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~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 06:11 AM
I found what appears to be a $6,000 watch, but I can't be sure it's authentic. Just curious if there's anyone here who could help me find a way to do so.

I'd like to return it to the original owner, and for that reason I can't give any specifics (at least, not until I find out who owns it), sorry. I performed a search for the serial number but didn't turn up this exact watch; is there a database somewhere?

frup
December 26th, 2007, 06:44 AM
Take it in to a watch shop maybe or a jeweler to identify it. From there I would take it to the local police station.

There are specialized swiss (brand) watch shops that I know of. What is the brand?

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 06:51 AM
Take it in to a watch shop maybe or a jeweler to identify it. From there I would take it to the local police station.

There are specialized swiss (brand) watch shops that I know of. What is the brand?

Bvlivia. I'm not really sure how to go about this. I've heard that jewelers sometimes confiscate watches if they've been reported lost, and I don't trust police with a watch possibly worth $6,000. It's not even all that necessary that I verify its authenticity, I just want to return it.

Can I just call the police station and ask them to look into any reports? Or will they want the watch itself?

Once I've contacted the police, how long should I wait before I consider it mine? A month? A year?

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 07:29 AM
Once I've contacted the police, how long should I wait before I consider it mine? A month? A year?

Depending on the where you are, the law lets you know.

Where I live, it is never yours unless it is abandoned property.

Where did you find it? Store, restroom, street corner, cookie jar, etc?

slimdog360
December 26th, 2007, 07:34 AM
send it to me and I'll identify it.

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 08:11 AM
Depending on the where you are, the law lets you know.

Where I live, it is never yours unless it is abandoned property.

Where did you find it? Store, restroom, street corner, cookie jar, etc?

Just in a parking lot. Nowhere that would give me any sign as to where I could report it. I'm not considering law here, I'm thinking what time is acceptable to "give up" on the search?

Kingsley
December 26th, 2007, 08:21 AM
Just in a parking lot. Nowhere that would give me any sign as to where I could report it. I'm not considering law here, I'm thinking what time is acceptable to "give up" on the search?
36 hours.

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 08:22 AM
36 hours.

That hardly sounds fair. ;)

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 08:23 AM
Just in a parking lot. Nowhere that would give me any sign as to where I could report it. I'm not considering law here, I'm thinking what time is acceptable to "give up" on the search?

I would keep an ear open.

I would assume if noone looks for it, it is lost and yours. <personally>I wouldn't sell it or give it away until 3 months have passed</personally>

If the parking lot is part of a store or something, you could check with the managers to see if someone reported something missing, but I wouldn't say you are obligated to do that.

If it were left in a restroom, then I would say you should have turned it in, but a parking lot is different.

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 08:25 AM
I wouldn't sell it or give it away until 3 months have passed.

Alright; so I'll give the police a call and see what they can find. If nothing, I'll hold onto it for a few months and see if there have been any new developments. I imagine, being Christmas and all, it would be impossible to find the owner. But hey, I'm going to try. I'd hope that if I lost a $6,000 watch, someone would at least try to return it.

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 08:28 AM
If it were left in a restroom, then I would say you should have turned it in, but a parking lot is different.

I found a great big gold men's ring with a diamond (real or not, I don't know) in a grocery store and turned it into customer service. The owner came back to claim it shortly after. You're right, losing something at a specific location definitely warrants turning it into the manager of the area, but in a parking lot, I'm a little hesitant to turn it in...anywhere. :P

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 08:42 AM
I found a great big gold men's ring with a diamond (real or not, I don't know) in a grocery store and turned it into customer service. The owner came back to claim it shortly after. You're right, losing something at a specific location definitely warrants turning it into the manager of the area, but in a parking lot, I'm a little hesitant to turn it in...anywhere. :P

I have a feeling no matter who you went to, you'd find the "owner".

mips
December 26th, 2007, 09:19 AM
If the watch is really that valuable then it should not be to hard to track down the owner.

When the watch is sold the serial number should be recorded against the owners name and other personal details.

I would contact the local distributor/importer for that brand and ask them to look up the serial number and see if they have any owners details for it. They will probably not give you the owners information but you could ask them to pass your contact details on to the owner and ask for him to contact you.

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 09:20 AM
Why would a watch cost that much? Just curious. Are they like iPhones or something?

