Most TDs check for defects before sending the photos to you, as it's also very troublesome for them to have to deal with disputes and returns or refunds. A subject not frequently talked about is how meticulous/anal should we be about quality control. The watches being thousands of miles away can often make us feel insecure about the condition of the watch. Does it work? Are there scratches/dents? I say dents are not acceptable. Hairline scratches are likely going to happen within the first week of you wearing the watch anyway, it is really worth exchanging over and over to find that 1 watch with absolutely no imperfections? When checking QC make sure to check a few places.
1. Rehaut / Bezel / Tachy alignments. This is most often the problem and are often hard/ impossible to fix. Rolex rehaut for example (google rehaut if you don't understand), is a part of the case, and a misaligned rehaut cannot be corrected unless sanded off and re-engraved. Bezels and Tachy rings are fixable with right tools, but if you need my advice, likely you won't know how. Easier to just make sure they're aligned.
2. Check for misprints. Misprints can come in the form of missing print, double print, smudged prints, or uneven prints. With the printing technologies today, this doesn't happen that much anymore, but because dials are often printed in stages, they may have forgotten a stage of printing, and therefore have missing print.
3. Check lugs and edges for dents and big scratches. These are places most easily damaged during transportation and manufacture. Although with strong materials such as SS, significant damages are unlikely.
