What a fake Rolex 1675 is
A fake Rolex 1675 is a copy of the GMT-Master that Rolex built from 1959 to 1980. The real watch has a 40mm case, a 24-hour bezel, and a fourth hand that tracks a second time zone. Copies cut the same outline. They do not use the same movement, crystal, or date system.
Rolex made the 1675 in stainless steel, in two-tone (1675/3), and in 18k gold (1675/8). Bezel inserts came in red and blue (Pepsi), red and black (Coke), and black. Production stopped in 1980 when the 16750 replaced it.
What the copies match
- Case size: 40mm wide, 20mm between the lugs.
- Bezel: bidirectional, 24-hour scale, aluminum insert.
- Crystal: acrylic with a cyclops lens over the date.
- Hands: hour, minute, seconds, and a 24-hour hand with a small arrow tip.
Where fakes differ
Movement
The real 1675 uses a Rolex caliber 1575. It runs at 19,800 vibrations per hour. It has no quick-set date. You change the date by turning the hands past midnight, one day at a time.
Most copies use an ETA 2836-2 or a Chinese 2813. The 2836-2 runs at 28,800 vph and has a quick-set date. The 2813 runs at 21,600 vph. A crown position that snaps the date forward is one sign the watch holds no 1575.
Case and crown guards
Early 1675 cases have pointed crown guards. Later cases have guards with a flatter shape. Copies blend the two. Genuine cases carry the reference number stamped between the lugs at 12 o'clock and the serial between the lugs at 6 o'clock. Stamps on copies are shallow, use the wrong font, or are missing.
Dial
Rolex used gilt dials until about 1966, then matte dials. Both carry "Swiss - T < 25" at 6 o'clock. Copy dials print text that sits too close to the edges, use the wrong font on the "GMT-Master" line, or set the coronet off center. Lume on a genuine watch is tritium and has aged to a cream or brown tone. Fresh white lume on a 1960s dial is wrong.
Bezel insert
Genuine inserts have a thin font and a defined serif on the numerals in some years. The blue on a Pepsi insert fades to purple or light blue. Copy inserts hold a flat, even color and the numerals look thick.
Bracelet
Rolex shipped the 1675 with a rivet bracelet (7206), a folded-link bracelet (7836), or a solid-link bracelet (78360) in later years. Copies ship with a generic three-link bracelet and a clasp stamp that does not match the case date.
Price
Genuine 1675 prices sit around $10,000 to $25,000 at dealers and auction. Gilt-dial Pepsi examples go higher. First-copy 1675 listings run about $100 to $350. The parts inside a copy explain most of that spread. Exact figures move with the seller, so ask for movement photos.
Checks before buying
- Set the date with the crown. A quick-set jump points to a 2836-2 or a 2813.
- Look between the lugs for stamps.
- Check the crystal edge. Acrylic sits above the bezel ring.
- Compare the case back to photos of a 1675. Copies use flat backs with shallow engraving.
- Ask for a beat-rate reading. 19,800 vph points to a 1575. 21,600 or 28,800 points to a copy.
What to expect
No copy matches a 1575 movement. A 1675 copy with a correct 40mm case, no quick-set date, and an aged dial costs the most. Low-priced copies trade accuracy for a cheap movement and a wrong date system.