• Tired of adverts on RWI? - Subscribe by clicking HERE and PMing Trailboss for instructions and they will magically go away!

Spotting a replica watch in public...

ashpatek

You're Saying I Can Sell?
31/12/18
30
17
8
London, UK
I was in Bali last week on a business trip.

One morning I was out in a more upper class neighbourhood restaurant and couldn't help but notice the couple sitting next to me. More-so, I noticed the gentleman timepiece - a Rolex 11610LN.

Normally I'd appreciate the watch for what it was, but I couldn't help but be skeptical about its authenticity given where I was and how easily cheap reps are in Bali.

It's rude to assume given we were in Bali, where cheap reps are so easily acceptable means that he wasn't wearing a gun, but I can't help but he curious what the community would think themselves.

FYI - I'm an owner of an 116610LN ARF V2, although I wasn't wearing at the time. Unfortunately I was wearing an Apple Watch....
 

GingerBubba

SUPERLATIVE SUPPORTER I'm an angel
24/10/17
3,385
5,008
113
Great thread. I think we should all add examples of this sort of thing when it happens in our own life. Here's my example. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed yours.

I was in Aldi in Milton Keynes grabbing a few essentials. After filling my trolley, I couldn't decide which queue to stand in. I ended up choosing badly (I was behind this old woman who was taking forever, so even though the queue was shorter, it was definitely not quicker. Lesson learnt). Anyway, I decided to change queues and ended up behind this chap who was wearing an Explorer 1. It looked good, I couldn't see any obvious tells, but he was shopping in Aldi. I don't mean to judge him, but I just can't decide if it was Gen. I followed him to the cast park where he got into a six year old E Class Merc if that helps.

Great thread. I hope you enjoyed my story.
 

DaleM

I'm Pretty Popular
25/8/18
1,244
707
113
Central Florida
Great thread. I think we should all add examples of this sort of thing when it happens in our own life. Here's my example. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed yours.

I was in Aldi in Milton Keynes grabbing a few essentials. After filling my trolley, I couldn't decide which queue to stand in. I ended up choosing badly (I was behind this old woman who was taking forever, so even though the queue was shorter, it was definitely not quicker. Lesson learnt). Anyway, I decided to change queues and ended up behind this chap who was wearing an Explorer 1. It looked good, I couldn't see any obvious tells, but he was shopping in Aldi. I don't mean to judge him, but I just can't decide if it was Gen. I followed him to the cast park where he got into a six year old E Class Merc if that helps.

Great thread. I hope you enjoyed my story.

I agree, lots of people of means and wealth are thrifty shoppers. Great job not being judgmental, but he probably noticed you suck at being a stalker.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Warrcraft

Peguine

Mac and Cheese sucks
18/3/19
1,148
659
113
At a mcdonalds birthday party
I agree, lots of people of means and wealth are thrifty shoppers. Great job not being judgmental, but he probably noticed you suck at being a stalker.

It's true i really like public transport and buying cheap clothes although i could afford more maybe just the way some of us are brought up? Maybe because i'm just asian?
 
  • Like
Reactions: DaleM

johnlogan

Mythical Poster
Supporter
Certified
18/12/15
9,486
11,375
113
Just yesterday I saw a man exiting his Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS. It had this plastic sand color paint job looking drop dead gorgeous. I noticed he was not wearing watch. I grew suspicious immediately. Squinting my eyes. The man quickly spotted my replica Noob Gold Plated Daydate shining on my wrist. The Noob had a huge presence as the sun was reflecting from the xtal and PCL. He looked twice, we nodded at each other, but I was too preoccupied with the idea that the car was leased. Im still wondering. What do you think? I mean the man was not wearing a watch.
 

Keylog74

Put Some Respect On My Name
14/6/13
3,849
1,679
113
I don’t bother check wrist for Rolex. If I see one I assume it’s fake and who wears it tasteless.If it’s any other regular brand mostly I don’t care, i believe that a lot of people can afford a 2-3k watch so I don’t bother.

If it’s high end than I try to take look.
 

Cheeps

I'm Pretty Popular
Supporter
Patron
Certified
24/11/18
1,782
866
113
Even though most of those answers are ironically:

i don’t get the obsession with people who own a 15k gen must own a nice car or must eat at nice places or most shop at expensive stores.

I have a good job. I don’t have any debts. I can afford a gen if I want to? Do i? No, because I don’t WANT to spend that much. Doesn’t mean I CANT. I have a good car, I bought it when I needed it. Right now the car is more of a burden to me than anything else. Parking it sucks, paying insurance on it sucks, paying taxes on it sucks. Traffic sucks. I’m much faster by public transport than going by car. Same for food. Yes I occasionally eat at nice places because I want to. I much more often eat at my Kebap store right next to my door because the food is also good. I shop at Aldi because it’s right next to my house.

I already said that in another thread, but one of my old bosses was a very very wealthy. He owned a gen plat Daytona and was the head of investment banking at one of the most successful private banks ever. He took the tram to work cause it was more convenient. He lived in a normal house because it was his parents house. He shoped at Charles & thywitt because he liked the style. He also owned around 10 Porsche and more than 30 apartments scattered through the whole world. He would only travel first class and never book a hotel because he owned an apartment in every city he went to frequently. If you guys would’ve seen him in the tram you prolly would’ve shouted rep.
 

centrum

Active Member
27/7/14
442
187
43
Why do people even judge and want to find out whether other peoples' watches are replica or not? I couldn't care less, because it means nothing.
I have both gen and rep Rolexes and shop at cheap places and expensive places depending on my needs and wants.
Guys wake up and enjoy the game.
 

tripdog

Super Moderator
Staff member
Global Moderator
Certified
9/7/12
22,489
17,779
113
Great thread. I think we should all add examples of this sort of thing when it happens in our own life. Here's my example. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed yours.

