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Authentication notes recorded against catalog references: what to examine, what it establishes, and how well evidenced it is. Every note links back to the reference it was written for.
There is no manufacturer archive to appeal to
Universal Genève · Compax · Ref. 885103
Universal Genève's records did not survive its ownership history in a form that supports individual watch confirmation, and the 2023 acquisition of the intellectual property does not change that. Unlike Omega, Rolex, Patek or Jaeger-LeCoultre, there is no extract to request. The consequence is that auction-house condition reports and long-standing dealer records carry more evidential weight here than they would elsewhere, simply because nothing stronger exists.
Very small production makes manufacturer confirmation the primary tool
De Bethune · DB28 · Ref. DB28
De Bethune's annual output is measured in dozens rather than thousands. At that scale the manufacturer knows every watch it has made, and confirmation of a serial and its service history is both obtainable and decisive. As across the whole of this catalog's independent tier, seek that before relying on physical examination.
-6005 and -6009 are market codes for the same watch
Seiko · Chronograph 6139 · Ref. 6139-6005
The final digit of a 6139-600x reference designates the market, not the model. -6005 and -6009 are North American; -6002 is rest-of-world. Expect the dial text to follow the case number, and treat a disagreement as a dial change rather than as a discovery.
-7040 and -7049 are the same watch for different markets
Seiko · Turtle · Ref. 6309-7040
The differing final digit reflects the market and the day-wheel language supplied, not a different specification. Neither is rarer or better than the other, and a listing that presents one as a superior variant is inventing a distinction.
J and K are market designations, not proof of assembly location
Seiko · SKX / 5 Sports Diver Style · Ref. SKX007
SKX007J and SKX007K differ in dial text and caseback marking, and the J carries 'Japan A' beside the serial. What they do NOT reliably establish is where the watch was assembled: the suffixes reflect the origin-marking requirements of the destination markets, and long-running disagreement exists among specialists about the actual assembly and movement-production locations. State the suffix and what it marks; do not state a country of manufacture on the strength of it alone.
JDM supply means missing local paperwork is normal
Seiko · Alpinist · Ref. SARB017
The SARB017 was sold domestically in Japan and reached other markets through parallel import. An absent or Japanese-language warranty card is the expected state for an example bought outside Japan and says nothing about the watch. Judge the watch on the watch.
The Kanji day wheel is expected, and its absence is a question
Seiko · Turtle · Ref. 6306-7001
A 6306 was supplied with a Japanese-market day wheel showing Kanji alongside English. An English-only wheel in a 6306 case usually indicates a service replacement, since Seiko service centres outside Japan fitted the parts they stocked. Record it as a service change; it does not make the watch an export model, and it does not make it inauthentic.
A serial outside 1965 contradicts this reference
Seiko · 62MAS · Ref. 6217-8000
The documented production window is short enough that the caseback serial is an unusually strong cross-check here. A year digit admitting only decades other than 1965 should be resolved before anything else about the watch is assessed — see the serial-dating tool for how the candidate decades are eliminated.
Case and movement numbers should be present and should agree
Franck Muller · Cintrée Curvex · Ref. Cintrée Curvex
Franck Muller marks individual case and movement numbers on its watches. That supports a genuine internal-consistency check: the numbers should be present, correctly executed, and consistent with each other and with any documentation. Absent numbers, or numbers whose engraving quality differs from the rest of the case marking, are findings. Note that this establishes internal consistency rather than authenticity on its own — the numbers can be copied, they simply usually are not copied well.
Limited-edition number engraved on the caseback
TSIKOLIA · Seven Chronograph · Ref. TW-7
Seven chronographs are limited editions with the edition number engraved on the caseback. Verify the number against brand documentation; a missing or non-conforming engraving warrants scrutiny.
Numbered limited edition (600 pieces)
TSIKOLIA · GDF (Georgian Defence Forces) · Ref. GAF44/3
The GAF44/3 Georgian Armed Forces edition is limited to 600 pieces worldwide; verify the edition number. It is distinct from the standard retail GDF (white dial, TWGDF-44-1WT-RN).
Numbered plate (/100) at 9 o'clock; 'UNIQ' branding
TSIKOLIA · UNIQ P-47 Thunderbolt · Ref. UNIQ P-47 Thunderbolt
The UNIQ P-47 is limited to 100 pieces, with the number engraved on a plate on the 9 o'clock side of the case. Dial and strap read 'UNIQ', not 'TSIKOLIA' — the strongest tell that a piece is the UNIQ-era original rather than the modern TSIKOLIA Thunderbolt.
