Rolex Holographic sticker: The Story About the Rolex Caseback Stickers
Rolex is a watch brand that pays attention to each and every single detail of its products. From the clasp to the protective stickers that are on the watch. Everything that Rolex does and a Rolex watch have is there for a reason. A reason that has been thoroughly thought through until it has been implemented.
A detail of a Rolex watch that may be completely irrelevant for most people, but an interesting detail for us Rolex-nerds, is the Rolex holographic sticker.
In this article, we’ll go into detail about this very small detail of a Rolex watch; the holographic Rolex caseback sticker.
Rolex Holographic sticker
Now, most people may consider the holographic sticker completely uninteresting, but knowing about it, what it is and what it means actually has benefits. We are not just discussing it because we are watch nerds. But before we go into detail about that, let’s look at the background of this Rolex caseback sticker.
First off, many people have an idea that unless a Rolex watch has a green holographic sticker on the caseback, it is not authentic.
However, that is not the case (pun intended).
This idea is not completely wrong, because the original idea of the holographic sticker was to make it easy to deter counterfeiters, but this proved to be ineffective. The reason was of course that the counterfeiters replicated this sticker and implemented them on their watches. This may not come as a surprise.
If they can replicate a whole watch, replicating a sticker shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, some fake watches that feature the sticker may only have the sticker, but it does not have a hologram. What is especially interesting is that you can see that a lot of counterfeit watches still implement the holographic caseback sticker, despite the fact that it was removed more than a decade ago. So if you see a modern Rolex watch with a green caseback sticker, you will be able to tell it is fake instantly.
When we go further back in the Rolex history, you will find that these watches do not have the green caseback sticker. Instead, you will see that they either have no sticker, or some other type of sticker, such as this:
What you should know is that there have been a large number of different caseback stickers used over the years, but these stickers have never been intended to stay on the watch. Just like a Rolex watch is covered by protective plastic when buying it, one of those elements is a caseback sticker.
And this is meant to be removed. The reason why you can see green holographic stickers, or any other sticker for that matter, is that the original owner did not want to remove it, or simply didn’t consider it. The green sticker contained apart from a ”hologram” the Rolex logo and the model number of the watch.
When did Rolex stop with the green holographic case back sticker?
Rolex used the green holographic sticker for decades but stopped with them in late 2007. Now, the green holographic Rolex caseback stickers were replaced by a transparent stickers. Therefore, Rolex watches that are dated after 2007 should not have the green sticker on the case back. The crown logo was not put on the stickers until after 2002 and the reference number also looked different.
The transparent sticker is meant to protect the case back of the watch. This avoids scratching and other wear marks from degrading the look and value.
Why is there a red line on the back of a new watch?
As mentioned Rolex now features a transparent caseback sticker. Normally, the side of a transparent protective sticker has some kind of colored edge so that you know where to pull, in order to remove it.
But what is interesting is that while new Rolex watches have a transparent sticker, the edge is actually green, not red.
However, when a Rolex is serviced at a Rolex service center and receives a polish, it will get ”service stickers” on it. And one sticker that is applied is a caseback sticker – which has a red edge, not green.
Rolex case back stickers today
So today, Rolex watches have transparent case back stickers when they arrive new from the Rolex factory to a dealership.
But today, there is a new Rolex policy that says that the authorized dealer needs to remove all the factory stickers before delivery of your watch. This means that you will see very few modern Rolex watches out in the wild that still have their case back stickers on.
Just buy rolex at online,i know it not real because of the price,but its impressive a nice packaging look like original
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
No don’t just buy a Rolex online, well a fake Rolex, but authentic only. Buying anything fake or counterfeit is aiding child slavery amongst many other things not to mention that 99% of the time anyone that has or knows the original brand can tell it’s fake. Nothing is impressive about buy replicas or about flaunting a fake, you make yourself look like a fool. Trust me you’re not fooling anyone. Save your money and buy authentic only and if you can’t afford it then buy something you can. People buy Rolex and other luxury brands because they appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into creating such a beautiful piece. I own 3 personally and am proud to own them because of the work that went into creating them. I would never ever consider wearing a fake Chinese look a like just to look like I could own the real thing. It’s a slap in the brands face.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
Hi. I heard that some Rolex fakes are so close to the real article that a dealer / watch repairer needs to go to the extent of removing the movement and checking the surface finish / exact colour of the crimson wheels on the auto wind gears. I agree with the comments made here that one should not buy a fake …. but, if such an effort is required to distinguish between the fake and original, it does mean that money is unnecessarily spent just for personal knowledge that the watch is genuine.
