Comparison of Construction Parameters for Authenticity of Rolex Wristwatch

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70365/2764-0779.2025.134

Keywords:

Rolex, Forensic comparison, X-ray fluorescence, Image tracking, Authenticity

Abstract

Intellectual property (IP) is one of the pillars of the luxury watch industry, protecting innovation, authenticity, and the added value of brands. In the case of Rolex, the value of its watches transcends mere timekeeping, adding not only monetary worth but also status and cultural heritage. This added value allows Rolex watches to circulate in informal markets, making them susceptible to counterfeiting. Despite existing methodologies for verifying authenticity, certain proprietary information about Rolex is protected as trade secrets. The aim of this report is to compare constructive characteristics that can exclude the hypothesis of originality in Rolex watches. A comparative case study was conducted between two samples using qualitative and quantitative analysis. The analyzed characteristics included: (1) the elemental composition of external materials through X-ray fluorescence; (2) indirect analysis of the mechanism by tracking the mechanical movement of the hands through digital image processing; and (3) the quality of the logo application. The comparison revealed that one sample exhibited metal composition characteristics consistent with Rolex specifications. Regarding the mechanisms, measurements concluded that the mechanisms were distinct, and the logo application of one sample diverged by at least 9%. In a comparison protocol, it is suggested that the inference of non-originality be based on measurable parameters of internal and external characteristics, always referencing the information disclosed by the manufacturer.

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Author Biographies

  • Adelino Pinheiro Silva, Academia de Polícia Civil de Minas Gerais

    Adelino Pinheiro Silva é bacharel (2004), mestre (2007) e doutor (2020) em Engenharia Elétrica pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; capacitado (2009) em Fonética Forense junto a Secretaria Nacional de Segurança Pública. Editor da Revista Brasileira de Criminalística, da Revista Criminalística e Medicina Legal e da Revista Avante. Compõe o corpo docente e a coordenação do Curso de Gestão em Segurança Pública e Inteligência Aplicada (GESPIN) e atua no Setor de Perícias em Áudio e Vídeo no Instituto de Criminalística de Minas Gerais, onde realiza exames técnicos e pesquisas.

  • Lívia F. P. Miyamoto, Civil Police of Minas Gerais

    She holds a degree in Physiotherapy from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (2004) and has worked in various areas of physiotherapy. Since 2006, she has been a Criminal Expert for the Civil Police of the State of Minas Gerais, working from 2006 to 2009 at the Regional Police Station of Araxá, from 2009 to 2016 in the Technical Section of Fingerprint and Modeling Expertise at the Institute of Criminalistics, and currently works in the Technical Section of Document Examination at the Institute of Criminalistics. She has a postgraduate degree in Public Security and Criminal Justice from the João Pinheiro Foundation (2014) and a postgraduate degree in Judicial Expertise and Advanced Document Examination (2021). Since 2013, she has been a professor at the Civil Police Academy of Minas Gerais in the areas of Criminalistics, Fingerprinting, and Document Examination. She is also a guest lecturer in Fingerprinting for the postgraduate course in Forensic Dentistry at PUC-MG (since 2013).

  • Áurea Helena Lima Zuin, Civil Police of Minas Gerais

    He holds a master's degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (1998). He is currently a professor at the Civil Police Academy of Minas Gerais. He has experience in the field of Veterinary Medicine.

  • Washington Xavier de Paula, Civil Police of Minas Gerais

    He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (1999). He earned his PhD (2004) and Postdoctoral degree (2006) in Chemistry from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He is currently a Criminal Expert for the Civil Police of Minas Gerais. He was a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Pitágoras College. He is a Professor of Forensic Chemistry at the Civil Police Academy. He has experience in the fields of bioinorganic chemistry and forensic chemistry, mainly in the following topics: cyclodextrins, controlled drug release devices, analysis of drugs of abuse, and residues from firearm discharges.

  • Isabela Linhares de Oliveira, Polícia Civil de Minas Gerais

    She holds a degree in Physiotherapy. She has a postgraduate degree in Human Development for Managers (MBA) and in Judicial Expertise and Advanced Document Examination (Specialization). In 2006, she joined as a permanent employee in the position of Criminal Expert for the Civil Police of Minas Gerais, specializing in graphotechnical and document examination since 2010. Since 2017, she has served as the head of the Technical Section of Document Examination at the Institute of Criminalistics of Minas Gerais.

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Published

2025-07-09

Data Availability Statement

Please note that part of the routines used to perform the analysis will be published and updated at https://github.com/adelinocpp/tracking_second_hand_wristwatch.

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 8 (2025): Avante: Revista Acadêmica da Polícia Civil de Minas Gerais

Section

Case Reports

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Avante: Academic Journal of the Police of Minas Gerais

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

SILVA, Adelino Pinheiro; MIYAMOTO, Lívia; LIMA ZUIN, Áurea Helena; XAVIER DE PAULA, Washington; OLIVEIRA, Isabela. Comparison of Construction Parameters for Authenticity of Rolex Wristwatch. Avante: Academic Journal of the Police of Minas Gerais, [S. l.], v. 1, n. 8, 2025. DOI: 10.70365/2764-0779.2025.134. Disponível em: https://revistaavante.policiacivil.mg.gov.br/index.php/avante/article/view/134. Acesso em: 18 jul. 2025.