The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I am new to watch collecting and have a question about watches I see on e Bay A lot of sellers will show pictures of the opened back I presume to verify the movement is genuine. My concern is that some amateur is fiddling with the watch Is this a real concern or am I being paranoid, Dave

It's a real concern (at least for me).

Ifthe watch is opened without teh right tools you can get all kinds of scratches etc on hte case back and if it's opened in hte wrong environment then you can get dirt inside the movement.

Additionally, if it's not put back on properly the water resistance can be compromised.

thanks roff My feeling as well. Do you need to see the guts to know you are getting an authentic piece from smaller or private sellers, Dave

If there are good photos of the watch, there are box and papers and the seller has a track record then there is no reson to be concerned about the movement.

Thanks for the tips, Dave

To be honest if I see a watch with the back case removed I pass... unless I can be certain its a dealer, I agree with Roff, all they usually do is damage the watch, this is especially true of Quartz watches where home battery installation has taken place!

Drives me mad!

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Al

“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"

Ironically, there was someone in the Replica ID section asking about the authenticity of a watch, who was hesitant to buy because the seller wouldn't remove the caseback to show him the movement. I tried to explain it was really better if the seller didn't do that, and that a lot of sellers can't do that.

Same for me. I will look at the cover photo, open the "gallery" and see the back removed, close my interest then MOVE ON!

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11' US Naval Aviation Centennial Airwolf L/E
Ocean Racer band
10' Avenger Seawolf Chrono "BLACKSTEEL" L/E
Diver Pro II band
08' Chronomat Evolution
SS/18K w/ SS/18K Pilot Bracelet
06' Philip Stein "SPORT"

For contemporary watches there's no need to see the inside unless you suspect something amiss. For vintage watches I don't buy them unless there's a movement pic provided or the price is low enough to take a risk. Simple matter of too many fakes and I've seen both reputable dealers and normal sellers completely unaware they're selling fakes. Without a movement pic you could be stuck with a worthless piece of trash. Of course you have to be educated as to what you're looking at too. I've sold two vintage Breitlings worth over $2k each in the past month and the buyers wouldn't have bought them without seeing the movement first.