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OK gents, here are a few tips from a Ploprof collector and rabid anti-fake crusader ;-)
The bezel sides should have the following appearance: the 'peaks' should be polished and the valleys should be dull but smooth.
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Note that older bezels may be dull on all surfaces, but will still be smooth. While the fakes, OTOH, will have a cast appearance to the 'valleys' and the 'peaks' will be irregular:
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Also, this rough 'cast' appearance will be present in the lug recesses and even in between the ridges of the back:
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The backside of a real Ploprof:
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The bezel insert numbers are too close together and of a subtly different font on the fakes. Since there have been several changes to the bezels over the last 35 years, this can be difficult to judge. But once you see one, all becomes clear.
Real bezel (Type 3/NOS replacement)
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And the earlier Type 1 bezel side by side with the NOS one:
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(D3L, B3, Cu and D1b, B1, Cu)
Note how the numbers on the B1 are almost too far apart, the earlier bezel has a thin triangle with a straight "1" and flat-topped "3". The "2" is also slightly different.
Now the bogus bezel:
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The 'flag' of the one on the fakes is too long, the triangle is thin (-ish), but the "3" is round.
I won't torture the dial-up folks with more pics, but also note on the fakes:
1. Black dial. The Ploprof dial has always been blue, ranging from midnight blue to medium blue over the 3 different dials. The Type 1 dial can appear black in some lighting, but almost all Type 1s have some degree of paint bubbling. If it's smooth and black, it's a fake until proven otherwise.
2. Wrong seconds. The Ploprof has a box seconds, the fakes have the same seconds as an SM300.
3. C-Front. The crown recess cut into the case of the Ploprof should look like a C from the back (squared-off, of course). The front should look like a U. The fake cases look like a C from the front. I call this a C-front case. Note that some pictures of real Ploprof cases can look like C-fronts due to the lighting.
4. Sharp case edges. This is another subtle finding. The fakes have sharp case edges. Genuine PloProfs have a subtle bevel to some edges of the case. Hard to appreciate in these photos as both cases seen here are well-used, but it's there if you look.
Other things differ, as noted previously.
Feel free to reference this page, but please do not copy and post elsewhere (Steve, I'd be honored if you'd put this in the FAQ section). I consider this copyrighted material as it will be going up on the deskdivers.com web site (in an expanded form with annotated pictures). Again, feel free to PM me for help in ferreting out fakes. I'm in the US Army, so occasionally I am not available for periods of time, but I will always respond when I can.
The bezel sides should have the following appearance: the 'peaks' should be polished and the valleys should be dull but smooth.
Note that older bezels may be dull on all surfaces, but will still be smooth. While the fakes, OTOH, will have a cast appearance to the 'valleys' and the 'peaks' will be irregular:
Also, this rough 'cast' appearance will be present in the lug recesses and even in between the ridges of the back:
The backside of a real Ploprof:
The bezel insert numbers are too close together and of a subtly different font on the fakes. Since there have been several changes to the bezels over the last 35 years, this can be difficult to judge. But once you see one, all becomes clear.
Real bezel (Type 3/NOS replacement)
And the earlier Type 1 bezel side by side with the NOS one:
(D3L, B3, Cu and D1b, B1, Cu)
Note how the numbers on the B1 are almost too far apart, the earlier bezel has a thin triangle with a straight "1" and flat-topped "3". The "2" is also slightly different.
Now the bogus bezel:
The 'flag' of the one on the fakes is too long, the triangle is thin (-ish), but the "3" is round.
I won't torture the dial-up folks with more pics, but also note on the fakes:
1. Black dial. The Ploprof dial has always been blue, ranging from midnight blue to medium blue over the 3 different dials. The Type 1 dial can appear black in some lighting, but almost all Type 1s have some degree of paint bubbling. If it's smooth and black, it's a fake until proven otherwise.
2. Wrong seconds. The Ploprof has a box seconds, the fakes have the same seconds as an SM300.
3. C-Front. The crown recess cut into the case of the Ploprof should look like a C from the back (squared-off, of course). The front should look like a U. The fake cases look like a C from the front. I call this a C-front case. Note that some pictures of real Ploprof cases can look like C-fronts due to the lighting.
4. Sharp case edges. This is another subtle finding. The fakes have sharp case edges. Genuine PloProfs have a subtle bevel to some edges of the case. Hard to appreciate in these photos as both cases seen here are well-used, but it's there if you look.
Other things differ, as noted previously.
Feel free to reference this page, but please do not copy and post elsewhere (Steve, I'd be honored if you'd put this in the FAQ section). I consider this copyrighted material as it will be going up on the deskdivers.com web site (in an expanded form with annotated pictures). Again, feel free to PM me for help in ferreting out fakes. I'm in the US Army, so occasionally I am not available for periods of time, but I will always respond when I can.
