The biggest misconception is that those who partake in this hobby cannot afford the real thing, whereas in most cases it couldn’t be further from the truth... I’ve seen guys on here with gen Rolex and APs in the 15-25k price bracket yet still enjoy buying replicas which they know they can beat up and not feel too bad about it.
I personally could go out tomorrow and collectively purchase gen versions of every rep I own cash and I’d still be living more than comfortably. However, what’s the fun in that! Similar to what Mari has stated, I tend to buy reps of those I know I can afford and are well within my capabilities, hence the likeliness of getting called out is slim to none (example: I personally wouldn’t buy a Daytona 116506 with a price tag of approx. £60k as those around me know it’s extremely unlikely I’d go drop that kind of money on something that doesn’t provide some form of financial return or dividends, so what’s the point).
I’ve had a fair few gens and ended up beating them up and selling them on for what I initially purchased them for... Booooooring.
I still have a gen Cartier Roadster and 5 digit Datejust which I wear to work and basically get tossed around, however, the most part of my collection consists of reps and frankens which I’ve spent the best part of 3 years working on (and take better care of due to the time and effort spent on them) and I’ve loved every second of scouring the internet for parts, putting my skills as a novice watchmaker to use, whilst contributing to a forum full of knowledgable folk who are there to help if needed.
Life’s short, who gives a fuck what you wear, just enjoy this hobby for what it is... people read too far into the rep game when it’s really not that deep.