Strainge dilemma with TheWatchRegistry

[BarKohba]

Hello Everyone

I've come across a strange situation when checking about a watch i (was) intending to buy - and I'd like some of you guys input on it, since I have little experience in buying second hand watches and dealing with checks.

The situation is as follows:

On an online classifieds website, I found a posting for a certain Grand Seiko limited edition watch. I got in contact with the person, and gave me the following details: The watch comes with the full package (box, extra band, cleaning cloth, basically everything that came in the box, tags with the overbox) but no papers - he said he bought it from someone else just like that.
He also provided me the complete serial number for the watch, and informed me about the origin country of the watch's purchase (he got that info from the previous seller).

Now I never really had to check watch legitimacy (especially if it was stolen), but considering the lack of papers (which isn't always something negative, there's a ton of watches in perfect legal condition with no papers and sometimes no box online for sale), I decided to check - of course I didn't really know where, so what I did, I e-mailed the watch's official Seiko/GS AD from the country of origin, AND the Seiko main service/customer support center from Japan, providing them with the full details of the watch, and asking them if there is any registry regarding whether it was stolen or not (and/or who it was sold to).

The answer I got from both sides was mostly the same - they have no information that this watch is stolen/reported as stolen, they cannot share who this watch was originally sold to due to privacy T&C (makes sense), and a few more details about when the watch was manufactured and original cost (this was provided by Seiko Japan).

I then sent a follow up e-mail to the local Seiko AD asking whether there is any other place I can check for stolen watches - they replied that "there is no such website/registry" - keep this in mind.

A day later, after surfing around on the internet, I came across this website called TheWatchRegister - I saw there's quite a HIGH cost (from my pov, considering what information I was paying for) for a simple watch interrogation (10 punds WITHOUT VAT), but decided to do it anyways- and a few minutes later, I got an automated e-mail telling me the watch is a MATCH and asking me some general info about the watch, if I have it, if the seller has it, who is the seller, and so on - but offered 0 information about that "MATCH" - literally all it said is that there's a Match, no other information of any sorts.

Before responding, I was a bit perplexed - how can this website tell me there is a "MATCH" when I already checked the watch at 2 official Seiko entities, including Japan customer service? Moreover, I also found it a bit strange that when asking about any "website/watch registry for checking watches" the local AD from where the watch was supposedly purchased, initially, they responded that "there is no such website"...??

So I began to investigate a little bit - because from my point of view (and correct me if I'm wrong) - it makes little sense for the official manufacturer AD and central customer service to tell me that they have no information that the watch is stolen or such, but a 3rd party, private company website to confirm it is apparently stolen (or lost?), as per their description.

On their website, I found 3 strange things:

a) They say that in order to register a stolen watch (which costs 15 bgp+tax) one has to have some documents of provenance, AND a police filing report and/or insurance claim, HOWEVER, they state, even if you don't have these (police/insurance claim), they say you can still call them and dicuss with them (what? "my watch was stolen, trust me?") in order to get it listed in their registry - this seems very strange, so people can, presumably, sometimes, register a watch as stolen even if they don't have police or insurance filings?

b) They say they work with law enforcements, yet when they localize a stolen watch they ask you for 5% of the watch's value JUST FOR TELLING YOU WHERE IT IS - isn't this strange? If the police is already involved, how can they stop the police from contacting the victim and ask 5% in order to convey the information of the stolen good? Moreover, apparently, if you want them to somehow retrieve it for you, you must pay 20% of the watch's value.

c) Testimonials - I've worked in IT for quite some time, and did various marketing and graphic design ad work - and whenver I want to use a service or buy something from a new source, I check testimonials, reviews, etc - and the testimonials on the website ar rather strange. There's 4 or 5 texts, with nothing special in them, just someone describing that they retrieved they watch and thanking the company, all signed "a Rolex/Insert watch brand here owner from Country XYZ" hmmm....

