The police have previously stated that the authenticity of the watch has been verified according to the authority’s procedures, and that the image shared in the search warrant is their own image of the recovered watch. The police estimated the value at approximately half a million kroner.
The watch expert: “Is incorrect on many points”
But several people have contacted SVT that the watch is probably not genuine. One of them is Martin Dehlin, who explains that watches often have sub-models in different colors or materials. Each variant gets its own reference number.
– The watch is probably intended to resemble the reference 26320ST, but it is incorrect in many respects, says Martin Dehlin.
Could there be some details that are not visible in the picture, that make the police judge the watch as genuine? For example a serial number?
– Those who manufactured it may know a genuine serial number that they put on a replica, so it is not a direct guarantee.
The pawnshop’s expert: “90 percent sure”
Martin Dehlin emphasizes the importance of removing replicas from the market to avoid fraud and poor working conditions. He has now informed the police.
– The absolute safest way to verify a watch is to open the back and check the movement with a watch expert. I think it’s very strange if the police haven’t done it and still choose to go out with this, he says.
Martin Jonsson, senior appraiser at Pantbanken, is “90 percent sure” that the watch is fake based on the police image.
– The right field is written in 24, 8 and 16 on this watch and as far as I know none of the real models have it. So it is most likely a forgery, he says.
SVT has contacted the police for a comment.