How in depth do 2nd hand watch seller check for authenticity?

[Jericho17]

Recently I went to check out some watches and when I asked about the process they authenticate their watches for eg. do they open up the case to check and all that, all I got was "Yeah of course.." the reply somehow doesn't give me confidence.

Do most of them really do their due diligence or the main risk still transfer to the buyer like me at the end of the day? I mean for brick and mortar shops, I really do expect them to do the necessary and expect them to go beyond checking just papers.

[taxico]

buyer beware.

[tionghan]

erm, why would the seller check for authenticity? they should have done that when they were the buyer..
buyer beware sums it up.

i ever sold a watch worth 4k plus.. buyer transfer $ to my bank without even seeing me or the actual watch...and i've never deal with him b4...on the other hand there were buyer who insisted to go RSC to verify despite its a set with cert (rolex)
so it's really up to individual and being said that.. i think seller also plays a part in terms of giving details of the watch, provide enough confidence for the buyer.
and buyer also gotta do their homework etc b4 dealing so as to have a smooth transaction.. of course.. sending for verification is one of the popular methods

[mew]

It depends on the shop but I won't expect them to send every piece they purchase for authentication at their respective service centres. Most I have dealt with would at least open the watch and look at the movement for watches with closed caseback.

[Jericho17]

That's the thing... when 2nd hand shops declared that their goods are 100% genuine; I am quite sceptical as to how they can back up this claim. As least they need to have a transparent process of the checks and authentication methods that they use before every purchase from their source.

[mailwin]

so far anyone has any bad experiences ?

[amphibian]

i guess the best is buy through recommendation. there is massive info here. research before you buy.

[Galvanized]

I'm very curious and intrigued about this topic as well.
I understand they do charge lesser than Rolex themselves to verify,
however till now none of them has been able (or don't want to) give me a
substantial answer to their verification process.

[taku]

so far anyone has any bad experiences ?

No one got bad experiences?

[andrewkerk]

I'm very curious and intrigued about this topic as well.
I understand they do charge lesser than Rolex themselves to verify,
however till now none of them has been able (or don't want to) give me a
substantial answer to their verification process.

Agreed with u too, I am also very very curious how they really verifiers the watch...

[79bernard]

Went HJ luxury to attempt to sell my pam351 after dealing with the seller nearby for a piece of mind, the guy simply held it up, looked it over for less than a min and quoted me a "reasonable" price. Either they are really that experienced or simply dun care lol...

[Metroplex]

This is a good question only insiders from these verification shops can tell us...

[HotCooler]

imho.. 1 can never be too safe.. $107 for a $10,000 or $15,000 watch is actually not much.. usually the resistance with buyers on verification is becoz of the hassle..

even if 1 is experience enough to look at the outside.. he do not have to tool to open the back case and look inside..

[AK Subzero]

i think most watch technicians fr 2nd hand shops are previously fr RSC..i went to Top Hour to check my 6694..he immediately spotted the problem after he opened the case..no prob so far

[xtc_exist]

imo, just sent to RSC to verify for a peace of mind.