[Rick Lee]

The really good fakes cost plenty more than $20. I decided to take a look when I was walking around Shanghai and the umpteenth fake watch peddler tried to pull me into his alley. He had a small shop in his apt. and it was full of all the high end watches and handbags, all fakes, of course. I've had a few Breitlings and know how they're supposed to feel, look and how much they weigh. One Rolex GMT with the Pepsi bezel I was thinking of getting as a gift for our own Eric Coffey, my house sitter, started out at around $100. Of course, I probably could have gotten them down to $30. But the watch just didn't have the heft of a real one and the bezel didn't feel right. It was, indeed, a real automatic and you could hear it when you shook it by your ear.

Later at my in-laws' house in Shanghai, my "uncle" had a very real looking and feeling Breitling Navitimer. Being a local, I'm sure he knew how to get the best deal on it and he still paid close to $200 for it. I only realized it was a fake when I couldn't hear the winder moving when I shook it and saw the second hand sweep was too smooth. It was a battery-powered watch. But it looked and felt perfect.