Bad Experience buying from Chrono24

[nigelk]

TLDR: Never buy from Private Sellers on chrono24. Support your local vintage rolex dealers.

Hi watchfam, I would like to document my unpleasant experience buying a watch from chrono24 and why I will never buy another Rolex online again.

Before buying the watch, I was lured in by Chrono24’s Authenticity Guarantee and the Trusted Checkout (little did I know it did not apply to private sellers).

I bought a Rolex Explorer II Polar 16570. In its description, it is written that the watch is in "very good condition with little signs of wear". And it was supposed to come on a rubber strap with the stainless steel fold clasp (which I assumed to be a Rolex/aftermarket folding clasp)

Being an amateur watch fan myself, I would not obviously know everything about the Explorer 16570. So when I received the watch, here’s what I got:

1. Rubber strap with Tang buckle (And not Rolex/aftermarket stainless steel folding clasp, this I can let slide)
2. Hands on the watch were with the white gold surrounds (these belong to the black dial version 16570)
3. Scratches all over the bezel and case (There's a deep scratch which if you can spot it from the photos, you win a prize)

At this point, the seller offered a paltry USD$275 refund or return. I was furious because:

1. Seller is not obliged to pay the shipping fees back
2. Seller is not obliged to return any of the import taxes I’ve paid
3. Seller insisted that the hands are 100% original and correct because “Rolex said so". (The hands might be original but it is not correct!)
4. Seller is not willing to let me take the watch to a watchmaker to see (because in his words, they are “unprofessional”) and once I do he will not accept returns. Given how the hands are wrong I wondered what else is wrong on the inside of the watch!

Furious, I went to Rolex Service Centre to let them have a look at it. Rolex I assume would be a professional enough watchmaker to know what they are doing.

Rolex Service Centre told me that in order for me to change the hands back to the original black surround hands, I would have to do an overhaul as well of the movement including servicing.

As such I asked the seller if he was willing to cover the cost of that because we have not yet reached an agreement on how to mediate this. He however insisted that the hands are original and correct because Rolex put them on it. However, from what I understand Rolex will never put the wrong hands on this white dial.

As such he is only willing to offer me USD$400 refund because he is unwilling to overhaul a watch simply because I’m buying a used watch and he is not obligated to make it brand new for me(?!?!?!). Remember his note on the condition though: "Very good with little signs of wear". Rolex quoted me SGD$990 for the overhaul and SGD$200 for the hands. His USD$400 will barely cover anything.

This is when I found out that he is not obliged to pay my taxes and shipping back and being afraid that the shipment would get lost (UPS only insures up to $1000 value). Saying he did not receive the watch and the watch is lost will just create bigger problems. I bit the bullet and said yes to the USD$400 compensation as it seemed like the lesser of two evils.

Next up, Rolex called me 2 days later to say that there are a couple of faults with the watch which I hadn’t noticed myself:

1. Bezel is dented (!!!!) and that would require a change of bezel
2. Crystal is NOT ORIGINAL

As such the bezel itself would cost another SGD$298 without taxes and the crystal another SGD$220 without taxes. All in all just to change this watch it would have cost me SGD$1692 taxes included.

I could have easily bought a watch with a much better condition at that service fee + original price and with box and papers. Obviously because I accepted the USD$400 mediation I would not be able to get anything more from the seller. Plus, the fact that the risk of shipping it back is soo big. I would rather just keep the watch.

Im putting this out there not to deter you from chrono24 but to highlight the dangers of private sellers even on chrono24. Its a lesson I learnt painfully. Hopefully you dont have to as well.

I have reached out to chrono24 to see if they can do anything about it (I doubt it) but they take ridiculously long to return emails.

I guess, I should only buy a Rolex that I can see touch and feel with my hands before actually purchasing it. Support your local vintage rolex dealers. ha.

If you wanna see the ad its here:
https://www.chrono24.sg/rolex/explor...id12210376.htm

[PPFANBOY]

Sorry to hear of your experience.

Chrono24 is hit or miss.

Personally, I don't buy a watch that I haven't (or someone I know hasn't) checked out in person. It can be hard to tell from pics alone as the seller can take deceptive photos.

[dan993]

Are the hands not ok? Looks like my Polar 16570?

[nigelk]

Originally Posted by dan993

Are the hands not ok? Looks like my Polar 16570?

