A note on the name: until app version 3.21 (October 2026), WatchRadar called this document a certificate. It is the same record under a more accurate name.
The five things a useful report must contain
- Watch identification. Reference number, serial number (which a public page may reasonably withhold), production year if it can be determined, and any unique markings such as caseback engravings or special-edition identifiers. Without identification, the report is a piece of paper that could refer to any watch.
- The verdict. Likely Authentic, Uncertain or High Risk, paired with a confidence level. A bare binary ("authentic" / "fake") hides how sure the issuer actually was, and is less useful to the person reading it.
- Evidence summary. The reasons behind the verdict: which visual signals supported the identification, which contradicted it, and what could not be seen. Without this, a verdict is just an assertion you have no way to weigh.
- Record metadata. The date it was created, who created it, a unique report ID, and the photographs the verdict was based on. This anchors the record to a point in time and to specific evidence.
- Verification path. A way for someone holding the report to check it against the issuer’s records, typically a public verification page and a QR code that opens it. Without a verification path, a printed report is easier to fake than the watch itself.
What WatchRadar puts in an Analysis Report
WatchRadar’s version is the Analysis Report. On the result screen of a completed scan, tap Generate Analysis Report. What it produces is a record of the analysis, not a certificate of authenticity. Each report gets a unique ID (WRC- followed by 20 characters), a QR code and a PDF. The QR code opens the public page at watchradar.space/authenticity_certificate/ (the address keeps its original name so codes on older reports still work), which shows the report’s status, the date it was created, the suggested brand, model and reference, the verdict and confidence level, the scan date, the analysis notes and the scan photos. The serial number is deliberately left off the public page. The report records what the analysis found from photos, and nothing more.
What a report cannot do
A report is a snapshot. It documents what was photographed and analysed at a specific point in time. It does not protect against the watch being damaged after the scan, the watch being swapped for another between the scan and delivery, or internal modifications (a movement swap, a replaced part behind the caseback) that a photo-based analysis cannot catch. WatchRadar can’t see inside the case. For a high-value purchase, have the movement and case opened by a qualified watchmaker or the brand’s service centre.
A WatchRadar Analysis Report is also not a legal certificate of authenticity, not the brand’s own warranty card, and not a guarantee. It is an AI analysis of photos, and that analysis can be incomplete or wrong. If the watch turns out to have an internal modification, the report is not a contract you can sue on. What it does give you is a dated record of how the watch looked and what the analysis found, which can be useful context in a dispute alongside a watchmaker’s report and the original papers.
Why the verification path matters
Anyone can print a document. What separates a useful report from a useless one is whether the holder can check it without trusting the printed page. A QR code that opens a verification page run by the issuer, not by the seller, is the minimum bar: the page shows the issuer’s copy of the record, so an edited PDF gives itself away. WatchRadar’s page also shows when a report has been revoked or superseded by a newer one. The flip side is that a report is only as checkable as its verification page. A WatchRadar report is deleted when its owner deletes their account, so a “not found” page means the record is gone, not that the watch is fake.
Reports and resale
A listing with a recent analysis record the buyer can check gives them something concrete before the first message: the photos, the date, the identification and the verdict, straight from the issuer’s page. That can shorten the back-and-forth. It is a trust signal, not proof of authenticity, and a serious buyer of a high-value piece will still want a watchmaker’s inspection or the brand’s service papers. Describe it accurately in the listing: “WatchRadar Analysis Report”, never “certified authentic”.
Reports and insurance
Insurers that schedule watches individually usually ask for a purchase receipt or a professional appraisal, and some want the appraisal refreshed periodically. The rules vary by insurer, so ask yours. A WatchRadar Analysis Report is not an appraisal, and its value range is an estimate for context. What the report and the Watch Box can do is keep the supporting material in one place: dated photos, the identification, receipts, service history and past reports, ready to hand to an appraiser or insurer who asks for them.