There have been many posts where people have said they have had an appraisal by a jeweler or authorized dealer for a small fee - I imagine that the better appraisers will offer some form of insurance or guarantee with their appraisal, if it turns out to be fake then you should get your money back plus the loss on the watch - I have never looked into this but I would expect this if I was buying a watch based on a third party appraisal.
Unfortunately there have also been a number of posts where people have posted images of clearly fake watches and state they have had it appraised and certified as genuine - these should possibly be taken with a pinch of salt, maybe the appraisers are incompetent or fraudulent, or maybe these are just potential sellers attempting to pass off fake watches on the forum. There is at least one thread here where it appears someone has been genuinely taken advantage off by a fraudulent appraiser however.
Finally, post up some photos and get a sniff test from the members on here - its free and an easy way of working out obvious fakes. Most fakes look like fakes, are advertised in out-of-focus, low-res photos, the logos are scaled wrong or wonky, the colours are wrong, materials are badly finished, or the watch is a combination of different styles that were never genuinely offered. I wouldn't assume that the members here can definitively say that a watch is genuine, but they can often say it is definitely fake.
There have been many posts where people have said they have had an appraisal by a jeweler or authorized dealer for a small fee - I imagine that the better appraisers will offer some form of insurance or guarantee with their appraisal, if it turns out to be fake then you should get your money back plus the loss on the watch - I have never looked into this but I would expect this if I was buying a watch based on a third party appraisal.
Unfortunately there have also been a number of posts where people have posted images of clearly fake watches and state they have had it appraised and certified as genuine - these should possibly be taken with a pinch of salt, maybe the appraisers are incompetent or fraudulent, or maybe these are just potential sellers attempting to pass off fake watches on the forum. There is at least one thread here where it appears someone has been genuinely taken advantage off by a fraudulent appraiser however.
Finally, post up some photos and get a sniff test from the members on here - its free and an easy way of working out obvious fakes. Most fakes look like fakes, are advertised in out-of-focus, low-res photos, the logos are scaled wrong or wonky, the colours are wrong, materials are badly finished, or the watch is a combination of different styles that were never genuinely offered. I wouldn't assume that the members here can definitively say that a watch is genuine, but they can often say it is definitely fake.
Agree with the logic of what you say, but I reckon every high street jeweller would have a list of conditions as long as your arm that give them zero liability for their advice or opinion. Doesn't sound fair, but many of these "experts" are verifying a Longines one minute and a TAG Heuer the next.
If you're talking about an older TAG Heuer, then I'd say your best bet is to post good clear photos on a forum like this one...and to be 100% clear, you get an opinion, but with zero liability or promises 😉 The older models are a lot easier to be certain about.
Newer watches are harder because the fakes are a lot better. Sometimes you can only be sure if you take the caseback off and check the movement- and when most people post their "is my watch fake" questions, they almost never have the tools to take the caseback off. This is where a jeweller will help.
Vintage is a minefield. TAG Heuer are running very low on old parts for vintage models, so they will fit the best available part they have, and yes, that sometimes means that the hands aren't right (for example). So now you have someone who had their Heuer repaired by TAG Heuer, with full documentation being told that their watch isn't right...you can imagine the confusion for these owners.
