Condition assessment

Attention

  • I am not a lawyer. I am not permitted to, and I will not, give legal advice.
  • Only a lawyer can and is authorized to give you legally sound advice.

Assessing the condition of used goods is usually a tricky business. It doesn't matter whether you're buying a used wristwatch, a used car, or a used household appliance.

The seller is naturally inclined to present the watch in a positive light, while the buyer tends to be more critical. A good and well-defined assessment helps in this regard—although it can, of course, also lead to disputes.

I've developed a rating scale for these situations that I find very useful. I've divided the watch into nine categories:

  1. A. Bracelet
  2. B. Clasp
  3. C. Case
  4. D. Crystal
  5. E. Bezel
  6. F. Dial
  7. G. Hands
  8. H. Crown
  9. Z. Movement

Then, for each main group, a sub-assessment follows. I'll use the casing as an example. Here, the casing (main group C) is assigned the following attributes:

  1. a Mint condition
  2. b Very good
  3. c Microswirls
  4. d Age-related wear
  5. e Scratches
  6. f Deep scratches
  7. g Chips
  8. h Patina
  9. i Heavy patina
  10. j Rust

This is how you can work with the category. An example would be Cc, where C stands for the case and c for microswirls. You can also add several subgroups. For example, Cej: This means C for the case, e for scratches, and j for rust.

Evaluation Organizational Chart