Every luxury watch brand has knock-off versions, in varying degrees of quality and effort. Swiss customs estimates that 40 million counterfeit watches find their way into circulation each year (Switzerland exports 26 million watches a year, so it’s obviously a problem). Rolex has the green hologram sticker. But that’s already been forged. So, when the Quai de L’ile was recently unveiled by Vacheron Constantin, it featured a sun image that can only bee seen under a UV lamp. Know what else is cool? The transparent caseback. They have nothing to hide. And you know it truly does run as smooth as a Swiss clock. The Qaui de L’ile is named after the watchmaker’s historic address in Geneva and has a laundry list of high-tech features that are said to make the watch “counterfeit-proof.” Some of the most interesting are tiny words printed with special inks like those used to make money, laser engravings on the dial so small they can’t be seen without a magnifying glass, and layers of invisible markings that only show up clearly under UV light (like that sun image). It’s a bummer that counterfeiting has become such an issue with luxury watchmakers that they’ve had to resort to these almost James Bond-like sort of deterrents. At the same time, it’s good that these brands continue to fight back and not just roll over while the counterfeiters continue to destroy the value of their brands. So if you want a timepiece that can’t be duplicated and hocked on the streets for $50 bucks, then the Quai de L’ile by Vacheron Constantin is for you. Depending on features, is priced between $29,000-$60,000.
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