So I’ve been eyeing those Rolex Submariners for a while now. They’re slick, you know? But the price tag? Oof. Not in my budget, not by a long shot. Then I got to thinking, “What about those high imitation ones?” I mean, if it looks the part, walks the part, who’s gonna know, right?
I started digging around, reading up on these things. Turns out, there’s a whole world of these imitation watches out there. I focused in on the No-Date Black Submariner – that’s the one without the little date window. Seemed a bit simpler, a bit cleaner. Plus, apparently, the real No-Date versions are rarer than the ones with the date. Like, for every four Date Submariners a dealer gets, they only get one No-Date. Makes it feel a little more special, even if it’s a fake, you know?
I found out that even for the real ones, the price can vary wildly. I saw some listed for around $8,000, others for over $11,000. Crazy, right? And those are the used ones! Still, it helped me figure out what a decent imitation should cost. I mean, I didn’t want to get ripped off for a fake, you know?
I spent days scrolling through forums, reading reviews. This one guy was talking about a “reference 5517” with a “maxi dial,” supposedly super rare. Said only 1,500 were ever made, and only a handful are left. Seemed a bit much for me, but it gave me an idea of what details to look for.
- Started looking at online marketplaces. Lots of options, but also lots of scams, I bet.
- Narrowed it down to a few sellers that seemed legit. Checked their reviews, looked for any red flags.
- Compared prices and pictures. Some of these fakes looked pretty darn good, I gotta say.
- Finally pulled the trigger on one. Fingers crossed it’s as good as it looked in the pictures.
It took a couple weeks, but it finally arrived. Man, I was nervous opening that box. But you know what? It looked pretty good! Felt solid, had some weight to it. The details were all there, at least as far as I could tell. I’m no expert, but I compared it to pictures of the real deal online, and it was close. Really close.
I’ve been wearing it for a few weeks now. Feels good on the wrist. Looks good, too. I’ve even gotten a few compliments on it. Nobody’s suspected a thing. Of course, I’m not trying to pass it off as real. I’m not that kind of guy. But it’s nice to have something that looks the part, without breaking the bank.
Is It Worth It?
For me, yeah, I think so. I get the look I wanted, without the insane price tag. It’s not the real deal, but it scratches that itch, you know? If you’re thinking about getting a high imitation Rolex, just do your research. Know what to look for, and don’t overpay. And hey, if you see a guy walking around with a No-Date Black Submariner, it might just be me. Don’t blow my cover, alright?