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Old 11 November 2018, 05:39 AM   #1
exador
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Christie’s Photoshop Scandal

Christie’s Auction House has been caught out photoshopping the watches for their upcoming Rare Watches auction. You can read about it here:

http://chronocentric.com/forums/heue...=read;id=94962

What say you Daytona experts of this one?

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Old 11 November 2018, 06:06 AM   #2
Daytonaman799
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There have been a lot of stories lately about the quality of watches offered by the auction houses and the authenticity of some of the pieces. It makes things quite scary when you are talking about how much so many f these things cost these days.
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Old 11 November 2018, 06:21 AM   #3
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I don't understand what you're asking about the Datona. The controversy is over a listing for a Heuer, and the discrepancy between the written condition report and the associated picture. The report lists a number of flaws, whereas the picture makes the watch look pristine. What does the Daytona have to do with it, and how do you expect people to comment on it without context?
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Old 11 November 2018, 06:50 AM   #4
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I don't understand what you're asking about the Datona. The controversy is over a listing for a Heuer, and the discrepancy between the written condition report and the associated picture. The report lists a number of flaws, whereas the picture makes the watch look pristine. What does the Daytona have to do with it, and how do you expect people to comment on it without context?
If Christie’s has photoshopped one watch, then there’s the possibility that they’ve done the same to others. The Daytona above looks to have a clearly airbrushed case side and crown (has the appearance of aluminium when should be steel).

If anyone has a Christie’s account, they might like to ask for a condition report so we can see what the watch really looks like (Lot #109).
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Old 11 November 2018, 06:59 AM   #5
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Looks like they tried to show parts of the Daytona in original condition to make it look legit, while clearly editing areas they didn't want to draw your attention to.
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Old 11 November 2018, 07:03 AM   #6
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The case sides do look odd, but that could partly be because it was taken in a lightbox. Polished textures and flaws become very hard to spot because the flat lighting washes them out, which is why I think a lot of pre-owned sellers use lightboxes for their listings. That said, the sides look artificial even for lightbox lighting. Is that a listing photo, or an advertisement? As you say, a written condition report would help.
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Old 11 November 2018, 08:09 AM   #7
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Is this getting to be like classic car auctions? TOO MANY

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Old 11 November 2018, 08:14 AM   #8
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So many pitfalls with vintage watches.
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Old 11 November 2018, 09:32 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JacksonStone View Post
I don't understand what you're asking about the Datona. The controversy is over a listing for a Heuer, and the discrepancy between the written condition report and the associated picture. The report lists a number of flaws, whereas the picture makes the watch look pristine. What does the Daytona have to do with it, and how do you expect people to comment on it without context?
I believe the OP point is that if they photoshopped the Heuer, maybe they did the same with the Daytona.
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Old 11 November 2018, 11:30 AM   #10
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The sides of the case have very clearly been photoshopped - you can see the brush lines! Very alarming for an auction house or this status.




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Old 11 November 2018, 11:45 AM   #11
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If it is photoshopped then do we believe they artist went back and randomly digitally applied dots and dust to the brushed surface?




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Old 11 November 2018, 11:46 AM   #12
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Although not surprising, this is certainly disturbing and ethically disappointing!
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Old 11 November 2018, 11:49 AM   #13
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If it is photoshopped then do we believe they artist went back and randomly digitally applied dots and dust to the brushed surface?

[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181111/5eab3917720a2540248e62f721293371.png[/G]


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You can easily edit a photo while leaving textures and markings completely in tact.
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Old 11 November 2018, 12:37 PM   #14
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The sub-dial at 6:00 shouldn't be distorted. The crystal wouldn't make it appear that way from this camera angle.
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Old 11 November 2018, 12:47 PM   #15
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The sub-dial at 6:00 shouldn't be distorted. The crystal wouldn't make it appear that way from this camera angle.
I think that’s OK. Here’s a picture of the actual Paul Newman Daytona.

