(GUIDE) Rolex GMT-Master II: Authentic or $500 FAKE?

Last Updated on April 13, 2024 by Ch David

In this guide, our expert Rolex authenticators teach you how to spot a fake Rolex GMT-Master II.

Any model can be verified with our checklist.

How to tell if a Rolex GMT is real

You can tell if a Rolex GMT-Master II is fake by verifying the stack of the hands.

• All authentic watches must have their hands positioned like so: Hour, GMT, Minutes, and Seconds.
• Most replicas follow this order: GMT, Hour, Minutes, Seconds.

Though, there’s more to it. Let’s check it out!

1. Watch hand stack

Hand stack order for authentic watches:

1. Hour hand
2. GMT hand
3. Minutes hand
4. Seconds hand

• Most fake-produced Rolex GMT-Master II watches have their hands mixed up and do not follow the right pattern.
• The most common combination on the fake watches is having the hour GMT’s hand first, then the hour’s hand, followed by the minutes’ hand, and lastly, the seconds’ hand.
• However, we have to point out that a watch with the correct hand stack is not automatically classified as an authentic watch.
• Some fake Rolex GMT Masters do get their hands correctly placed and get other tells wrong.

We’ve placed this tell at the top of the list as it’ll instantly weed out most replica Rolex GMT Masters that are not from the best batches.

Want the expert's opinion? Let our Rolex authenticators check your watch:

2. Movement

• Whenever you will pull out the crown, in order to change the hour, the authentic watch’s hour hand will “jump” when the hour changes from one hour to the next one, without the minute’s hand moving too.
• Replica Rolex GMT-Master II watches commonly have their hour hand changing in the traditional way, moving both with the minutes’ hand as well.

Have a look at this Rolex guide that applies to all popular models of Rolex watches!

3. Bezel rotation

• The authentic Rolex GMT-Master II watch’s bezel is supposed to move in a smooth manner, without being hard to rotate.
• Fake Rolex GMT-Master II bezels rotate harder than the authentic examples.
• So, fake watches have a bezel that operates less smoothly compared to the genuine watches.

4. Solid end linkd

• The fake watch has its bracelet improperly attached to the watch.
• The fake watch has a lot of blank spaces between the bracelet and the actual watch.

The genuine Rolex GMT-Master 2 doesn’t present any empty space, unlike the fake Rolex watch.

A quick mention:

• The steps we’ve written so far are the BEST ways to authenticate this item
• The next few steps are still reliable methods…
• … but they apply to non-top-versions of replicas available for this item

If in doubt, we recommend double-checking the steps we’ve explained above this line.

5. Bezel marks

• The fake watch has its text improperly curved.
• The replica watch has its numbers placed in a straight line, not curving along with the watch.

The authentic Rolex GMT-Master II watches must always have their numbers curving and arching along with the shape of the bezel, which is, of course, a circle.

This is an issue that’s often met on the fake Rolex Submariner watches. Always look out for the little details!

6. GMT green

6.1. Hand color

• Authentic watches must have a bright and nuanced shade of green.
• The fake watch’s shade of green is too dark.

6.2. Text font

Regarding the font present on the dial, there are just 3 different options that come with the Rolex GMT-Master II watches and those can be easily differenced by the Roman number “2” in the name printed on the dial.

The 3 options are known as:

1. Roman numeral “2”
2. Rectangular Roman numeral “2”
3. Stick numeral “2”

Please take a look at the picture below, which clarifies all 3 options that present the dial on the genuine watch.

7. Cyclops lens

Let’s analyse the quality of the anti-reflective coating applied on the Cyclops lens.

• The replica GMT-Master II Rolex reflects too much light from the Cyclops lens.
  • The authentic Rolex has its Cyclops lens coated with high-quality AR, as it doesn’t reflect any light.

An authentic watch shall never have light reflected and covering the date number. Most commonly, replica watches don’t have the anti-reflective coating on their Cyclops lens.

8. Bezel teeth

• The fake watch has its bezel’s teeth less shiny than the authentic ones.
• On the fake Rolex, the bezel’s teeth are more matte than the authentic watch’s bezel’s teeth.

