Looks pretty good. You would have to pop the case to be 100% sure

 

You ask BEFORE you buy.......

Take it to a Tag AD for authentication.

 

Looks real to me but I've never seen one in person, just high resolution pictures online. Seems you've touched on all the salient points showing it's good so it likely is. Nothing looks wrong though.

 

 

Everything you say says it’s real, you bought from a reputable dealer and the fact you registered it on an official tag site would again put me at ease, I wouldn’t let one comment off a stranger on a forum get to me, Enjoy your watch and the weekend ahead.

 

Everything you say says it’s real, you bought from a reputable dealer and the fact you registered it on an official tag site would again put me at ease, I wouldn’t let one comment off a stranger on a forum get to me, people are tw@ts on forums. Enjoy your watch and the weekend ahead.

Thanks for your reply. You’re right about tw*ts on the forums. Enjoy your weekend also.

 

Thanks everyone for your responses. Yes, I let one tw*t get inside my head. I appreciate your responses, and do feel more at ease. Thank you!!

 

Everything seems ok, but next time ask before you buy

 

Open it, open it, open it!

 

I already told you why this watch is a fake but if you don’t want to believe me then I respect that. For others who can’t tell, take a look at the bezel. The word “Tachymetre” is not centred properly between the 60 and 240 (it’s too close to 240). On a real F1, the word “Tachymetre” is perfectly centred. You can easily see this, and you already agreed with me on the other thread.

https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/tag-hauer-formula-one-luminosity.5556413/

This issue has been discussed at length on the fakebusters thread. Also registering or checking serial numbers has been shown to be unreliable. Fake TAGs nowadays use a serial number from a real watch and reproduce it.

Another issue is these fakes use the same movement as the genuine watches (e.g. Ronda). But sometimes the fake movement will be a “Swiss Parts” movement indicating it was manufactured outside Switzerland (contrary to Swiss Made or Swiss). Ronda does manufacture "Swiss Parts" movements that are used by other watch brands. If you open up the caseback you may observe this.

These fakes are very good. They often fool ADs. The problem is reputable sellers often sell these unknowingly.

But if you’re comfortable keeping it, then no worries. I hope you enjoy it. It really comes down to your comfort and piece of mind and I'm sorry to be the one to point out some of these issues. Respectfully, I do resent being referred to as a "tw@t". I am genuinely coming from a good place and don't want you to lose your money on a potentially fake item.

All the best.

 

I wasn’t speaking of you specifically. I was speaking of forums in general (guns, antiquities, etc, etc. I do appreciate you taking the time to reply. I value all opinions. I believe I will be sending the watch back. I have seen other bezels not centered in photos, but not on the Tag site, where they are centered. So I may be looking at fakes with the off set bezel. I will send it back and buy a new one. It only came out to like $750 more for new and full warranty, plus no wondering if it is a fake. Thanks for replying, again. I do appreciate it.

 

@MorbidSalmon00 i hold my hand up and sincerely apologise. I didn’t realise there was a previous thread discussion. I’ve read it and you were giving out sound advice on a potential problem, you weren’t being anything like a tw@t. I’ve edited my comment as it looked like it was directed at you when it was more towards the non helpful people on watch forums.

 

@.Lenny. no worries! I appreciate the gesture and I also acknowledge that you were providing genuine reassurance. Unfortunately, modern TAG Heuer F1s and Aquaracers in particular have become targets for high quality fakes. I wouldn't buy one unless it was from an AD. But that's just me. I realize this isn't possible for some models that have been discontinued.

Cheers!

 

Anyone with experience of the CAZ1014 can easily tell that this is a counterfit watch

 

Could you tell me what you’re basing this on? I also took some photos of the movement. It’s a Ronda 50400, or 54040D, can’t tell which clearly. It’s also marked 13 THIRTEEN JEWELS. Does this further your opinion or does it tell you otherwise? Thanks.

 

Your best bet is to return it and start over.

Do all homework in advance of buying the watch.

 

I did remove the back and looked at the movement. It’s a Ronda 15400 or 1540D, eyes are not good enough to see which. Whether this makes the watch more or less likely to be authentic, since it was said they use this movement in the fakes also, I’m not sure. The movement was marked with the above Ronda xxxxx, and “13 Thirteen Jewel” and “SW 199 R9” I believe, again, hard to see. I will add anphoto

 

Jim thanks for your mssg letting me know you’re sure this is an obvious fake. If you have high confidence that is is, I just need something to say the seller. Thanks again. I attached a photo or the Roda 14400 or 1400D , no positive last digit. Please tell me why you’re sure it’s a fake. B/c if it is, I need to get my back. If you need more photos, better resolution, or different parts of the watchm. Thanks again.
Craig Nelson

 

There is a AD in Tampa, I don’t know if they would help me, take the time or not.

 

Photos of the movement.

 

This has nothing to do with not believing you. I was simply trying to ask you if the spacing of the “Tachymetre” was the only issue. I wanted to know if there were other things you saw that lead to your opinion. If so pmease list them. Sorry if I rubbed you wrong. I wasn’t being dismissive of your opinion, but just wanted additional info. Thanks again.

 

I'm not aware of any other "obvious" signs your watch is fake, but the bezel is enough for me. Think about it. A genuine TAG Heuer watch would not have such an obvious defect. But that's beside the point. The photos of the movement are way too blurry to show anything, but from your description this sounds like the correct movement. But as I've said before, fake TAG's often use the correct movement. TAG uses generic movements which are readily available, and the RONDA 5040.D is no exception.

Also, the fact that you paid $1200 on a watch that retails for $1800 is a red flag. Sure, you can probably get a discount at an AD but to get 1/3 of the price off is a very good deal. Unfortunately, if it's too good to be true it probably is. This especially holds true of modern TAG Heuer watches that are heavily faked.

If you want to get the watch inspected, don't rely an an AD. Send it to TAG Heuer Customer Service.

Here is an article that may interest you. I realize you may not have bought the watch from Ebay, but this article gives you an idea of the problem with high quality replicas. If you scroll down to the bottom of the article, you'll see your exact watch!

FEATURE: EBAY: No Fakes. No Fraud. No Doubt?

With adverts like the one above eBay is doing its best to convince us that their site is a super-safe place to buy watches. Of course, when ...

tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com

This next site is downright scary. They are advertising fake TAG Heuer watches including the CAZ1014:

Tag Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Swiss Quartz Replica Watch Ref: CAZ1014.BA0842 The Best Replication of this model up to date Genuine Swiss Quartz Movement, The best Quartz Movement to be used in a Replica Watch up to date Functional Stopwatch feature

Free Shipping and a year long Warranty with Tag Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Swiss Quartz Replica Watch Blue Dial for just $CAD549

www.replicahause.ca

I recommended for you to return the watch a couple of weeks ago. I don't know how much time you have to return it, but I'd do so instead of wasting time trying to find other clues the watch is fake, or otherwise trying to convince yourself it's real. In the end, it's your watch and your decision and I respect that.

All the best and good luck.

 

I don’t know if there should be, or where, a Tag Heuer logo on the movement, but I didn’t see one. I also just looked at what what was visible removing the case back. Does anyone have this info. Thanks.