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Why buy reps? (Serious question)

brokeAF

You're Saying I Can Sell?
22/5/20
80
19
8
So. Cal
I want the look and feel of reps especially inside my wallet. In my case, I could probably just own 1 gen and I am the type who wants a lot of things lol

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YellowFin

Not pretty, hardly popular
28/1/20
2,527
2,798
113
Molvania
Ou are all right folks, good reasons for reps. I do have reps and gens as well. You know what? I dont wear any of them ! My gens are now too valuable to be scratched or stolen, Im wearing them few times a year at home. And I am not wearing the reps outside my house because it gives me a bad feeling. Like a scammer. Pretending to be rich or so. So it comes, that I like my gens and reps and andmire them, clean them, take them out of the drawer, but i am wearing a nice but chap skagen, for years now.

Like... seriously? You buy gens and reps to wear them on your sofa?
 

Mr Brooks Lex

You're Saying I Can Sell?
30/6/20
37
15
0
Couple of reasons why I am interested in the replica watch market:

- I am not convinced certain brands (Rolex etc) are being entirely honest about waiting times, according to numerous ADs. History dictates that Rolex is one of the only brands that consistently struggles to make supply meet demand. I feel it is somewhat manipulated.
- I feel that reps (some) have become so good that if even a seasoned wearer would struggle to tell the difference, it begs the question would you know a rep if you were buying a gen on grey market, kind of like the watch Turing test
- The cost attached to reps is frankly better on my wallet (obviously), why have one of what you like when you can have three or four, look at watch clubs in the US, they achieve something similar
- The rep market and this forum has been a bit like learning to trade, adopting a whole new language and understanding for how it all works, so my inner nerd and geek is certainly being looked after with this hobby
- Look at the reasons behind reps, why people want things they dont want to buy, the supply/demand dilemma as well as society and its obsession with wealth aspiration has driven this market for centuries in various forms

Anyway, not an exhaustive list and happily discuss further, but I have loved this forum and the maze of navigating it at the start, with still much to learn.


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KSwatches

Trusted Dealer
29/11/18
1,374
1,480
0
Because Reps looks like this in 2020:

1773e2d71e520c43c9175b6a32b27f5b.plist

The real question for me is, why buy gen? I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable walking around with £30k strapped to my wrist and besides I’d rather use the money towards a Porsche.
 

Zoden21

Looking Around
5/6/20
1
6
0
One of my reasons for buying rep is simple, the genuine market absolutely sucks currently. What do I mean with this? Remember the days were you can get a nice used aluminium sub for around 2k? (btw these days weren't too long ago) Or you could walk into an AD ask for a ceramic sub and hed give you a discount? Not too long ago as well. SS Daytonas were sitting, and you were begged to take one or two.

These were the days were I honestly can say, why buy reps? 2K and you have a classic on your wrist and it will last you a lifetime... but now? Getting a Daytona from an AD is next to impossible, no matter how good of a client you were/are chances are it will be hard as hell for you to get it.

Dont get me started on other brands.

Thats one of my reasons I wear reps, mind you I usually modify them to the teeth because I am somewhat OCD, yet this is bullshit what is going on (pardon my french) and I am gladly voting with my wallet to spend it with my projects.
 

Zoden21

Looking Around
5/6/20
1
6
0
With 2K I was of course only referring to the Submariner, Daytonas around 2000-2012 were always around the 8-9k mark (private sales of course and in EUR)
 

stufuse

Put Some Respect On My Name
22/10/17
3,662
2,449
113
UK
I think reps has ruined buying gen, for me anyway (although I’m Considering the new tudor BB58 blue). When a friend has a brand new watch they’ve waited (some years) for, the overall experience vs the high tier reps is the same. (Without analysing/obsessing the flaws over time)

Here’s a pic of their 114060 and 116500 which was just picked up that week. It honestly feels like I could comment on owning both of these watches and aspects of the details, just from owning the reps. They didn’t feel more special on the wrist, kind of a anticlimax especially with the Daytona. Although the genuine are super clean, they glisten a little more.