9. Date wheel font

• The fake GMT, first of all, has its numbers improperly font-weighted.
• In fact, the fake Rolex watch has its number “2” looking a bit too thin when compared to the number “8” near it, while on the authentic watch, you can see both the “1” and the “0” have the same font-weight.
• The fake watch’s number “2” is too big, and it is placed a bit too low next to the “8”.

The authentic Rolex GMT-Master II watch has both its “1” and “0” at the same size and level, therefore not having any number improperly positioned.

Furthermore, the numbers are perfectly centred on the genuine date wheel.

10. Clasp crown

• The fake watch has its crown looking a bit too thick, as it is also too textured.

The real watch has its classic crown logo thinner and less textured both on and around the crown.

11. Crasp engravings

• The fake watch has its inscriptions looking too thin.
• The replica GMT-Master II watch has its “ROLEX” text, lines and the crown logo around the “ROLEX” text looking too thin.
• Then, the same flaw on the fake watch applies to the “GENEVA” and the “SWISS MADE” text as well.
  • The three words are also too thin on the fake GMT.
• The fake watch has too much space between the words “GENEVA” and “SWISS MADE”.

Shortlist: Quickly tell a fake Rolex GMT

1. Check the hand stack on your Rolex GMT-Master II. The authentic order in which the hands are supposed to be positioned starts with the hour, the GMT, then the hand, and lastly, the second hand.
2. Look at the movement of the GMT on your watch. The legitimate movement of the GMT is supposed to have its hand jumping from each hour, without moving along with the minutes, unlike the fake watches.
3. Verify the rotation of the bezel on your Rolex. In most cases, the counterfeit-produced Rolex GMTs have their bezel rotating too hard and not smoothly, while the authentic watches must have their bezel rotating smoothly.
4. Inspect your Rolex GMT-Master II watch for solid end links. Usually, the fake Rolex GMT watches have gaps in the connection between the watch and the bracelet.
5. Check the engravings on the bezel of your Rolex GMT-Master II. Most of the time, the replica GMTs have their numbers on the bezel placed straight, while the authentic watches have their numbers curving along with the bezel.
6. Analyze the shade of the green colour on the GMT hand and the text on the dial of your watch. Mostly, the fake watches have their shade of green too dark upon comparison with the genuine watch.
7. Examine your watch for the anti-reflective coating on the Cyclops lens. Usually, the replica GMT-Master II watches don’t have their anti-reflective coat linked on top of the Cyclops lens, therefore being harder to notice the current day.
8. Authenticate the bezel’s teeth on your GMT-Master II. Usually, fake GMTs have their teeth too little shiny and also too matte.
9. Look at the font of the date wheel. Most commonly, the fake GMT-Master II have its date number improperly font-weighted and positioned.
10. Verify the Rolex crown classic logo on the clasp of your watch. Mostly, the replica GMT-Master II has a crown looking too thick and textured.
11. Inspect the text and the details on the clasp of your Rolex GMT-Master II. In most cases, the replica GMTs have their text and details looking too thin. Also, the fake watches’ text on the clasp is usually too big and with too much space between the letters.

The 11 detailed real vs fake Rolex GMT steps outlined above might not be so practical when you are in a hurry or when you want to buy the item online.

That is why we have compiled this quick 60 seconds solution to legit check your Rolex GMT-Master 2.

Expert Rolex GMT-Master II Authentication

If you need help with the authentication of your Rolex GMT-Master 2 watch, we’ve got you covered.

All you have to do is send us high-quality pictures of your Rolex GMT-Master 2 watch and we will get back to you with the results within 24 to 48 hours. The results will also come with a report on why we believe your Rolex watch is fake or authentic.

That brings us to the end of our guide on how to spot fake vs real Rolex GMT-Master 2 watches. We will continue to update this article as better and newer comparisons are put out.

Need our opinion in regards to the authenticity of your watch? It’s a service we provide.

Alternatively, we have free authentication resources for watches: written guides and video tutorials.

Thank you for reading this,

Ch Alex