Short Answer
A fake Rolex 6694 is a counterfeit copy of the Rolex Oysterdate Precision ref. 6694, a 34 mm hand-wound Oyster with a date window built from the 1960s into the 1980s. Almost every replica sold under that reference today is a modern automatic inside a case that Rolex never made. The genuine watch winds by hand, runs caliber 1225 with 17 jewels, has no quickset date, and measures 34 mm across. Match those points and most fakes fall apart fast.
What the Genuine 6694 Is
- Case: 34 mm stainless steel Oyster, roughly 19 mm lug width, smooth polished bezel.
- Movement: Rolex caliber 1225, manual wind, 17 jewels, no rotor.
- Date: changes only when the hands pass midnight. There is no quickset.
- Crystal: domed acrylic, not sapphire.
- Dial: "Precision" printed above 6 o'clock. No chronometer text.
Why the 6694 Gets Copied
The design is simple. A plain case, a plain dial, and a hand-wind movement leave little for a counterfeiter to get wrong, and the real watch trades at a price that makes a cheap fake look tempting to someone who wants the look without the cost. Vintage Rolex fakes also hide in plain sight because buyers expect wear, scratches, and a faded dial on a 1960s watch.
Replica Tiers Sold as "6694"
- Budget builds: a 36 mm automatic case with a printed dial and a Chinese 2813 movement. Common on auction sites and street markets.
- Mid-tier builds: a clone ETA 2824 inside a slimmer case, with better dial printing and a decent bracelet.
- Vintage-style builds: aged dials, drilled lugs, and acrylic crystals, built to look old. These get close on the outside and stay wrong on the inside.
How to Inspect a Suspect 6694
- Measure the case across the bezel with calipers. A 6694 reads 34 mm. Anything at 36 mm or wider started life as a different watch.
- Open the caseback and identify the movement. Caliber 1225 is hand wound with 17 jewels stamped on the bridges. A rotor under the back means the watch is not a 6694.
- Wind the crown. A hand-wind 6694 gives steady resistance from the first turn. An automatic fake spins with almost no feel.
- Set the date. With no quickset on a 6694, the number should move only by turning the hands forward past midnight.
- Read the dial text. Genuine dials print "Precision" above 6 o'clock. "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" belongs on other references, not this one.
- Study the date font. Vintage 6694 dials use a thin open numeral that sits centered in the window. Fakes use thick modern type that crowds the edges.
- Press a fingernail against the crystal. Acrylic flexes and sits in a domed profile. Flat sapphire with a blue reflection is a later replacement or a fake.
- Check the engravings between the lugs. Original stamping is shallow and level. Laser engraving is deep, even, and dot-matrix sharp.
- Compare the crown. A Twinlock crown sits close to the case with a thin profile. Oversized or domed crowns point to a modern build.
Buying Checklist
- Ask for a movement photo with the caseback off before you pay.
- Confirm 34 mm and lug width in writing, since photos hide scale.
- Expect a hand-wind feel on any honest 6694 listing.
- Walk away from sellers who describe a quickset date as a feature.
Legal and Market Notes
Selling a counterfeit watch as a genuine Rolex is illegal in the United States, and customs can seize shipments of marked fakes. Collectors who buy replica watches usually treat them as novelty pieces and keep the branding removed or disclosed. That distinction matters, because the moment a fake 6694 is presented as the real thing, the transaction turns into fraud rather than a hobby purchase.