g_schroder
324
Beware, MoonSwatch fakes are getting pretty good...
Hello all - I managed to avoid being sucked into the MoonSwatch tizzy largely because the Swatch store that existed in my area of the world closed a year or two ago. With fairly limited travel this year I've not found myself near a Swatch store, and ultimately my interest the MoonSwatch has faded. However, my lovely wife, who loves here Swatch Sytem51's, was intrigued by the MoonSwatch and began seeing advertisements for them online from third-party resellers. Against my better judgment, and in hopes of keeping her burgeoning interest in watches growing, I agreed with her that she should buy one of these watches online but noted that the likelihood that it was fake was high. With that, my wife ordered her MoonSwatch Earth and waited patiently for it to arrive.
Before I go too far into this story, I should note that I’ve gotten a full refund on this purchase as we purchased through Paypal and the seller did not want to risk spoiling their relationship with Paypal. There we also lots of warning sings that I’ll try to point out. With that said, I think you’ll agree that the fake MoonSwatches that are circulating are fairly good reproductions, likely because even the real deal is just a piece of plastic (ahem, “bioceramic”).
Okay, first warning sign was that my wife found it via an Instagram advertisement from a company called RealKicz (or something like that). They used the actual images and descriptions from the Omega/Swatch websites, and clearly implied that these were genuine watches. Second warning sign was that the shipping information was clearly from Singapore (or somewhere nearby), which by itself doesn’t mean much but felt oddly suspicious.
When the watch arrived the seller included a Swatch cardboard bag in the box, presumably to suggest that the watch had been purchased by someone who waiting in line at a Swatch store just for us. The box itself, as you can see, looks the part, though I had read that the genuine box has a texture to it and this box was smooth (third warning sign).
Once opened the sub-dials looked a little cheap/off to me, and the push action for the chronograph felt crummy. Having tried the real deal before I knew it felt a little better made than what we got. What sealed the deal for me in determining that this was a fake was first, the imprinted logo/marker on the case back was clearly different from what you could see online from the real deal, and the crystal did not have the imprinted “S” on the inside.
I launched a complaint via PayPal which provided additional details about the seller, all of which were clearly designed to hide the actual name/identity of the actual seller (think multiple companies, and “doing business as” names). The seller first tried to claim it was genuine but offered a refund of $45. Not a bad business model for them as I expect most people accept that amount and move on with their life. Next, they offered $75, then $95 as a “final offer” which finally admitting that they never claimed it was genuine. After providing photos and notes about exactly why this watch was not genuine, and perhaps mentioning that I was both a watch nerd and attorney for good measure, I received a full refund.
So, for those thinking about skipping the line at your local
Swatch shop, I suggest not. My wife has certainly learned a good lesson about
buying the seller, not the watch. So, with that, I’ll share a handful of photos
here so you can see just how good these MoonSwatch replicas are getting.
