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Buyer protection & escrow

Your money is held, not paid.

Your payment sits in escrow until you confirm. You’re never out of pocket before the watch is on your wrist.

Source a watchHow authentication works

The mechanism

How the money moves.

Three steps, and the seller is the last to be paid. That order is the whole protection.

  1. 1You pay into escrowYour money is held, not paid out.
  2. 2Authenticated independentlyInspected by an independent watchmaker.
  3. 3Seller paid on your confirmationReleased only after it's in your hands.

Your money is held in escrow, not paid out. The seller is paid only after the watch is authenticated and you’ve confirmed it’s in your hands.

Stage by stage

Every stage, in the open.

The same state machine the dashboards read from — each stage lit by a real event, your window 7 days private, 14 from a dealer.

  1. Paid — held in escrowIn progress
  2. In authenticationUpcoming
  3. Authenticated — on its way to youUpcoming
  4. Inspect — your protection window is open7 daysUpcoming
  5. You confirmed — releasing to the sellerUpcoming
  6. Paid out to the sellerUpcoming

“Paid out” lights only when the payout fires — never from elapsed time.

If something’s wrong

Raise a concern and the funds freeze.

If a watch arrives not as described, tell us within your window. The escrowed funds freeze automatically — no payout can fire while a dispute is open, and a failed piece goes back, refunded in full.

What a freeze does

  • Payout is blocked

    No release while a dispute is open.

  • Your window pauses

    The inspection clock stops until it’s resolved.

  • Full refund if it fails

    Not as described means returned and refunded.

Seller payout, in plain sight

The seller is paid last, by design.

When a seller gets paid — and why it can never jump the queue.

Authentication first

No payout is queued until the watch passes authentication.

Your confirmation

The seller is paid only after you confirm, or your window closes undisputed.

A real release

“Paid out” is lit by an actual release, never a timer.

Insured shipping is handled by a specialist insured valuables carrier, signature on delivery. We don’t quote a fixed payout date — your protection comes first.

Held, not handed over. That’s the safest way to buy a watch you’ve never held.

Source a watch