Hi Darren,
Thank you for your comment and for sharing your thoughts. However, we would have to disagree as it couldn’t be further from the truth.
The first reason is that counterfeit goods are illegal and support organized crime.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
Agreed! Fakes do not do anyone good. I personally would not feel good about wearing a fake because i know its fake. There is nothing like wearing the real thing.
We agree. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
Amen brother. My friend had a fake we took to get it serviced and the guys were like nice rolex..and this guy has been working on expensive brands his whole life. He looked at it in detail. He then went to open it and looked inside and finally he could tell it was a knock off.
So $100 folex 99% of people couldnt tell or $10,000 rolex that people are gonna assume is fake…you could buy a fake and donate $9900 to staring kids..
I live your idea buy the 100$ watch, put your don’t give a fuck hat on and donate the other $9900.00. And to the girl with 3 authentic ones how much do you give to those starving kids or does all your money go to making yourself look good. Sell your watches and feed an entire village
I just purchased a pre owned Rolex Explorer II from a high end jewelry store, but not a Rolex Dealer. I have all paperwork including original purchase agreement. On the back it has a clear plastic cover with an IPI Brazil tax stamp underneath. The cover is like the one pictured on this page, clear with a green corner. Should I remove and store this cover and tax stamp?
Hi!
It’s up to you. If the sticker is not original (you mention an IPI tax stamp), then there’s no real purpose to keep it there.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
Hi there ..
I bought a pre owned Rolex 15200 Oyster perpectual Date and it comes with a Jubilee strap. Do you know which year were Jubilee straps issued?
Hi,
I’m sure one of our watch experts have the required knowledge to give you the correct answer to your questions. You can get in contact with them here: https://millenarywatches.com/watches/watch-consulting/?fbclid=IwAR33dnvWCoT1wKxhAyWMyICI15Uw0Y9mDgNoz-WAhq-qPyLvUw2FXnWAkxw
WOW! Can’t praise this site too much, answered my questions quickly and with great understanding.
Many thanks
Thank you, Stephen! Glad you found it helpful!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
I have this rose gold oyster perpetual, has all the Rolex engravings.. it’s actually has a CL5 72200 written on the lock/latch. The glass has a kind of Rolex logo visible when u bend the light a certain way. With all these things that I compared to that of an original video, it’s all the same. So why the green hologram/sticker behind it.
I have one of these as well, with a green holographic sticker on the back, as well as the number “16233”. My husband and I have taken both sides of the band off, and do not see any serial numbers/engravings on either side. I’m assuming it is a fake based on what I have read on this site. Kinda disappointing, isn’t it?? I’m all for craftsmanship but I’m bummed the watch isn’t legit. It looks gorgeous, tho, and had us fooled for sure! I’m glad I found this site and was able to figure it out!
Hello, for my birthday 15 yrs ago I was given a pre-owned rolex Black Aravmbic no-date (watch number help?) I wanted to ask (bc it was originally bought in 1997 from the only owner before me), so it is 24 yrs old. Which I do like personally. Although would love a men’s rolex bc I am a woman so hv a female one. I love the larger men’s size better. Anyway, sorry getting off track. After so many years, instead of going down in price, does it start to go back up a bit bc over a certain age? Or not unless it is a VERY old one ?
Hi Rylan,
It completely depends on a number of factors. Most importantly the model and the demand for them. Some models increase in value every year, others decrease in value, whilst others only increase very little. It’s hard to say without knowing the model.
No date Arabic sounds like perhaps an Oyster perpetual model or vintage Air-King?
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
I recently bought a Rolex gmt Pepsi new.
Is there a sticker over the face? It looks like there may be a film but I don’t want to peel off anything that’s not meant to come off ( like anti glare coating etc). Also I peeled off the back sticker…. will that effect resale value?…. can’t imagine having a watch for years and leaving a sticker in the case back…..
Hi Simon,
Congratulations on a great watch. There is no sticker on the face. If you plan to wear the watch for years, the case back stickers won’t really affect the value. Some people like to have it, but if you sell it as pre-owned further down the road, it won’t make a difference in the valuation.
Kind regards,
Milleanry Watches
I have a Rolex that has its green sticker on it still who would be interested in buying it send me offer