Most important thing when a bloom appear is to take 100s of images, focusing on one cultivar at a time.
Blooming times helps so when Dauntless first appear, I took heaps and heaps of photos. I knew I had two other cultivars that are going to look similar to Dauntless. It was then important to establish as many photos as possible (I needn't have worried really).
When the photographs get uploaded, processed, cut and pasted into a folder (each cultivar will have a folder each), I then match my images against those found on google, AIS, ATP, HIPS, NZ sources, even the old iris catalogues.
From there, I'm able to discern whether I've received the correct cultivar or a misnomer.
The correct cultivar, once proven, will have its profile upgraded to the main file. The main file contain profiles of all the 'proved' cultivars. Any misnomers, together with their images, will have their profiles put into a separate folder, for me to figure out later.
I do the same process over again when Indian chief started blooming. At its blooming peak, it was the most symmetrical cultivar I've ever seen (matched one image I've seen, of Indian chief on-line), if you can see three beards in one line of vision, you'll see the perfect symmetry. I thought it was that amazing that if someone told me to choose one red, I'll be keeping Indian chief.....definitely!
Now there's 2 red blooms to compare when Winston Churchill opened up. Indian chief was ruled out due to having no PBF. Indian chief and Dauntless have PBF, but Winston Churchill is not Dauntless because Dauntless have blue and yellow coloured style arms (Winston Churchill's is red and yellow).
The more time spent on working on one cultivar, the more you become familiar with it.
If you want to go 'deep' about things in general, you'd never know more than the creator of the said cultivar you're working on.
You're pretty much relying on consistencies of images, the belief of other people, old catalogues, which is useful for descriptions, the consistencies as found within 'groups' such as AIS, ATP, HIPS, (all I've mentioned earlier), making comparisions between them all but if the creators still remembers and recognise their own creations, only they'd know for sure. So you try and get as close to what they perceived as being the 'Real McCoy' cultivar.
I work with 2 montiors which covers a lot more ground than minimising and maximising tabs! ;-)
...I will have to make some enquiries around here (in NZ) asking the nurseries whether they're in the import business and how they go about it. 
But they might not tell me due to me being a potential opponent to their business...who knows unlike I ask, right?
Had anyone done any hybridising using variegated ones? Are they sterile? Not true to seeds? I haven't delved into variegated ones due to thinking we dont have any here? 
Nicky
Love to hear more about this guy and yes he's known over here, we've got a number of his broken coloured irises here too
Lestv, I'm sure the neighbours dont understand when I go out several times to check for new blooms, inspecting the blooms and taking photographs like one never saw a flower before lol. I had to explain what I was doing to avoid having neighbours thinking I'm one of those weirdos! 
Often I wait until the neighbours aint looking or gone out lol *I can't belive I'm going about my business furtively 
