Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc. has filed a new lawsuit against a network of watch resellers it accuses of flooding the market with counterfeit and deceptively altered Rolex timepieces. In the 29-page complaint filed in the Central District of California on May 5, the luxury watchmaker alleges that a group of defendants – including Sdot Watches LLC (d/b/a Swiss Wrist), First Class Dials LLC, and Austin’s Watches Inc. – have engaged in an “intentional, willful, and egregious campaign” to profit from unauthorized use of Rolex’s trademarks and reputation for quality.
At the heart of the trademark-centric complaint, as first reported by TFL, are Rolex’s claims that the defendants, through websites like swisswrist.com, firstclassdials.com, and austinswatches.com, have sold heavily altered or entirely fabricated Rolex-branded watches and parts, complete with counterfeit versions of Rolex’s famed crown logo and other registered marks. Rolex describes the defendants’ operations as an “online and offline web of counterfeit sales,” pointing to a coordinated use of social media and third-party marketplaces – including Instagram, Facebook, eBay, Walmart.com, Chrono24, TikTok, and YouTube – to market the disputed products.
According to Rolex, these platforms featured timepieces that bear visible Rolex branding but lack the quality, craftsmanship, and authentication that define its watches.
> In one example cited in the complaint, Rolex claims that its investigators purchased a “Rolex Datejust 26mm” from swisswrist.com for over $4,200. Upon inspection, it determined that the watch had been extensively modified: the dial was not of Rolex manufacture, the bezel and gem settings were substandard, and key identifiers, including the model and serial number engravings, had been altered or fabricated.
Rolex also accuses First Class Dials of producing and selling imitation dials for various Rolex models, including a pink and a white mother-of-pearl design, both of which featured counterfeit branding and inferior gem quality. The Swiss watch giant claims that such misrepresentations not only deceive consumers but also damage its ability to control product quality and erode consumer trust in the Rolex brand.
The complaint goes further, with Rolex alleging that the defendants falsely advertise their products as “100% genuine” or “original” parts, claims that it argues are materially misleading and calculated to trade off its enormously valuable goodwill.
With the foregoing in mind, Rolex alleges trademark counterfeiting under 15 U.S.C. § 1114, claiming the defendants used spurious marks that are identical or substantially indistinguishable from registered its trademarks, including the ROLEX word mark, the crown logo, DATEJUST, and OYSTER PERPETUAL, on unauthorized watches and parts. It also sets out claims for trademark infringement, unfair competition, and false advertising under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), pointing to misleading marketing claims that the counterfeit and modified products were “100% genuine” or “original” Rolex items.
The company states that it has suffered irreparable harm and seeks injunctive relief, destruction of infringing goods, statutory damages of up to $2 million per counterfeit mark, and punitive damages for what it describes as deliberate and malicious conduct.
The case is Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc. v. SDOT Watches LLC, 2:25-cv-03990 (C.D. Cal.).
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