Cartier is one of the foremost luxury watchmakers, with over 100 years of watchmaking history, and iconic creations such as the Cartier Tank, Cartier Santos, and Panthére de Cartier.
As with any luxury brand, forgeries can be a significant challenge. The prestige of the Cartier brand and the value of their timepieces make them a prime target for counterfeiters. There are risks to be encountered when you’re not purchasing your Cartier watch from a reputable dealer.
There are ways to protect yourself from the counterfeit industry, however. Here are some factors to look at to ensure that your Cartier watch is the real deal and not another stylish forgery.
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Always Buy the Seller
To safeguard yourself against purchasing counterfeit watches, it is advisable to acquire your timepiece from a reputable and trustworthy retailer. Opting for a well-established source is key to not only finding your dream watch but also ensuring the reliability and authenticity of the timepiece.
Finding a reputable dealer will ensure that you only have genuine watches to choose from. A reputable dealer would have the following qualities:
– Solid and verifiable presence online, with lots of real reviews and customer testimonials.
– Affiliations with respected watch organizations, such as The International Watch & Jewelry Guild, or the American Watchmakers & Clockmakers Institute.
– Ability to provide a certificate of authenticity and warranties on the watch. These are standard practices among reputable watch dealers. This is their way of ensuring the buyer that they have inspected the product before listing; and can stand behind the quality of the products they are selling.
– They would also be open with you taking the watch to Cartier or to an authorized dealer for authentication, as it means they are confident in the authenticity of their timepiece.
If you are confident that you bought from a reputable dealer, but would still like to take an extra step, it is always best to have your Cartier watch authenticated at authorized dealers.
That said, there are elements that you can inspect yourself to quickly spot a fake Cartier watch.
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1. The weight of the watch
One of the most common ways to tell if a Cartier watch is real is by its weight. Cartier watches are crafted from the finest materials – so whether they are made from steel or from precious metals, they should have a solid feel to them.
The sapphire crystal glass over the dial is heavy enough on its own, tantamount to its ability to resist scratches and breakage, and protect the inner workings of your watch.
When it comes to luxury timepieces, quality carries more weight.
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2. The case and screws
After checking the weight, it’s time to examine the case. If you’re checking for an authentic Cartier watch, then your case will be held together by screws – and not just any type of screw. Cartier watches use a flathead type of screw which should be uniform throughout the timepiece. One of the common mistakes that counterfeiters make is using Phillips screws, which has a criss-crossed line on top, versus the single line of a flathead screw.
Moreover, an authentic Cartier watch will not have a case that simply snaps on over the dial and movement. Cartier watches have flathead screws either on the front of the case holding it over the dials (as is the case with the Cartier Santos) and on the back over the movement (like on the Cartier Tank).
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3. The case back engraving
While there are great forgeries out there, one of the places to look for signs that your Cartier watch might not be genuine is the case back. There are several inscriptions on the case back that give you certain details of the watch.
Typically, a Cartier watch will have the following information engraved on the case back: the Cartier logo, the words “Water Resistant” and “Swiss Made”, the Swiss-made declaration, and a serial number.
Given the vast number of Cartier models and their variations, these markings will not always appear all together on the case back. Moreover, some models will have additional information like “automatic” describing the movement or “stainless steel” referencing the case material.
What one can observe however, is the quality of the engraving. A Cartier timepiece will not have a slapdash, unclear engraving. The words will be very clear and on the deeper side. If you’re seeing very light letters and or a lack of conformity and sloppiness, you may have a forgery on your hands.
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4. The dial
One of the greatest fine details on a Cartier watch is its dial, which counterfeiters find very hard to replicate. Again, there are a vast number of Cartier dial types, and they will vary for every collection – what will be consistent in authentic Cartier watches is the quality of these dials.
If the Cartier watch has a guilloché decoration, or a rippling pattern along the entire face or on the center of the dial, a genuine Cartier watch will have precise and repetitive circular wave-like pattern that is done perfectly. If you notice any irregular or sloppy execution of the guilloché pattern, it could potentially indicate that the watch is counterfeit.
If the Cartier watch has Roman numerals on the dial, they typically radiate out of the central axis of the watch. The numerals appear clearly on the dial, with even spacing and without any smudges or blurry markings. If you notice any irregularities on how the numerals appear on the dial, it could potentially indicate that the watch is counterfeit.
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5. The signature blue details
Part of the signature design of Cartier watches are blue detailing which you’ll find on the hands and the crown. These do not appear on all watches, but when they do, they are executed with utmost quality.
Many Cartier models have the blued steel hands heated to turn a brilliant sapphire blue. These will be screwed onto the center of the dial and not glued.
Many Cartier models also have a sapphire cabochon stone in deep blue on the crown. A genuine Cartier piece will never have stone glued into place; it will always have the stone set into place. If the gem on the crown appears glued on, then you most likely are holding a forgery.
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6. Serial Number
To further confirm the authenticity of your watch, you may cross-check the serial number engraved on the back of the watch with the one indicated on its original paperwork or documentation, if available. This is one detail that counterfeiters tend to miss.
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If you have doubts about the authenticity of your watch, consider having it checked at your local authorized dealer. For a list of authorized retailers for any specific brand, please go to the manufacturers website.
How can you tell if a Cartier watch is real?
It’s likely you’ve chosen to buy a Cartier watch for its excellent craftsmanship, and that should be apparent when you hold a Cartier timepiece!
At SwissWatchExpo, each of the watches we have listed on our website is meticulously authenticated, inspected – and restored if needed – by a master watchmaker. Our watchmakers’ exacting standards and attention to detail allow us to offer our watches at a condition that our competitors can’t match.
If you’re on the market for a Cartier watch, we have a vast selection that awaits you, along with thousands of watches from nearly 40 of the world’s best watch brands. Shop from our website at SwissWatchExpo.com or contact our experts at (404) 814-1814 or info@swisswatchexpo.com.
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