somehow manages to keep running, it will be off by about 5 min or more.
6. A fake Rolex will usually leak of worn in the shower, or diving in a pool. Most are not very water resistant.
"A real Rolex is accurate, rugged, very water resistant. A fake Rolex is cheap, and hardly wearable in a swimming pool.
"Value is complicated. My 16 year old stainless steel Rolex Submariner was recently appraised at $4000. A jewelry store might give me $2000 for it. A pawn shop might give me $500 for it."

--- Susan

 

Just a look at the outside of the back should be enough.

 

Bev,

Let me preface that I'm no watch or jewelry expert by any means but I have owned 4 Rolex watches and have worn them continuously since 1974 and have the current one on my wrist as I type. I don't see how your watch could possibly be genuine and if that has already been said, forgive me as I might have missed that. For starters, and I could be wrong on this, I know of no period (70s or otherwise) when Rolex used Japanese parts but that aside, you may not understand that "perpetual" is the Rolex terminology for "self-winding" and "quartz" means that a watch is run by battery so the two terms are in direct conflict. Rolex has made both but a watch cannot be both perpetual and quartz.

As far as the band goes, as others have said, it could be gold. Testing will tell you in a few seconds. My guess would be that it isn't but a close friend's mother has the classic Bulgari gold snake watch, or so I thought. She is an extremely wealthy woman and could easily afford the real deal-wealthy as in having had her house published in Architectural Digest-need I say anymore? Anyway, one time when I drooled over the watch she told me it was a reproduction-it was real gold but she had bought it in Hong Kong so yes, replicas can be made of gold.

Please post back what you find out, I'm curious.

 

I should also add that without any stamps I doubt if it is gold but you should test it-that it isn't a Rolex is without question. There is, as I already stated, no such thing as a Rolex Perpetual Quartz Watch...Sorry! That would have been quite the find! BTW Rolex does make beautiful slim dress watches too. I always wanted the Cellini.

 

THANK YOU for sharing your expertise, Jsales.

I looked at mine again and it still does appear to be gold and perhaps brushed titanium? It is probably a very good fake with "diamonds" set into each number. They actually do look like diamonds too. It's difficult for me to see with the 10x magnifier but it does state that it is quartz. I will have to look at it in the daylight with a loup. I just always assumed mine was a fake, albeit a very nice watch.

One thing that made me think mine was fake is the fastener has a longer backing part that is hidden by the band - the part that rests against my wrist. I wore mine for many years and never needed to replace a battery - but now I cannot move the dial winder knob out to set the time.

I believe mine was made in the mid 1980s and I saw a lot of Rolex fakes coming through the marketplace back then. Most of the ones I looked at were obvious fakes, this is the only one I ever questioned. I'll try to take some pics and post to show you what I'm talking about with the fastener but it will take me some time.

I cannot seem to get much accomplished these days..

 

HERE I found an EXAMPLE ONLY of what I'm talking about on the back of my clasp fastener. My fastener also has a small crown embossed into the metal (which I don't see on this replacement band but it may be there idk).

 

Bev, you do really need to take it to a place that sells them.
I have my doubts about because of the Japanese movement.

 

It unscrews counter-clockwise before it pops out

 

Thanks Terry, I got it to pop out!
BUT now I don't know how to set the time as the winder just spins?

I swear I wore this watch for many years, long ago, and it worked fine, kept excellent time. I wonder what in the world is going on with it - or with me that I don't know how to wind it to set the time?

 

Rolex watch winders have two or three positions of 'popped outness'.

If it has an oyster crown, the first position winds it, second either sets date or if no day/date feature, sets the time, and if there is a day/date, third position sets the time.

Watches without the screwdown winding stem (which is just about every other watch) use the normal position to wind (does nothing on a quartz watch) and one and two pull positions to set date and time.

Since the difference in position is small, and little force is needed to move between them, a delicate hand is advised.

 

Thank you AF! That worked!

I was able to set the date and time and it had a slight clicking sound as it wound and the stem "popped up" when fully wound to stop me from over-winding. I was able to do this twice but the second time I wound it, it stopped winding quicker. But I am still unable to kick start it. (Mine is not a perpetual watch as I previously thought I read.)
Good grief!

Mine under a loupe:

ROLEX
OYSTERQUARTZ
DAY-DATE
SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER
SWISS MADE

MINE IS DEFINITELY A FAKE because I can see some breakup of the printing of the word "ROLEX" and even though it's a heavy watch, I doubt it's quite as heavy as a real one would be.

I would like to be able to get mine going so I can wear it again, it's still pretty!

There is no sign of a gold wash. I couldn't see that on Bev's watch either.

@Bev aka thelmasstuff Have you been able to find out an update on your watch? I think yours is beautiful, I'd have no problem wearing it! hee!

 

I was able to set the date and time and it had a slight clicking sound as it wound and the stem "popped up" when fully wound to stop me from over-winding. I was able to do this twice but the second time I wound it, it stopped winding quicker

You've really got me there. I haven't a clue what you are doing. If it is a quartz watch it almost certainly needs a new battery, winding does nothing, since it is driven by electricity, not a spring and there is no such thing as 'overwinding' . The only mechanism to stop a watch being wound more when it is fully wound already is on an automatic mechanical watch which has a slipping clutch arrangement. Other wise it is wound when you can't wind it any more.

Pop into Walmart or wherever and get a new battery fitted.

 

hehe : I think the tiny "clicking" winding was the date!

Thanks AF. I'll do just that.

 

When they open it to fit the battery, it should be obvious from the movement if it is real or not.

 

AF, I can tell it's a fake from the printing on the face.
It's a GOOD LOOKING fake though!

What do you suggest I look for inside of the back movement?
Please educate me - I'm not watch movement saavy!

 

If you know it is a fake, nothing. The only point of looking at the movement is to verify a genuine watch.

 

I haven't looked at it again, but it also hasn't started. The second hand doesn't move at all, but it does go to the center of the 'diamonds.' I have to meet up with Marie because she has a test kit.