What does a QC photo set show?
Every order gets its own photographs before it ships, and this page shows what those photographs contain. The sets below come from delivered orders, published with the buyer's OK. Published so far: Audemars Piguet 18.
A QC set is a short photograph sequence of the actual watch in your order, taken on our bench within 1 to 2 days of payment: the dial and markers, the caseback and the movement, the bracelet and the clasp. You look at those frames and approve them before anything is dispatched. If a frame shows something you do not want, the watch is swapped for another and photographed again; if nothing acceptable turns up, the payment is refunded. The set is the last checkpoint before the parcel: it comes after payment and before dispatch.
What is in a QC set?
One set, five things, always in the same order:
- The dial, with the markers and hands in place.
- The case and lugs, both sides.
- The caseback and the movement, where the caseback opens or the reference has a display back.
- The bracelet or strap, and the clasp.
- The reference, so the set can be matched to your order.
Frames are shot on the bench under the same light for every order, so two sets can be compared against each other rather than against a catalogue render.
When are the photographs taken?
After the order is settled and paid, usually within 1 to 2 days. Nothing moves to dispatch until you have seen the set and approved it, and the tracking number follows your approval rather than the payment. Shipping is a flat $50 and tracked; see shipping for the delivery window by region.
What if I do not approve the frames?
The watch is swapped for another and photographed again. Swapping comes first because most issues visible in a photograph belong to one watch rather than to the reference. If no acceptable watch can be found, the payment is refunded, and returns run 14 days in unchanged condition once the parcel has arrived. The QC process page sets out the order of steps.
Which sets are published here?
Only sets a buyer agreed to show, one per reference and dial, from delivered orders. Open a set to see every frame we published for it. The date on each card is the day those photographs were taken, not the day this page changed. A published set is not the watch you will receive: your own set arrives by email and opens on the QC lookup page with your reference and the address you ordered with.
Royal Oak Chronograph 26240ST, blue dial
Royal Oak Chronograph 26240ST, green dial
Royal Oak 15416CE, black ceramic, openworked
Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 26238ST, blue dial
Royal Oak Offshore 26240CE, black ceramic
Royal Oak Offshore 26400IO, anthracite dial
Royal Oak Offshore 26420OR, black dial, ceramic bezel
Royal Oak Openworked 15407ST
Royal Oak 41mm, black dial, rubber strap
Royal Oak 15510ST, blue tapisserie dial
Royal Oak 15510ST, khaki green dial
Royal Oak 15510ST, silver dial
Royal Oak Chronograph 41mm, forged carbon, grey dial
Royal Oak Chronograph 41mm, black dial
Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 42mm, blue dial
Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15720ST, black dial
Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15720ST, khaki green dial
Royal Oak Tourbillon 41mm, red dial
What else do buyers ask about the QC step?
Can I see the QC photographs before I pay?
No. The photographs are of the watch bought for your order, so they are taken after payment. What you can see before paying is the reference, the dial and the published price on the product page.
What do the photographs actually show?
The dial and markers, the caseback and the movement, the bracelet and the clasp. That is the set: enough frames to judge the watch you are being sent, not a stock image of the reference.
What happens if I do not approve them?
The watch is swapped for another and photographed again. That is the first answer because most issues in a photograph belong to one watch rather than to the reference. If no acceptable watch can be found, the payment is refunded.
Is a published set the watch I will receive?
No. Sets published here are other buyers' watches, shown with their permission, one per reference. Your own set goes to your order email and to the QC lookup page, which opens with your reference and the address you ordered with.