This type of situation happens all the time in the world of collector cars (rebodies and "bitsas"), and art. Seems like the lesson here is to inspect and research expensive things before purchasing them.

: While the post is only slightly less confusing than the decision,
: it makes one thing abundantly clear. A judge will overlay his
: sensibility on the expectations of a watch, even one as
: expensive as $50,000 and renown as a Patek, rather than learn
: and use the expectations of watch collectors. If the judge
: doesn't have a feel for watches, then the nuance that we use in
: determining whether a watch is as represented, can be a huge
: risk.

: Of course, this isn't a whole lot different than any area of
: specialty as viewed through the eyes of a judge.

: Scott