That was what i thought! it LOOKED okay but its actually the white gold surround (on the black dial version) in the pictures it looks black so i didnt bother much.

So when I received it, I was absolutely furious and the seller could still tell me they are correct. *facepalm*

[ThatExplorer]

Going through looking at the photos it looks like the hands are black down to where they connect to the cannon. Some parts look like the black has faded or rubbed off to white gold....

Just seems off to me without really looking hard at them. So sorry OP guess the 1700$ and you have a like new watch.

Best of luck to you!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[nigelk]

Originally Posted by ThatExplorer

Going through looking at the photos it looks like the hands are black down to where they connect to the cannon. Some parts look like the black has faded or rubbed off to white gold....

Just seems off to me without really looking hard at them. So sorry OP guess the 1700$ and you have a like new watch.

Best of luck to you!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah I Guess I’ll get a new watch. One thing though I asked to change the hands which will still be Luminova. But the Swiss dial that this has that I’m keeping is Luminova.

Any idea if there will be a difference in strength of the Lume? Like brighter hands and not so bright dial?

From my research, Luminova and Super Luminova is the same thing just different names, the formula is essentially the same. (Correct me if I’m wrong haha)

[1William]

Sorry to hear this. I use Chrono24 for general price checking and have located watches before that interest me. Many dealers, in my experience, do not actually have the watches on hand. I have a tendency to stick with what I know and trust and that is our dealers here on TRF.

[CorradoBrit]

To be fair the silver hands are clear in the 4th picture, but you'd probably need a forensic mindset to have spotted the issue. The used Rolex market is a minefield. I would only buy from a trusted seller or buy a watch with the equivalent of a car PPI.

[dan993]

Originally Posted by CorradoBrit

To be fair the silver hands are clear in the 4th picture, but you'd probably need a forensic mindset to have spotted the issue. The used Rolex market is a minefield. I would only buy from a trusted seller or buy a watch with the equivalent of a car PPI.

Yeah I can see that now. It's unbelievable the seller is telling you they are correct. Sorry you find yourself in this position.

[BigMac53]

Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience - I've bought two watches from Chrono24 and had a great experience with both sellers; not really any different that any of the TD's here at TRF. I think the important part of this something that gets tossed around a lot on various watch forums, buy the seller, not the watch. Sometimes the pricing on Chrono is too good to be true. In my purchases, I did have conversations with different sellers that rubbed me the wrong way and turned me off from wanting to business with them; in the end, I purchased from people who not only were courteous and professional, but also had sufficient sales history and feedback. Sure, I may have missed an opportunity to save a few bucks on the initial purchase; but in the end I was able to acquire quality pieces that I didn't over (or under) pay for.

The seller in your case seems like a real d-nozzle and his intent to flip the watch for max profit is obvious. Sorry to hear you are going through this but don't let it turn you off from the hobby. Next time buy from a TD here.

[77T]

Thanks for sharing the rest of this story (saw your earlier thread about this watch) and I have one thing to add.

The watch in the Chrono24 pics is not the same one you received. Several anomalies. Foremost, look at the triangled hour mark on the bezel in the Chrono24 listing - no paint is missing.





On the watch you posted in the other thread it is clearly worn.





I also looked at the listing photos and can’t be sure but I believe he photoshopped some of the bezel scratches.

Maybe Chrono24 would engage if it was a fraud?


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[nigelk]

Originally Posted by 77T

Thanks for sharing the rest of this story (saw your earlier thread about this watch) and I have one thing to add.

The watch in the Chrono24 pics is not the same one you received. Several anomalies. Foremost, look at the triangled hour mark on the bezel in the Chrono24 listing - no paint is missing.





On the watch you posted in the other thread it is clearly worn.





I also looked at the listing photos and can’t be sure but I believe he photoshopped some of the bezel scratches.

Maybe Chrono24 would engage if it was a fraud?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Wow I see what you mean. Man I gotta be more detailed in catching onto these details. Hmm I Guess since the bezel is gonna get changed too, it’s gonna look fresh and new then haha.

Chrono24 wouldn’t do anything at all if it’s a private seller, even if it’s a fraud. They will basically just ask you to return the watch. But then again, buyer is not obliged to pay anything, which is a pain.

