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josiahg52
·Not to disagree with you (although I disagree that it has no value), but it isn't just the EoA. It wouldn't matter how detailed their database was or if they examined the watch in person, there is no system that could provide 100% certainty of authenticity. Even if the manufacturer confirmed that every single part of the watch was the same part that was on the watch when it left the factory, the moment that watch leaves the authenticators, it is vulnerable to manipulation.
This argument that the EoA is valuable or not valuable is kind of a moot point. There is NO system that will be absolutely reliable. It's possible that by arguing that the EoA has no value, we might be suggesting that a different system would provide that missing assurance. Likewise, by arguing that the EoA has some value, we aren't saying it provides assurance of authenticity. There is some value in knowing that a reference that was only sold in Japan has an extract that says it was originally sold in Italy. That gives me assurance that this watch is inauthentic. If it says it was sold in Japan as expected, that doesn't mean it's autentic, but it doesn't prove that it's not. There's some value in that imho.
The best and most reliable system is the reliability of the seller and the knowledge of the buyer.
That's what I'm saying. The information - a piece of paper with the limited information that they have access to - became coveted and gained value itself. Buyers and sellers began to look at it as proof of something rather than just casual information about a specific serial number. The watch only sold in Japan watch is a good example. I could give you a piece of paper that says my watch was originally delivered to Japan. I could even gin up a good looking EoA sheet. It's not confirmation of authenticity (which you never said it was, either), nor does it prove anything. It never has and I don't think Omega or the others really intended it to. The reason why there is a business in bogus EoAs is because it's easy to do and the market sees/saw value in something that is literally worth nothing because none of it can be confirmed and it's open to manipulation. It's at best for personal use only.
