You have to be careful when buying an expensive watch--unscrupulous sellers frequently try to pass off a cheap knock-off as the real deal. Bell and Ross timepieces are often counterfeited, but if you keep your eyes open and your wits about you, you can spot the giveaway details of a fake and avoid being duped.

How to Tell Bell & Ross Replicas :

Measure the watch. Bell & Ross watches are 46 mm; knock-offs tend to be too small--perhaps only 39mm. Inspect the band; knock-offs tend to have standard 20 mm watchbands, as opposed to the custom band made for real Bell & Ross watches. Watch the second hand; knock-off B&R watches have quartz movement (the seconds tick by) but a real B&R watch will have automatic movement (the second hand runs smoothly). Try to unscrew the screws on the case back; if they do not unscrew, it is a fake. Inspect the date window; a fake will likely have a silver border. Real B&R watches do not.

Beware of good imitators. The B&R model 01-92 has one of the best knock-offs to date. You'll find that number under the pivot where the second hand, hour hand, and minute hand originate in the center of the watch. The knock-off model has eliminated most of the normal incongruities. The hour markers are almost unmistakably similar to those of a real B&R. There are black screws on the face of the watch between 1 and 2, 4 and 6, 7 and 8 and 10 and 11. Under the number 6 are the words "Swiss Made," much like a real B&R. The decoration at the end of the second hand of the knock-off version is too small.

Conduct research monthly as newer versions of B&R watches come out. Replica watches will follow the trends set forth by Bell & Ross. Stay current and you will protect yourself from knock-offs--unless that is what you wish to purchase. Authentic B&R watches go for $300 to $5,000, whereas replicas go for $80 to $500.

Tips & Warnings

Always do your research.