Authentic Rolex Daytona , as documented in an article in “ Wired ” Magazine
Counterfeit Rolex Daytona
Authentic Rolex Daytona movement Counterfeit Rolex Daytona movement
they are left to the marketplace and known marketplace experts to make determinations on which value and historical pedigree is based ,” observes Fabiano
“ We have seen a dozen of the top vintage Rolex dealers express different opinions on vintage Rolex Daytona ’ s , and these pieces work their way to the authentic sale channel , consequently the purchase history becomes the trail of authenticity . This is comparable what is occurring in Modigliani ’ s art realm , when the leaders of the market run into contradicting expert evaluations , and the sales results become de facto certificates of authenticity , in some cases backed by fake certificates !” he adds .
Niche counterfeiters driving super-fakes have made exponential gains in producing key , targeted components to help “ conversion ” of parts used in completing Frankensteined watches , hoping to score on a vintage market at historical levels . High level counterfeiters work diligently to perfect rare dial production or finished bridges to implant in stock vintage movements found in the rarest pieces , like the Rolex Daytona .
This mirrors the forged Modigliani market , where , as detailed by Voelker ,
the exacting detail put into high-end forgeries has placed fakes on the walls of many collectors , museums and in the inventory of auction houses .
Fabiano finds many similarities between the cataloging and historical authenticating of Rolex and Modigliani .
“ Unvetted non-genuine fakes ( an unknown number ) have tainted the evaluation process and historical data of both “ brands ,” he adds .
“ It ’ s as if a hypothesis was formulated on bad science and that bad science wrote a book that guided the generations of authentications . At some point , finding the strings of unauthentic DNA is a task that can never be re-worked . In the end , the marketplace has to go back to the small , original sample that is 100 % validated and use scientific advances to rebuild the validation process , removing the subjective , non-scientific human processes that allowed for artistic gene pool pollution .”
With new methodologies for authentication entering the equation , the market for hitherto unvetted Modigliani ’ s may be poised to explode . Will the same hold true for the high-end Rolex market ? Read Voelker ’ s piece that follows to draw your own conclusions .
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