[myporsche]

Originally Posted by nigelk

Chrono24 wouldn’t do anything at all if it’s a private seller, even if it’s a fraud. They will basically just ask you to return the watch. But then again, buyer is not obliged to pay anything, which is a pain.

This is not true, it is a protected transaction if the buyer and seller used Chronos secured escrow account.

What should I keep in mind when buying from a private seller?
If you want to buy from a private seller, the Escrow Service on Chrono24 is the safest way to pay. Your payment goes to an escrow account, where it remains safely until you have the watch in your hands. The Chrono24 team is always available to help in case something doesn't go as planned.


Many sellers offer payment via Chrono24. Your payment goes to a secure escrow account, where it remains safely until you have the watch in your hands. The Chrono24 team is always available to help ensure your purchase runs smoothly. You can find further information about paying via Chrono24 here:
Purchasing from commercial dealers.
Purchasing from private sellers.

[nigelk]

Originally Posted by myporsche

This is not true, it is a protected transaction if the buyer and seller used Chronos secured escrow account.

What should I keep in mind when buying from a private seller?
If you want to buy from a private seller, the Escrow Service on Chrono24 is the safest way to pay. Your payment goes to an escrow account, where it remains safely until you have the watch in your hands. The Chrono24 team is always available to help in case something doesn't go as planned.


Many sellers offer payment via Chrono24. Your payment goes to a secure escrow account, where it remains safely until you have the watch in your hands. The Chrono24 team is always available to help ensure your purchase runs smoothly. You can find further information about paying via Chrono24 here:
Purchasing from commercial dealers.
Purchasing from private sellers.

Yeap its escrow. But when you want to return it back because the watch is completely wrong....:

1. Seller not obliged to pay delivery fees back when it's obviously their fault.
2. Seller not obliged to pay your import taxes (this alone is already worth noting). if your watch is $6000 and taxes are 10%. Thats $600 gone. would you do that just to send your watch back?

3. Most shipments insure only up to $1000. What if it's lost and Seller decides to say hey I've not received your shipment because he doesn't wanna pay HIS import taxes back into his country? You just get back $1000 and thats it.

If you insure more, you pay more delivery and thats not covered by the seller.

[Laszlo]

Originally Posted by 77T

Thanks for sharing the rest of this story (saw your earlier thread about this watch) and I have one thing to add.

The watch in the Chrono24 pics is not the same one you received. Several anomalies. Foremost, look at the triangled hour mark on the bezel in the Chrono24 listing - no paint is missing.





On the watch you posted in the other thread it is clearly worn.





I also looked at the listing photos and can’t be sure but I believe he photoshopped some of the bezel scratches.

Maybe Chrono24 would engage if it was a fraud?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

It’s the same watch but the seller photoshopped that area. He actually toned down that scratch but you see some of it. Also number 18 is almost a perfect match between the two.

[77T]

When you were buying you would not have expected the problems with the hands and bezel from those Chrono24 pics.

The aftermarket crystal would have been impossible to know except for a slight difference in cyclops magnification that is usually hard to notice.

In your current position, you got back the $400 and spent some $$ with the RSC for an estimate. If the watch is working fine, you might just wear it until it is time for an overhaul.

In the meantime, buy some Testors black model enamel on Amazon.

You can touch-up the paint after working over the bezel scratches with a fiber brush tool.




https://www.esslinger.com/bergeon-62...sh-fiberglass/

So in a way, make lemonade out of lemons by playing with your watch until you replace the bezel.


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[lx384]

I think you’ll get a refund of the import tax if you’re returning an item. You’ll need to apply for it on SG Customs website. Sounds troublesome though.

[myporsche]

I don't know man, I feel like you could have done some more and put in the effort to return it, timing would have been important since the money is in escrow. Instead you got frustrated, took the $400 and started the repair process so there is not much more that can be done now. Hopefully the watch comes back clean and you are satisfied. You could have just paid to send it back, maybe don't have it insured but track it, then attempt to get back the import taxes.

[SwedenDrummer]

May I ask why don´t you use Escrow
The escrow agreement protects both parties ---- buyer/seller
The buyer pays to a 3rd party account (Escrow) and the funds are only released when the goods have been received and checked by the buyer. Very simple and secure policy. Some fees of course, but it is a very secure way to do business without have seen the and felt the watch live.