Reference scheme encodes size and colourway
TSIKOLIA · Marina Diver · Ref. TWM-42-3GN
Marina SKUs follow TWM-42-<config> (42 = 42mm case). The suffix encodes dial colour/finish (e.g. 3GN/1GN green, 3BU/1BU blue, 3BK black). A SKU whose suffix does not match the observed dial warrants scrutiny.
Serial-number dating on a 992B is approximate by construction
Hamilton · Railway Special · Ref. 992B
Hamilton assigned blocks of serial numbers to blank plates which were then stored and finished as demand required. A movement can therefore have been completed years after the year its serial number implies. The published serial lists give a production-year estimate, not a manufacture date, and the difference matters when the date is being used to judge whether other components are period-correct.
6159 parts scarcity drives movement substitution
Seiko · Tuna · Ref. 6159-7010
Servicing a 36,000 vph 6159 requires parts that are no longer produced. Examples exist with movements assembled from several donors. That is repair, not fraud, but it means the movement may not date the watch and should be assessed on its own.
A modern-lume dial in a 1970s case is a service dial
Seiko · Turtle · Ref. 6309-7040
Seiko supplied 6309 replacement dials with modern luminous compound long after tritium was discontinued. A dial glowing strongly and evenly in a watch whose hands are aged is the signature. This is authentic Seiko service work and should be recorded as affecting originality only.
A non-responsive crystal on a genuine watch is usually a battery or seal issue
Tissot · T-Touch · Ref. T-Touch (tactile crystal platform)
The tactile system depends on the crystal being clean and dry and on adequate power. A genuine T-Touch with a flat battery, moisture under the crystal, or a wet finger will not respond correctly. Establish that the watch is powered and dry before treating unresponsiveness as a finding — this failure mode produces false positives against real watches.
A non-running Accutron is a service question, not a verdict
Bulova · Accutron · Ref. Accutron 214
These movements need a specific battery voltage, the index and pawl fingers are delicate, and the coils fail. Servicing requires a watchmaker who works on tuning-fork calibers, and there are not many. A silent Accutron is extremely common and says nothing about whether the watch is genuine — get it powered before drawing conclusions, because the humming test is the strongest evidence available and it needs a working watch.
A non-running Astrolon is normal and largely irreparable
Tissot · Astrolon / IDEA 2001 · Ref. IDEA 2001
The movement was designed for disposal, parts were never widely stocked, and the polymer components age. A dead example is the common condition and is not evidence against the watch. It also means a running example has usually been rebuilt from a donor, which is the only repair route available.
Mystery-dial mechanisms are specialist work
Zodiac · Astrographic · Ref. Astrographic
The disc mounting and drive are unlike a conventional hand-setting arrangement, parts are not generally available, and few watchmakers will take one on. A non-functioning or partially functioning period Astrographic is a common condition and says little about whether the watch is genuine.
Period LED modules fail and are effectively irreplaceable
Bulova · Computron · Ref. Computron LED
The display modules and their drivers are long out of production. A period Computron with a dead or partially dead display — missing segments are the usual failure — is common and is generally not economically repairable. Condition, not authenticity.
Service dials and hands are common and are not fakes
Seiko · 62MAS · Ref. 6217-8001
Seiko supplied replacement dials and hands for this reference for many years. A service dial typically shows later printing conventions and modern luminous material that will not match the aged tritium elsewhere on the watch. Record it as a service replacement affecting originality; it is not an authenticity finding and does not make the watch a counterfeit.
These watches were not designed to be serviced
Hamilton · US Government Specification Field Watch · Ref. MIL-W-46374
The specification's whole point was low cost and disposal, and many surviving examples have been opened and rebuilt with whatever parts were to hand. A serviced, part-swapped MIL-W-46374 is an ordinary outcome, not a suspicious one. Originality expectations that would be reasonable on a collectible watch are not reasonable here.
Ultra-thin movements are fragile and expensive to service
Universal Genève · Golden Shadow / White Shadow · Ref. Golden Shadow
Thin calibers have thin parts, small tolerances and little margin for wear, and specialists willing to work on them are few. A non-running Shadow is common, parts are scarce, and a serviced example has often had components replaced from donors. That is a normal outcome for the line rather than a finding against a particular watch.
The changeover year is not firmly documented here
Rolex · Oyster Perpetual 34 · Ref. 114200
The catalog records that the designation changed within the reference's production life but does not assert a cut-off year, because the sources available do not settle one and Rolex does not publish reference-level transition dates. Do not date a 114200 from its dial text. This is tracked as an open research gap rather than filled with an estimate.
The changeover year is not firmly documented here
Rolex · Air-King · Ref. 114200
The catalog records that the designation changed within the reference's production life but asserts no cut-off year, because the available sources do not settle one and Rolex does not publish reference-level transition dates. Do not date a 114200 from its dial text.