Cars aren’t the only victims of high level mechanical fakery.
With 343,000 followers on Instagram the ‘horological batman’ @FakeWatchBusta spends his days scrutinising the wrists of athletes, musicians and celebrities.
True to his Instagram handle, the anonymous watch enthusiast is a practised expert at spotting the difference between the real deal and even the agonisingly close replicas.
Regularly busting the owners of fakes the account has ruined the days of high profile celebrities including actor Robert Downey Jr and artists like Soulja Boy and Rick Ross. The account has been subject to threats – some legal and others more visceral.
In an interview with VICE’s Noisey channel, the 30-year-old European explained what motivates him to get under the skin of those who wear replicas.
“It’s mostly for the laughs you know,” he said. “But I don’t like the replica industry at all. No one loses any sleep over some Swiss million dollar companies getting hurt, but all the research I’ve done comes down to terrible conditions, use of hazardous materials and child labour…
“The replica industry including fake bags, watches, sunglasses and *expletive deleted* is a major global economical (sic) player without any form of regulation at all. At the prices they sell this for it’s not possible to [make these watches] in an ethical way and the working conditions must be some of the worst there are.”
When it comes to watches, just like with cars, Genuine is Best.