Clarifying question for the thread: is the goal to check authenticity, condition, or both? For condition, the request list above is enough. For authenticity, you also need caseback, serial or reference engravings, and ideally movement photos. Movement photos usually require opening the watch, which a seller may reasonably refuse without a watchmaker present.
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Case 4 — What a water-resistance claim does and does not establish
A listing describes a water-resistance rating but provides no test record for the individual watch. What evidence would address the gap?
Exercise RWF-30722/4: address this question within its stated limits.
Treat the comparison as inconclusive. Repeat with equal light source, charging duration, elapsed time and camera settings; disclose conditions rather than assigning an unsupported quality score.
Clarification for “Comparing versions without mixing case sizes”: the point beginning “Match reference, dimensions and…” belongs to the question as written. It should not be read as a report that a new check, purchase or experiment has been completed. Review focus: source wording. Retain the source wording beside any paraphrase.
Case 39 — Strap dimensions: lug width, taper, thickness and spring bar diameter explained · source wording exercise
Clarification for “Strap dimensions: lug width, taper, thickness and spring bar diameter explained”: the point beginning “Measure with a ruler marked in millimetres, ideally…” belongs to the question as written. It should not be read as a report that a new check, purchase or experiment has been completed. Review focus: source wording. Retain the source wording beside any paraphrase.
Clarification for “QC checklist: prioritise observable faults over pixel hunting”: the point beginning “Start with function, legibility, assembly and…” belongs to the question as written. It should not be read as a report that a new check, purchase or experiment has been completed. Review focus: scope. Keep the stated question separate from any broader claim.
Micro-adjust spacing varies by clasp. Measure the actual change at each setting rather than assuming a standard number of millimetres; compare the usable range with the link length.
Case 2 — Maintenance question: how do I tell if an automatic actually needs service?
Keep a baseline log, describe changes in rate or running time and stop forcing rough winding. Follow the manufacturer’s guidance and arrange professional assessment when operation changes. A forum cannot prescribe a universal service interval.
Case 6 — Clasp photographs: what to request before judging alignment
Method note for “Clasp photographs: what to request before judging alignment”: use “Request open and closed views from both sides,…” as a row heading in a proposed working record. Put the statement, its supporting source or measurement, and any unresolved detail in separate fields. This proposes a format; it supplies no additional evidence. Keep the stated question separate from any broader claim.
Case 4 — Disputed observation: is this dial colour shift real or just lighting?
Clarifying question: does anyone in the thread have access to both versions at once? Without simultaneous comparison, every claim either way is weak evidence. If not, the next best option is photos with a grey card in frame and white balance locked or set manually, which at least makes separate photos roughly comparable.
Correction note for “QC photographs: perspective or a genuinely tilted index?”: retain the wording beginning “Compare two independently aligned images before drawing a conclusion; an overlay…” in the record. If later material changes it, add the date, the changed wording and the source for that change; do not invent a completed correction here. Keep the stated question separate from any broader claim.
Case 44 — Crystal types: sapphire, mineral and acrylic trade-offs for daily wear · source wording exercise
Limit of the answer in “Crystal types: sapphire, mineral and acrylic trade-offs for daily wear”: “Sapphire is very hard to scratch but can chip or crack…” is an excerpt from the discussion, not an independent verification. A reader needs the relevant original material before treating an interpretation as established. Review focus: source wording. Retain the source wording beside any paraphrase.
Photograph the item and protective packing separately from the label. Remove names, addresses, barcodes and tracking tokens from public images while keeping originals privately.
One more term that will come up is 'hacking', meaning the seconds hand stops when you pull the crown so you can set the time to the second. It's minor, but beginners often assume every automatic has it, and not all do. That rounds out the glossary: caliber means what, complication means extra functions, jewels mean bearings, power reserve means how long it runs, hacking means precise setting.
Case 54 — Beginner glossary Q&A: complication, caliber, jewel count, power reserve · source wording exercise
Correction note for “Beginner glossary Q&A: complication, caliber, jewel count, power reserve”: retain the wording beginning “Two watches from different brands can share the same caliber…” in the record. If later material changes it, add the date, the changed wording and the source for that change; do not invent a completed correction here. Retain the source wording beside any paraphrase.