A fake Hermès Constance 18 usually shows four faults: machine stitching, a light or roughly finished H clasp, a thick or misaligned logo stamp, and leather with a uniform printed grain. Authentic Constance 18 bags are hand-sewn with saddle stitch, use solid hardware, and show natural variation in the hide. No single detail proves a bag is real. Three or four faults together are enough to stop a sale.
1. Stitch type and tension
Hermès sews bags by hand with two needles and one waxed thread. The result is a saddle stitch: each stitch sits at a slight angle, tension varies a little along the seam, and the thread locks on both sides. A machine lock stitch runs straight, flat and identical, and a pulled thread unravels the whole seam. Look at the top flap edge and the strap tabs. Check for a backstitch where the seam ends. Fakes often stop without one.
hermes constance 18 fake comparison
2. The H clasp
The Constance closes with a single H-shaped clasp. On an authentic bag the metal is solid, the edges are rounded and polished, and the clasp seats with a firm click. Fakes use plated zinc or thin brass. They feel light, the edges feel sharp, and the plate flexes when pressed. Open the clasp and look at the back plate and the tongue. Rough casting, pitting, or paint in the corners are faults.
3. Logo stamp and blind stamp
Hermès hot-stamps its name in thin gold foil. The lettering is fine, the accent on the E is sharp, and the foil sits inside the leather rather than on top of it. Fakes use thick foil, a heavy font, or a missing accent. The blind stamp, pressed without foil, holds a year letter and a craftsman code. It should be crisp and shallow, not deep or doubled.
hermes constance 18 fake comparison
4. Leather and grain
Constance 18 bags come in Epsom, Swift, Togo and exotic skins. Epsom has an embossed cross-hatch grain that repeats but never aligns. Swift is smooth and soft. Fakes use coated split leather with a printed grain that repeats at fixed intervals, and the surface looks glossy and flat. Smell the bag. Leather smells like leather. Glue and solvent smell like glue and solvent.
5. Strap, hardware and proportions
The Constance 18 measures about 18 cm wide, 15 cm tall and 7 cm deep. Fakes often run a centimeter wide or tall. Check the strap: length, hole spacing, edge paint and the metal keepers. Edge paint on an authentic bag is thin and even. On a fake it is thick, glossy, or peeling at the bend.
6. Interior
The lining should be leather or a fine suede, not synthetic cloth. Seams inside the bag are finished, not raw. Pocket count and placement should match a known authentic example of the same year and leather.
7. What Hermès does not include
- No authenticity card. Hermès does not issue one.
- No serial number on a metal tag or a plastic sticker.
- No online sale. Hermès sells through its own boutiques and does not authorize third-party e-commerce.
- No dust bag printed with a brand name in a font that differs from the stamp on the bag.
8. Price and paperwork
The Constance 18 was introduced in 1959. It stays in production, and resale prices vary by leather, hardware and year. A price far under market, a seller who refuses close-up photos of the clasp and stamp, or a listing with stock photos only are reasons to walk away.
9. Where to verify
Ask for photos of the stamp, the blind stamp, the clasp back, the strap holes and the interior seam at 1:1 resolution. Compare them against a bag of the same year and leather. A paid authentication service that handles Hermès is cheaper than a wrong purchase.