Step 1 — Vet the seller before you read the listing
Open the seller’s profile. It tells you whether you are dealing with a professional dealer or a private seller, how long they have been on the platform, and what their rating and review history look like. A sensible floor to set for yourself: a professional dealer with a long track record and a substantial number of reviews. Private sellers and newer dealers below that floor are not necessarily bad, but they require more verification work from your side.
Read the seller’s recent reviews — not the aggregate score, the actual review text. Look for: late shipping (medium concern), wrong-watch-shipped (high concern), grading discrepancies (high concern), and how the seller responded to disputes (the response is more telling than the original problem).
Step 2 — Read the listing for what is missing
A complete listing has: at least 8 photos including dial, bezel, crown, case from both sides, bracelet/strap, and case-back; the reference number; the year of production; the box-and-papers status; and the service history (date and centre). If any of those are missing or vague, ask. Sellers who refuse to provide them are a meaningful negative signal.
Read the photos in order. The same watch shot in inconsistent light, with different colour casts on the dial across photos, is a small red flag — it can mean photos taken from different sources rather than the actual piece in the seller’s hand.
Step 3 — Request the five WatchRadar angles
Even if the listing has eight photos, ask for sharp, fresh shots of the five angles WatchRadar’s guided scan uses: dial and bezel, crown side, side profile, caseback, and clasp. Many listings already cover most of them. Ask for what is missing, ideally with a handwritten note carrying today’s date in frame. Check these photos yourself against the brand guides. WatchRadar scans the watch through the iPhone camera, so it cannot analyse a seller’s photos for you: plan to run the scan when the watch is in your hands, either at an in-person viewing or on arrival.
Step 4 — Cross-check the asking price
Cross-check the asking price against Chrono24’s own price data for the model, where it is shown, and against recent sold prices on WatchCharts or similar trackers. When you scan the watch, WatchRadar also shows an estimated secondary-market range next to the asking price you enter; treat it as context, not an appraisal. A listing well above recent sales needs justification: fresh service, a full set with the original retailer card, or a specific desirable variant. Without justification, counter-offer toward the middle of recent sales.
Step 5 — Buyer Protection or escrow
Pay through Chrono24’s own checkout. Chrono24 describes its Buyer Protection as including an escrow service, in which it holds your payment until you confirm the watch matches the listing, and an authenticity guarantee. Use it, and read the current terms for your country before relying on either. Whether you pay a fee for it, and how much, varies by country and changes over time, so check the checkout screen. What it buys you is a formal dispute route and a refund if the watch is not as described, under Chrono24’s terms. For large private deals arranged off the platform, third-party escrow (Escrow.com, or bank escrow) is an alternative some buyers prefer.
Avoid wire transfers to private sellers without escrow protection. However clean the listing looks, the transaction risk is too high.
Step 6 — Inspect on arrival
Chrono24’s Buyer Protection gives you a limited window after delivery to inspect the watch and accept it. Check the exact period in your order, and use the time. Day one: weight check against a trusted reference, cyclops magnification, bezel-rotation feel, crown threading. Day two: run a full WatchRadar scan on the watch in your hand. Compare the suggested reference, the dial and caseback text it reads, and the photos with the listing and the photos the seller sent. If anything diverges meaningfully (different reference, different serial, different cosmetic state), or the verdict comes back High Risk, open a dispute immediately.
Step 7 — For high-value pieces, watchmaker inspection
WatchRadar can’t see inside the case, and neither can any photo. For a high-value purchase, before the acceptance window closes, have the movement and case opened by a qualified watchmaker or the brand’s service centre. The watchmaker confirms the calibre is the calibre claimed, that the engraved numbers match, and that there are no obvious frankenwatch issues. The cost is small relative to the protection.
After purchase: build the chain of custody
Once the watch is yours, save it to your Watch Box. Photograph the box, papers, and any service receipts you got with the piece and attach them to the watch. If you want a record you can share later, generate a shareable Analysis Report: a unique WRC ID, a QR code that opens the public verification page, and a PDF. It records what the analysis found; it is not a legal certificate of authenticity. You now have a dated, documented record of the watch at the moment you took possession — useful for insurance, useful at resale, useful if a defect surfaces in the early-ownership window.