Is my TAG Heuer Authentic? All questions here please

J jonnyv

Thanks for the reply. I wish I had read your blog before I bought one !
will return it for a refund.

Aquagraph

Someone just visited my blog and left an 'anonymous' comment on the post about the 'Suspicious 1000s', saying they had bought one and TAG had told them it was genuine and that the case, hands and bezel had been refurbished. No mention of the dial looking completely different though...... I'm guessing it was the person who sold the watch to Jonnyv, otherwise its a bit of a coincidence don't you think?

J jonnyv

Too much of a coincidence!
The thing is that all sellers I've contacted about the watches are adamant that they are genuine.
One UK seller stated he sent one to tag to have the battery changed.
My seller from Germany is also adamant that it's genuine. He even asked me to take it to a watch maker.
But I've had a watch maker look at pics of the watch and in his opinion it's fake.
Hope I havnt caused any agro on your blog ?

Albert-AMG

I’m sorry but I would say it’s fake... also the text “SWISS WATCH” on the back case instead of “SWISS MADE” looks suspicious... but lets wait for members knowing better this model! 👍

Yago

I compared it to my (wife's in the meantime...) 980.013D, which is also 36mm, and can't find any obvious flaws with the metal. The case and bracelet sure appear genuine. On the watch in question, the center links seem to be folded and you can see a line in each link. On my watch the center links are smooth, no line. The end links are also different, and unmarked on mine. The rest of the metal seems spot on, including the caseback. Mine also has 'Swiss watch' so that checks out. It's obviously a vintage watch and I'd be surprised such accurate copies existed back then.
The dial is a different matter. There are lots of replacement dials around, usually without the T which this one does have. The date window is positioned very slightly more to the left but could be due to this model being slightly larger. The logo on the dial looks good but on the first Tag Heuer logos, including the one on my watch, the bottom left tip of the A used to protrude out of the left bottom of the T. That doesn't appear to be the case here. So my five cents is that the watch is genuine but the dial and perhaps bezel have been replaced.

Aquagraph

Okay, so digging around, there's a seller on ebay called 'tradenvint' and he sold 20 of these 1000 Series watches in various colours in the last 6 months. That speaks for itself as far as I'm concerned, but more worryingly, he's also sold an awful lot of other watches again and again and again.... WAH1111, WJ1112, WAF1113, WAF1111, WJ1111, CAC1112, CAC1111, WAF1110, CAC1110, WAH1110, WAH1112, WJ1114.

To me this stinks to high heaven!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/tradenvint/m.html?item=283578513245&hash=item420698b75d:g:Mb0AAOSw8ZhdUa3S&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Aquagraph

Okay, so digging around, there's a seller on ebay called 'tradenvint' and he sold 20 of these 1000 Series watches in various colours in the last 6 months. That speaks for itself as far as I'm concerned, but more worryingly, he's also sold an awful lot of other watches again and again and again.... WAH1111, WJ1112, WAF1113, WAF1111, WJ1111, CAC1112, CAC1111, WAF1110, CAC1110, WAH1110, WAH1112, WJ1114.

To me this stinks to high heaven!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/tradenvint/m.html?item=283578513245&hash=item420698b75d:g:Mb0AAOSw8ZhdUa3S&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

J jonnyv

That's the seller I got mine from!

Aquagraph

I really would send it back if I were you, there's no way he can have that many pieces of a watch that age and the dials are obviously wrong.

I have reported the seller to TAG Heuer as well.

J jonnyv

I will send it back but the seller is disputing that it's fake.
Just got to wait to ask eBay to step in.
Somethings not right as I havnt seen any negative feedback and another UK seller who turned down my £450 offer for same watch states it's genuine and he's sold a few.
He also says one went back to tag for a battery replacement.

Mine will be with tag on Tuesday.

J jonnyv

I will send it back but the seller is disputing that it's fake.
Just got to wait to ask eBay to step in.
Somethings not right as I havnt seen any negative feedback and another UK seller who turned down my £450 offer for same watch states it's genuine and he's sold a few.
He also says one went back to tag for a battery replacement.

Mine will be with tag on Tuesday.

Aquagraph

when you say it's gone 'back to TAG', what exactly does that mean? If it's gone to a TAG approved service centre I'm not sure they will look beyond the movement (which we already know is correct). There's this misconception that if you take a watch to an AD it goes somewhere 'special' whereas I discovered that watches that go back from Goldsmiths go to the same service centre as ones taken to 'In Time' in Debenhams or (probably) even Timpsons. The difference is the price they charge to do it.

J jonnyv

It's gone back to the tag service centre for an authenticity check.
Lvmh in manchester
Tag heuer customer service gave address and offered free postage if needed.