To add on that, I did what I always do (and probably should have done before paying 10 pounds for a paper thin information saying just "match"), checked TrustPilot - for those that don't know, TrustPilot is one of, if not THE, biggest website and online service/shops centralizer online, where you can find the most reviews and opinions about almost any website online (especially ones that sale products or services).

On Trust Pilot, generally, even for the most obscure shops, there still are at least 5 to 10 reviews, with some data in them (written) - yet for TheWatchRegister there's only this very fishy and way too general review (you can check yourself):

"Amazing Services :)
Initially had an issue, but the team went above and beyond to resolve the issue. Highly recommended :)"

This is the one and only review on TrustPilot - might as well be a review for cleaning services, this is very thin as far as TrustPilot review is concerned, in both content, and the fact that there's just one.

I also did a bit of searching on the internet - I have found very few postings, mostly just the one that said on a forum that they got a call from this company, saying they found their watch but it apparently never evolved anywhere and they never got their watch back, a few people recommending people with stolen watches updated their details on this website, and a few 4-5 year old articles, all saying more or less the same thing, and mostly all referencing some case that happened in the UK in Surrey years back, where a group of women were stealing watches of rich guys's hands and with the supposed help of this company, they got arrested.

All this information combined made me a bit suspicious about this company - not necesairly that it's a scam or they don't do any legit work, OR there aren't people who post genuine stolen watches on their registry - but the fact that you could possible (after a call witht them) even post one on the website without a police report, seems strange.

The biggest weird thing happened next, I replied to them, gave them the details they requested, and then a day later they sent me a bit more details about the posting (which was to be expected initially) - apparently the products were stolen from the Seiko AD (gave me the name of the legal company) from the boxes, meaning the report said someone stole the watches (naked) and when the Seiko AD received the watch cases, they were empty.

Now this is a bit strange, because the seller in question has the full set with absolutely everyghing, and the given accessories (cleaning cloth, tags, manuals, extra strap) and the box itself (not the standard GS box, the limited edition on made for this watch) are not something that seems easily available to purchase online - so something didn't add up.

The strangest thing was, TheWatchRegistry told me the victim of the filing was the Seiko AD (has a legal name) - when I checked, 2 days earlier I was in contact via e-mail with that EXACT SEIKO AD, giving them the serial number and everything, and asking them about the status of the watch - they are the ones that told me they have no info that this watch is stolen, and they are also the very AD that told me "ther eis no such registry" when asking them if there is any website where I can search for stolen watches - this is by far the STRANGEST thing and the biggest red flag I have about this TheWatchRegistry company.

That made me think, what is going on here? I'm not sure, but there are MANY red flags about that presumed stolen watch, and it made me think, considering the business model of this website and how many options you have in order to post a stolen watch - what stops someone from selling a watch, be naked watch or even watch with original box (no papers - just like the one this guy is selling), keep the papers (a lot of people buy without papers sometimes, especially if they at least have the original box and everything that came with the watch) - considering in most cases, selling a watch is more like selling a playstation or a smartphone - unlike cars and such, there is no real document of ownership that must be passed, legailzed and changed and so on - , and then after selling it but keeping the papers, post it as stolen on various registries like that?

Since there is no legal document that must be passed when selling a watch, whenever this WatchRegistry (which apparently however does not collaborate with at least SOME ADs, like Seiko in this case, since they had no information about this watch or about the WatchREgistry posting) somehow finds this rightfully sold watch, they will do whatever they do to retrieve it, and then in front of the police, the new owner of the police wouldn't be able to do anything, since the rightful owner hast he original papers and is falsly claiming that at some point it was stolen. You can't prove you bought this watch in "good faith" even if you thought you did, when the original owners is sitting in the police station with his original documents in had. Very fishy situations can arise out of this, and such registers, it seems.

In any case, I know it's a long-long post, but what do you guys thing? I'm already as stated not buying the watch, but I am a bit annoyed about the 10 pounds I paid tbh, and about the whole fishiness of this situation with the watch register - is this site really legit? Can't people falsly post watches they sold as stolen and so on? As you read, there are MANY things here that don't add up.

Of course did not puruse purchasing the watch, just to be safe -