# How to spot a fake PRC200 with ETA movement.



## wankerman (Oct 16, 2011)

I got my watch from Duty3Canada, an Amazon.ca dealer for $325 (shipped). For that price, I expected it to be real. WRONG!

I took it to all three authorized dealers we have here in town. The first one took one look at the watch and the box and said "It's real" and didn't even want to open it up since it was obviously "real". They were too dumb to notice obvious differences. So I took it to a another authorized dealer. They said that it looks real, but I insisted that they open it up, which they did. They said the movement appears to be ETA so the watch must be real. "Probably an older model", they said.

Still not convinced, I took it to another authorized dealer, which is also a reputable watchmaker. They said that many counterfeits now come with real Swiss movement. Right away, they noticed that the glass wasn't thick enough (below the bezel, when it should be flush) and that the yellows weren't the same. Even I didn't even notice that! Anyway, I bought a PRC200 from them for $450, with stamped warranty card, etc. Since I now have in my possession a real PRC200 and a fake PRC200 that fooled 2 out of 3 dealers, I thought I would compile a list of differences.

But before, here are a couple of red flags to look out for:

1. Seller has broken English
2. Seller doesn't have advanced function watches. Ask them if they have a T-Touch and see what excuse they come up with.

OK, so here we go...

*REAL.* Look at the spacing of the white and black. The spine of the book is perfect also.








*
FAKE.* The spacing of the black and white is different. And notice the bad printing job on the book. The book is thicker than the black printing of the spine.








The REAL one has the do not discard stamp on the side. The FAKE one is on the bottom.








The REAL is kinda purple with perfect printing. The FAKE is a little bluer and images are washed out.








*
REAL.* The metal Tissot symbols are inset.








*
FAKE.* The symbols are raised.








*
REAL.* The printing in the booklet is perfect. The cropping of the pages is perfect.








*
FAKE.* The printing looks like a photocopy. And the pages are cropped all over the place. This is page 35. The 5 is missing, as well as half of "T-Sport". This occurs all over the booklet. Fan the booklets to see of the page numbers line up. If they jump around, it's fake.








*
REAL.* Look at the 2 E's on the warranty card. They will ALWAYS have 10 dots and are rounded.








*
FAKE.* The E's have 8 dots and are square.








*
REAL.* The shimmer on the TISSOT stamp is perfect when you reflect it in the sun.








*
FAKE.* Blotchy.








The yellow needles must be FLAT, not beveled. The paint they use on the fake watch is probably too thick.








The yellow on the real watch is bright. The fake one has a more of an egg yolk color. This is impossible to tell without having a real watch to compare.








*
REAL.* Watches made by Tissot will never be off more than a few hundredth's of a gram.








*
FAKE.* Not even close. This is probably the best test you can do since it would be extremely hard to match the materials AND weight of a genuine watch.








So there you go. This fake watch fooled 2 of 3 authorized Tissot dealers, so basically they're not trained to tell the difference. Hopefully, with these photos, you will be able to. And never assume that your watch is real because you paid retail price for it. And remember, opening the watch to check the movement no longer proves anything.


----------



## Will_f (Jul 4, 2011)

Wow! Pretty hard to differentiate. Makes you wonder about a lot more than Tissots, especially if buying used. It also makes you wonder what it costs to make a Tissot if it's worth it to create that elaborate a fake and sell it for $325.


----------



## wankerman (Oct 16, 2011)

If the dealer can't tell the difference even by opening up the watch, how can we? I'm a natural skeptic and when I see that things just don't add up, I like to dig a little deeper. I'm glad I did. It's a shame that many people have paid the price I did and are certain that they bought an authentic watch.


----------



## OhioMade (Oct 19, 2011)

Great post. I hope you get your money back on the fake.

One of the important lessons here is that when buying from Amazon, you are far safer to buy a watch being sold by Amazon itself--not one of "their" third-party vendors.


----------



## lord_rayleigh (Mar 13, 2010)

Great point. As an engineer, I can not imagine how making fakes this accurate and detailed is worth anybody's time or money. Obviously it is or they wouldn't do it; but, only where labor is very cheap. The materials alone must cost over 50% of the price.



Will_f said:


> Wow! Pretty hard to differentiate. Makes you wonder about a lot more than Tissots, especially if buying used. It also makes you wonder what it costs to make a Tissot if it's worth it to create that elaborate a fake and sell it for $325.


