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fibonacci
·I've done it to reduce the chance of scammers using my sale photos. It's a lot harder to scam a sale if you're unable to provide a legit serial number photo i.m.o.
Why Do Sellers Obscure the Movement Serial Number?
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MtV
·Mostly it comes down to overly cautious people imitating other people.
Exactly - which is why I don’t really bother about it, especially at the lower end of vintage Omegas. I’ve bought a couple watches with censored serials, I remember two times I met the sellers in person. They were both insistent of meeting “someplace safe”, eg a bank or in front of a police station and when we did meet it felt like a completely legitimate transaction with someone who simply perceives a level of criminal activity here that I have to reason to second.
If it makes a seller feel safer… I don’t mind. There are different ways of establishing they actually do own the watch, as stated above.
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padders
··Oooo subtitles!So when has this ever happened 😗 How you coping with number plates on your car 😗
Funny thing is when a watch is stolen…owners want to plaster the serial number everywhere
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Foo2rama
··Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...My current favorite facepalm in this area, is car sellers obscuring license plates but giving out the vin number…
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Joe_A
·IMO, there is no legitimate reason for the practice. In these threads, people always come up with various rationales, but they all involve scenarios that are incredibly speculative or illogical. Mostly it comes down to overly cautious people imitating other people. Probably a small fraction are scammers trying to hide the serial number.
Why post the full serial number at all in a public forum in the first place?
Unless there is a good reason, as would be the case when someone asks for help from the community to validate the authenticity of an Omega or a Longines or other watch where one expects to find knowledgeable people here to help, why do it? What's the upside?
To me, asking why not do it is the wrong question. Why do it, should be the question.
I've posted full serial numbers from my watches half the time. It comes down to feeling reasonably certain that the provenance is established or very likely to be so as in the case of my being the third owner in a couple of cases, the watch being passed from the original owner to a son or daughter.
But when I buy a watch that may have passed through an unknown number of hands, there is a small risk of a claim on the watch being made, publicly or privately. Though the risk may be very small, the pain in such a case may be large.
If the claim is made publicly, then the owner is put on the defensive. "The watch that you say that you own was bought by my grandfather in 1963. I even have the original bill of sale (for a company that has since gone under,) I had a break-in 12 years ago and the watch was stolen. Please arrange to get it back to me as soon as possible!"
Now if you fail to take the claim seriously, you are to be perceived as the bad guy to perhaps 50% of the people who may have respected you up until then. If you do take such a claim seriously, then you've got a lot of emotional turmoil ahead.
Generally, there is no need for anyone other than the present owner to know the serial number.
Assuming one is an honorable person, one will turn over the watch if it is found to be on a bona fide stolen watch list.
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Dan S
·Why post the full serial number at all in a public forum in the first place?
I do it to be open and transparent, and because I don't see any significant risk. For example, for collectible watches, some people track serial numbers of sold watches, and they want to see the numbers. It also shows that the numbers aren't damaged or obscured, without a potential buyer having to ask. My feeling is that the more information I can provide, the more potential buyers are likely to be interested.
If you think that the risk doesn't balance the benefit, then you should obscure the numbers.
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smitty190373
·Seems a better practice to just ask for a tagged photo (i.e. watch with today's date on a piece of paper, etc).
Scammers scam...I got this from our friend Victor just before he ripped me for over 4k
If i think it may reduce a sales photos being re-used illicitly, i'll try anything
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bmpennington
·I do it to avoid having replicas made with real serial numbers. It helps when people check the authenticity of the watch by the serial number only. In fact, you could have a fake still. This is why I always have watches I buy used authenticated.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerI do it to avoid having replicas made with real serial numbers.
This is the one I chuckle at the most - that horse left the paddock years ago. It's not like they can't find a serial number somewhere (there are serial number lists out there all over the place), and add 1 to a serial number to form a new serial number.
Or if a faker was really desperate, they could go to an Omega store and look at a real watch in person (you know, the one they need to know the details of to copy - that they probably have already bought a sample of) and just use that.
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sathomasga
·I do it to be open and transparent [...]
As a potential buyer rather than a seller, I appreciate this practice. An obscured serial number is definitely not one of my deal-breakers, and if I felt that knowing the serial number was important, I'd just ask the seller. But it does create an initial impression that could make a potential buyer wonder what the seller has to hide. I've read the posts in this thread and, honestly, I don't find any of the reasons for obscuring to be especially convincing. But of course that's just my opinion, and other folks are absolutely welcome to differ.
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Evitzee
·Those that don't see any need to obscure serial numbers when posting watches on line are probably the ones most likely to only do face-to-face deals in the lobby of a police station at 12 noon, with two rottweilers in tow, plus a muscle bound friend, Ace, as backup. Just to be safe. Just do what you want and feel comfortable with.
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Omegafanman
·What is the serial number and NASA number for the missing Buzz Aldrin watch?
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Pun
·BECAUSE THAT'S MY GRANDPAS WATCH. I CAN TELL BY THE SERIAL NUMBER AND IT WAS STOLEN LAST WEEK. GIVE IT BACK TO ME OR I'M CALLIN THE COPS!
That's why.
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Wryfox
·I doubt that only serial number and an internet photo of the watch will make your case strong enough for police action. You need to convince cops about your previous possession of the watch. You can't just claim to be the owner of a watch that's somewhere 2000 miles away as stolen. Just my 2 cents.
