How we authenticate a watch
Six checks every watch goes through before we offer it, and what each one is looking for.
2 min read
A convincing fake used to be easy to spot. Today the best ones copy the weight, the finishing and even the movement layout. That is why we never rely on a single check, and why every watch we offer has been opened by an independent watchmaker.
Numbers first
The reference, serial and case numbers should agree with each other and with the period the watch claims to come from. Where the manufacturer offers an extract or a record check, we use it.
Under magnification
Dial printing, applied indexes, hands, bezel inserts, crown and bracelet are checked one by one. We are looking for replacement parts and refinishing as much as for counterfeits, because a genuine watch with a service dial is a different watch from one with its original.
Inside the case
The calibre must match the reference, and its finishing must match the maker. The watch then goes on a timegrapher for rate, amplitude and beat error, which tells us whether a service is due.
Papers and provenance
Boxes and papers add value, which is exactly why they are faked too. We check that they belong to the watch and to each other.
The report
Everything we find goes into a written report with photographs, which you see before you commit to buy.
