Statistics vary on what percentage of Breitling Watches sold online are fake, but most are in the 90% range. The fact of the matter is, the vast majority of Breitlings sold online are replicas, not the genuine article, and the danger of paying too much for a fake watch is almost impossible to evade. However, there are certain things you can look for, even if you're not a watches expert. While some fakes are obvious, others are near perfect, and almost impossible to distinguish from genuine ones.- however, the goal of a replica producer is to keep costs down and turn a profit, so you will almost always be able, with enough inspection, to see tiny differences where the replica maker has cut corners.
A helpful tool is the Breitling catalog, produced by the manufacturer, called the Chronolog. It has photos, minute details, and technical explanations of every single one of their timepieces and men and women's watches, and it's the top reference guide to check the authenticity of a watch. So, when you see a luxury watch you want to purchase, check it against the same watch in the Chronolog.
If you're buying on eBay, a good rule of thumb is to make sure the pictures provided are of high quality. If somebody is trying to auction off a five thousand dollar watch, you'd expect them to put in the effort to post some really nice, detailed pictures. If the accompanying photos are blurry, dark, small, or otherwise imperfect, they're likely selling a fake.
Really, the most important rule to keep in mind about real Breitling watches is that, yes, they are always expensive. Even the cheapest model is more than £1,000, new, and a real 'pre-owned' will never go for less than £500. And that's just with regards to the simplest of watches, no sub-dials or chronography. Any watch with smaller dials (like a stopwatch) will usually be around twice that price. So, if you're excited because you found a great deal, it IS too good to be true.
The next big, easy heuristic (rule of thumb) to use is the packaging. You want to be able to see the complete array of paperwork and boxes that come with the genuine watches: outer cardboard box, then the bakerlite box, a thick instruction manual, a delicate warranty paper, and the official, stamped COSC certificate. (C.O.S.C stands for the Swiss Official Chronometer Control, "Control Officile Suisse de Chronometers", the regulation authority that runs the watches through rigorous precision testing, and then certifies each watch for chronometer status: highest mechanical movement quality under severe conditions.
Price, presentation, and packaging are just the first step. In part two, we will get into the nitty-gritty details of fake-spotting in the watch itself for breitling.
Breitling Watches - How to Spot a Fake (Part One)
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