They can try to coerce into doing it. My guess is it works to some degree. It happened to me with an ebay listing. In fact my first watch listing. I got calls to my house from someone claiming to be the grandson and demanding the watch back. I ignored it, he called two more times trying to escalate and that was the end of it. I never answered of course, these were answering machine messages. And quite creepy. But it remains that someone tried and had successfully found my information to contact me.
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Joe_A
·I do it to be open and transparent, and because I don't see any significant risk. For example, for collectible watches, some people track serial numbers of sold watches, and they want to see the numbers. It also shows that the numbers aren't damaged or obscured, without a potential buyer having to ask. My feeling is that the more information I can provide, the more potential buyers are likely to be interested.
If you think that the risk doesn't balance the benefit, then you should obscure the numbers.
The two points of view can and do coexist nicely.
Some share full serial numbers casually, thinking the risk of an issue cropping up to be very small.
Others may agree, but feel that showing the full serial number casually in a public forum under most circumstances to be unnecessary.
.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerSo, we have a total of one actual story of a poorly attempted scan, that all it took to resolve was to ignore the scammer.
Any other real life (happened to you personally) instances where a serial number was used to somehow defraud you of your watch, or your serial number was used to create a fake?
As is always the case when this comes up, people state all kinds of theories about why serial numbers should be covered up, but the actual evidence of anything nefarious is very scarce...to the point of being virtually non-existent.
And to counter the straw man, I don't think anyone has said it's necessary to show serial numbers. If you don't want to show them, then don't. But the reasons people make up for this are really nonsensical most of the time, and backed by little evidence.
Any other real life (happened to you personally) instances where a serial number was used to somehow defraud you of your watch, or your serial number was used to create a fake?
As is always the case when this comes up, people state all kinds of theories about why serial numbers should be covered up, but the actual evidence of anything nefarious is very scarce...to the point of being virtually non-existent.
And to counter the straw man, I don't think anyone has said it's necessary to show serial numbers. If you don't want to show them, then don't. But the reasons people make up for this are really nonsensical most of the time, and backed by little evidence.
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Joe_A
·So, we have a total of one actual story of a poorly attempted scan, that all it took to resolve was to ignore the scammer.
<snip>
And to counter the straw man, I don't think anyone has said it's necessary to show serial numbers. If you don't want to show them, then don't. But the reasons people make up for this are really nonsensical most of the time, and backed by little evidence.
I missed the appearance of the straw man. He must have run by while I was looking the other way.
Has anyone in the thread suggested that it is necessary to show serial numbers? if so, I missed it. I've suggested that, in most cases, it is simply unnecessary to show full serial numbers.
I am a reasonably bright fellow who happens to think that there are reasons for not showing a full serial number that are not nonsensical and I see no reason to criticize a person for either showing full serial numbers or not showing full serial numbers.
This has been a good discussion and now the OP can make up his or her own mind
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerAnd to counter the straw man, I don't think anyone has said it's necessary to show serial numbers.
Has anyone in the thread suggested that it is necessary to show serial numbers?
It seems we are in agreement on this point, at least.
Why do it, should be the question.
People are just showing photos of watches, not "intentionally showing serial numbers". This seems to be the disconnect I see with your arguments on the issue. Most people only think or ask about it when they see others doing it - this thread is proof of that.
And for this...
I see no reason to criticize a person for either showing full serial numbers or not showing full serial numbers.
I don't see people really criticizing people for showing or not showing serial numbers. The only real criticism is of the rather elaborate perceived risks that people believe are associated with showing them, that are not really based on evidence.
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STANDY
··schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collectorAs above a bit like the don’t post your number plate online because people copy them.
But you drive around and park on the street where your number plate is visible by everyone anyway.
In the UK your number plate is probably photographed 20+ times a day by the
5.2 million CCTV cameras
How many CCTV cameras are there in the UK? In a 2013 report, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) estimated there were between 4-5.9 million cameras in the UK, but as recently as 2020, most people appear to agree on a figure of 5.2 million CCTV cameras nationwide.
But you drive around and park on the street where your number plate is visible by everyone anyway.
In the UK your number plate is probably photographed 20+ times a day by the
5.2 million CCTV cameras
How many CCTV cameras are there in the UK? In a 2013 report, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) estimated there were between 4-5.9 million cameras in the UK, but as recently as 2020, most people appear to agree on a figure of 5.2 million CCTV cameras nationwide.
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eugeneandresson
·A ‘barnfind’ is not a ‘barnfind’ if the 27 prior flippings can be traced by googling a serial number 😗
Jokes aside, who cares why people are for it or against it? I don’t agree with most reasons from BOTH camps 😀 Make up your own mind and do as you see fit. Just don’t be surprised when selling a watch and displaying this info if a buyer backs down because he is in the other camp (hint: you won’t actually know this, and it works both ways, but I’m fairly certain that’s why @STANDY s Seiko hasn’t sold). We are all different…
Jokes aside, who cares why people are for it or against it? I don’t agree with most reasons from BOTH camps 😀 Make up your own mind and do as you see fit. Just don’t be surprised when selling a watch and displaying this info if a buyer backs down because he is in the other camp (hint: you won’t actually know this, and it works both ways, but I’m fairly certain that’s why @STANDY s Seiko hasn’t sold). We are all different…
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