- 14/4/21
- 44
- 17
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[FONT=times new roman, times, serif]Hello all, happy to be here, I find this to be a fascinating place and I am blown away at how extensive the knowledge here is and how clearly passionate so many of you are. I think I would best describe myself as a watch enthusiast who comes up short trying to scratch that vintage watch itch. I'm laid up at the moment healing from an injury and through some circuitous travels through the web found myself here.
I recently came across a video on youtube of someone aging Tiger Concepts watches and then WMT watches and it opened up my eyes to the fact that there were some creative watch makers operating outside the mainstream homage market (a market that even from a distance has left me pretty cold). I found my way to Helenarou still looking for a faithful homage to the 5513. I reached out to see what options were available for a custom dial and I was jolted to see images of replica Rolex dials on offer. I had never even considered that. The pics weren't great, and a quick google search to see if I could find an image or a review of a completed watch took me here and I was exposed to the fact that there are serious artists here working to make incredibly convincing vintage replicas with no worries about leaving Rolex off the dial. It was a bit of a shock honestly. The level of craftsmanship on display here is astounding.
It's funny, because so many watch enthusiasts have been been warned away from replica watches, and as I'm sure as some can attest, with good reason because its simply not for everyone. I've browsed through enough threads here to see that some folks can be pretty conflicted about wearing a replica watch. So far, that anxiety seems to center around reps of very expensive, modern watches popularly thought of as status pieces. Lots of understandable friction where the "Fake watches are for fake people" message meets the pure desire to simply appreciate art and design without spending way outside our means.
I'm in niche category I think, because as a fan of vintage Rolex, the new stuff just turns me off, so I've avoided any soul searching to be done around that market.
It has been an amazing experience looking at replicas of some of my favorite vintage references, watches I completely wrote off ever owning, and pretty much believed that no one would ever make a homage that came even close to approximating their incredible vintage details. Kind of seems like I've stepped into a whole world of possibilities, but due to my ignorance, it also seems pretty fraught.
Do some of these incredible artists take commissions? How likely is it to end with it being seized in customs? Are the best of these craftsman overwhelmed with folks wanting them to make pieces for them? For the best that I see here, what kinds of costs are involved?
Anyway, I just thought I'd say hello and attempt to make a few connections by putting my foot forward. And before I finish, I also want to say that I think there is something quite liberating about this whole thing. Orthodoxies can cripple the mind and spirit and it is refreshing to see people throwing off quite a lot of judgement for going after what they want and clearly having a great time doing it. [/FONT]
I recently came across a video on youtube of someone aging Tiger Concepts watches and then WMT watches and it opened up my eyes to the fact that there were some creative watch makers operating outside the mainstream homage market (a market that even from a distance has left me pretty cold). I found my way to Helenarou still looking for a faithful homage to the 5513. I reached out to see what options were available for a custom dial and I was jolted to see images of replica Rolex dials on offer. I had never even considered that. The pics weren't great, and a quick google search to see if I could find an image or a review of a completed watch took me here and I was exposed to the fact that there are serious artists here working to make incredibly convincing vintage replicas with no worries about leaving Rolex off the dial. It was a bit of a shock honestly. The level of craftsmanship on display here is astounding.
It's funny, because so many watch enthusiasts have been been warned away from replica watches, and as I'm sure as some can attest, with good reason because its simply not for everyone. I've browsed through enough threads here to see that some folks can be pretty conflicted about wearing a replica watch. So far, that anxiety seems to center around reps of very expensive, modern watches popularly thought of as status pieces. Lots of understandable friction where the "Fake watches are for fake people" message meets the pure desire to simply appreciate art and design without spending way outside our means.
I'm in niche category I think, because as a fan of vintage Rolex, the new stuff just turns me off, so I've avoided any soul searching to be done around that market.
It has been an amazing experience looking at replicas of some of my favorite vintage references, watches I completely wrote off ever owning, and pretty much believed that no one would ever make a homage that came even close to approximating their incredible vintage details. Kind of seems like I've stepped into a whole world of possibilities, but due to my ignorance, it also seems pretty fraught.
Do some of these incredible artists take commissions? How likely is it to end with it being seized in customs? Are the best of these craftsman overwhelmed with folks wanting them to make pieces for them? For the best that I see here, what kinds of costs are involved?
Anyway, I just thought I'd say hello and attempt to make a few connections by putting my foot forward. And before I finish, I also want to say that I think there is something quite liberating about this whole thing. Orthodoxies can cripple the mind and spirit and it is refreshing to see people throwing off quite a lot of judgement for going after what they want and clearly having a great time doing it. [/FONT]