# Tiffany or Junk?



## Grich

I am trying to find information on this watch but there does not seem to be much available. I bought it not knowing if it was real or a fake. I don't want to spend over $100 for an appraisal on a $5 counterfeit watch. Tiffany Co. wants a lot of money to appraise it or can't appraise it at all. I took it to one jewelery store where the jeweler thought it was real. Anyway I took some photos of it in case anyone could provide some information on the watch. It looks real, as in older and worn, possibly a vintage. On the front it says "PORTFOLIO TIFFANY & CO." and "Swiss Made". On the back it says "PORTFOLIO TM BY TIFFANY & CO." AND "SWISS MADE 14K" and "WATERRESISTANT". Thanks for any info - dating, value, etc..!


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## Erik_H

Can you take a macro picture of the hallmarks stamped on the caseback after the 14K marking? Value is not discussed here, refer to the stickies at the top of the forum page.


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## Chascomm

The style is early 1990s (late 1980s at the earliest), so it's not exactly vintage. It's a quartz watch, isn't it?

The value will be purely in the gold content, so if you can confirm the hallmarks are genuine, then it might be worth an appraisal.


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## Grich

Erik_H said:


> Can you take a macro picture of the hallmarks stamped on the caseback after the 14K marking? Value is not discussed here, refer to the stickies at the top of the forum page.


Thanks. There is a "585" stamp with scales, and the other stamp I can't make out... looks like a fish maybe, or a whale. I don't think my camera will pick up the detail enough to read it but I did look at it with a jeweler's magnifying glass.


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## Grich

Chascomm said:


> The style is early 1990s (late 1980s at the earliest), so it's not exactly vintage. It's a quartz watch, isn't it?
> 
> The value will be purely in the gold content, so if you can confirm the hallmarks are genuine, then it might be worth an appraisal.


Thanks. The jeweler told me it was a quartz and thus very accurate, but it doesn't say quartz on the watch anywhere. So the watch is basically only good for the scrap gold content? An appraisal is about $100 where I live and a cleaning and new battery is also about $100. I don't want to spend a few hundred bucks on a watch that I end up selling for $100 of scrap gold lol... it also needs a new strap. It could be a money pit....


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## Erik_H

Grich said:


> Thanks. There is a "585" stamp with scales, and the other stamp I can't make out... looks like a fish maybe, or a whale. I don't think my camera will pick up the detail enough to read it but I did look at it with a jeweler's magnifying glass.


585 means 14K gold. You should try to get a better picture of the other one.


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## Eeeb

Quartz watches are almost insensitive to dirt, unlike mechanicals. Do not let your jeweler 'clean' it... just get the battery replaced. Buy a strap while you are at it... it should only cost 30-50 dollars.


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## ulackfocus

Tiffany's made many co-branded watches with many different case makers and movements. This makes them extremely difficult to authenticate. The older ones are frequently counterfeited. This particular watch isn't that old but the bottom line is do you want to spend the money on it and keep it, or do you just want to sell it?


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## GinGinD

ulackfocus said:


> This particular watch isn't that old but the bottom line is do you want to spend the money on it and keep it, or do you just want to sell it?


That is my question as well. Did you acquire the watch for your personal use? Or do you wish to sell it? Might make a difference to the answers you get here.

Jeannie


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## John MS

Grich said:


> I am trying to find information on this watch but there does not seem to be much available. I bought it not knowing if it was real or a fake. I don't want to spend over $100 for an appraisal on a $5 counterfeit watch. Tiffany Co. wants a lot of money to appraise it or can't appraise it at all. I took it to one jewelery store where the jeweler thought it was real. Anyway I took some photos of it in case anyone could provide some information on the watch. It looks real, as in older and worn, possibly a vintage. On the front it says "PORTFOLIO TIFFANY & CO." and "Swiss Made". On the back it says "PORTFOLIO TM BY TIFFANY & CO." AND "SWISS MADE 14K" and "WATERRESISTANT". Thanks for any info - dating, value, etc..!


It gives the appearance of being a real Tiffany. The lettering on the watch back is crisp and precise. Tiffany has sold watches and clocks over the decades and they have all been made by third parties so that's perfectly normal. I disagree completely that the value of the watch lies only in the gold, i.e. the melt-down value. It along with other real Tiffany branded jewelery, etc., has value because of the Tiffany brand, good design along with the gold content. My initial thought was that .585 gold seemed a little low for Tiffany who are known for their 18k jewelery. However it is a watch case so it's probably ok. It should have the heft of gold. Actually Tiffany ventured a little downmarket in the 1990's through early 2000's and produced lower karat and even sterling silver jewelery for a while.

While not rare I think you have quite a find if you really paid $5.00. A picture of the movement could provide further confirmation of it's originality.

There are several Portfolio watches on Ebay.


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## Janne

They still make Sterling Silver jewellery.
Very popular here. Overpriced IMO. I refuse to buy it. Gold prices for Silver stuff.
I agree with you about the watchbrand Tiffany.
Yes, fashion watches. But designed by one absolute tops in the Fashion industry.
With impeccable, long history. Both in jewellery and watch design.
(OK, not my favouride design house, but that is just my (lack of) taste!)


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## jewelerman

There are huge amount of fake Tiffany watches out there on the market.This one however does look genuine in the picure....It is not an older model Tiffany watch and the Portfolio line is a recent addition and this watch most likely is still in production in stainless,sterling,14 karat and 18 karat gold.The retail for this watch if genuine was high and its value isnt just in its gold weight because of its brand name.Is there a Tiffany & co. in your city?Go to their web site and e-mail them for info.The hallmark is for 14karat gold(can be faked however)and the fish shows water resistancy.Keep in mind that an inexperianced appraisor who dosnt handle brand name jewelry may not be able to authenticate your watch so go be careful in choosing an appraiser...Tiffany brand name jewelry is appraised with a much higher replacement cost then its average counterpart.JM


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## ChadHahn

I would agree not to have it cleaned. Take it somewhere to have the battery replaced. Is there a watch repairer in your town that replaces watch batteries? That would probably be better than a kiosk in the mall and shouldn't cost $30 to $100 either.

While he's in there, he could tell you about the movement and if it's Swiss or Chinese or jeweled.

Chad


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## Grich

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I have to confess that I did not pay $5 for the watch. I paid $2. Don't worry it's all legit and I saved the receipt. I might sell it, might keep it, dunno right now. I've never had a Tiffany or a solid gold watch for that matter. I will keep the watch as is for now and not clean it, and possibly put a battery in it soon. Thanks again for all the info! :-!


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## JD_thatsme

Yah after all said and done you def showed some classy attitude and your appreciation was ever so genuine...


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## Old Navman

JD_thatsme said:


> Yah after all said and done you def showed some classy attitude and your appreciation was ever so genuine...


I won't argue with that ... however given that you've only joined 23min ago this post is pretty odd. Has the OP done something to you in the past?


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## JD_thatsme

Nope just read how helpful everyone was and then read ops response seemed kinda ungrateful


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## CMSgt Bo

JD_thatsme said:


> Nope just read how helpful everyone was and then read ops response seemed kinda ungrateful


 Maybe so but the thread is 10 years old and the OP hasn't logged in since March 19th 2009, so you've wasted your time BUMPing this blast from the past.


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## JD_thatsme

Hey I at least got to chat with an admin !


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