Buyer Terms
Last updated: September 2026
This page is a plain-language reading of our Terms of Service, written for one audience. It is not a separate agreement and it does not add to or reduce anything in the Terms. Where this page and the Terms of Service differ, the Terms apply. This one is for buyers: what to do before you pay, what the seller has promised you, and what we do and do not do if something goes wrong.
1. The one thing that protects you
Buyers must satisfy themselves before paying: inspect the watch in person or through an independent authenticator, check the serial and documents against the watch, and confirm the seller's right to sell.
Everything else on this page is detail. That sentence is the protection. A watch you have held, with papers you have checked against it, bought from someone whose right to sell you have satisfied yourself about, is a good purchase. A watch you have paid for on trust is not, however good the listing looked.
If a seller is reluctant to let you inspect before payment, treat that as the answer.
2. What Chroniq is not
Chroniq is not the seller, owner or buyer of any watch listed. We are not an authenticator, appraiser, escrow provider, or guarantor of payment, title or authenticity, unless we have stated so explicitly and in writing for a specific item.
All sales happen directly between buyer and seller. Chroniq is not a party to any transaction and gives no warranty on any watch.
We do not hold your money. There is no escrow, no payment protection, and no chargeback route through us — the payment is between you and the seller, by whatever method you agree.
Nobody at Chroniq has seen the watch you are looking at. We have not held it, photographed it, or checked its serial. The photographs and description are the seller's.
3. What a verified badge means
A verified badge means our team checked the seller's identity or trade licence. It is not an authentication of the watch.
It is worth exactly what it says: someone checked who the seller is. It is not a statement about the watch, and it is not a reason to skip inspecting.
Our Verification Policy sets out precisely what we check and the long list of things we do not.
4. What the seller has promised you
A seller makes a real, binding promise when they publish a listing. It is worth knowing what it is, because it is what a claim against them would rest on:
By listing a watch you warrant that: you are its lawful owner or are authorised by the owner to sell it; it is not stolen, lost, financed, pledged, subject to a lien, or the subject of any third-party claim or dispute; it is not counterfeit, and is not a replica, 'franken' or aftermarket-modified piece presented as genuine.
Chroniq is a marketplace platform. Sellers are responsible for lawful ownership, authenticity, accuracy of listing information, and the right to sell the item.
So if a watch turns out to be counterfeit or not the seller's to sell, they have broken a warranty they gave. That is a matter between you and them, and it is why knowing who you are dealing with matters.
5. Before you pay — practical
Check the serial and the reference on the watch against the papers, and check both against the listing. A warranty card that belongs to a different watch is the most common way a bad listing looks good.
Ask for the box, papers and service history if the listing claims them, and ask why if they are missing. A missing document is not a red flag; a document that does not match is.
Meet in a public, covered place — a bank, a mall, a dealer's showroom. Our Safety guidance covers this properly, including how to spot a counterfeit and how to handle a high-value handover.
If you are not confident judging the watch yourself, pay an independent authenticator. It costs a fraction of the watch.
6. If something goes wrong
Report the listing. Every listing page has a Report control, with reasons including counterfeit and stolen, and you can report anonymously.
Chroniq may remove, suspend, withhold, investigate, or report listings where fraud, stolen goods, counterfeit goods, document misuse, or suspicious activity is suspected.
What we can do is act on the listing and the account. What we cannot do is recover your money, adjudicate ownership, or authenticate the watch after the fact — we were not a party to the sale and have no standing in it.
Where we reasonably suspect a criminal offence we may share information with the police or other competent UAE authorities. If you believe you have bought a stolen watch, report it to the police as well as to us.
7. Valuations and prices
Our valuation is an estimate built from comparable market evidence. It is a starting point for a conversation, not an offer, not a guarantee of resale value, and not a reason to pay a particular price.
A listing priced below our estimate is not automatically a bargain, and one above it is not automatically overpriced. Condition, papers and originality move a real price more than any estimate can.
8. Where to read the rest
The full agreement is our Terms of Service, which governs. Our Acceptable Use Policy sets out what may not be listed and how reports are handled. Our Verification Policy explains the badge. Our Safety guidance is the practical one, and the one worth reading before your first purchase.
If anything here is unclear, ask before you pay: hello@chroniq.ae or WhatsApp.