I remember someone saying how to tell a fake from a real Rolex was the movement of the second hand. A fake would click along while a real one would sweep. Not that I’d be in the market for one, lol :-)
Having seen both real and fake, I would prefer the cheap copy - They do tell the right time !
Also a real Rolex can, and has, attracted the wrong type of attention and people have been killed during their theft !