Fish look for deeper places, and humans look for cheaper places, but an excessively low price should still alert you. In pursuit of a discount, there is a chance of buying a fake. This applies, by the way, not only to online, but also to offline purchases.
Today we will use a live example to tell you exactly how the original Japanese Casio G-SHOCK wristwatch differs from a fake, which we ordered from one of the many online stores (let’s call it “X”) that offer this product at an incredibly low price.
When placing an order for a fake watch, we actually bought it blindly, since in the online store “X” the seller did not consider it necessary to post “live” photographs of the product. The site contained only promotional photographs, which can be found in countless numbers on the vast expanses of the Internet by typing the corresponding name of the watch into the search bar.
It turns out that buyers themselves often consciously search for counterfeits on the Internet. According to the results of a recent study, 20% are looking for fake Casio, Tissot, Diesel, Omega, Hublot, Chanel watches.
In second place in popularity are branded bags Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Furla, Hermes - 19%, third with an honorable 11% is the search for fake iPhones.
Despite the fact that we were buying a “pig in a poke”, the hope of seeing a “decent copy” did not leave us, however, this did not last long - exactly until the moment the fake watch fell into our hands. The difference is obvious: the differences between the fake and the original Casio G-SHOCK GA-100 watch can be seen with the naked eye.
Packaging
The difference in packaging is striking. Original Packaged in a beautiful steel box with stamped brand and collection logos. The watch comes with instructions, a booklet with an international guarantee and a warranty card. The most reliable proof will be the seal of the official dealer.
Fake Packed in a standard jar with the inscription Fashion Sport, and in order not to confuse the models, a transparent lid was attached to it. Instead of instructions there is white foam rubber.
Clock face
In addition to the packaging, there are striking differences on the dials. The dial of the fake watch looks “toy-like”, moreover, it is several millimeters smaller, but this difference is striking only when compared with the original Casio G-SHOCK GA-100.
On the original, the additional indicators on the dial are limited to applied parts (rings, etc.), but on the fake, the plane of the dial is a single part, cast entirely.
There is also a big difference in the way the minute notches are made (thin strokes in the original) and the applied hour markers (or rather, only the original ones have applied ones). For a fake, these elements form a single whole with the dial and inner bezel.
Round graphical indicators are radically different. On a fake, the upper central dial is not able to perform its function, the explanation is simple - it is painted. The top left has a confusing order of functions, and the right one just blinks randomly, while in the original, the right one is activated when using the stopwatch and shows thousandths of a second.
The difference is also noticeable in the two lower digital displays. In the fake we see extra symbols (a static picture with columns of letters) printed on the right screen of the display; under it they forgot to indicate the purpose of the lower blocks; apparently, the unfortunate masters themselves do not know why they are in their copy.
The front photo shows how different the color of the backing of the digital displays is and the quality of the fonts in the markings on the bezel and the collection logo. On the fake they are blurry, on the original the white paint is applied carefully and in the right place. At 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock the original has auxiliary inscriptions (shock resist, start-stop and others), the fake does not have them.
On the original, all information is read immediately, even at an angle. There is also a backlight for small displays, which makes it easier to read information even in the light.
On a fake, the backlight is barely visible, one might say that it is not there at all, the font is not clear, there is some “blurriness”, which, together with the glare of the thin plastic plate covering the dial, creates difficulties in perceiving the data.
At the bottom of the dial, differences in the design of the brand logo and collection are also visible, and an error has crept into the information about water resistance. But accidents are not accidental - fake watches do not have water protection as such.
The red ring, which adds a special twist to the design of the G-SHOCK GA-100, runs between the watch case and the bezel. As you know, “shocks” have a composite body, consisting of an inner capsule and an outer plastic body. So this ring is located at the point of their connection and is visible only in sectors. But the craftsmen from China did not complicate their task and we see the same red ring in its entirety.
Side buttons
The side control buttons in the original model are painted red, while the fake one has buttons in the color of the body. If we compare corrugation, the original Casio G-SHOCK GA-100 definitely wins both from a functional and aesthetic point of view: the smooth “pimples” of a fake cannot be compared with clear pyramids.
