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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →In early 2020, buyers and watch-forum users accused Horology House owner Christopher Andrew Essery of selling a counterfeit Rolex Daytona and mishandling other watch transactions. The allegations drew attention after a buyer said they had paid A$29,000 for a Daytona 116500LN that they believed was fake. The available reports document accusations and accounts of refunds, but do not establish that the watch was counterfeit, that Essery acted knowingly, or how every reported transaction was resolved.
How the allegations became public
The controversy began publicly on 31 January 2020, when a user on Rolex Forums posted that a friend had paid A$29,000 for a Rolex Daytona 116500LN and alleged that the delivered watch was counterfeit. The post included photographs and raised concerns about the watch’s box and papers. Those details were the forum poster’s claims; they were not an independent forensic authentication of the watch. Rolex Forums post, 31 January 2020
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The post named Christopher Andrew Essery and associated him with the Horology House YouTube channel and Instagram account. A 2 February 2020 report by Boss Hunting described Essery as Horology House’s owner and said multiple people had made allegations involving a fake Daytona and money paid for watches that were not delivered. Boss Hunting, 2 February 2020
What was alleged—and what was reported about refunds
The initial complaint concerned one buyer’s claimed payment and authenticity concerns. Subsequent media coverage described other disputed transactions, including complaints that buyers had not received watches or their money. Boss Hunting reported that some buyers said they received funds back over time, while others said they were still waiting. Boss Hunting, 2 February 2020
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A report by 24.hu said the buyer at the center of the initial Daytona allegation ultimately received a refund after more than three months. That reported refund does not independently establish whether the watch was counterfeit, demonstrate intent, or resolve the other buyers’ accounts. 24.hu report
A separate Rolex Forums post described one buyer’s earlier transaction for a different watch, including alleged delays and refund installments. It remains an individual account, not a verified measure of total losses or the number of affected buyers. Rolex Forums post
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What the record does not establish
- Whether the Daytona was counterfeit: the available material records the buyer’s allegation and concerns about the watch and its accompanying items, not an independently reviewed authentication finding.
- Whether Essery knowingly sold a fake: no court judgment or regulator finding in the available sources establishes that conclusion. Boss Hunting’s description of the accusations is a journalist’s characterization, not an official determination. Boss Hunting, 2 February 2020
- The total number of buyers, losses, or refunds: the reports and forum posts do not provide a reliable, independently verified aggregate.
- The final outcome of every complaint or any present official case status: the available sources do not establish whether legal action occurred or what its disposition may have been. Available public-record search reference
Why careful wording matters
James Want, writing for Boss Hunting on 2 February 2020, said Essery “has been accused, by a handful of parties, of intentionally selling a fake Rolex Daytona and scamming many others out of funds.” That sentence describes allegations reported at the time; it is not a court or regulator finding. Boss Hunting, 2 February 2020
The defensible account is therefore narrower than some online summaries: a forum post prompted early-2020 coverage of a disputed Daytona sale and additional transaction complaints; reporting also described some refunds. The cited material does not independently verify the watch’s authenticity, establish intent, or provide a complete accounting of outcomes.
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