Rolex rep biases?

[Yacht-Monster]

Hi all,

Interested to see the amount of Rolex most have in their rep collection. Although I've been collecting some reps that are from respected but lesser known brands, my box is still that of a Rolex fanboy. I initially came from low to mid level gens (Hamilton, Tissot, Sinn etc), so once I discovered this high level rep game I went a little 'Lex crazy'. Is this normal to shy away from the newest sub rep for the more experienced types here after you've been collecting for a while? Maybe not with the popularity of Rolex reps over some other brands, but I'd be keen to find out.

Thanks.

 

[Yacht-Monster]

Anyone? Wow, I thought this type of question would've had some interest.

 

[RunningFast]

Currently I only have 2 reps, they are both Rolex Submariners. I own a gen, I bought it about a year and a half ago when I was watching the prices of Rolex fluctuate and I saw the writing on the wall. When the virus hit I heard Rolex dialed back production and... BOOM bought a brand new 116610LN brand new for about $9k. Prices started to go up, and up, and up. So far they have gone up about $5,000, I should have bought a few more LOL. I wanted to keep it mint because because the price is still climbing, so it still sits in the box. My dilemma was that I loved it and wanted to wear it so I bought a Noob. Side by side they are impossible to tell apart without looking at the serial number. You'll notice a lot of the photos on this site, they have a super zoomed up photo and look for flaws but side by side with a gen in the real world, you cannot tell. I mean who is going to take my watch off and inspect it with a magnification loupe? I mean ever? I looked under magnification and it is still nearly impossible to tell the difference. The quality of this model is amazing. I was so impressed I bought a Hulk too.

 

[p0pperini]

I hadn't actually done a count to check the numbers of Rolex/Other I have, so out of curiosity I just whizzed through my spreadsheet and checked the numbers in my collection as it stands.

Rolex: 65
Other reps/gens: 55

Which just goes to show what a well-balanced, sensible person I am.



EDIT: As of about 15 mins ago, the Other reps/gens count is 57. And tomorrow it'll be 58. 3 more gens.

 

[P..DR..D]

I think if Noob and VSF were still open (not to mention less raids/holidays etc) my collection would be different but since they're not, such is life and at the moment:

Rolex 4 (with 2 pending)
Other Gens/Reps 31 (with 2 pending)

 

[kadeee]

Well, I do not have so many Watches in my collection.
I started collecting watches in the late 90s two some vintage Heuer, bought some not very well known Hacher and in the Mid 2010s two AAA Reps at the Grand Bazar in Istanbul.
They were a Omega Seamaster Chrono (Quartz) and a Rolex DSSD with an automatic movement. I first was impressed about the DSSD but when the watch stopped working after a few weeks I was even more disappointed.

At that point I did not buy another watch and had several non-functioning watches at home. A local watchmaker refused to accept the broken DSSD for repair, but he took care of my originals, which no longer worked.
I was happy, browsed the internet for watch forums and came across this forum here.
What impressed me was the build report of a member who rebuilt a replica Omega Seamaster into a Gen but Case and was able to fulfill his dream of a reliable Seamaster, and for a fraction of a Gen.
Having long had a soft spot for Rolex, I bought a high-end Sub-C from a Chinese dealer and was happy for now. The Daytonas didn't interest me, but steel Divers did. So I got my first 5-digit Submariner, was able to buy a few more Gen calibers on eBay and the passion for 5-digit Submariners began. I also wanted a GMT Master at some point, so this was also on my plan. And so one thing led to another. I started to have ultimate builds done, having fun sourcing the parts and getting the result back from the watchmaker.
What will remain are the following watches:
- 16800 Build (Gen but case)
- 16803 Build (Gen but case and bezel ring)
- 16610 Build (Gen but case), unless I actually get offered another Kermit Dial
- 116520 Fantasy Build (base watch was a Noob 116519 v2.2, therefore a Fantasy Build)
- 16710 GMT Master II Franken based on the VN Case
- 126300 VSF
and there is also a 16234 Franken to come (mostly all parts have been sourced already)
Since I also always wanted an IWC I recently bought a broken 3777 for restoration. Arrived here, however, I found that the IWC is very thick, or seems thick. With 15 mm height, it is not so much thicker than a Submariner, but it feels twice as thick. Time will tell.

 

[Yacht-Monster]

I hadn't actually done a count to check the numbers of Rolex/Other I have, so out of curiosity I just whizzed through my spreadsheet and checked the numbers in my collection as it stands.

Rolex: 65
Other reps/gens: 55

Which just goes to show what a well-balanced, sensible person I am.

The fact that you have a spreadsheet says it all ????. That's a very impressive collection.

