TAG Heuer Buying Tips
How To Spot A Fake TAG Heuer
People in the market for TAG Heuer Watches are lucky. Their average price-point tends to be lower than other luxury brands, and there’s an active used market where genuine pieces are sold at prices that are within the ranges of most buyers. That being said, that does not mean that TAG Heuer escapes the replication business. Replicas are often made for several of their higher-end models. Here are a couple of useful tips to keep in mind when you’re shopping around to help you guarantee you’ve got the real deal.
Notice the off-center bezel
One area where replica TAG Heuer watches fall well short of their genuine counterparts is in their luminosity. Most TAG Heuers feature luminous hands and indexes in order to let wearers read the time in the dark. The substance used for this is called LumiNova, and provides powerful luminosity over years of use. Replicas typically have luminosity that’s of a much poorer quality when compared to genuine timepieces. The strength and duration of the glow is significantly lower when viewed in a low light situation. Some replicas do not even have luminous pieces, leaving wearers completely out of luck once the lights are turned off. An easy way to test the luminosity of a watch is to “charge” it with a flashlight, then view the dial in a dark setting.
Another easy way to spot a fake TAG Heuer is to examine the crown. The crowns on TAG Heuer watches have the logo pressed into the steel. A poor quality replica will often have the logo glued on, a clear sign of a fake. Check the crown for any uneven edges or glue residue. Also worth checking is the movement while winding the watch. It should move freely and smoothly and there should be no indication that any parts are moving within the case itself.
Real Versus Replica Tag Heuer Watches
One of the most noticeable areas replicas reveal themselves is on the dial. A dirty dial is a dead giveaway. TAG Heuer watches are subject to strict quality control. In no way should dust be present on the dial. Even worse, there have been reports of fingerprints on dials and hairs trapped under crystals (which are counterfit) in some replicas. Contaminents likes these would never be found in a genuine timepiece.
A potential buyer should also pay attention to the printing of the dial and date. Genuine TAG Heuer’s exhibit well-defined printing with sharp edges. Replicas will typically have either fuzzy printing or bleeding between letters, signs of poor printing. Sometimes these details can be hard to spot with a naked eye, and a jeweler’s loupe is an extremely useful tool in spotting these irregularities.
These inconsistencies in craftsmanship are typical in factories with no quality control, and any real TAG Heuer that displayed these qualities would have been rejected at the factory. With a careful eye, though, any buyer should be able to spot a fake and avoid spending serious cash on a not so serious watch.
These tips should help any potential TAG Heuer customer from purchasing a counterfeit watch and aid in readily identifying whether or not the watch they are interested in is a genuine piece.
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