Watchlords

Like many, I browse Craigslist and other sites for watches. I was looking at ads in the Portland area when two ads caught my attention. Both were for vintage Rolex watches at absurd prices. I wondered how long it would take for the other person to respond to an email and what that response would be.

The original ad



larger size for the blind:




portland craigslist > clark/cowlitz > for sale / wanted > jewelry - by owner
1964 RolexGMT-Master 1675 Gilt Chapter Ring Dial Pointed Crown Guard C - $900 (Portland)

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Date: 2012-05-21, 1:20PM PDT
Reply to: [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Here is an used Rolex GMT-Master gilt chapter ring dial pointed crown guard case Ref. 1675 men sport watch, 100% original and authentic, cicra. 1964, serial number is 1089286, watch only no box or paper, overall in good condition, the diameter of the watch is about 40 mm across (excludes crown) / 44 mm (includes crown) and 47 mm from top to buttom, below is an approximate analysis:
Case = stainless steel case body is very thick and had not been polished, some light scratches & wear from daily usage only, no rust or corrosion, numbers on both sides are clearly visable

Caseback = stainless steel caseback has some light scratches & wear, some light wear on the inside along edge, screw thread & outer teeth are good and functional, year code "IV. 64"

Crystal = original cyclop acrylic crystal is clean

Dial = 100% original Rolex signed black gilt chapter ring dial is clean and flawless, original tritium marker had aged to a yellowish patina, all writing is clearly visable, never been touched or refinished before, written "SWISS" at the bottom

Hands = original hands are clean and in good working condition with matching yellowish patina

Bezel = original faded red & blue 24 hour rotating bezel has some minor wear, all numbers and markers are good, turns bi-directionally

Movement = Rolex signed Cal. 1560 automatic movement is in running condition (service history unknown); non-quickset date function works well; not recently timed, regulated, or pressure tested, not guarantee for waterproof or accuracy

Winding crown = original Rolex signed screw down winding crown works well, can wind and set time

Bracelet = comes with the original Rolex stainless steel oyster rivet bracelet 7206 with 75 end-pieces, clean and moderate stretching between links, in full 12 links, clasp code is "64"

•Location: Portland
•it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 3029450923



The response to my question about the watch and picking it up face to face:






And it gets better. I highlighted the serial number he posted in his ad....






And voila!!!! it shows up as an authentic serial number with the matching 1964 date of production.







The point of this is simple, if the price is too good to be true, it is. Do due diligence and research before spending your hard earned money.

On the plus side, a delivery service is not likely to murder you, which is what happens to so many hapless Craig's list patrons.

If I were in the market for a Rolex, I would'nt buy one from a Larrry (with three R's) on Craiglist.

Ok, so what am I missing in this story? The serial number is legit to the Production year. I see the dude is located in the UK for his job and wants to deal through a 3rd party which would be a deal breaker for me, but I missed something on the whole serial number verification I guess.

Watch Noob wrote:Ok, so what am I missing in this story? The serial number is legit to the Production year. I see the dude is located in the UK for his job and wants to deal through a 3rd party which would be a deal breaker for me, but I missed something on the whole serial number verification I guess.

They are using real serial numbers ( which can be gleaned from legit sale postings) and giving them out as belonging to the bogus watches. If you do not know about these scams and how they operate, a legit site that confirms a serial number for a watch you may purchase may very wll accidently help with the fraud.

koimaster wrote:

Watch Noob wrote:Ok, so what am I missing in this story? The serial number is legit to the Production year. I see the dude is located in the UK for his job and wants to deal through a 3rd party which would be a deal breaker for me, but I missed something on the whole serial number verification I guess.

They are using real serial numbers ( which can be gleaned from legit sale postings) and giving them out as belonging to the bogus watches. If you do not know about these scams and how they operate, a legit site that confirms a serial number for a watch you may purchase may very wll accidently help with the fraud.

Ok, gotcha that makes sense. Typically the Ads I've seen will only list the first few charachters of the serial number to protect against this type of fraud. Thanks for the clarification. $900 in perfect conidtion was enough for me to avoid the Ad to begin with

Sounds fine to me!

You're all asshats.

boscoe wrote:Sounds fine to me!

You're all asshats.