New here and wondering if I am crazy

[rohada]

Originally Posted by Ukkanhifi

Isn't one of Crono24's selling point they authenticate the watch before sending to the buyer through their escrow service? Is there a reason to doubt the service? I'm new to buying and want to understand how reliable Chrono24's escrow service is.

This is an Ebay thing for watches over a certain value. Ebay seller fees work out to be about 10%, Chrono24 is about 6.5%.

[AresNorth]

Just to update the AD I brought it to is an RSC and I did not expect anything for free. Nothing in this world is. The piece I was having checked was a 216570 that card dates to 2104 so it was not a just sold piece or in original warranty

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by SS Oyster

If you are wondering the authenticity, then you chose the wrong seller. Most grey dealers don't want you taking it in because you are putting them and their flippers on report with Rolex. You are saying, "Heh, I'm the new owner, is this thing real?". The AD is reporting this to Rolex corporate, who are picking up the phone to call the original AD and ask why their watch is only months later in the hands of someone else ... please ID your flipper and never sell to them again.

This exactly. People want to be able to buy newer Rolex hot models in the used market (called gray market here). Every time you go to Rolex for authentication, you are reporting the original purchaser and AD to Rolex. Rolex follows up with the AD. The original purchaser who perhaps simply did not like the watch or needed money for an emergency is banned by that AD. Happens again and the AD loses status. Buy the seller. Most can spot a fake very easily. Live and let live. Do not contact Rolex.

[RichardBartlett]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Maybe they just didn't want to provide you with a free service like that after you bought a watch from an unofficial dealer and competitor (assuming you told them where you got it)?

Seems reasonable. You've gotta ask yourself why he didn't just walk into any old AD he was passing and pick what he wanted off the shelf there and then like we all do...

[BroncoOne]

Originally Posted by CedCraig

I think it would be crazy NOT to verify authenticity after buying grey.

It depends on the grey that sold it to you.
Trusted greys can be relied on as their reputation is all that they have.

[amh]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

This exactly. People want to be able to buy newer Rolex hot models in the used market (called gray market here). Every time you go to Rolex for authentication, you are reporting the original purchaser and AD to Rolex. Rolex follows up with the AD. The original purchaser who perhaps simply did not like the watch or needed money for an emergency is banned by that AD. Happens again and the AD loses status. Buy the seller. Most can spot a fake very easily. Live and let live. Do not contact Rolex.

What not to do: "Hey Rolex, is my watch real?" (embarrassing....)

What to do: "Hey Rolex, my watch is running a little slow.... would you mind checking it? Here's the warranty card."

What happens:
- Tech runs the warranty card through their system. If there's an issue it will show up at this stage.
- AD throws the watch on their test equipment. Test passes.

Note, the watch may be in perfect condition but that's not the point. You have them check it anyway. They end up "certifying" the watch

[mmbiker]

Originally Posted by AresNorth

Hey guys, after many Breitlings, tutors and an old datejust I finally bought my first SS sports Rolex, the 216570 Explorer II. I purchased it gray market from Chrono24 with box and papers from a seller with good reviews but I still wanted to have it checked out just in case. Went to the local AD and in the end they took it in to overlook it for me but made it seem like I was crazy for wanting to verify. If this not a normal thing people do when buying grey market pieces?

Just do a service with RSC and you will know


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[Zerouali]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

This exactly. People want to be able to buy newer Rolex hot models in the used market (called gray market here). Every time you go to Rolex for authentication, you are reporting the original purchaser and AD to Rolex. Rolex follows up with the AD. The original purchaser who perhaps simply did not like the watch or needed money for an emergency is banned by that AD. Happens again and the AD loses status. Buy the seller. Most can spot a fake very easily. Live and let live. Do not contact Rolex.

People want to be able to buy watches second hand and pay thousands over new list than buy at retail from an authorised dealer? Really?

The fact that you can buy any model you want today from a grey dealer shows there there are enough watches to go round, the market has just been skewed by the secondary market.

Kill that and we can all get what we like at retail.

[alphadweller]

If I was to buy a preowned Rolex, I'd take it to the RSC for a service to check authenticity.

[MauMau]

All watches from grey dealers should be verified by RolexAD or RSC, it's just part of due diligence. Trusting blindly just because some guy in a forum said "buy the seller" is insane. A fool and his money are easily parted.

[SS Oyster]

Originally Posted by Zerouali

Sounds like a win-win to me! OP gets their watch verified, some back door flipping AD and some cash hungry flipper gets their supply cut-off thereby increasing the chances of someone who actually wants the watch being able to buy it at rrp from an AD. What’s not to like?!

Good luck to you someday when you find yourself needing to sell a watch.

How about lose lose … what you are saying is buy from anyone, only then find out if it’s real, then deal with the shady seller trying in a tail chase to get your money back. I’m saying buy from a trusted seller so you don’t have to go through these shenanigans.

I have bought from a lot of them - DavidSW, JustRolexes, OCWatchGuy among them and never went to any effort to authenticate. Did I ever get a bad watch … never. That’s the beauty.

By the way, not everyone lives near a RSC, so going that route is not viable for most. Taking to an AD us silly unless they have a watch maker because they can’t authenticate a watch. They know less than most of us on here … watch the Timepiece Gentleman video on that.


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[TexEd]

Originally Posted by Watchguynyc8300

Doesn’t eBay have a service where they hold escrow and you can take watch to get verified insured?

No, the seller sends the watch to an authenticator; after being authenticated the authenticator ships the watch to the buyer. The buyer does have 7 days to accept or reject the watch unless they remove the authenticators seal at which time a return is no longer possible.

[FLx_]

If you think any AD/RSC will confirm the authenticity of the watch, you are wrong. I've sent one of my watches back Geneva to the factory for service. There is a note on the estimate and says:

"This estimate is intended to inform the Client on the price of a service. It does not attest to or guarantee the authenticity of a watch."