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..!

[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.

[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.

[Grich]

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.

[Grich]

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....

[Erik_H]

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.

[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.

[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?

[GinGinD]

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

[John MS]

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.