In a world where brand names are everything, it can be frustrating trying to determine whether a Citizen watch is real or not. There is nothing worse than paying top dollar and expecting something much better than what you received. Unfortunately, sometimes pesky duplicates can look very similar to the real thing (without the level of quality of course). If you are unsure about whether your Citizen watch is real, then look no further, there are some easy tips and tricks to help you find out how authentic the timepiece in front of you is!
While shopping for any Citizen watch, you should only purchase from stores that are authorised to sell them. You can find out if a location is an authorised stockist from the official Citizen watch website. A red flag to look for is heavy discounts. If a Citizen is advertised for 50% off or more it is unlikely to be authentic. Genuine Citizen watches are luxury pieces, and you get what you pay for! Also avoid sellers who have out-of-focus images or low photograph quality.
Overview:
The Citizen Logo
A big indicator about whether your watch is authentic is to check for the Citizen logo. If you can check the band, the logo should also be engraved with a model no. You can also look at the back of the case and check that the logo is in the correct font and placed central on the case. You can compare the logo on your watch to the images on the official website to ensure that everything is correct. Many dupe watches are made up of a variety of different watch parts, this means sometimes the colour is off, so check the dial, hands and strap. As an example, a real citizen watch has a revolving bezel, whereas many phoney pieces do not have a bezel that moves. All Citizen watches will also have a logo on the watch face; look closely at the font and letters to make sure that they match official images.
Documentation
All genuine Citizen watches come with official documentation and manufacturer's warranty. If the seller did not provide these documents or offer a stamped warranty, it is likely that the piece is a knock off. Authentic sellers will keep documentation for precisely this reason. You should also make sure that the model and serial numbers match those on the watch itself and that everything is spelt correctly including logos and dates. Some authentic watch sellers will also provide you with the instruction manual, you should check that the model numbers match the watch as well.
Serial and Model Numbers
An easy indicator of whether a Citizen watch is real is on the back of the case. A genuine Citizen watch will have a serial number and model engraved into the case. A missing number is a hot indicator that your watch is not real!
Pesky knock-offs can be hard to spot at first glance, so it is important that you purchase from authorised sellers and are checking the smallest details to ensure that you are paying for the real deal! While dupes may look the same, they lack the quality and sophistication that comes with an authentic timepiece.
