Authenticating a watch is three checks done in order, not one test. First the object: case, engravings, dial, hands, crown, crystal, bracelet and - if you are able to open it - the movement, all compared against a known-correct example of the same reference and production period. Second the paper: the serial on the warranty card or papers must match the serial on the watch, the dates must be plausible, and the box, booklets and service records must belong to that reference. Third the database: the serial run through The Watch Register for theft, because a genuine watch with bad title is a worse outcome than a fake. For a piece worth more than you can afford to lose, the fourth step is a watchmaker's inspection or an authentication service; none of the services can tell you whether the watch was stolen, and Entrupy, the best-known resale authenticator, does not do watches at all.

What do dealers physically check?

The order below is roughly the order a buyer goes through at a counter, from cheap checks to expensive ones.

Weight and feel. A precious-metal case or a steel Rolex bracelet has a weight that fakes built to a price rarely match. Dealers who handle a reference daily notice this before they notice anything else.

Case and engravings. Reference and serial numbers, their position for that production period (Rolex moved the serial from between the lugs to the rehaut in the late 2000s; other brands have their own changes), the depth and sharpness of the engraving, the finish between brushed and polished surfaces, the caseback markings. Laser-etched crowns in the crystal at six o'clock, where the brand uses one, should be almost invisible straight-on.

Dial and hands. Printing should be crisp under a loupe with no bleed; lume plots should match the hands in colour and age; date fonts and the magnification of a cyclops are commonly wrong on fakes; applied indices should be aligned and their feet, where visible, correct for the reference.

Crown, crystal and bezel. Crown logo and threading, the number of clicks on a rotating bezel and its action, crystal material and whether it is correct for the reference (acrylic, mineral, sapphire) and whether it has been replaced.

Bracelet and clasp. Clasp codes and end-link numbers where the brand uses them, stretch between links, whether the bracelet is the correct reference for the head. A correct head on a wrong bracelet is a common and expensive mistake.

Movement. The check that settles it, and the one most buyers cannot do at a counter. A watchmaker opening the caseback will see whether the calibre is correct for the reference, whether it is genuine, whether it has been serviced, and whether parts have been replaced with aftermarket ones. For anything of value bought without papers, this is the step to pay for.

Function. Winding, setting, date change around midnight, chronograph start, stop and reset, power reserve over a day, timekeeping on a timegrapher if one is available. A fake may keep time; a genuine watch that has been badly serviced may not.

None of these on its own proves authenticity. The purpose is consistency: every part correct for the reference and the period, with wear that matches the claimed history. The watches that catch dealers are not crude fakes; they are genuine cases with replacement dials, genuine watches with swapped movements, and "frankenwatches" assembled from genuine parts of different examples. Those fail the consistency test, not a single-point test.

What do dealers check on paper?

The papers are evidence about the watch only if they belong to it.

  • Serial match. The serial on the warranty card, certificate or papers must match the serial on the case. Read it on the watch, not on a photograph of the papers.
  • Dates. The warranty date must be plausible for the serial's production period, and the stamped retailer must exist. A card dated before the reference was launched is a card from a different watch.
  • Box and booklets. Correct for the reference and the period, or plainly disclosed as replacements. A wrong box is not fraud, but a wrong box presented as original is a reason to look harder at everything else.
  • Service history. Brand service receipts carry the serial; independent service invoices usually do. A recent brand service is strong evidence that the watch was genuine at that date, because the brand will not service a fake.
  • Provenance. Where the seller got it, and whether they can prove it. A purchase invoice from a retailer or a previous dealer in the seller's name closes most questions.

Then the theft check. Photograph the seller's ID, search the serial against The Watch Register (£16 for a single search, bulk rates from £2.00 per watch, ex VAT; instant result; PDF certificate on a clear search), and hold funds until the result is back. A genuine watch with a live theft report is not yours even if you pay for it. The full procedure is in how to check if a watch is stolen.

Which authentication services exist, and what do they cost?

As of August 2026, from each provider's own pages. Note what each actually is: a physical inspection by a watchmaker, a remote tool, or a paper record.

