WTF ... even at official auctions
A colleague of mine , not (Yet ? ;-) a watch a connaisseur saw a watch at a local auction. Most of the items for sale are paintings, few are jewels and watches.
Anyway, he asked me more about a certain watch. So I searched for item 225 ... A steel Patek ... Could be inresting ;-). But when I saw the picture, my mind changed pretty quick. First of all it was a watch which I have never seen before. Ofcourse you can't know every excisting watch Patek once made. But I think I can say I know quite a bit concerning Patek Philippe. So, a model I'm not aware of ... A few seconds later I saw a couple of hands which look strange to me ... and then I noticed a little thing above the words Patek Philippe. Seems to be a Calatrava cross. hmmm, a Patek with their logo on the dial ;-)
So without doubt we can say it's a fake watch. We know there are more fakes out there than the real stuff but when the start to pop up at auctions ?? :-( . Ofcourse this is not an antiquorum, Chrisies or Sotheby's auction, but still ... It's a shame when people with less knowledge can be fooled at auctions. I was hoping people could feel safe when buying from an auction, it is an official auction house and not a virtual place like Ebay.
Anyway, here is the picture ... In case I would be wrong LOL
IF YOU HAPPEN TO WATCH THE PIC ABOVE THIS WATCH IS 100% A FAKE!!!
I know it's against forum rules to post pics of fake watches but would you mind NOT deleting this one ? Delete it after 24 hours ;-) I'll post a link to my friend so he can see we're talking about this piece
This message has been edited by Dje on 2010-06-16 10:29:37
It really depends....
which auction house list the watch....
Is it a well known one?
Thanks
Cheers
no
not a big one, definitely not one of the big 3 like i mentioned in my original post.
But still, it is a house which has quite a few auctions, mostly in a Castle not far from my home. I do admit they are more specialized in paintings but I would expect they did some research when they want to sell a watch. Like said, they won't foll us because we know a lot more the the average. But I can imagine a person with less knowledge could be tempted to buy this piece.
Just curious... if one buys a fake at an auction under the premise
that is is real, is he entitled to a refund? Or is it a buyer beware thing? Or does it depend on whihc auction house? Does the auction house have a legal obligation to ensure the goods auctioned by it is real?
thanks.
I'd like to know
Good question and interesting stuff!
I guess normally auction houses don't provide such warranty, you buy something at sight. Unless of course they claim it is an original.
At car auctions you see 'read mileage', indicating that's what they see and not necessarily the truth.
But, this is just my thought. Anyone with real knowledge on this subject?
Cheers!
The big three...
auction houses will take back something that they have listed as authentic and it
later proves to be a fake...
Cheers
I don't think it's necessary
Remember, if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it!
Cheers
Dje
Caveat emptor
Perhaps you should contact the auction house and inform them it is fake? Would they listen?
Regards,
Richard.