It's a risk we all take trading watches on the second hand market, but the most dreaded thing actually happened to me. I bought a Panerai PAM00048 that turned out to be a fake! Here I put it side by side with a real Panerai Luminor PAM00638 and see what differences we can notice. My recommendation: always ask for box and papers when buying a Panerai.

Full Back story: I initially took the watch to one local watchmaker who told me it was likely fake. When I later emailed him to see if I can film him explaining his observations to my audience, his shop had been closed due to COVID (Roanoke Watch Repair). So I then took the watch to Nesbit's Watch Service, and this time I made sure I had my camera and a real Panerai with me for comparison. Yes, at that point, after visiting one watchmaker, I had a high suspicion that it was a fake.

*Please police your own behavior in the comment section. Don't be THAT guy...