Dialroom Buyer Protection
Every pre-owned watch authenticated.
Every transaction protected.
Authenticated by Time and Me and Hourmark, backed by Hourmark certificate. Money held in escrow until you have the watch, or refunded if it does not pass inspection.
1. Escrow Payment
Your money sits in a regulated escrow with our payment partner, never with the seller. For Daily-tier orders we release on delivery confirmation. For Luxe-tier orders we release only after the watch has passed authentication at our Bengaluru hub and your inspection window has closed.
2. Expert Authentication
Every pre-owned watch listed at ₹20,000 or more is physically inspected before it reaches you. Watches under ₹2 lakh are authenticated in-house by Hourmark at our Bengaluru hub. Watches at ₹2 lakh and above receive a forensic check by our partner Time and Me, the same authentication firm trusted by Amazon India and the Indian Customs department.
3. Returns & Refunds
Every watch sold through our escrow and consignment flows comes with the same window: 72 hours to inspect after delivery. That applies to all tiers, Daily through Luxe Certified. On Luxe tiers you have an additional protection: if the watch fails authentication or does not match the seller's declaration, you are refunded in full and we recover the watch from the seller.
Protection scales with the watch
We tier authentication and protection by price band, so a ₹3,000 Seiko 5 isn't billed for forensic spectrometry, and a ₹5 lakh Rolex isn't released to you on a buyer's-word-only.
| Tier | Price band | Authentication | Escrow release | Returns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily | Under ₹5,000 | Seller declaration · photo verification | On delivery | 72 hr inspection window |
| Daily Verified | ₹5,000 – ₹20,000 | Seller declaration · photo verification · spec check | On delivery | 72 hr inspection window |
| Luxe Authenticated | ₹20,000 – ₹1,00,000 | Mandatory Hourmark inspection · condition report | After hub authentication passes | 72 hr inspection window + full refund on auth failure |
| Luxe Certified | ₹1,00,000+ | Forensic check by Time and Me · Hourmark certificate | After the 72 hr inspection window closes | 72 hr inspection window + full refund and insurance on any deviation |
How escrow actually works
- 1
You pay
At checkout you pay the full amount via UPI, card, or netbanking. The money goes into our escrow account, held by our payment partner, not by the seller, and not by us as operating capital.
- 2
The seller ships
For Daily-tier orders the seller ships directly to you. For Luxe-tier orders the seller ships to our Bengaluru hub first.
- 3
We authenticate (Luxe only)
Every pre-owned watch ≥ ₹20,000 is unboxed, photographed, and physically inspected. Serial numbers cross-checked against the seller's listing and against the Hourmark stolen-watch registry. Movement, case, dial, bracelet: all recorded.
- 4
The watch reaches you
We ship insured, signature-on-delivery, on every tier. Your 72-hour inspection window starts when the watch is delivered: examine it at home before the seller sees a rupee.
- 5
Funds release
Escrow releases to the seller only after delivery confirmation (Daily) or post-authentication / post-acceptance (Luxe). If anything fails (auth failure, return within window, mismatch with the listing) escrow refunds you in full, and we recover from the seller.
When something goes wrong
You are protected end-to-end. The most common cases:
- Watch fails authentication. Full automatic refund. Watch returned to seller. Seller listing suspended pending investigation.
- Watch arrives but is not as described. Open a dispute from your order page within the return window. We mediate; if the listing is materially mismatched, full refund and shipping label issued at our cost.
- Hourmark certificate later revoked. In the rare case post-sale evidence emerges that a watch should not have passed, the certificate is publicly revoked at verify.hourmark.in and you are eligible for a buyback at the original price.
- Watch never arrives. Delivery is insured. If the courier loses it, you are refunded in full and the seller is paid out from the insurance claim (not from your money).
Authenticated by
Time and Me · Hourmark
Backed by Hourmark certificate. Verify any certificate at verify.hourmark.in
Hourmark is the authentication & certification brand of Chronostop Enterprises Private Limited, operator of the Dialroom marketplace.