Eight categories are refused, each with a reason. The two most expensive refusals are brand rankings and affiliate links, and both are kept deliberately.
Refuse: what this bench will not write
issue ISSUE 01checked 2026-09-16responsible Escapement Papers (a named bench, not a person)
The list, with a reason per line
| Not written | Reason |
|---|---|
| Brand rankings and buying advice | A ranking needs comparative testing this bench does not run; without it the page is an opinion with a link in it |
| Affiliate or sponsored content | The bench has no revenue relationship with any maker; introducing one would change which pages exist |
| Investment, resale and valuation | A different discipline with a different evidence base, and the bench would be guessing |
| Authentication and provenance opinions | No responsible party here can answer them, and a wrong answer is expensive |
| Disassembly instructions | The bench does not teach anyone to open a case or remove a balance; the failure mode is somebody's watch |
| Auction results and price commentary | Prices are not measurements of anything the bench can check |
| Speculation about unreleased references | There is nothing to measure yet |
| Any rate quoted without its method | A figure without a position and an angle is not evidence |
The two refusals that cost the most
Refusing brand rankings removes the highest-traffic content in this subject area, and refusing affiliate links removes the obvious way to pay for the site. Both are kept, because the alternative is a bench whose pages exist to move a purchase rather than to answer a measurement question, and readers can tell — which is exactly why the measurement pages would stop being believed.
What happens when a topic is borderline
If a topic needs a measurement the bench cannot make, it is refused. If it needs a measurement the bench can make but has not made, it is deferred rather than guessed. If it needs a measurement the bench has made on one watch, it is published as a note with the watch, the position and the lift angle stated, and marked as a figure that can rot.
A refusal list is also a scope guard. Without one, a bench drifts toward whatever gets traffic, and the drift is invisible until the site is a different site.
References
- Ref 1Certification bodies, Horopediasupports the certification language the bench refuses to interpret
- Ref 2Understanding Complications in Watches, Fondation de la Haute Horlogeriesupports the complication vocabulary the bench will not rank
- Ref 3Openworking and Skeletonizing, Horopediasupports the practice of opening a movement, which this bench will not teach
One link, one document, titled as it titles itself. No home pages, no search results.
Set this page down Set this page down if your question is on the list. The bench will not answer it, and saying so is the useful part.