Answer
Rolesor is Rolex's own term for a two-tone watch: a steel case and bracelet combined with 18k gold parts. A "Rolesor reproduction" is a counterfeit watch built to copy that mix. Rolex does not make it, does not sell it, and does not service it. Selling such a watch in the US is trafficking in counterfeit goods under 18 U.S.C. § 2320.
What Rolesor Covers
Rolex holds a registered mark on the word Rolesor and has used it since the 1930s. On a genuine Rolesor reference, the gold parts are solid 18k gold: 750 parts gold per 1000 by weight. Those parts are the bezel, the crown, and the center links of the bracelet. The case middle, the outer links, and the caseback are steel. Modern Rolex steel is 904L, which the company markets as Oystersteel.
What a Replica Copies and What It Cannot
- Gold. Genuine gold parts are solid 18k through the full thickness. Replicas use PVD coating or gold flash over steel or brass. Plating depth is not published by sellers and changes from batch to batch. Wear shows first at clasp edges, end links, and crown flutes.
- Weight. Pure gold has a density of 19.3 g/cm³. 18k yellow gold sits near 15.5 g/cm³. Steel sits near 7.9 g/cm³. A plated replica carries less mass than the genuine watch in the same size.
- Tone match. A genuine watch takes its bezel and center links from the same alloy. Replicas show a color step between the bezel and the bracelet under daylight.
- Markings. Stamps inside the clasp, on the caseback, and between the lugs are laser-cut on most replicas. Depth and font weight differ from factory stamping.
Points to Inspect
- Look at the joint between the end link and the case. A gap or a step in the gold tone is a sign of a non-Rolex part.
- Weigh the watch. Compare it to a published figure for the same reference and size.
- Check the clasp code and the inside of the clasp cover for stamp depth.
- Check the crown threads and the feel of the winding. Plated brass crowns strip.
- Ask for a service record. Rolex will not work on a counterfeit, so no record exists for one.
Legal and Ownership Facts
US Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit watches at ports of entry. A watch that carries a Rolex mark without Rolex authorization is a counterfeit good under 19 U.S.C. § 1526(e), and the shipment is subject to forfeiture. Buyers hold no warranty, no parts support, and no resale channel. Auction houses and dealers refuse them. The words "super clone" and "1:1" are seller marketing terms, not grades, and no standards body defines them.
Unknowns
Plating thickness on replica two-tone bracelets is not published and is not measured by independent labs in most cases. Claims about gold content in replica parts come from sellers, not from assay reports.