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Old 11 November 2018, 12:58 PM   #16
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Lot #153. Look at the perfect case!

And yes, these are actual catalogue photos that people are supposed to base their bids on.

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Old 11 November 2018, 01:08 PM   #17
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Not a fan of photoshop watches bc you think your buying a perfect watch and get something different.
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Old 11 November 2018, 02:26 PM   #18
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Not a fan of photoshop watches bc you think your buying a perfect watch and get something different.
Thanks for explaining that, we all thought it had to do with global warming.
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Old 11 November 2018, 02:34 PM   #19
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They could have at least fixed the endlink fit!!! I'm disappointed!!!
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Old 11 November 2018, 05:42 PM   #20
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These computated photos are garbage.
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Old 11 November 2018, 11:23 PM   #21
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Thanks for explaining that, we all thought it had to do with global warming.




Man, that dial is beautiful though...
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Old 11 November 2018, 11:42 PM   #22
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I see no issue, catalogs and marketing pictures are advertisements. Pretty common to doll up products. I hear bloggers spray food with hair spray to present a more ‘tasty’ picture.
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Old 12 November 2018, 12:11 AM   #23
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Quote:
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If it is photoshopped then do we believe they artist went back and randomly digitally applied dots and dust to the brushed surface?

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No need to fake the detail or randomly apply. An overlay brush with a bit of transparency on the layer in PS will do the trick. It will preserve major details while providing a smoothing effect.
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Old 12 November 2018, 01:03 AM   #24
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Quote:
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No need to fake the detail or randomly apply. An overlay brush with a bit of transparency on the layer in PS will do the trick. It will preserve major details while providing a smoothing effect.


Quote:
Originally Posted by RJRJRJ View Post
You can easily edit a photo while leaving textures and markings completely in tact.


Thanks guys - I forgot about the opacity control altogether. I agree those dots I enlarged would have still shown through.


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Old 12 November 2018, 01:12 AM   #25
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The reflection in the pusher looks like the crown is unscrewed, but the crown is screwed down in the image.


Quote:
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The sides of the case have very clearly been photoshopped - you can see the brush lines! Very alarming for an auction house or this status.




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Old 12 November 2018, 01:26 AM   #26
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I see no issue, catalogs and marketing pictures are advertisements.
No issue? Just take a normal picture, without making the colours more vibrant or removing damages and make it appear to be NOS. You know well enough there is a huge $$$$ difference between a pristine watch and one that is banged up.

People have to do their research but this isn't good for a renowned company such as Christie's or Philips. They pretend to be the experts so you should be able to trust them.

All the dealers and experts go to Switzerland but there are still people who are sitting at home and go by these pictures. A bit silly but it happens. It's still sad if they get duped.
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Old 12 November 2018, 02:00 AM   #27
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This is pure BS. I wouldn't dress up a cheap Seiko quartz, much less a vintage classic. That's just bad business. And any flak you get for it, you basically asked for it.
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Old 12 November 2018, 02:11 AM   #28
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I see no issue, catalogs and marketing pictures are advertisements. Pretty common to doll up products. I hear bloggers spray food with hair spray to present a more ‘tasty’ picture.
Renderings are fine on new merchandise. It's just a representation of what you should expect from the product. But on a vintage watch, where tiny nuances carry significant value, the watch should be very accurately represented in the images.

I suspect this Daytona image has been significantly modified to misrepresent its actual condition. Tantamount to fraud IMO.
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Old 12 November 2018, 02:59 AM   #29
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Thanks for explaining that, we all thought it had to do with global warming.
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Old 12 November 2018, 03:08 AM   #30
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I see no issue, catalogs and marketing pictures are advertisements. Pretty common to doll up products. I hear bloggers spray food with hair spray to present a more ‘tasty’ picture.
Given the hefty fees, I'd expect more from Christie's than I would from a food blogger. These auction houses are really selling nothing more than glamour -- they've screwed up countless times.
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