I've noticed that many of the watches in the for sale sections, both here and elsewhere, have the serial numbers obscured. Is there a good reason for this?

Personally, I really wouldn't bother. Okay, perhaps a license place or some other PII, but a watch serial number? And one that is going to be hidden by the case back anyway?

Am I missing something?

 

Most people do it because they see other people do it...

 

Paranoia that’s all.

Sheeple effect.....

I don’t and never have.

 

Its not a good reason, but hiding serial numbers can help hide theft.

 

I remember reading that it was to prevent your serial number from being reused on a fake watch.

 

Read the same thing I have no idea if it was paranoia but read more than once.

 

There's one reason ... might not be a good one, but it's my reason: should anyone turn around and claim that a watch I'm selling is their property and had been stolen weeks, months or years before then I can ask them to simply provide the serial number to prove ownership. I buy a lot of watches at auction which does mean that due diligence isn't always enough.

 

First off, if people want to hide serial numbers for any reason that they choose, I really don't care one way or another.

But of all the supposed "reasons" for doing it, this one makes the least sense to me. If you think about this rationally, then I don't think it holds up very well.

If this is the reason someone hides a serial number, then it must assume that having a faker use the serial number of your watch will somehow harm you in a material way. The only way I can think of that is if someone now believes your watch is the fake, and this would have to assume that the fake is just as good in all respects as the real thing, which is pretty rare in the fake watch world.

This scenario also assumes that the serial number would be used on the fakes would be the exact same brand/model watch as yours is, and that a faker would take the time and trouble to find a specific brand/model that is identical to the watch they are faking to use on their fakes, rather than just pulling a number out of their arse (which is what most do I believe). They would then have to choose your specific watch out of presumably thousands of examples shown on-line to select your specific serial number.

So even assuming that fakers go to this trouble (dubious assumption) then the chances of them picking your specific watch is likely pretty slim...

For me, nothing I get worried about personally, but again if this is a concern for you then by all means hide it. It just doesn't seem very logical that this would be the main reason for doing so though.

Cheers, Al

 

Actually, there is a rational reason for hiding serial numbers based on what has happened in the past. A proud owner of a new watch takes great pics of his new toy and posts them online at several watch forums, serial numbers of case and movement clearly visible. An internet crook takes those pictures and posts an ad for that watch at an attractive, below market price, "sells" the watch to an unsuspecting buyer, takes the wired money and disappears. The buyer is rightfully angry and reports his new watch as stolen, or missing, and it gets on the manufacturers stolen list, police reports, insurance claims, even discussed on watch forums, etc. The real owner of the watch knows nothing about this, of course, and two years later sends the watch in for repair. Bam!....the watch is confiscated and now he has to prove he is the rightful owner. He has a real mess on his hands. It has happened.

You may think it is paranoid, but it is easy to just blur the serial numbers, it makes internet theft harder for the bad guys, and they are out there. If you are posting pics of your dad's old 1950 gold filled Hamilton it is no big deal, but if it is a brand spanking new AP Royal Oak that is a hot ticket, be very careful.

 

I’m not particularly worried about my serial number being used on fakes, it’s just something I read. I blur it out for the same reason you mentioned above, cause everyone else does it. I guess that makes me a sheep

 

Yeah, I blur them also on every "public" pic. To be honest I don't know why, I've seen it done so many times that I guess that I am following the flock. @Evitzee's post (2up) makes the most sense to me for a specific reason.

 

I don't worry about showing the serial number. Why do people block it?

I believe @Archer's reason...

... is spot on. And a dimension of the psychological effect known as "social proof" - in this case the "wisdom of the crowds."

In this and all things - don't be a sheep, or worse, a lemming.

 

Critical thinking on the part of an individual is never a bad thing, but don't be too quick to dismiss the accuracy of crowd wisdom. Here is a link to a Planet Money episode that explored and tested the "wisdom of the crowds" ( and spoiler: they found it to be better than expert opinion).

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/...uessed-the-weight-of-a-cow-heres-how-they-did

 

i'm sure those selling stolen watches block the serial #'s too. they seem to have the most incentive to obscure the #'s.

 

Bingo

 

I probably shouldn't introduce these thoughts publicly, but I am curious as to whether my statement below offends . . . or seems reasonable?

One thing that obscuring the last digit or two of a serial number accomplishes is to inoculate the present owner from having to potentially fight a false claim by a supposed previous owner, however unlikely such a thing may be. Even if unlikely, why needlessly expose oneself to a possible hassle?

When I buy a watch, I do expect the seller to reveal the complete serial number to me during the negotiation and I am happy to do the same when selling a watch, but do hundreds or thousands of other people need to see the complete serial number of any watch in a public forum?

 

This thread:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/new-stolen-watch-registry.95966/

Should influence the thoughts expressed in this thread (here.)

Edit: I am meaning to suggest that this is potentially a fraught issue.