What does the forum think about the proliferation of 'faded' inserts?
(Premier Login VintageRolexForum) Forum Owner Posted Aug 9, 2012 2:45 PM
The mods are having one of our interminable discussions about the direction of the forum and our current hot button issue is the sale of faded bezel inserts on our market. We are all of the opinion that the vast majority of these inserts are chemically altered to achieve the desired 'weathered' look that people are paying a premium for these days.
We have allowed the sale of these inserts because they are original Rolex parts and no one can actually say how the insert got faded (although sometimes you can still see the sandpaper marks). But, at the end of the day, most of the altered inserts are designed to fraudulently separate cash from unwary buyers.
We are very interested in the opinion of the forum regarding these inserts. It's hard to just outright ban the sale of these original Rolex inserts but we have visitors paying up to a 300 dollar premium for an overnight soak in some bleach or whatever they do. That must stop.
Please give us your thoughts on how to handle this.
But, at the end of the day, most of the altered inserts are designed to fraudulently separate cash from unwary buyers.