@Brandane's Unsolicited Deliveries

[Arrowfoot]

Having been in a Rolex authorised dealership, when another customer was told his watch had popped up on Rolex”s “lost and found register”, they do indeed retain stolen watches and pass them to the police. The rightful owner then can have the devil of a time getting it back.

See this example from Paul Thorpe, a retired watch dealer.

View: https://youtu.be/i-OdtwRNa4Y

Yes, retain and hand over to the Police. As to the video. There must be a more to the story. Rolex is an international brand and established company and would not keep someone else's property. Make no sense.

 

[Drago]

isn't that a bit legally dodgy?
the person may have sent their own possession/property in good faith.
sounds like a good reason to use a decathlon plastic watch to me - as I do.

Yes, its criminal damage. Provided there is no attempt to defraud going on by the bearer people are entitled to own whatever the fake the like.

Its only when they try to sell it and pass it off as the real thing that trademark/copyright infringements occur.

Indeed, even when a proper police, trading standards or customs investigation is complete a court must order an items forfeiture or destruction. You can't go round smashing up other peoples property willy nilly, even if it does look like your product.

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes, its criminal damage. Provided there is no attempt to defraud going on by the bearer people are entitled to own whatever the fake the like.

Its only when they try to sell it and pass it off as the real thing that trademark/copyright infringements occur.

Indeed, even when a proper police, trading standards or customs investigation is complete a court must order an items forfeiture or destruction. You can't go round smashing up other peoples property willy nilly, even if it does look like your product.

thanks for the clarification drago - makes sense - Rolex is a private company, not a bank or government agency - am a tad surprised with all the stuff above that someone didn't try to argue that they had the right to enter your property in their search for dodgy tickers.

 

[Drago]

Indeed. How many of us have copies of Van Gogh ir Mondrian paintings in our houses? It'd be a sad state of affaits if the stasi from the Tate Modern could turn up and pulverise them with a hammer.

Its only when we try to sell them as the real thing that either a crime or copyright infringements occur. Simply owning one and enjoying it is perfectly legal.

Rolex watches can, and do, go off to Switzerland for service. Swiss laws around counterfeit goods differ.

They may well do. Nevertheless, Last time I checked not a single member on this thread was in Switzerland.

 

[Dirk]

My £5 fake Rolex is still going strong 25 years after a mate bought it for me in Singapore.
Quality item.

 

[Blue Hills]

Rolex watches can, and do, go off to Switzerland for service. Swiss laws around counterfeit goods differ.

somewhat individual approach to Nazi gold as well. Stay well away.

 

[Drago]

And what exactly do the swiss have to do with jewellers allegedly smashing fake Rolexes with a hammer?

In any case, according to the manual for my Tudor there are numerous (ive not counted, but easily more than 50 on the map) Rolex Service Agents and Affiliates in the UK, so why would they send it to Switzerland?

 

[T4tomo]

My £5 fake Rolex is still going strong 25 years after a mate bought it for me in Singapore.
Quality item.

I have a couple of what I was assured were "grade A1 copy" watches (amongst other items) bought in Vietnam when I used to pop over there for work, which have proved reliable.

I did note that when i took one into get its strap replaced, on the collection ticket, the chap had pointedly wrote "Brand X style watch replacement strap" he certainly wasn't fooled.

 

[vickster]

If you pick up a genuine luxury watch and a cheap fake/copy, they feel completely different weight wise. I can‘t imagine anyone would be fooled
Clearly, a working fake watch should keep time, but that’s about where the comparison would end

 

[T4tomo]

If you pick up a genuine luxury watch and a cheap fake/copy, they feel completely different weight wise. I can‘t imagine anyone would be fooled
Clearly, a working fake watch should keep time, but that’s about where the comparison would end

They are, if you go to Vietnam markets, they proudly talk you through the grades of fakes of various items, from flimsy shoot that just has a brand name on, to watches with a decent mechanical movement in them / genuine leather handbags actually produced to look like a genuine model, to stuff that magically appears (not watches AFAIK) out of the actual factory subcontracted to produce the actual goods.

 

[Blue Hills]

If you pick up a genuine luxury watch and a cheap fake/copy, they feel completely different weight wise. I can‘t imagine anyone would be fooled
Clearly, a working fake watch should keep time, but that’s about where the comparison would end

are you saying the fakes are lighter but work as well?
if so weight weenies would pay a premium perhaps?

 

[Svendo]

Whether a fake or stolen, Rolex cannot retain or destroy it as it does not belong to them. Its one of those urban myths. All they will tell you is that it is fake. They can also seek a court order to seize it. Thats is too much trouble for seizing a cheap ass fake and makes no economic sense. There are cases where Rolex and other brands do charge a service fee and the customer no longer wants it. Then they will destroy it.

Brands typically hire investigators to ferret out manufactures and wholesalers who deal in fakes. The investigators then work with law enforcement. Nobody is going is going to be hunted down for buying or owning a fake watch.

Here is an example but I use a stolen item instead of a fake to make the point. I run an LBS and someone nicked a brand new bike from my store while I was attending to a customer. I make a Police report. A month later a customer walks in with the stolen bike and wants to upgrade the groupset. I cannot tell him I will seize the bike. The coppers will be involved and they will ascertain how the customer ended up with the bike. If the customer bought it in good faith from someone who produced a fake receipt and the value is close to 2nd hand value for a month old bike, then both the customer and me have a claim and it will go for disposal inquiry.

Copper being what they are, try to avoid a disposal inquiry as it requires paperwork and referral to the Courts. So they get both parties to work it out or convince the naive customer that he had no right to it.

Is this in the UK? As I thought goods remain the property of the original owner even if bought in good faith. An innocent victim has no claim on the goods but does have grounds for a civil claim against the person who sold it and so on up the chain.

 

[Archie_tect]

All this angst over a watch... meanwhile has anyone got any PS4 games they want to sell, Brandane must be getting fed up looking at a blank screen.

 

[JtB]

I thought the whole purpose of this thread was because some pool soul had their thread hijacked by someone with a fake Rolex story to tell, looks like the fake Rolex hijack has spilled over to this thread too.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I don't own a watch.