Horological Meandering

I'm having an ongoing discussion about the authenticity of my IWC with some of my friends.

I made an attempt to take them to the AD, but to no avail. They're so persistent that they just don't seem to believe!

 

 

I am going to show your opinions to them.

Hard to understand why people are so skeptical about my watch, proving my watch like this makes me feel offended.

 

 

I have absolutely no doubt as to the authenticity of both your Spitfire Chrono and the Big Pilot Antoine de Saint Exupery. I have no idea why they would question you...  possibly just to aggravate you.  A great pair of watches. 

And thank you for your opinion

I had one Spitfire Chrono in my hands that was externally 100% perfect and it passed all external validation checks.

It had, box and the IWC card. Everything was 100% perfect.

Took to my watchmaker and after opening the case ... Voila: Fake 7750 movement.

Returned to the seller and he was also chocked (He is an old friend and knows a lot about watches).

Another seller, this one of very upscale watches, told me that there is a new scam "on the block": Some criminal get a real watch and, using fake parts, makes two. Some parts from the real one, some parts from the fake. For sure we live on a very complex world.

Lesson learned: Fakes are improving so much that I'm tempted to open even watches acquired on brand boutiques.

Cheers,

Nilo

I purchased both of my IWCs 2 years ago from an AD(not from a private dealer), and they still maintain perfect accuracy.

Both watches deviate only 1~3secs per day, and for the big pilot, it runs for seven days without any interruption.

We all know a valjoux movement can be duplicated, however, a 7-day power reserve is a whole different story.

A counterfeit movement capable of working for 7 days in chronometer accuracy? Nothing short of impossible.

 

It is absurd to open a watch just to prove him wrong.

I won't even get right compensation even after verification

Yes, we are living on a very sophisticated world

Best,

Albert

This message has been edited by Albert.J on 2013-06-14 04:30:41

... adds a significant amount of peace of mind. It doesn't sound like you need to worry.

But having said that, the Ref. 3717 Spitfire Chrono is a commonly counterfeited watch and the copies can be quite accurate. I assume your friends are just teasing you. But it sounds like your need more horologically focused friends!

Do you have photos of the case back engraving and crown details? It may help us to be more certain.

Andrew

It's new here where I live and I paid a visit.

A wonderful experience. I went there just to visit, my excuse was to buy a buckle.

The experience was so great that I was tempted do buy a watch and ... I did!

I go to do a post about the full story later, if the flu does not take me to a deep grave (Yes, I got the flu vaccine early but the vaccine didn't work).

Cheers,

Nilo

 

Don't die on us!

 

Regards,

MTF

I can continue as a Walker, just like the ones from Walking Dead.

Now serious. I'm a tad better but this flu take more than a full weak to vanish.

Thank you,

Nilo

find a reputable watch maker and have him open the case, if the movement is real then that is all you need to know as far as I am concerned.

My phone is just inappropriate for taking close-up shots, so the logo engraved on the crown is hardly visible and not clear for observation.

Please tolerate me with poor pictures ;p

 

Best,

Albert

... is to do a Google search for the serial number. Since the fakes will generally all have the same number, if your serial number shows up online for sale in numerous places, it's probably fake. Of course there's no guarantee that if your number doesn't show up in a search that it's real, but it is more likely.

. . . startlingly realistic.  Best to visit an expert for authentication.