Man swears 'on his mother's life' he didn't know Audemars Piguet watch he's trying to sell is fake

The New Paper
Feb 3, 2023

A man walked into a second-hand watch shop and ended up pleading with the shop owner for forgiveness when the watch he was trying to sell was identified as a fake.

On Feb 1, TikTok user bruceleekoh uploaded CCTV footage showing his encounter with the customer, who walked in hoping to sell an Audemars Piguet watch.

Much of the clip shows the shop owner scrutinising the timepiece – from its packaging down to the straps – before telling the customer it’s a fake. 

At first, the man asks the shop owner why he thinks it’s a fake, to which the latter seemingly points out certain features and flaws on the watch. 

Despite the muffled audio, we can hear later on when the shop owner mentions the police, and the fact that the man and the conversation were being recorded by CCTV.

The man, now appearing to be shaken, then presses his hands together and swears “on his mother’s life” that he didn’t know the watch was fake.

He then tries to explain that the watch belonged to a girl whose boyfriend owed her some money. 

But the shop owner does not appear too interested in all that, and advises the man not to go to other shops to try and sell the fake, adding that he should consider this as a warning.

While we may assume the shop owner’s appraisal of the watch to be accurate, it can’t be said with certainty if the man truly knew that the watch he had was a fake. 

Despite this, many netizens in the video’s comments section said the shop owner should have called the police on him – as he would “likely try his luck at another shop”. 

For the offences of selling or importing counterfeit goods, the fine is pegged at $10,000 for each counterfeit product sold or imported, subject to the same overall maximum fine of $100,000.