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Interesting ebay call about authentication of a watch

WatchIdiot
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So I got a call about a watch that got rejected by ebays authentication system.

He said they do a lot of checks and mentioned the crystal. I stated to a point they get scratched and replaced and I understand that.

He then stated if its a generic/aftermarket crystal they will normally note it and give the option of accepting the watch. But if lets say its an aftermarket crystal that is marked with omega they will reject it outright. He went on to say any parts that are marked with the makers name but are after market it triggers the rejection. He said it was a legal thing as they cant allow fake markings. So they could not allow the sale of a repro watch marked omega even if stated to be a repro. I guess its a trademark/copywrite/counterfeit thing.

I asked what % of watches fail, he said maybe 1 in 10, so 10% are rejected. Which is not too shabby if you ask me.
 
Dan S
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Just curious, what was the context of this call? You were a buyer or a seller in a transaction where the watch was rejected and you spoke with someone from the inspection company firsthand? That's interesting.

The part where they reject counterfeits isn't surprising, I think that's the main rationale for the authentication.
 
X350 XJR
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Can you show us the watch in question?
 
WatchIdiot
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Dan S Dan S
Just curious, what was the context of this call? You were a buyer or a seller in a transaction where the watch was rejected and you spoke with someone from the inspection company firsthand? That's interesting.

The part where they reject counterfeits isn't surprising, I think that's the main rationale for the authentication.
I was the buyer, they where just doing a customer service type call. Asking if I had any questions about the authentication system, they could not give me the reason for the rejection. And no it was ebay not the company doing the authentication.
 
Dan S
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WatchIdiot WatchIdiot
I was the buyer, they where just doing a customer service type call. Asking if I had any questions about the authentication system, they could not give me the reason for the rejection. And no it was ebay not the company doing the authentication.
Interesting, thanks. So they were able to give general reasons for failed authentication, but couldn't tell you why the specific watch you purchased was rejected.

I wonder if it was the insert.
 
WatchIdiot
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Yes and I would have liked to know why. The seller did reach out and ask me if ebay told me why it was rejected , they did not.

If it was something like the band, which the seller mentions not closing right. I would reach back out and try to buy it even cheaper and just put a nato strap on it, which I was going to do anyways.
 
paddymoran
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Dan S Dan S
The part where they reject counterfeits isn't surprising, I think that's the main rationale for the authentication.
There are instances where it seems they can’t determine the authenticity of an item or a component of an item and, from my experience, they simply don’t have the knowledge to make an informed decision (or perhaps the inclination to spend a few minutes online to authenticate an item/ component).

Late this year I won an auction for a circa 1970 Seamaster chronograph. I was delighted. I had no doubt over its authenticity but the authenticators decided that they couldn’t authenticate either the bracelet (which I knew was aftermarket and of no value to me) or the NATO strap (which was very clearly authentic Omega and appealed to me).

As per the below screenshot, I could either accept the watch and they’d forward this to me and return the bracelet and strap to the seller) or I could reject their decision and lose out on the transaction. Fortunately, I had good rapport with the seller and he agreed to send me on the NATO when it was returned to him.

I found the whole process of dealing with the authenticators extremely frustrating. They said they tried to ring me but I had no missed call. I couldn’t speak to them directly and I couldn’t convince eBay that the NATO was genuine and worth at least €100 to me. On the other hand I did not want to lose the purchase of the watch.

IMG_1103.webp IMG_1101.webp
 
Pastorbottle
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Given the amount of fake rubbish for sale (all categories not just watch related) on ebay it amuses me that the get all precious over select category items, it's nothing to do with protecting the consumer and all about protecting their scaly arses from litigation from corporations in certain market sectors who jealously and obsessively guard their trademarks (Rolex would be a top contender here, though they wouldn't exactly be alone in this respect)
 
paddymoran
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Pastorbottle Pastorbottle
Given the amount of fake rubbish for sale (all categories not just watch related) on ebay it amuses me that the get all precious over select category items, it's nothing to do with protecting the consumer and all about protecting their scaly arses from litigation from corporations in certain market sectors who jealously and obsessively guard their trademarks (Rolex would be a top contender here, though they wouldn't exactly be alone in this respect)
Fully agree - they are clearly targeting the wrong activity. The irony of having concerns over a genuine Omega NATO strap as part of a €2/3k transaction when they could confidently authenticate the vintage Seamaster while there is so much counterfeit/ illegal material being transacted.
 
asrnj77
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There is a video about the whole authentication process and it looks remarkably thorough but I’ve only purchased one watch that went through the process and the tracking showed it arrived at their facility at 10am and was already outbound to me by 3pm. It has the eBay authentication card but I was left with the feeling that they devote most of their energy to Rolex and other commonly counterfeited brands. My guess is that a $2500 Sinn will get a very cursory review before being “authenticated”
 
WatchIdiot
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asrnj77 asrnj77
There is a video about the whole authentication process and it looks remarkably thorough but I’ve only purchased one watch that went through the process and the tracking showed it arrived at their facility at 10am and was already outbound to me by 3pm. It has the eBay authentication card but I was left with the feeling that they devote most of their energy to Rolex and other commonly counterfeited brands. My guess is that a $2500 Sinn will get a very cursory review before being “authenticated”
Lets be honest if you had a database of pics on known real watches. You could very quickly plop a watch down under a camera, pull up a pic from the data base and do a split screen of both. This would catch 90% of the fakes in a matter of a min. If it gets past that step open it up and do the same for the movement. Then start looking at the other parts like the crystal and band.

This could also explain the " unable to verify " problem on watches they dont have pics of.
 
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