[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I'm not a watch guy, but I wonder if the labor involved in verifying one of these is authentic might be quite a bit more intensive than something like a baseball card? Does a watch expert know immediately if they're holding a fake? Obviously some fakes are super easy to detect, but some of the high end fakes, from what I'm told, can even fool a jeweler supposedly. I can identify pretty much any fake vintage card in a matter of seconds. I'm guessing if this service made it's way into cards that the fee would be much lower.

Most of the problems with high end is the minutia in verification as I have many watch collecting friends and value is not based nearly on authentic but originality. As the vintage Rolex mentioned would fall in this, it would be "authentic"... however the same authentic watch with a replacement face, bezel, hands or band would be a fraction of the value. I would love to know the depth these reports cover. The same parameters fall for every prize watch and why most buy used from certified dealers and not secondary rebuilders.