I can't say I've every heard of any other institution that hopes to trade upon reputation and expertise yet so willingly commits such glaring and egregious gaffes in pursuit of miniscule fees in the short term.

First it was the laughingly terrible "Rolex/Tudor" "'US Marine[sic]'" "Prototypes" (hope I don't lose anyone there with excessive use of quotation marks, but these were neither Rolex nor prototypes nor did they have anything to do with the United States Marine Corps nor the United States Navy) that were auctioned multiple times:

These fanciful constructions were actually made from hobbyist kits made in Hong Kong and bear no association with Rolex/Tudor nor any military institution. Owners have even stated they're so uncomfortable they're impossible to wear for any length of time. Concerns about these were raised well before the hammer fell, to no avail.

Then there was the despicably, laughably horrendous "S.A.S. SEAMASTER 300" lot 128 in Antiquorum's 'Omegamania' Auction that was a veritable poster child for "how to spot a counterfeit SM300," exhibiting easily observed, well-known faults known to be common to counterfeits, paired with an ostentatious yet wholly unsubstantiated backstory purporting a link to the elite and secretive SAS:

I just don't know where to begin describing all that's wrong with this one. In short, the movement and (replacement) hands are genuine but all else is counterfeit: dial, bezel, case, provenance… Objections to Antiquorum again fell upon deaf ears.

Has Antiquorum no shame at all? Are they so completely willing to sacrifice integrity and reputation over the long term for peanut fees in the short term?

Of course, the problematic Seamaster mentioned above fetched over US$30K before buyer's premium. So perhaps we're the fools for continuing to pay Antiquorum any attention at all, lest it inadvertently lend publicity.

I have to say I'm even more annoyed that AQ seems to be of the opinion that they're in a position to dictate what's authentic and what's desirable to us. "Note: this watch was custom made"? Please. At least Ukrainian eBay fraudsters show more creativity, or at least make more effort at substantiation.

Why do people keep bidding on their auctions?