Reading the literature, learning the areas of potential tricks, and scrutinize all the details is crucial...however, I do support a small allowance of instinct and risk-taking in pulling the trigger. In our collections probably there are 1 or 2 pieces that have pleasantly surprised us when we received them, looking much better in the flesh than they were in those blurry ebay photos...And, yes I know, 1 or 2 were probably not as good, but it is a learning curve and, as they say, 'lo que no te mata...."

Ciao
Francesco

: Ok, so we might all think we know how to do just that, but it
: doesn't mean everybody does and there was a time when none of us
: did.

: So, to help out those who have yet to take the plunge, I thought it
: might be nice if everyone could provide one tip from their
: experiences. Just one mind, it's easy to spill out plenty, but
: please pick one at first and then I'll go round again to see if
: we missed any gems. Might be an idea to offer generic tips
: first, then we can look at specifics in the next round, before
: collating them all at the end. Don't mean to patronise anyone,
: we might all be trading experts by now, I just think we could
: rustle up a nice guide/checklist like this.

: I'll kick off:

: Handle a number of watches before you buy your first one, to
: get a feel for what to expect and look for.