Jeff, Great job on chasing this one to ground- all collectors should be thankful for websites like this one that save them money and the disappointment of "winning" a dud.

My view is that its a binary issue- the watch is either genuine or it is not.

If its not, then it is complete rubbish to indicate this by using "weasel-words" like "upgraded" or "custom made"- and this is so because you are still deceiving the buyer. Why admit that the watch is "basically a fake" and address this through such langauge? What about non-native Englsh speakers? How are they supposed to interpret langaue like this?

Its the equivalent of writing a report and then sticking a disclaimer at the end of the report in small font that says that the report is wrong- and when the reader complains you say "ah, yes, but I said that here in 4-font- didn't you read it?".

Still deceptive, despite the "disclaimer". And still reflects very poorly on those involved.

: I have created a webpage to present the information about this
: auction. You can view the webpage here --
: http://www.onthedash.com/docs/IndexMobile.html .

: On the new webpage, I provide the following summary of the day's
: activities:

: Update -- Thursday, November 12, 2008 -- There was discussion
: today, on three vintage watch forums, about the authenticity of
: this watch and the propriety of Antiquorum including it in its
: auction. The prevailing view : the watch is fake, the phrase
: "custom made" is ambiguous at best / deceptive at
: worst, and it is outrageous that Antiquorum allows it to be
: included in its auction. The minority view : perhaps
: "custom made" is an appropriate term for the Index
: Mobile chronographs, as Dubey and Schaldenbrand was actually
: providing components that could be used by
: "privateers". My view : a fake is a fake; this watch
: was not made by or for Heuer, and the name should not be on the
: dial. I expect that Dubey and Schaldenbrand assembled the
: genuine watches, whether under their own name or as private
: label watches.

: Further Update -- Thursday, November 12, 2008 -- Toward the end
: of the day, I received a further e-mail message from my contact
: at Antiquorum. He emphasizes that the grading report for Lot 39
: had been changed and that a note has been added. He suggests
: that describing a watch as "custom made" is basically
: stating that the watch is a fake, and that Antiquorum has made
: "full disclosure". Here is a copy of the Grading
: Report.

:

: OK . . . I will admit it . . . . I had not noticed these notations
: about the movement, but I am still confused about Antiquorum's
: description of this chronograph. Putting it all together, we are
: told that this is a "custom made" chronograph that has
: a "later" / "upgraded" movement. Maybe that
: is their code for a watch that has been assembled from the parts
: bins . . . maybe that is Antiquorum's polite or indirect way of
: saying "fake". Of course, they are still failing to
: point out the main problem with this watch, the name
: "Heuer" on the dial!!

: As the dialog between Humpty Dumpty and Alice (shown below)
: suggests, it is a powerful thing to be able to dictate the
: meaning of words.

: Jeff

:

:
: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

: "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a
: rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to
: mean - neither more nor less."

: "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make
: words mean so many different things."

: "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to
: be master - that's all."

: Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll.
E