The first time I really got a sense of the possibilities of AI and the impacts it may have on our concepts of truth and information, was when I saw Bill Hader on David Letterman doing a Tom Cruise impression. Someone had created a Deepfake of him speaking and essentially turned him into Tom Cruise. It was freaky and hilarious! But God Damn, what does that mean? The ease of which we can spread misinformation, and misunderstandings will be a serious storm to weather. So in the future, where will we go for information that we can trust?
I’m seeing this first hand in relation to watches and counterfeit watches. It is more difficult than ever to spot the fakes. I had a client recently bring in a Roger Dubuis Easy Diver. He had bought it at auction but it was not running and needed some work. Of course, Roger Dubuis is a serious watch and I was excited to take a look. Unfortunately, upon first inspection, I had some serious doubts to it’s authenticity. As a watchmaker, I always go straight to the movement when attempting to verify a watch. This watch had a cloned ETA 2824 movement.
The Easy Divers mostly use the in-house RD14 movement. This is some serious horology! They retail for well over $10,000! There are very few watch houses that use the 2824 at this price point. The only one I can think of, is the Ressence but this is a totally different beast. It uses an oil filled dial to create the illusion of floating markers. Very tough to pull off but they do brilliantly. It’s a very cool watch that yes, uses the 2824, but includes this module that, IMHO justifies the price.
After a brief search of the web, I found a few websites that proudly offered The Easy Diver and other “Roger Dubuis” counterfeits. I spotted my clients watch immediately. I was astounded at the brazen openness and pride that these counterfeiters displayed and sold these “watches”. Where is the oversight? How do these websites exist with such freedom? Of course, non of them have a real address and the risks of giving money to these guys is so big that who would even try? So desperate to own a fake watch, that people are willing to drop thousands of dollars and get who knows what? It’s wild! I can understand buying a watch in Chinatown in New york city, the watch is right there, it’s 50 bucks, sure…But a “Superclone”? a “AAA replica”? It’s all Fugazi!
Telling a client that their watch is fake is never easy. Every watchmaker has stories of people bringing in fake watches. When I told this guy his watch was most likely a fake, he was indeed shocked. The auction house he went to had verified on their listing that the watch was authenticated by a professional watchmaker. This was not ebay, this was a government funded and run auction house. So his next step was to bring the watch back in hopes of a refund. He told me that they had honoured their mistake and were planning to refund him. Happy ending right? Well, unfortunately later that day they contacting him again to say that they had taken the watch to another “professional watchmaker” who verified it’s authenticity and that they would not be refunding him! This is crazy. I know I live on an island here in Victoria, but am I really that far away from qualified watchmakers who could easily reference many sources on-line or make a couple of inquiring calls? I know he plans to contact Roger Dubuis directly and have them get involved (if they will is yet to be determined). Hopefully, there will be some accountability taken.
The internet may be an ocean of stupidity but it is also an amazing resource to verify real or fake watches. There are so many “experts” out there who love being detective and shining a light on what makes a watch real or not. There are also many websites out there that sell counterfeit watches that are so well executed that they can fool even the most revered expert. The pride is shameful! I believe this will be the cat and mouse game of my future.
So where do the brands fit into this landscape? How much time and energy do they put into stopping or controlling the manufacturing and selling of knock-off products that, I would assume, sully their brand image and detract from their market share? I’ve heard many theories suggesting these brands are in favour of fake products. Does It brings more recognition to their name and is essentially free advertising? Yes, the most sincere form of flattery is imitation, but I’ve also been of the mind that people who buy counterfeit intentionally or otherwise would see the difference over time and connect an items inadequacies with the name on the label. “This Louis Vuitton bag sure didn’t last long, what a crappy company” . I’d suggest that is pretty damaging to a brands reputation. Nevermind the incredibly shady underworld where counterfeit products exist. The dark money, the slave workers, the toxic chemicals and the unregulated free for all. This money directly funds organized crime, sex traffic, child labour. Come on? Is it really worth fooling a few coworkers? Get a real watch. Your kids will thank you! Here’s a list of micro-brands that are funky, solid, reasonably priced and well, not fake.
So what is the future for watchmakers and counterfeit watches? I’m often approached to work on fake watches. I politely decline. I don’t judge (often). I know that many people don’t know the dark side of counterfeit watches. I am in a unique position where I can stop the flow and educate people. My real concern is the future. Like the looming reality of AI, Chat GPT and the like, what will differentiate the real from the fake? To combat the rise of fakes, I predict the large watch companies will tighten up their service requirements and thus, further exclude independent watchmakers from the repair side of the industry. Not allowing access to parts, service documents or case materials will inevitably leave us Independents to choose between working on fakes, or not working…This is sad.
I know that watchmakers aren’t necessarily social justice warriors! We like to work in peace and don’t wanna stir shit up. I can understand those who work for a brand don’t want to cause problems for fear of losing their ticket. I find this interesting because the work-pool for watchmakers is not huge and these companies could be more grateful for the staff they have. One of my favourite “celebrity watchmakers” is Kalle Slapp. He’s a watchmaker from the Netherlands who has a great Youtube channel called Chronoglide. He does not shy away from discourse that is open and yes, sometimes critical, but always relevant to the plight of watchmaking. Especially to the struggles of the independents and the repair limits that big brands put on customers. As far as sources go for information, he is one of the good guys!
The Dialed In Watchmaker 