Sukarn
December 26th, 2007, 09:32 AM
Why would a watch cost that much? Just curious. Are they like iPhones or something?

There are watches with jewels, gold, silver, platinum in them. They're a lot like jewelry, but special. I have a swiss watch that has got 12 jewels in it, so for me, its understandable why people (specifically men) would want such a watch.

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 09:42 AM
There are watches with jewels, gold, silver, platinum in them. They're a lot like jewelry, but special. I have a swiss watch that has got 12 jewels in it, so for me, its understandable why people (specifically men) would want such a watch.

I like my $15 cell phone with its built in clock.

I guess people will have their gadgets. People would probably wonder on my spending of money for computer parts and accessories that I don't actually need.

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 05:11 PM
When the watch is sold the serial number should be recorded against the owners name and other personal details.

I called Bvlgari this morning and they say they don't register it with the owner, but they have all the serial numbers on file so they can at least tell me if it's really one of theirs. Now I have to go to a jeweler and see what he can figure out. The serial is under the backplate and I don't want to open it myself.

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 05:13 PM
I called Bvlgari this morning and they say they don't register it with the owner, but they have all the serial numbers on file so they can at least tell me if it's really one of theirs. Now I have to go to a jeweler and see what he can figure out. The serial is under the backplate and I don't want to open it myself.

Send it to me (just email it)

It was worth a try.

Good luck in finding the owner, whoever lost it must be worried and late a lot.

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 05:15 PM
Haha. ;)

Yeah....I was pretty convinced it was a fake at first, but every time I look at it, it appears more authentic.

No misspellings like you'd see on a knockoff (Prado[Prada], Oakey[Oakley]), beautifully made, accurate time (it's self-winding, and the cheap ones usually lose a few minutes here and there).

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 05:28 PM
Haha. ;)

Yeah....I was pretty convinced it was a fake at first, but every time I look at it, it appears more authentic.

No misspellings like you'd see on a knockoff (Prado[Prada], Oakey[Oakley]), beautifully made, accurate time (it's self-winding, and the cheap ones usually lose a few minutes here and there).

Wait! I think that is mine. Does it have little hands that go around in a circle every hour and minute? Yes, that must be it.

mips
December 26th, 2007, 05:37 PM
I called Bvlgari this morning and they say they don't register it with the owner, but they have all the serial numbers on file so they can at least tell me if it's really one of theirs. Now I have to go to a jeweler and see what he can figure out. The serial is under the backplate and I don't want to open it myself.

I'm sure that they could track the serial number to a store they supplied it to. The store again might be able to pull up the owner details. Just a thought ;)

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 06:05 PM
I'm sure that they could track the serial number to a store they supplied it to. The store again might be able to pull up the owner details. Just a thought ;)

I guess we'll find out then. :)

popch
December 26th, 2007, 08:43 PM
There are watches with jewels, gold, silver, platinum in them. They're a lot like jewelry, but special. I have a swiss watch that has got 12 jewels in it, so for me, its understandable why people (specifically men) would want such a watch.

The jewels in a watch (and mentioned on the back of the case) are not worth anything, really. They just form the bearings for the more delicate axles of the moving parts. The material value is negligible because industrially produced rubies are used there, mostly.

A watch usually becomes valuable (and expensive) for two intrinsic reasons:

The clockwork is complex and is assembled or even completely made manually
The case or the strap are made of or decorated with valuable materialsConsider that a watch can take a sizeable portion of a man-year to build. Consider that you have to pay wages etc for at least one watch maker. If he lives in Switzerland - as many do - figure modest Swiss wages.

There are, of course, the usual non-intrinsic reasons for luxury goods to become expensive, such as scarcity, branding, exclusivity or greed.

Lastly, there's always the possibility that it used to belong to some celebrity. That's however not the case being discussed here.

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 08:54 PM
Lastly, there's always the possibility that it used to belong to some celebrity. That's however not the case being discussed here.

It could be. You never know. ~LoKe could have Richard Stallman's watch and not know it.

popch
December 26th, 2007, 09:37 PM
It could be. You never know. ~LoKe could have Richard Stallman's watch and not know it.

I know for certain that it is not RS's watch. The OP explicitly stated that it was not open.

