Reproduction DON bezel

I could tell you, but I won't, because this would inspire the fakers... 😜

Just kidding...

It's the shape of the bezel ring in relation to the insert as said before. But first of all it's the wrong font and size of every single digit and letter. Since I don't have @gdupree 's talent, I can't make a GIF for you, but if you compare the pictures of his above post to the one your question is about, you'll see the differences.

The DON looks a bit more DDBNQON (Dot Diagonal But Not Quite Over Ninety)

you have to keep your eyes open if you are going for vintage. learned again something new. thanks for the tread.

I recently bought a DON bezel, It was hard to find a good, legit, nice one. I believe straight questions to the seller, pictures, reviews of the seller helped me, some sellers answered the bezels were replicas some other replied they were real.
I think people that sell parts and watches MUST check their merchandise before buying and selling it, be 100% sure of the things they are selling, specially if that is their core business, that will determine their reputation.
They are the first line of defense!

Today I saw this 105.012 with a DNN bezel that - to my untrained eye - has the 140 dot in the wrong place as well.
Has anybody seen this before?

I think that might be OK. It's the serifed and accented modern DNN, right?
I have one of those. I checked and it looks like those bezels have dot near "1" of 140 quite closer than the latest DNNs.

Compare to:

So I guess maybe the fakers started out with the serifed accented DNN?

I can't thank you enough...

Hello, I believe the bezel looks fine, I have a DNN and looks alike except for the dot on the 70.

Listed today. How many seconds do you need in order to tell if the DON is real or fake?



https://www.chrono24.fr/omega/vinta...utm_campaign=SavedSearch&utm_term=AdImageLink

^ fake

There seem to be quite a few tells but you really have to know what to look for. It certainly helps to have MWO as a reference. Plus of course condition is impossibly good compared to the rest which should raise suspicions. Seller lists the bezel as being original but maybe they’d argue that they didn’t say the insert was.

Fake, the dot over the 90 is too big.

EDIT : all dots are too big actually...

It jumped out at me straight away that the font is too small.

The fakes will get better and better. Some will be aged. Anything of value draws fakes, and this is a pretty easy counterfeit for someone with talent. This may be the thing that ends the DON hysteria.

If it were like counterfeiting currency, with all kinds of sophisticated devices and special materials, I'd say you are right, but no one ever in their wildest imaginings thought, when they made those bezels, that they would someday be worth the price of a good used car. If someone wants badly enough to make a perfect copy with or without patina, the copies will be made and may well already be circulating. That is the crux of the problem. Some of the bezels being traded may already be perfect copies. Consider the lengths to which determined faux watch makers have gone with the Submariner. First they had ticking quartz movements and cheap-looking dials, etc. Several generations later, only an expert could ID a real Submariner if it is one of the really good knock-offs. Even the movements are mechanical, (but can easily be identified IF you take the case back off) they have the engraving between the lugs, the markings on the rehaut, etc. When one considers how much work and cost goes into making a fake Sub that might sell for a few K, it becomes very clear the payoff with fake bezels would be greater and simpler, which leads me to believe excellent fakes are already being circulated, maybe have been for years. I expect many will disagree, especially those who may have shelled-out BIGLY for a DON. It is logical to at least accept the strong possibility of near perfect fakes.

And in response to MSNwatch: Patina could absolutely be faked.