 

[Yacht-Monster]

I think if Noob and VSF were still open (not to mention less raids/holidays etc) my collection would be different but since they're not, such is life and at the moment:

Rolex 4 (with 2 pending)
Other Gens/Reps 31 (with 2 pending)

This is interesting, I thought Rolex would've dominated here. It's actually nice to see.

 

[Yacht-Monster]

Well, I do not have so many Watches in my collection.
I started collecting watches in the late 90s two some vintage Heuer, bought some not very well known Hacher and in the Mid 2010s two AAA Reps at the Grand Bazar in Istanbul.
They were a Omega Seamaster Chrono (Quartz) and a Rolex DSSD with an automatic movement. I first was impressed about the DSSD but when the watch stopped working after a few weeks I was even more disappointed.

At that point I did not buy another watch and had several non-functioning watches at home. A local watchmaker refused to accept the broken DSSD for repair, but he took care of my originals, which no longer worked.
I was happy, browsed the internet for watch forums and came across this forum here.
What impressed me was the build report of a member who rebuilt a replica Omega Seamaster into a Gen but Case and was able to fulfill his dream of a reliable Seamaster, and for a fraction of a Gen.
Having long had a soft spot for Rolex, I bought a high-end Sub-C from a Chinese dealer and was happy for now. The Daytonas didn't interest me, but steel Divers did. So I got my first 5-digit Submariner, was able to buy a few more Gen calibers on eBay and the passion for 5-digit Submariners began. I also wanted a GMT Master at some point, so this was also on my plan. And so one thing led to another. I started to have ultimate builds done, having fun sourcing the parts and getting the result back from the watchmaker.
What will remain are the following watches:
- 16800 Build (Gen but case)
- 16803 Build (Gen but case and bezel ring)
- 16610 Build (Gen but case), unless I actually get offered another Kermit Dial
- 116520 Fantasy Build (base watch was a Noob 116519 v2.2, therefore a Fantasy Build)
- 16710 GMT Master II Franken based on the VN Case
- 126300 VSF
and there is also a 16234 Franken to come (mostly all parts have been sourced already)
Since I also always wanted an IWC I recently bought a broken 3777 for restoration. Arrived here, however, I found that the IWC is very thick, or seems thick. With 15 mm height, it is not so much thicker than a Submariner, but it feels twice as thick. Time will tell.

That's some impressive Frankening right there. BTW, your 16622 project is interesting. That's my favourite of the older Rolexes.

 

[Yacht-Monster]

Currently I only have 2 reps, they are both Rolex Submariners. I own a gen, I bought it about a year and a half ago when I was watching the prices of Rolex fluctuate and I saw the writing on the wall. When the virus hit I heard Rolex dialed back production and... BOOM bought a brand new 116610LN brand new for about $9k. Prices started to go up, and up, and up. So far they have gone up about $5,000, I should have bought a few more LOL. I wanted to keep it mint because because the price is still climbing, so it still sits in the box. My dilemma was that I loved it and wanted to wear it so I bought a Noob. Side by side they are impossible to tell apart without looking at the serial number. You'll notice a lot of the photos on this site, they have a super zoomed up photo and look for flaws but side by side with a gen in the real world, you cannot tell. I mean who is going to take my watch off and inspect it with a magnification loupe? I mean ever? I looked under magnification and it is still nearly impossible to tell the difference. The quality of this model is amazing. I was so impressed I bought a Hulk too.

Perfect timing. The AD near me now has wait lists for every watch, even watches they struggled to move in the past have a long wait.

 

[Burbizia]

3 Rolex (116520, 116500, 11610LN)
2 AP (15202, 15400)
1 PP (5167)

Plan to do:
- 116500
+ 5712

to make it:

2 Rolex (116520, 11610LN)
2 AP (15202, 15400)
2 PP (5712, 5167)

I'll stop to 6 watches to give wrist time to each of them


If factories were open, I would have bought 2 more Rolex (116519, 126619)

 

[P..DR..D]

This is interesting, I thought Rolex would've dominated here. It's actually nice to see.

All down to personal preference Sir,

I imagine if you showed anyone outside of this forum, or watch circles in general, some of the collections here, they'd think why on earth have so many, and such variance, when you only wear one at a time

And my easy counter to that would be, "why not" :thumbsup:

If you can afford it, and it's from disposable income, it's a hobby, like any other, meant to be enjoyed and we're all a little crazy :woo:

If you wanna see the different levels of crazy check this one out

https://forum.replica-watch.info/fo...s/326305-show-off-your-collection-in-one-shot

 

[Yacht-Monster]

All down to personal preference Sir,

I imagine if you showed anyone outside of this forum, or watch circles in general, some of the collections here, they'd think why on earth have so many, and such variance, when you only wear one at a time

And my easy counter to that would be, "why not" :thumbsup:

If you can afford it, and it's from disposable income, it's a hobby, like any other, meant to be enjoyed and we're all a little crazy :woo:

If you wanna see the different levels of crazy check this one out

https://forum.replica-watch.info/fo...s/326305-show-off-your-collection-in-one-shot

Oh, that link is crazy, some of the collections make me feel more sane

Seems like many have a good degree of variance in their collections, which makes me wonder why factories don't put more effort into some of the other brands. For example, the Breguet and Jaeger-LeCoultre reps don't seem to have as 1:1 similarity compared to Rolex reps, but I'm assuming that many who don't have large collections will all have a sub, so it's likely the most commonly purchased rep.