Last gen I owned was a Datejust 5 years ago the itch gets scratched buy these new reps you get 90% of the experience on the wrist. for me anyway. For some there’s nothing like gen. for me I’m not so sure
4c4364249ccd943fb405cdb90222d0cd.jpg



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mpx

I'm Pretty Popular
6/2/20
1,007
2,114
113
Austria
I agree, buying high quality reps also ruined gens for me somehow. And it feels like cheating the system a bit. There are those who are waiting months and years for a simple Sub, and then there is us who just buy a rep for a fraction of the price and you get it 2-4 weeks later. And to be honest, nobody who isn't really really deep into this stuff will be able to tell a difference.
I had many many gens and they are just not worth the price to me anymore. When there is no good rep, I will still buy the gen of course, for example sooner or later I will buy a gen Speedy for sure, but when there is a high-end rep it just makes no sense to me. Unless you can get them for a good price and sell them with profit of course, as most do with gen Rolex models.
 
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Rickhardth

You're Saying I Can Sell?
23/6/20
75
9
8
Because apart from very expensive and exclusive models (that very few can afford or justify to themselves buying), the depreciation is shocking. It might be an overstatement but, overall, reps seem to hold their value better than most gens.
 
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twobears

You're Saying I Can Sell?
28/2/17
41
4
8
Toronto
i've tested with rep to see what i like

both my gen sub and blnr have gone up in value

it costs more to game rep atm as long as you can get msrp from AD's

holding onto 2 gens and 1 rep atm
 

Mchan4

You're Saying I Can Sell?
30/1/20
26
9
0
I like both gens are reps, but I've started to realize that the money held up in buying gens could be used better elsewhere. I used to own some genuine rolexes, but sold them off to fund other hobbies. I just think that with the way reps are being produced nowadays, especially with watches like the submariner, where the only difference is the internals (I've owned my me gen for a year and never saw the inside of that thing) and details only noticeable under a macro lens, I could get a good amount of the watch back at a meager fraction of the price. Basically, if all I'm going to lose going from a gen to a rep is the most indistinguishable things, it's worth saving several grand.
 

museguy

Active Member
19/10/12
252
144
43
Here’s a pic of their 114060 and 116500 which was just picked up that week. It honestly feels like I could comment on owning both of these watches and aspects of the details, just from owning the reps. They didn’t feel more special on the wrist, kind of a anticlimax especially with the Daytona. Although the genuine are super clean, they glisten a little more.

Last gen I owned was a Datejust 5 years ago the itch gets scratched buy these new reps you get 90% of the experience on the wrist. for me anyway. For some there’s nothing like gen. for me I’m not so sure
4c4364249ccd943fb405cdb90222d0cd.jpg

Dear stufuse

Thank you for putting in words what I have been thinking for the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago I received my ZZF v2 116610LN and have been wearing the watch everyday day, it is a watch that I have dreamed of since I was a boy. Now that I have the "90% experience", I can't think of a reason to buy the genuine. The ZZF v2 116610LN is a very nice watch, I enjoy wearing it and to be honest I feel too self conscious wearing it out from under my shirt sleeve.

I cannot think of a reason to buy the genuine, the genuine is not magic, it does not have super powers, it is just a watch. I enjoy this watch very much and it is a "real" watch, no matter what it says on the dial, it is a nice watch and I enjoy wearing it. No reason to buy the genuine, now I have the 90% experience.

Cheers.

P.S. Maybe 92% Experience
 
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museguy

Active Member
19/10/12
252
144
43
I think my rep buying motivation is driven by:
1. Being a collector. If I could afford to, I’d have a big collection of gens - but I can’t afford a big collection of the brands I like most.
2. Being obsessive. When I get interested in something, it gets a bit out of hand...
3. Being a keen hobbyist. I like building things, making things and breaking things. And I like the gadgets and tools too!
4. Being an artist. My background in art and photography helps me appreciate the beauty of these little jewel-like objects.
5. Being here. I found the rep forums before I started collecting them. And I like the community!

Dear p0pperini

Great response !

What is so interesting about this thread is the similarities of the people who are responding; OCD, being thrifty, love of watches (and maybe mechanical objects), love of design, many similarities in the responses.
 
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HG 2000

Supporter
22/7/20
145
128
43
I agree with so many statements that have been made.

This site has turned my interest into a slight addiction.

