EBay Authentication Error
Yesterday the supposed Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167A I purchased from eBay arrived having been authenticated by them. 5167A is a 40mm ref. It fit me great which is unusual as I normally go for smaller watches. But it is slim and light.
Looking at the dial I noted that it doesn’t say “Swiss made” or “Swiss” at the bottom - as the other two Pateks I have owned do. This sent me down a rabbit hole and I realised the watch is actually the 5165A 38mm reference. If you look at the side by side photo you can see the biggest tell is that, on the 5165A the date at three o’clock is flush to the side of the case - no half index.
It’s pretty staggering that the supposed eBay authentication service can get this wrong on such a high value purchase. What’s the service for if they don’t even measure the diameter of the watch!!
Anyway - I’m going to call this a happy ending. I bought the watch to wear and I love the size - for me. I also love the extra clarity on the dial - without the Swiss wording and half index.
The watch is maybe slighter less valuable - but still worth more than I paid. I also don’t blame the seller as I think it was an honest error (a son selling for his father who has dementia.) - Most importantly of all - if the authenticators actually did their job - the watch would have been sent back to the seller - and I love it as it is.
5165A was a short lived transitional reference - so it’s a rare beast in its own way.
Has anyone ever had an issue anything like this?
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Just a question, but are you worried at all that if they got this wrong, they may not have authenticated everything else correctly? I've never bought a grey market watch, so I'm interested how people don't freak out. Thanks (great looking watch).
Congratulations - that's a beautiful watch, and I'm sure that photos don't do it justice. I never really liked the Aquanaut until I saw one in person, and my mind was changed instantly.
Just a question, but are you worried at all that if they got this wrong, they may not have authenticated everything else correctly? I've never bought a grey market watch, so I'm interested how people don't freak out. Thanks (great looking watch).
A little bit. But to be honest it seems completely correct. I plan to get it to Patek sooner rather than later anyway!
Congratulations - that's a beautiful watch, and I'm sure that photos don't do it justice. I never really liked the Aquanaut until I saw one in person, and my mind was changed instantly.
Yes it was trying one on in Patek that got me hooked. Though the one I tried on must have been the 40mm ref (in the shop under the lights little details like that don’t register!)
I’m amazed that you bought a “Patek” and got an actual Patek. It would never have occurred to me to trust eBay that far.
I’ve made a video about this every time I get an “authenticated” eBay watch. 🐴💩 All eBay does is make sure the contents in the box LOOK like the pictures included. They don’t look for fakes, they don’t look for condition errors, and they know nothing about the various models of fine timepieces. It’s a scam run by eBay. BUT, the shipping to and from the authenticator is super fast — that’s the only bonus.
I’ve made a video about this every time I get an “authenticated” eBay watch. 🐴💩 All eBay does is make sure the contents in the box LOOK like the pictures included. They don’t look for fakes, they don’t look for condition errors, and they know nothing about the various models of fine timepieces. It’s a scam run by eBay. BUT, the shipping to and from the authenticator is super fast — that’s the only bonus.
It certainly is fast!
I’d love to see that video - have you a link?
It certainly is fast!
I’d love to see that video - have you a link?
This is one of my older vids — my production quality has gotten better. 🤣
https://youtu.be/lAKbXyEDn8M
This is one of my older vids — my production quality has gotten better. 🤣
https://youtu.be/lAKbXyEDn8M
That’s a great vid and an awesome Credor! Love the node moonphase.
Couldn’t agree more that they just do a basic check and ship the watch out same day (so it’s the same in the U.K. as the USA.)
The eBay authenticity guarantee is not thorough, as @PocketWatchTime points out in his video. Having sold two watches and bought one on eBay (with that service) I would say it serves more as a seller protection. In particular for private sellers you have peace of mind that the buyer cannot scam you easily as the contents were confirmed by an independent third party.
That said, I would highly recommend you contact eBay about the incident ASAP and bring the watch to Patek Philippe for a correct and thorough authentication (and perhaps archive papers). In the unlikely event that there is a more serious issue with the watch, in which case you will have to return the watch, you are better off by contacting eBay sooner rather than later.
The eBay authenticity guarantee is not thorough, as @PocketWatchTime points out in his video. Having sold two watches and bought one on eBay (with that service) I would say it serves more as a seller protection. In particular for private sellers you have peace of mind that the buyer cannot scam you easily as the contents were confirmed by an independent third party.
That said, I would highly recommend you contact eBay about the incident ASAP and bring the watch to Patek Philippe for a correct and thorough authentication (and perhaps archive papers). In the unlikely event that there is a more serious issue with the watch, in which case you will have to return the watch, you are better off by contacting eBay sooner rather than later.
Yea all valid. I’m off to Patek on Monday for a strap and a sneaky validation. When I’ve been in there before they have told me all about the watch I took in - when it was last serviced etc.
I’m not really worried as it’s keeping excellent time. I’ve been over it with a loupe and I can’t see any issue (other than the dings and scratches I was aware of when I bought.)
You are right about the authenticity service protecting sellers more than buyers for sure!
Yea all valid. I’m off to Patek on Monday for a strap and a sneaky validation. When I’ve been in there before they have told me all about the watch I took in - when it was last serviced etc.
I’m not really worried as it’s keeping excellent time. I’ve been over it with a loupe and I can’t see any issue (other than the dings and scratches I was aware of when I bought.)
You are right about the authenticity service protecting sellers more than buyers for sure!
I believe your watch has a clear back as well as a movement with the hallmark of Geneva which means it needs to be finished to a very high standard and visible, it should not be too hard to spot fakes. I would be more worried about a stolen watch in case there is doubt regarding the dementia back story.
I hope it all works out for you and the watch is all good. For what it's worth, I think this is cooler than the 5167 model. I also wish you luck with that strap, I hear they are not easy to come by and often "out of stock" (albeit I have no first hand experience).
My guess is that the authenticators are generalists, which would explain how they missed it. It would be difficult to know all of the fine details on every brand.
To your point, they at least should have the reference material at hand to throughly check the watch. If you can do it, they can do it. This 100% should have been caught.
Paul McCartney had exactly the same issue as you!
My guess is that the authenticators are generalists, which would explain how they missed it. It would be difficult to know all of the fine details on every brand.
To your point, they at least should have the reference material at hand to throughly check the watch. If you can do it, they can do it. This 100% should have been caught.
I guess it’s the “not checking the case is 38mm”’ that gets me - especially given the value of the transaction - roughly 11 times the authentication threshold. It’s a potential massive headache for them if a fake slipped through.