Look, nobody wants to get bamboozled, right? I mean, imagine thinking you scored a killer deal on an Eco-Drive, only to find out it’s some cheapo knockoff that’ll fall apart after a week. Total bummer.
So, how do you avoid this whole mess? Well, it’s not always easy, but there are a few things to watch out for. First off, that price that’s “too good to be true”? Yeah, it probably IS too good to be true. I’m talking about those super-low prices on eBay or some random website you’ve never heard of. I mean, c’mon, nobody’s giving away high-quality watches for peanuts. I saw a person who bought a Citizen Bryzen from ebay at a low price and worried about it being a fake. If it feels too good to be true, maybe it is a fake.
Another thing is the seller. Are they legit? Do they have good feedback? Have they got a ton of stock that they’re desperate to get rid of? Check, check, and check again. A reputable seller is way less likely to be peddling fakes. Plus, if they’re cagey about answering your questions, that’s a major red flag.
And then there’s the watch itself. Take a good, hard look at the pictures. Does everything seem… right? The logo crisp? The finishing clean? The details correct? A lot of fake Citizens, especially the ones floating around on sites like Wish (yikes!), have glaring flaws. Someone said they got suckered into buying fake Citizens from Wish. And I’m not talkin’ subtle stuff, either. Like, misaligned markers, wonky dials, and just a general feeling of “cheapness.”
I’ve even seen people online debating whether certain models, like the Ecozilla or the Promaster Fugu, are real or fake. The fact that this is even a question tells you something, right? If you’re not sure, compare the watch to pictures on the official Citizen website. If something’s off, trust your gut.
Sometimes, the fakes are surprisingly good. But even then, there are usually telltale signs. Maybe the movement is loud and clunky, or the bracelet feels flimsy. Or, like this person on Amazon mentioned, there are slight differences between the watch you bought and the official model. I agree with him that it is likely to be a fake.
