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What is a GUG and why should you care?

seanf

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What is a GUG? A GUG is a Gen Under a Grand. GUG is also the name of RWI's new regular column that will be posted here in this section once every few weeks (more or less, depending on how lazy I am, and how much booze I have at my disposal).

After getting sticker shock at seeing the price of some of the newest reps ($1200 for the Hublot Big Bang All Black?!?!? Really?!?!?), I realized that for that kind of money, you could get a pretty good watch that: (a) wasn't illegal in the majority of the world; (b) had little to no risk of being seized by customs; and (c) would likely not explode or disintegrate within two years. So with that in mind, I started to branch out into the wild and wooly world of gens.

Now, full disclosure. One of the reasons I got into reps into the first place is that I think it is nothing short of silly to spend a lot of money for a friggin' watch. I don't care how bloody complicated the movement is, you still can't convince me that I should spend more for a watch than I would for my car. Or, in some extreme cases, my house. Or, in even more extreme cases, my car, my house, and my office building all put together. So my personal criteria for a gen is that it has to be under a grand, and it has to be cool. And once I started looking, I realized that there are a lot of lesser known brands out there waiting to be discovered.

So, the primary purpose of the GUG columns is to bring attention to some reasonably priced brands that you've probably never heard of. So that means, unless I get particularly lazy one week, you won't be seeing any established brands that everyone knows (like Movado, Citizen, Tag, etc.). I may dip my toes into some vintage stuff, but I've got a couple of watches to write about first.

Here's the thing. Most of us put up with the garbage that comes with this hobby (DOA watches, shady dealers, recessed canon pins, etc.) because we love the watches and it's cost effective to buy a rep. But with the ever escalating price of reps (I mean seriously--- $1200 for a fucking Big Bang rep?!?!?!), the cost-benefit ratio is starting to change. And--unless your goal in collecting reps is solely to impress your friends, family, and potential mating partners--you can get some really cool Gens Under a Grand.
 

watchbuff

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Great idea. A good way to bring the focus away from the super reps.
 

seanf

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The problem is that there really is no objective way to justify the price of some of these new reps. I'm sorry, but $1200 for a Big Bang is the silliest damn thing I've ever heard of. What I'm going to try to do is bring attention to some lesser known brands that you may not have heard of. The purpose really isn't to highlight stuff like Invicta (which is really nothing more than a legal replica anyway). The Maxim Gorky is a good example. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it's really unusual and different and isn't trying to look like a umpteenth clone of a Breguet.
 
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supermanx

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Maybe people will realize they are being overcharged for reps when they see you can get better movements (might still be an eta 2836/24 but will be new/clean/oiled maybe even decorated), in watches that carry a warranty for the same price we are paying for reps.
 

seanf

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No reason they can't exist side by side. I've got my 4th Gen PO on right now, but I'm also trolling the Bay looking for a good deal on a vintage chronograph.
 

supermanx

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seanf said:
No reason they can't exist side by side. I've got my 4th Gen PO on right now, but I'm also trolling the Bay looking for a good deal on a vintage chronograph.

Agree on that point, but you get too much past $300 and you should start seeing a warranty a fresh movement not questionable is it really "eta"... screws that are not loose, rotors that arrive on the movement not falling off, actual waterproofing. And yes I relize these things happen in the gen world, but they are the exception not the rule.
 

fakemaster

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But they don't say Rolex. Didn't we cover all that in the RWI watch thread? People want their watches to be recognizeable. Like supermanx said once you go past $300 things start to happen but that also starts getting to the edge of the average person's comfort zone. And good product can be delivered for far less than a grand. Still it's great to see these watches. Some of them are kind of cool.
 

brtelec

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This is a really great idea. I do not mind spending good money for good quality. Hell, I have rifles with over $3500- in them. I draw the line for reps at appx. $300-. More than that and I have to agree with Supermanx, I want at least a warranty. I understand someone wanting an HBB of a certain type and wanting it to be as close as possible. Truthfully $1200- is nothing compared to the price of a gen, but I would never even consider that. I am happy to see this.
 
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d4m.test

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brtelec said:
This is a really great idea. I do not mind spending good money for good quality. Hell, I have rifles with over $3500- in them. I draw the line for reps at appx. $300-. More than that and I have to agree with Supermanx, I want at least a warranty. I understand someone wanting an HBB of a certain type and wanting it to be as close as possible. Truthfully $1200- is nothing compared to the price of a gen, but I would never even consider that. I am happy to see this.

Like a certain Rose Gold HBB? HA!!!

Much love, Bro, much love!
 

konigwolf

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Watch is a watch ive been collecting watches since i was ten and if i added up what ive spent on watches I could have bought 5-6 gens! but its always been the design of a watch that drew my attention, the most I've ever spent on a watch is £300 on a seiko frequency drum machine watch back at the turn of the millenia there where some great designs out then(Seiko air pro, Pulsar spoon, Alba, Secret Agent Man watch which I sold on ebay for £700) and for my sins ive always had a soft spot for L.E.D. watches(child of the seventies) and agree with seanf could never justify spending 3-4grand on a watch thats why I love reps and always will, dont see me going back to buying Deisel, D & G watches, but there are a few GUG's I might still purchase like the Ball range of watches, I begrudge spending more than $250 for a rep, the cartel are trying to push the envolope on prices and some numpties are falling for it I mean whats the latest bullshit line "interchangable with genuine parts" theY have lost the plot.
 

seanf

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My personal comfort point for a rep is under $300. I can (barely) justify spending that much on a really first class rep (like the Lite HBB-- now that was worth every penny), but any more, I just can't look at myself in the mirror anymore.
 

tomhorn

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IMO, the Stowa Antea and Airman Series belong on this list.

This is a great topic (and timely) and I look forward to reading your reviews.
 

ThreadLocker

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GUG posts are a great idea. I have several Accutron, Casio, Pulsar, Skagen, Tommy Bahama, Swatch, Le Chateau, Timex, Nike, and 24 Fossils! I will be posting all of these over the next few days. Hope you like.
 

fakemaster

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God. Does anyone remember the days when the Seiko Databank was considered a high end timepiece?
 

Xaval

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I'm REALLY enjoying this thread. The first GUG review are in, and they're just GOOD info! Keep em coming.

Thanks!
 

cybee

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How about some Hamilton's or even Bulova's for under a grand.

Hamilton Jazzmaster is a nice watch..someone do a review on it. :D

geez if this keeps up I will end buying no more reps :shock:
 

seanf

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cybee said:
How about some Hamilton's or even Bulova's for under a grand.

Hamilton Jazzmaster is a nice watch..someone do a review on it. :D

geez if this keeps up I will end buying no more reps :shock:

Funny, but I'm kind of at that point now. I just passed on picking up that new DeWitt for a pretty good price (relatively speaking) because I'm currently trolling the Bay looking for a Vintage Chrono.