----------



## dad-the-diver (Aug 27, 2011)

Just got my Tissot & Box out & gave it the "Wankerman Test." Passed them all thank lord!! Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## JohnnyMonkey (Apr 27, 2009)

Interesting post.....thanks for taking the time to do it!!

A lot of the 'fake' ,mostly chinese made movements, are actually just clones of their Swiss counterparts, so can look similar at first glance and to an untrained eye......put a bit of engraving on it and Bobs your Uncle.......deal done!!

I can usually spot a shonky vintage watch straight away, but not had the practice with new one's, so it all helps :-!


----------



## mikeynd (Dec 11, 2008)

Thanks for posting,and good luck to you resolving your watch...I just went and looked at all my Tissot boxes also..


----------



## wankerman (Oct 16, 2011)

The dealers couldn't notice the differences on the watch itself, so I wouldn't be surprised if the movement was fake and they couldn't see the difference either. I think all watch dealers should get up to date with modern day counterfeiting. "It has a box and booklets, so it's gotta be authentic". Geez.


----------



## Monocrom (Nov 11, 2010)

Excellent topic. Thanks for the heads-up.


----------



## Will_f (Jul 4, 2011)

All I can say is, I'm now pretty leery of buying any Tissots, Hamiltons, or other ETA movement watch at other than an AD. Too easy to slip a fake past me if the books etc all look more or less legit. It also makes me wonder what it's going to do to the used watch market? What if half the Damaskos, Sinns, Tags, etc on the sales fora were fake?


----------



## JCCR (May 1, 2011)

Hi!

Excelent post! Thanks!


----------



## mrDJohansson (Nov 8, 2011)

Hello.

I have recently bought a blue PRC 200 and have some doubts about it being a fake or not.

When I checked its weight, it was 145 g. Same as the weight on the Real watch above, however Tissot website claims the weight is 143 g for both watches..? (And not 145).
Tissot

I am a little concerned regarding the numbers on the Tachymetre not being centered, almost touching the glass.
Also, the serial number on the back is not 2 numbers, 2 letters and then numbers again. It is 3 letters - 2 letters - 5 numbers.
What do you think? Real of fake?

























































Regards,
Daniel


----------



## Monocrom (Nov 11, 2010)

I'd contact Tissot about the serial number. Ask if the pattern of their serial numbers is fixed at 2 numbers, 2 letters, then numbers again.

If they mention it is, then there's no doubt about fake or real.


----------



## mrDJohansson (Nov 8, 2011)

Monocrom said:


> I'd contact Tissot about the serial number. Ask if the pattern of their serial numbers is fixed at 2 numbers, 2 letters, then numbers again.
> 
> If they mention it is, then there's no doubt about fake or real.


Good idea, but my feeling that it is a fake got even stronger now when I saw that the bracelet is not both shiny and brushed metal on both sides of the watch (only talking about the outside of the bracelet). Half of the bracelet is only shiny metal..

EDIT: I contacted Tissot representatives here in Sweden and they confirmed my serial numbers with 3 letters - 2 letters - 5 numbers looks ok.
Only strange thing now is the the bracelet.


----------



## kireto_a (Aug 19, 2011)

Is it possible that the two watches are form two different batches with a few years in between? Or we expect that Tissot made all the PRC200 with black face, which is sold probably in hundred thousands, at once? Since you are ok to spend $450 to by a real one from people who told you that the one you already have is fake, why not spend $20 more and send the fake one to Tissot and ask real or fake? This should be the ultimate answer.

What would you have done if the third one said: "well it seems ok". Go to the next one until some says: hey look there are two dots missing from the 37-th page of book so it fake, please buy ours it is ok.


----------



## mikeynd (Dec 11, 2008)

That's the way most of the bracelets were done..Your watch looks real to me..So enjoy it bro.


----------



## mrDJohansson (Nov 8, 2011)

mikeynd said:


> That's the way most of the bracelets were done..Your watch looks real to me..So enjoy it bro.


I went to an authorised dealer listed on Tissot's website and they had never seen any watch with a bracelet like that. They recommended me to return it and I just spoke to the store I bought it from and I will return it to them.
Also the watches in the store I looked at did have the brushed metal on both sides of the watch head.

Also, the box had the discard sign on the bottom as the fake one did in the first post of this thread..


----------



## HikeUSA (Nov 8, 2011)

They actually rep'ed a Tissot? Boy, that's downright low!


----------



## mrDJohansson (Nov 8, 2011)

HikeUSA said:


> They actually rep'ed a Tissot? Boy, that's downright low!


