Docs
Authentication operations
The intake queue, claiming a request, the 11-point checklist, and how a verdict turns into a certificate.
Authentication operations is Bench’s module for running an actual authentication desk, not just issuing a certificate one at a time. It’s in early access: the core flow described here is live and in daily use, but the module is still growing.
The queue
Every watch submitted for authentication, whether entered at the counter or submitted through the mobile app, lands in a queue with four tabs: Open (nobody has picked it up yet), Mine (you’ve claimed it and it’s in progress), Escalated, and Completed.
Claiming a request
Before anyone can work on a request, they claim it. Claiming assigns it to you and moves it out of Open; if a second person tries to claim the same request, Bench refuses and tells them it’s already claimed. That rule exists so a decision always has exactly one name attached to it while it’s in progress, not two people each assuming the other is doing the careful pass.
The 11-point checklist
Once claimed, a request opens onto a fixed checklist of 11 components: case, dial, hands, crystal, bezel, bracelet or strap, clasp or buckle, movement, serial and engravings, papers, and packaging. Each one gets marked Pass, Fail, or Not applicable, with room for a note. You can save a partial checklist and come back to it; nothing forces you to finish in one sitting.
Verdict and escalation
When you’re ready, you record a verdict: Genuine, Not authentic, or Inconclusive, plus a toggle for whether to issue a certificate. Genuine and Not authentic can both mint a certificate if you choose to issue one, a documented “not authentic” finding is still a real, verifiable result. Inconclusive never issues a certificate, no matter how the toggle is set. Recording a verdict marks the request Completed.
If you’re not confident enough to commit to a verdict, you can escalate instead, with a required reason. Escalating keeps your claim and your name on the request; it doesn’t drop back into the open queue for someone else to pick up blind. Completed and cancelled requests open in a read-only view: the full checklist and outcome, no editing.