Case and strap
There is also a difference in the quality of the plastic. It is noticeable in the photo that, unlike the original Casio G-SHOCK GA-100, the plastic of the fake watches, from which the case and strap are made, has flaws: roughness, blemishes, uneven color. It is unlikely that anyone will be responsible for the safety of such plastic; allergy sufferers should be careful.
The buckle of the original Casio G-SHOCK GA-100 watch and the fake one are also different: the fake one has a different shape - the edges are more rounded, in addition, we see polished metal instead of matte. And finally, a view of the Casio company logo - in the original it is embossed, a different type of font is used.
Back cover
There are also differences in the engraving of watch backs: the size of the fonts, the absence of some inscriptions, and factual errors. First of all, the watch model: if you enter GA-100 5081 into the search engine, you will find images of this line in different color options, but the 1289 indicated on the fake immediately gives us a “review of a Chinese copy.” Very comfortably!
On the fake watches, they either forgot to indicate antimagnetic, or decided not to lie. And of course, in an attempt to show off, the back cover of the fake says proudly Made in Japan, which is not true. G-SHOCK GA-100 is not manufactured in Japan, Casio honestly says this by placing information on the back cover that only the watch module was assembled in Japan, but the final assembly was carried out at a licensed factory in Thailand. Even the size of the screws holding the lid is different; the original ones are larger and stronger.
General rules for choosing original Casio watches
- First of all, don't expect to buy a good watch secondhand. A smiling man at the station will offer you his Casio for the price of a ticket home, only he hasn’t left for six months. Oddly enough, despite the popularity of large online flea markets like Avito, there are still scammers on the streets, don’t think that these are fairy tales.
- Pay attention to the price: the desire to save money is quite natural, but a difference of several times is the main sign of a fake. A watch that costs, say, 10-12 thousand rubles from the manufacturer, cannot cost one and a half thousand from any distributor with any discount (but for a cheap piece of plastic that has nothing to do with the concept of “watch”, this is even too high a price ).
- Once in a small store or corner in a shopping center, check the seller’s documents: if he has a contract with the manufacturer, all certificates and confirmation that he is a dealer must be in hand.
- Make purchases only from an online store that inspires trust. Check if it is listed on the "where to buy" list on the official Casio website. In general, always look on the seller’s website for information that this is an official dealer.
- When ordering online, you should be wary of the lack of “live” photos, especially if it is an unknown store. It is possible that the sellers found the photos online and did not even hold the real watch in their hands.
- If the photos are still “live”, check the literacy of the inscriptions. Errors such as Criple sensor instead of Triple sensor or Rageman instead of Rangeman are not allowed. Writing is also important; fonts and inscriptions can be placed “upside down”. Fraudsters still do not have the same machines and flaws in writing will be noticeable.
- If you buy from a private person on the Internet, ask the seller to send you a “live” photo, and the watch should have the current date. Ask to put a piece of paper with your nickname next to it, for example. A normal person will meet you halfway, a deceiver will begin to play around.
- Casio may have production in China, Thailand, Japan, but not in Belgium or other EU countries. They are pointed out in the hope of showing off.
- Go to large stores, hold the watch in your hands. If you have the opportunity to inspect a Casio before purchasing, you will be able to evaluate the quality of production, see flaws in small details, and feel how different the material of the belt is. With fakes, the body parts and the belt at the attachment point may dangle; with the original, no play is allowed.
- If you already have the watch in your hands, open the instructions and go through all the main functions. The original will not fail, but a fake can, for example, count up to 32 seconds and reset the readings to zero. Something similar is possible in any other complication: try setting the time, changing the date, setting an alarm, finding out direction, altitude, pressure, time in 24-hour format, another time zone, and so on. There may be no backlight.
- Check the model of the watch module: there are numbers on the back cover, you can use them to determine the instructions for the watch on the official website, and then use them to compare the declared functionality.