Service What it is Cost Who it is for
Independent watchmaker Physical inspection, movement opened, written report if you ask Quoted per job; typically a modest fixed fee, more if a service is needed Any buyer of a high-value watch without papers; the only option that inspects the movement on your behalf
Brand service centre A service or inspection by the manufacturer; a completed brand service is implicit authentication Service prices vary by brand and calibre; Rolex does not issue certificates of authenticity Owners wanting a definitive answer and a service at the same time
Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives Transcript of the factory's records for a watch first sold more than ten years ago; confirms what left the factory, not the watch in your hand CHF 500, refunded if the watch is ineligible; one per watch per 12 months Vintage Patek buyers and sellers
Omega Extract of the Archives Same idea; the service was suspended in mid-2023 and Omega has said it is being reworked Not available at the time of writing Vintage Omega; check Omega's site for current status
Chrono24 Certified Optional add-on at purchase on Chrono24: the watch is routed to Chrono24's in-house watchmakers, inspected, and a digital certificate issued; refund of price and fee if it fails £249, paid by the buyer Buyers on Chrono24
eBay Authenticity Guarantee Watches sold on eBay UK at £1,500 or more are sent to Stoll & Co. for a multi-point inspection before delivery, with a security tag and digital certificate No cost to buyer or seller Everyone buying or selling at that level on eBay UK
Watch Certification Services of America (WatchCSA) US subscription giving dealers remote tools: a counterfeit database, guided inspections, a Rolex authenticator app and zoom benchmarking; not a physical inspection Gold $599.95, Platinum $799.95, Diamond $999.95 a year per location US-facing dealers; UK availability not stated
Watch Certificate French digital-passport platform used by brands, retailers and dealers to issue a certificate that travels with the watch Monthly platform subscription plus a per-passport fee; amounts not published Businesses issuing certificates, not buyers seeking one
Entrupy AI authentication for handbags, footwear and apparel n/a Does not authenticate watches or jewellery
The Watch Register Theft and loss database, not an authenticity service £16 single search, bulk from £2.00, ex VAT Every buyer, every time

Watchfinder, Subdial, Bucherer and the other large pre-owned retailers authenticate in-house what they buy and sell; none of them offers that as a paid service for a watch you are buying elsewhere.

Can a brand authenticate my watch?

Sometimes, indirectly. Most manufacturers will not issue a certificate of authenticity for a watch they did not just sell; what they will do is service the watch, and they will not service a fake. A brand service receipt is therefore the strongest paper a pre-owned watch can carry, and it costs what a service costs.

The archive extract is a different thing. Patek Philippe's Extract confirms what the factory recorded for that serial - reference, calibre, dial, date of sale - for watches first sold at least ten years ago. It does not inspect the watch in front of you, so it confirms the history the watch claims, and you still have to check that the object matches. Omega's equivalent was suspended in 2023 after a fraud involving its own museum, and had not been confirmed as fully restored when we checked. Rolex keeps no public archive service; a Rolex watch is authenticated by inspection, and for newer pieces by the warranty card.

When is a watchmaker's inspection worth paying for?

Whenever the downside is bigger than the fee. A pre-purchase inspection by an independent watchmaker costs a small fraction of a four- or five-figure watch and is the only step that looks at the calibre. Dealers who buy daily develop the eye to skip it on references they know and insist on it for references they do not, for vintage, for anything with a replaced part, and for anything where the story does not quite fit. If the seller will not allow the caseback to be opened, or will not wait for the check, that is the answer.

For a dealer, the inspection note goes in the stock record alongside the theft-check certificate and the photographed ID, because the next buyer will ask the same questions, and so might an insurer or a court.

What about the marketplaces' own guarantees?

They protect the buyer, which is useful when you are the buyer and a cost of doing business when you are the seller. eBay's Authenticity Guarantee routes every £1,500-plus watch through Stoll & Co.; the seller posts to the authenticator, not the buyer, and returns go back the same way. Chrono24's Certified is optional and paid by the buyer at £249. Neither replaces your own checks at purchase, because neither exists at the moment you are buying stock from a private seller; and neither checks title.

What we could not verify

  • Whether Omega's Extract of the Archives has resumed. Forum reports through 2025 describe it as unavailable while being reworked; Omega's own pages did not state a date. Check before promising one to a buyer.
  • WatchCSA's availability and support for UK dealers. Pricing is published in dollars per location; the site does not say whether the tools serve non-US subscribers.
  • Watch Certificate's fees. Described as a subscription plus per-passport activation; no amounts on the public site.
  • Typical UK watchmaker inspection fees. Quoted per job; we have not found a published scale and will not invent one.
  • Brand service prices. Vary by brand and calibre and are generally quoted on inspection.

Sources

This is general information, not an authentication opinion on any watch. Fakes improve every year and the checks above are a starting point, not a guarantee. For a watch whose loss would hurt, pay a watchmaker, check the register, and keep the evidence.

Milleso keeps the authentication note, the theft-check certificate and the seller's photographed ID on the same serialised record as the purchase, so what you checked and when is there when the watch is sold, insured or questioned.