I previously had a gen Sky-dweller and was deathly afraid to wear it out. A rep allows me the same feeling without the dread.

I very much like options and being able to have 6+ in rotation, that sense of personalization based upon a mood makes me happy.
One thing that I learned about myself in the rep journey is that I also like watches because of the conversations they enable with other enthusiasts. Having more in rotation increases the chances that others will know what you are wearing and spark a conversation. Even more so with a few current friends that I had no idea were into watches (gens and reps.)
 
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Uhr70

I'm Pretty Popular
Patron
Certified
7/9/13
2,534
804
113
USA
I have been collecting Rolex for the past 30 years. I own gens only, with the occasional rep I pick up here or from my TD. I buy these watches for my own pleasure. I am not trying to flex or do it so other people can be impressed. Honestly, at my age, I could give two s*hits what other people think. That being said, gens are terrific but nowadays, some Rolex references are impossible to get at AD without being VIP, bundle etc etc and going grey means dropping sometimes twice retail. Not worth it to me. Ruins the joy of ownership because fundamentally I don't see the value. Also, and this is probably the number one reason, I pick up reps from time to time because these days, they are SOOO well made, it is basically impossible to tell them apart from the gen without a side-by-side with a loupe. I get to enjoy some hard to get pieces without playing AD games, wait forever or drop x2 retail! And the rep experience, like another memeber said, is very close to 90% the gen one. It's a win-win. Cheers!
 
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leo6929

I'm Pretty Popular
2/5/16
1,660
1,061
113
My first rep was a bad Santos Cartier that I picked up in a flea market in Cancun. I honestly didn't want to impress anyone, but liked very much the design of the watch. People took notice of it on my wrist, but honestly there was no way they thought it was gen, both because it was a real bad execution and I was an intern at my starting job, lol. Now I have a white KOR, a blue GF and a black V6F Santos, bought some gen straps and have polished with cape cod cloths the bezel and the case side bevels to an insanely mirror-like detail. Still couldn't care less if people notice my watches or not, for me it isj about the craft of the design. Like some of you said, reps can never be gens, but the quality they have achieved over the last, lets say five years, is astounding.
 

Lili

Active Member
9/6/20
279
232
43
On an island
Walking through the satiric instagram account « Horlogical Diktionary », the submariner process has given pretty good reasons to go rep (very funny post from them).

Anyway, I have been crazy about watchmaking for many years and own some gens from the Panerai, Rolex and Jaeger Le Coultre houses.

However, since my first Datejust Tuxedo in 2009, I have seen the prices of Rolex increase aberrantly sometimes up to + 10% / year. Without legitimate justification in R&D. This disappointment was associated with invented waiting lists from scratch that artificially climb the occasion trends, as in particular for the Daytona. Looking recently at the Reps, I noticed that the Rolex metals have been copied, like the 904L, that the movements were cloned. Even if everything is not perfect.

Concluding that the house with the crown, the biggest machine to produce annually, had made a certain contribution in the explosion of the quality of the counterfeit, by pushing up prices of watches which remained accessible with a little work and savings.

Also, I particularly spot this house for the acquisition of a Rep (to replace for example my gen sub-date disappeared in a burglary). But the exceptional hand-made works by houses like Lange don't interest me as reps.
 
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IronTexan

Looking Around
19/3/19
2
9
0
I look at them as an opportunity to test drive models I am interested in before committing to the real thing, and even evaluate the worth of the real thing to me. For example a Sub homage like an Invicta gave me a completely different feeling than a Noob replica Sub
 

Allthenamesweretaken

Active Member
31/7/21
312
259
63
I have a friend that works for an AD.
his price is half of MSRP. That's the first piss off.

Second I can't get a gen at an AD even if I wanted to cause they're sold out and no wait list, or, you gotta come up with bigger cash.

Third, grey market is like 25k for a 10k watch that my friend pays 5k for cause he's an employee.

i want a rep purely cause F*** the gen company for being greedy F***s and creating this stupidity.
 

jaytreb

You're Saying I Can Sell?
15/8/21
60
69
18
England, Midlands
I couldn't financially justify spending 5K on a watch when I can get something that to me is identical for 400. I suspect that I'll treat myself to a gen when I'm more knowledgable and can appreciate it properly.