When buying a watch, lending against a watch, or insuring a watch, that accompanying proof of purchase receipt should provide peace of mind…or does it?

Not only can your fake watch sit in a fake box with a matching fake warranty card, but the proof of purchase backing it can be fake too!

There are several tools currently that will allow you to generate a ‘custom’ Rolex receipt – ‘Ideal for insurance claims… or replacing a lost receipt, this tool lets you fully customise your purchase details, edit the store name, address, transaction date, watch model, etc., etc. ’

It’s completely legal apparently … 'when used for legitimate purposes. Our tool is meant for generating replacement receipts for lost originals, digitalising paper receipts, and creating mock-ups for business use. For creative, educational, and business use only. Prohibited for fraudulent or illegal purposes’.

While I am openly sceptical of the ability of AI to properly authenticate or value watches, this is one exception that I approve of - it appears that AI is very good at…recognising AI.

This is not a new problem and has previously been the responsibility of the Audit and Accounting sectors, which have tackled expense fraud. Systems have been developed to analyse and weed out spurious claims, and these techniques are equally applicable to identifying fake Watch Boutique receipts.

At The Watch Scholar courses, we always teach that the watch, the box, and any paperwork should be assessed on their own merits.

Even the bracelet and the watch head need to be assessed individually – no single element ever confirms or legitimises another.

There is no such thing as peace of mind… trust nothing, check everything.