 

[Yacht-Monster]

3 Rolex (116520, 116500, 11610LN)
2 AP (15202, 15400)
1 PP (5167)

Plan to do:
- 116500
+ 5712

to make it:

2 Rolex (116520, 11610LN)
2 AP (15202, 15400)
2 PP (5712, 5167)

I'll stop to 6 watches to give wrist time to each of them


If factories were open, I would have bought 2 more Rolex (116519, 126619)

That's a nice collection. You might need one more for that 7th day of the week, but that would throw your perfect ratio out of whack

 

[P..DR..D]

....which makes me wonder why factories don't put more effort into some of the other brands...

At it's simplest I'd suspect it's a combination of Supply/Demand & movement/visual complexity.

If the majority (or a decent amount) of their customer base want a rep Rolex, thats where the effort & money is focused hwell:

 

[philwongnz]

I honestly don't count my watches any more (gens or reps), but I will say is only been the last 5ish years I started buying more Rolex reps.

The reason for that is because I can't find gens at reasonable price (I don't mind paying £12k for a Daytona) and also modern Rolex reps had been very good with Noob 4130 (I have 10 of them).

Before the Rolex sports model craze the only Rolex reps I had bought were vintage DW Daytonas (4 digits) where I simply can't justify gens for (and also even if I buy gens there are so many frankens out there). Most of my reps were "fun" watches where I wanna try out the brands, APs, IWC, Pams and Hublot. The Hublot was my first rep (12 yrs ago) so pls go easy on me.. Haha

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[Bill_C]

I have owned several Rolex reps in the past, as well as other brands. Interestingly enough, I have walked away from most of the Rolex. After trying them for a while, I just don't care much for them. I do still have a cheap No Date that I keep telling myself to get rid of but I just can't be bothered to take pics and post it so it will sit until I need more room in my watch box, but I digress.

On the other hand, I have been slowly buying parts to build a rep 5513 in my birth year configuration. That will be a keeper. I could buy gen, but then I wouldn't wear it, and where's the fun in that?

Other than that, I own a Black Bay and an Omega 600M GMT rep because they are such good reps that I don't see the reason to buy gen. I think I still have a Tag rep too, but it doesn't get worn. The rest of my previous reps have been sold and occasionally replaced with gens. So I guess I am the one guy who just doesn't desire to own a Rolex (5513 aside)... at least for now.



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[Bill_C]

I have owned several Rolex reps in the past, as well as other brands. Interestingly enough, I have walked away from most of the Rolex. After trying them for a while, I just don't care much for them. I do still have a cheap No Date that I keep telling myself to get rid of but I just can't be bothered to take pics and post it so it will sit until I need more room in my watch box, but I digress.

On the other hand, I have been slowly buying parts to build a rep 5513 in my birth year configuration. That will be a keeper. I could buy gen, but then I wouldn't wear it, and where's the fun in that?

Other than that, I own a Black Bay and an Omega 600M GMT rep because they are such good reps that I don't see the reason to buy gen. I think I still have a Tag rep too, but it doesn't get worn. The rest of my previous reps have been sold and occasionally replaced with gens. So I guess I am the one guy who just doesn't desire to own a Rolex (5513 aside)... at least for now.



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[philwongnz]

I have owned several Rolex reps in the past, as well as other brands. Interestingly enough, I have walked away from most of the Rolex. After trying them for a while, I just don't care much for them. I do still have a cheap No Date that I keep telling myself to get rid of but I just can't be bothered to take pics and post it so it will sit until I need more room in my watch box, but I digress.

On the other hand, I have been slowly buying parts to build a rep 5513 in my birth year configuration. That will be a keeper. I could buy gen, but then I wouldn't wear it, and where's the fun in that?

Other than that, I own a Black Bay and an Omega 600M GMT rep because they are such good reps that I don't see the reason to buy gen. I think I still have a Tag rep too, but it doesn't get worn. The rest of my previous reps have been sold and occasionally replaced with gens. So I guess I am the one guy who just doesn't desire to own a Rolex (5513 aside)... at least for now.



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Why wouldn't you wear a gen 5513? Is just a normal sub, unless you are taking like an explorer dial PCG? A normal 5513 matt dial less than 10 years ago is around 3-4k max, gilt is a bit more of course but is not a watch you need to baby it.

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