How to know if you are buying Authentic Watches
by Joseph Levy
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
A Guide on how to know if your watch is authentic
To be sure that your watch is authentic, there are a number of things you should become familiar with before purchasing your watch. This should be done in order to protect your potential investment and to be sure that you are not wasting your money on a scam or otherwise illegitimate timepiece.
Authorized Dealers
Some watch companies will only allow certain retailers to sell their products. This is done in order to limit the instances of counterfeiting of the watches. Some dealers are authorized to carry multiple watches or collections from multiple watch manufacturers, but others specialize in selling the work of only one watch manufacturer. It depends on the dealer. If you are looking for an authorized dealer, you can contact the specific watch manufacturer in which you are interested to ask them who they utilize as their authorized dealers. It is also possible to utilize the Internet on this search. By using a search engine, you can perform a query of ‘authorized watch dealers’ or for your ideal manufacturer’s watch dealers.
Who Should You Buy From
Some watch buyers believe that the only place from which you can safely purchase timepieces would be directly from the manufacturer. While thinking in this manner is one of the safest ways to make sure that you are getting ‘the real deal’, it is also one of the most expensive and potentially most complicated places from which a watch can be purchased. However, there are a number of alternate venues from which an individual may be able to purchase watches, even those which are brand name or luxury watches. The trick to purchasing watches from these alternate venues is to make sure that you are not being swindled. The tips for this are below in the “Getting in Touch” and “Authenticating” sections.
eBay: The Basics and Feedback
eBay and other auction sites are great for finding rare and inexpensive treasures. To some, this would include watches. In order to make sure the watches on eBay are legitimate, it is easy to send a message to the seller. Ask them the necessary questions to prove legitimacy of the watch. If the seller does not get back in touch with you and respond to your questions and comments, try finding another source from which to purchase your timepiece(s).
Getting in Touch
When you are interested in making a watch purchase, it is important to get in touch with the potential seller to ask them questions about the watch and to make sure that they are a legitimate seller and that the watch they are offering is not counterfeit. If you cannot get in touch with a person at the point of contact, you are best off looking elsewhere for your purchase.
Authenticating Watches
Watches will have their own specific markings in order to prove that they are authentic. For example, diver’s watches are engraved with the word DIVER in order to make it clear that they meet the standards set forth for diving watches. The same is true for manufacturers. Each manufacturer has their own signature to prove it is legitimately one of their time pieces, such as their letter engraved on the watch.