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 10:14 PM
I know for certain that it is not RS's watch. The OP explicitly stated that it was not open.

What do you mean by open? Perhaps I mis-worded something.

I suppose I can divulge a small detail. It's a Bvlgari watch.

bufsabre666
December 26th, 2007, 10:21 PM
no he means that it was a closed source watch

are there open source? can i get cairo on my watch?

i just say take it to a jewelers and have them confirm it

where im from if its not claimed in a month its yours

popch
December 26th, 2007, 10:23 PM
What do you mean by open? Perhaps I mis-worded something.

I suppose I can divulge a small detail. It's a Bvlgari watch.

Please ignore the little joke. You said earlier The serial is under the backplate and I don't want to open it myself. Hence, the case is not open. I thought it funny to suppose that Stallman's watch should be open like in open source.

I do not know the customs in your part of the world. Where I live the owner of found property owes ten percent of the value to the finder.

~LoKe
December 26th, 2007, 10:24 PM
Please ignore the little joke. You said earlier The serial is under the backplate and I don't want to open it myself. Hence, the case is not open. I thought it funny to suppose that Stallman's watch should be open like in open source.

:lolflag:

Can't believe I didn't catch that.

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 10:25 PM
I do not know the customs in your part of the world. Where I live the owner of found property owes ten percent of the value to the finder.

Where is that? Is it law or custom?

popch
December 26th, 2007, 10:28 PM
Where is that? Is it law or custom?

Switzerland. At the very least it's customary. I think it also is law, but I have to look that up before I can be sure.

popch
December 26th, 2007, 10:35 PM
Switzerland. At the very least it's customary. I think it also is law, but I have to look that up before I can be sure.

It's law in Switzerland: When you find something on public terrain and deliver it according to law (to authorities) it is your right to receive an adequate compensation which usually is ten percent of the value of the object found.

Rough translation from:

Wer auf öffentlichem Grund etwas gefunden hat und seinen Pflichten als Finder bzw. Finderin nachgekommen ist, hat Anspruch auf einen angemessenen Finderlohn, der in der Regel 10% des Werts des Fundgegenstandes beträgt.

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 10:47 PM
It's law in Switzerland: When you find something on public terrain and deliver it according to law (to authorities) it is your right to receive an adequate compensation which usually is ten percent of the value of the object found.

Rough translation from:

Wer auf öffentlichem Grund etwas gefunden hat und seinen Pflichten als Finder bzw. Finderin nachgekommen ist, hat Anspruch auf einen angemessenen Finderlohn, der in der Regel 10% des Werts des Fundgegenstandes beträgt.


What if they don't want it back? Or can't afford the 10 %?

popch
December 26th, 2007, 11:12 PM
What if they don't want it back? Or can't afford the 10 %?

If they do not want it back, they do not fetch it. After some period also given by law, the object will become the lawful property of the finder.

If they can't afford the 10%, they are out of luck. That amount is due. But then, they probably can afford the other 90% even less.

LaRoza
December 26th, 2007, 11:29 PM
If they can't afford the 10%, they are out of luck. That amount is due. But then, they probably can afford the other 90% even less.

An old man with little money loses his wallet and desperately needs the money, someone finds it.

popch
December 27th, 2007, 12:21 AM
An old man with little money loses his wallet and desperately needs the money, someone finds it.

The lawful and honest finder brings the wallet back. The old man gets 90% of his money.

OR

Another person finds the wallet and keeps it. The old man gets 0% of his money.

OR

The old man drops his wallet into a river, never to be seen again.

Besides, the finder can of course waive his right for the 10% of the find.

And the old man should take better care of his wallet. TANSTAFL

LaRoza
December 27th, 2007, 12:46 AM
Mandatory rewards sounds a little cynical.

Oh to be a thief and "find" stuff :)

~LoKe
December 27th, 2007, 12:48 AM
Mandatory rewards sounds a little cynical.

Oh to be a thief and "find" stuff :)

It's to encourage someone to return a lost item. A thief wouldn't "return" something for a mere 10% when they could keep it for 100%.

LaRoza
December 27th, 2007, 01:10 AM
It's to encourage someone to return a lost item. A thief wouldn't "return" something for a mere 10% when they could keep it for 100%.

Bentham's Calculus. I would do it, if I were to go that route.