the checklist for this modelWassily chair B3: real or reproduction
A genuine one typically changes hands at €1,700, and a good reproduction sells for €250 to €600. That gap is why you turn the piece over before you pay.
Below is the whole checklist we run on this model, 5 markers, written so you could run it by hand. Send your photos and we read the most decisive one free.
The markers that decide it
- 01
tube diameter and bends
Knoll frames use consistent chrome tube with tight, even radii and no rippling on the inside of a bend. A copy shows flattened bends, seam lines, and a bright blue-tinted chrome.
- 02
frame marking
Look for the Knoll logo and the Breuer signature stamped or engraved on the frame, and on Gavina-era pieces an Italian maker's stamp. No mark at all on a chair sold as Knoll is a flag.
- 03
strap fixing
Straps on originals are thick saddle leather or Eisengarn, screwed to the tube with correct hardware and a clean folded end. Thin coated straps, riveted ends, or velcro are reproduction.
- 04
strap tension
Original straps sag slightly and evenly with age and the seat strap shows a body-shaped stretch. Board-flat, identical tension on every strap suggests new.
- 05
joinery of tube to tube
Sleeves and screws join the frame at specified points; the geometry is asymmetric by design. Welded-solid joints or a symmetrical frame are copies.
This is an evidenced opinion read from photographs, never a certificate. A photograph cannot tell us what the piece weighs or how it sounds, and every report names what we could not check.
What one is worth
range as of September 2026
- low
- €900
- typical
- €1,700
- high
- €3,200
- good reproduction
- €250 to €600
Read from public results on Catawiki, LiveAuctioneers, Pamono, 1stDibs and Whoppah, for a piece in honest used condition. Condition, provenance and finish move it.
Check the one you are looking at
free · no account · Wassily chair B3The shots that decide it
If the piece is in front of you, take these. If it is still in the seller's house, look for them in the listing and ask for the ones that are missing.
- 01the whole chair from the front, square on
- 02one tube end cap or joint, close
- 03any stamped or engraved marking on the frame
- 04one leather strap end where it fixes to the tube, close
Add the photos
Up to six photos of the piece itself. Your own are the strongest evidence. The seller's photos out of the listing work too: copy an image from the listing and paste it here, or drag it straight onto this page. We say on your case which photos came from where, and a verdict read off a seller's photograph stops at moderate confidence. Renders, generated images and catalogue pictures of another example are refused.
Or drag photos here. From a listing in another tab: copy the image, then press ctrl and V to paste it.
Add at least one photo. The plate under the seat matters most.