What does "rep'ed" mean?


----------



## Monocrom (Nov 11, 2010)

mrDJohansson said:


> What does "rep'ed" mean?


Most likely "ripped off."

Basically they faked it. I've seen worse. Some of these disgusting scumbags will fake any model. Yes, there is such a thing as fake Invicta watches.


----------



## RFFG (Oct 25, 2011)

OP, thanks for sharing.


----------



## JwY (Apr 5, 2011)

Monocrom said:


> Most likely "ripped off."
> 
> Basically they faked it. I've seen worse. Some of these disgusting scumbags will fake any model. Yes, there is such a thing as fake Invicta watches.


It's funny how some of the fake Invictas are more expensive than the real thing.


----------



## Monocrom (Nov 11, 2010)

JwY said:


> It's funny how some of the fake Invictas are more expensive than the real thing.


Yup, that's the very definition of "irony" right there.


----------



## wankerman (Oct 16, 2011)

Daniel,

The serial number doesn't seem valid. Also, the glass appears to be lower than the bezel. There shouldn't be any noticeable difference in height when you pass your finger across the glass and bezel. As for the weight, the food scale I used to weigh the watch is certainly not very accurate. It was just to show the 3 gram difference between the real watch and the fake watch.


----------



## hjg (Nov 18, 2011)

wankerman said:


> Daniel,
> 
> "Also, the glass appears to be lower than the bezel. There shouldn't be any noticeable difference in height when you pass your finger across the glass and bezel."
> 
> ...


----------



## marksmadsen (Oct 22, 2011)

I was browsing the sales forum when suddenly I recalled reading this thread a few days ago. What caused me to remember it was the photos in this FS post:

https://www.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-tissot-chronograph-prc200-610523.html
Especially disturbing is the 4th picture, where the watch is sitting on the box - look at the Tissot T and the Swiss flag emblem. It looks to me like the box may match the fake boxes shown in this thread and the other fake PRC200 thread.


----------



## Need_Help (Jun 27, 2011)

marksmadsen said:


> I was browsing the sales forum when suddenly I recalled reading this thread a few days ago. What caused me to remember it was the photos in this FS post:
> 
> https://www.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-tissot-chronograph-prc200-610523.html
> Especially disturbing is the 4th picture, where the watch is sitting on the box - look at the Tissot T and the Swiss flag emblem. It looks to me like the box may match the fake boxes shown in this thread and the other fake PRC200 thread.


Is it just me or do the yellow needles of that watch look beveled? The box does seem to be of poorer quality because you can even see the glue near the Tissot T and the T is printed few degrees off (the width around the black background of T is not even on all 4 sides)


----------



## marksmadsen (Oct 22, 2011)

Need_Help said:


> Is it just me or do the yellow needles of that watch look beveled? The box does seem to be of poorer quality because you can even see the glue near the Tissot T and the T is printed few degrees off (the width around the black background of T is not even on all 4 sides)


Those are the things that worry me about the listing. Even if the watch is legitimate, the box looks very dodgy.


----------



## wankerman (Oct 16, 2011)

I don't understand. I left negative feedback a couple months ago for Duty3Canada stating that the watch I bought was counterfeit. I even posted a link to this thread. I pleaded Amazon to ban the seller. And they totally disregarded my comments. Duty3Canada is still selling their fake crap to unsuspecting buyers for near retail price.

If you guys think you have more weight, I urge you to write to Amazon to have that seller removed. I know there are tons of bad sellers, but at least this one is confirmed.


----------



## Ticonderoga (Apr 4, 2015)

lord_rayleigh said:


> Great point. As an engineer, I can not imagine how making fakes this accurate and detailed is worth anybody's time or money. Obviously it is or they wouldn't do it; but, only where labor is very cheap. The materials alone must cost over 50% of the price.


They (fakes) can do it because they're operating on a 30-50% margin.

Tissot is operating on a 300% margin.

The cost of a Rolex is probably in the hundreds, wholesale in the low thousands, retail, well...


----------



## Tnewbie (Aug 17, 2015)

wankerman said:


> The REAL one has the do not discard stamp on the side. The FAKE one is on the bottom.
> View attachment 541402


Great post, thanks.

I had to take my box out to check and something came up. Every details were fine, as you described for the REAL one, but ....
On my box the crossed trash bin icon is on the bottom, and its has "CE Applicable to quartz watches only". 
Is Any1 having the same thing ? 
I have to confirm again that everything else is absolutely ok.
:-s


----------

