Can you spot the fake?

The UK’s largest pawnbroker has revealed the most commonly copied designer brands after revealing that over £3 billion is unwittingly spent on fake consumer items each year.

H&T Pawnbrokers researched Google search volumes for fake alternatives to luxury designer brands and discovered that Yeezy, Balenciaga, Rolex, RayBan and Gucci were the top five most replicated designer brands.

The trainers on the right are fake Yeezys, but these are proof that counterfeits can be very convincing.

These two watches both claim to be Rolex Submariners, but the genuine one is on the right. Experts say the following details are important to look for when determining whether a Rolex is genuine:

• The fake will have a blue anti-reflective coating which doesn’t do as good a job at cutting out glare
• The magnifying window may look different on a fake. This should be 2.5x
• The markers are ever so slightly more rounded on the edge of a genuine Rolex watch front
• The spacing on the text will be different – the letters will be further apart on a genuine watch. If you look closely at the baton for 6 on the fake, you can see it’s slightly tilted
• Despite looking almost identical, the print of on the fake will be slightly thinner
• Take a closer look at the hands – the edges on the fake will be coarser than those on the genuine
• On a Rolex, check for the cyclops lens on the crystal, where the date will be magnified
• The crown on the crystal should include a small lasers symbol

Conflict International has extensive experience in uncovering counterfeiting for companies who need to protect their intellectual property. Our skills provide a tailor made investigation service, implementing tested investigation strategies in order to identify any counterfeiting teams operating and compromising your brand.

Please get in touch if we can help you on +44 (0)20 7917 2939 or email us in the strictest confidence [email protected].