Is this a real Franck Muuller watch please?

[ford12ford]

Hello, I have been given this watch to sell and all the proceeds to go to charity, (which I know I cannot advertise this on ebay) Only problem is I know nothing about it and never heard of this brand before, so so not know if it is real or fake. Does anyone know please? It looks brand new and has a sticker on the back, and as a leather band.

[imastawka]

Hard to know just looking at a photo.

Why would someone hand over a watch worth maybe between $10,000 and $20,000?

Are you in Sydney or Melbourne?

There are Franck Muller watch stores in those cities.

Maybe they can advise.

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=franck+muller+stores&ie=&oe=

or contact them directly -

https://www.franckmuller.com/contact

[imastawka]

I now see you are in SA.

Maybe you should spend some time googling.

[padi*0409 · Accepted solution]

Here's their website and another site that talks about fakes, but as it says on the fakes site, it's best that you take it to a reputable watchmaker/jeweller. 

https://www.franckmuller.com/#home-vanguard-yachting

https://www.truefacet.com/guide/spot-fake-franck-muller/

Edit. G'day fellow Muskies..........

[kopenhagen5]

Very difficult to spot a fake without opening it up unless you have a trained eye for nuances in the case or band.

If you google the case number you get many examples.

Also appear to be many replicas.

And opening up needs care as the seal may be stretched in the process requiring a new one.

[ford12ford]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I will take it to a good watchmaker. I have had good items donated before but do not want to take a chance on a fake. I had not even heard of this brand before, so did not think fakes were made on an unknown to me brand. I was given a rado once, and took it to a jeweller for a new battery, but he did not open it properly, then wanted $600 to fix it. Needless to say it that was just given away instead.  

[five_eyes · Accepted solution]

This is an awful $20.00 fake!

It is the Casablanca model which was never made with a coloured dial and CERTAINLY was never made with Chinese rubbish Philps head back screws.

All you had to do is google the number on the back of the case ~ 7500 S6 to see what real ones look like.

[ford12ford]

Thank you for that. I was doubtful but it was an unknown brand to me. I Googled the brand only

[chameleon54]

With any potentially " high end " product whether you know the brand or not, the first step to gauging authenticity is to check the stitching. The individual stiches on quality items are always fine, closely spaced and uniform. Stiches in corners form smooth radius curves etc. without deviation from the radius.

One look at the stitching on the lower band at the back tells you the item is a cheap knock off. The end stich on the LH side is pulling, The individual stiches are quite long and far appart and the stitches on one row do not line up in any way with the stitches on the other side, also crossing the border of the green and cream colour division in a clumsy way. 

A quality brand would never turn out a product with stitching like that. The same rules apply to handbags, purses and clothing. Check the stitching and labels first. In 95% of cases you can see straight away whether it is likely to be genuine or not. If the stitching passes the " sniff test " then you can start to spend ( waste ) time on googling other stuff. If the stitching aint perfect .............ITS A FAKE !!!

[chameleon54]

Ooooh and dont forget the feel...... Hold it in your hand, feel the weight and the quality of the materials used in the product. Cheap watches feel cheap. They are light weight and made with thin, cheap metals. Cheap handbags are often made from poor quality, cheap  leathers or vinyl leather look fabrics.

That doesnt mean quality items are always heavy, but they hold their shape perfectly, close perfectly, zips run smoothly and there are not flaws or mold marks in the alloy castings. Gold or silver coatings on metal clasps etc dont rub or scratch easily and glass faces of watches dont scratch.

I found what I believe is a genuine LV, cherry design purse and matching sun glasses case at a garage sale recently. Everything on them is faultless. The original owner was a mature aged, snobby lady who claimed she purchased them on a holiday in Paris and never used them. In this case I believe her.

Even though I think they are genuine, I,m still not willing to go to the hassle of trying to sell them on ebay. The sons girlfriend has scored them instead.