The past few years has seen a rapid increase in the number and quality of fake Rolex watches. A quick search on Google.com shows an endless amount of sites that will happily sell you a "quality" fake Rolex in pretty much any style.

With the proliferation of fakes for sale on the watch market I think its more important than ever to ensure buyers do not get caught out.

I think the first golden rule is price, if it looks too good to be true then you can guarantee it is too good to be true and will be a fake. There is a healthy second hand market for used Rolex watches (just take a look at the Rolex section of Watchtraders.co.uk: so there is no reason for someone to be selling one off cheaply, other than it’s a fake!

With regards physical signs that a Rolex watch is a fake I have listed these below, remember these must all be taken together and do not just rely on one of the items below:

1. The Hand Movement - A genuine Rolex watch features a smooth continuous movement and doesn't tick or move in a jerky fashion. Anything that ticks once per second will be a fake. Some Chinese fakes do feature Swiss movements that operate at 28,800 bph so beware.

2. Sapphire Crystal - Is used for the glass face of genuine Rolex watches and this can only be scratched by a diamond. If you were to smear water on the surface of sapphire then the droplets would collect together as the surface is so smooth.

3. Clear Caseback - Rolex have never made a watch with a "clear" or "skeleton" caseback and this is a sure sign of a fake. Some fakes with clear backs will feature the crown so as to appear more impressive.

4. 'Cyclops' viewer - On a genuine Rolex the 'Cyclops' viewer is positioned dead centre above the date number, fake watches tend to be slightly off centre. The magnification on the real one is 2.5 times and on fakes is often only just barely magnified.

5. Dial Printing - A close look at the printing on the dial of a fake watch will sometimes show a fuzziness to the edge of letters and numbers. On the real Rolex the printing will be perfectly crisp.

6. Micro-etched Crystal - Post 2002 all genuine Rolex watches will include a micro-etched coronet symbol just below the 6 o'clock position. You will need some form of magnification to see this unless your vision is pretty incredible! On fakes they either have nothing there at all or will attempt to replicate this but without the precision which is obvious on the genuine article.

7. Hologram Sticker - All Rolex case backs come with a hologram sticker of the Rolex crown above the case reference number. Fakes will sometimes have an engraving on the back or will attempt to re-create the hologram. Viewing this from different angles will show whether it’s a fake or a true 3 dimensional hologram sticker.

8. Triplock Crown Seal - 3 models, the Submariner, Sea-dweller and Daytona feature an additional seal within the threads of the winding crown's tube. It’s a small black 'O' ring that is visible when you unscrew the winding crown fully. Triplock watches can be identified by the small dots that appear just under the Rolex "Crown" logo on the end of the winding crown

9. Case Reference Numbers - This is a good way to spot fake Rolex watches. The serial and case numbers are etched on the side of the case between the lugs. On a genuine Rolex the engraving is very precise and features very fine lines. Fake watches feature a grainy/sandy etched appearance. Often fake suppliers will use the same set of numbers so ask to see any other watches the dealer has for sale before purchasing.

Hopefully a combination of the above points will ensure that you never get caught out by a fake Rolex. Some pointers for dealing on the internet include some obvious points but you'd be surprised how many people fall victim to this - Never pay in advance for a watch or pay a deposit without seeing it. Always arrange to meet the seller at an approved Rolex dealer and ask them to verify the watch is genuine.