I was in Aldi in Milton Keynes grabbing a few essentials. After filling my trolley, I couldn't decide which queue to stand in. I ended up choosing badly (I was behind this old woman who was taking forever, so even though the queue was shorter, it was definitely not quicker. Lesson learnt). Anyway, I decided to change queues and ended up behind this chap who was wearing an Explorer 1. It looked good, I couldn't see any obvious tells, but he was shopping in Aldi. I don't mean to judge him, but I just can't decide if it was Gen. I followed him to the cast park where he got into a six year old E Class Merc if that helps.

Great thread. I hope you enjoyed my story.

The Explorer - it's 100% gen.

The car on the other hand is 100% fake - shows what you know.

Stop following me - it's been 4 days now, that's enough.
 

GingerBubba

SUPERLATIVE SUPPORTER I'm an angel
24/10/17
3,385
5,008
113
The Explorer - it's 100% gen.

The car on the other hand is 100% fake - shows what you know.

Stop following me - it's been 4 days now, that's enough.

If you didn't want me to watch, you'd close your curtains.

Oh and by the way, Aldi? I expected better from you...
 

Spitfire63

Renowned Member
29/4/18
662
504
93
I've just come back from a BBQ and one of the guys there was wearing a very new looking, shiny all yellow gold daydate, he's not so much a friend but I've known him for many years and I know he's loaded, multi-million pound house, Bentley continental, and a sunseeker permanently moored in Monaco, to look at him and the way he dresses you would never know he was so wealthy, because it was him wearing it I knew it was gen and just thought nice watch, if it was anyone else I would have thought " the Chinese factories just can't seem to get the colour of the gold right" which just go to show its more about the perception of the owner than the actual watch the majority of the time
 

Copterguy

I'm Pretty Popular
Certified
14/3/17
1,363
701
113
Florida
I just like staring at watches. No judgment either way. I've noticed on many CEOs I've met have unassuming watches, a tag or apple watch. Of course they probably have a bevy of watches spinning in their 10,000 watch winder at home. :p
 

yongsum

Supporter
Patron
Certified
3/6/19
313
58
28
it's true i like to look at watches. i don't normally suspect if it's gen or rep, just like to see watches.
but recently i noticed a guy at the hardware store with a nice dssd and i commented on how nice it was. minutes later his card declined on a smallish purchase, and then his daughter said "daddy how come we never have money". i knew right away the watch was gen and he was a hardcore collector lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: rxc330

Hazing

And So It Begins... Again
9/5/19
5,185
4,430
113
Even though most of those answers are ironically:

i don’t get the obsession with people who own a 15k gen must own a nice car or must eat at nice places or most shop at expensive stores.

I have a good job. I don’t have any debts. I can afford a gen if I want to? Do i? No, because I don’t WANT to spend that much. Doesn’t mean I CANT. I have a good car, I bought it when I needed it. Right now the car is more of a burden to me than anything else. Parking it sucks, paying insurance on it sucks, paying taxes on it sucks. Traffic sucks. I’m much faster by public transport than going by car. Same for food. Yes I occasionally eat at nice places because I want to. I much more often eat at my Kebap store right next to my door because the food is also good. I shop at Aldi because it’s right next to my house.

I already said that in another thread, but one of my old bosses was a very very wealthy. He owned a gen plat Daytona and was the head of investment banking at one of the most successful private banks ever. He took the tram to work cause it was more convenient. He lived in a normal house because it was his parents house. He shoped at Charles & thywitt because he liked the style. He also owned around 10 Porsche and more than 30 apartments scattered through the whole world. He would only travel first class and never book a hotel because he owned an apartment in every city he went to frequently. If you guys would’ve seen him in the tram you prolly would’ve shouted rep.

Generally speaking if your option is one or the other, then you shouldn’t choose the watch. like paying off $15k in debt or a $15k watch, you should always go with paying down debt. Or if your choice is a car that you’d use to get to and from work and use to pick up your kids from school OR a watch, you should buy the car.

Generally speaking (I know not always) $15,000 to $50,000 watches are not purchased by people who are going to be struggling to scrape that money together in the first place. Especially if it’s at the expense of other parts of their lives, dude.
 

Rx4Time

Supporter, Panerai lover
Supporter
Certified
31/3/16
10,855
7,559
113
CONUS
Only time I really care is if the person is trying to flaunt it and being obnoxious about it. Then I'll scrutinize it. Mostly those end up being fakes with obvious tells. Otherwise if I am watch spotting it's to see if they have similar tastes to me, not to judge genuine or replica. Only brand I can really spot gen vs rep from beyond arms length anyway is some Rolex models.
 
  • Like
Reactions: centrum

AlphaProt

Put Some Respect On My Name
Advisor
24/3/19
3,209
1,668
113
New Zealand
I’ve never really thought about the authenticity of the watch actually... i just look at the person wearing. Watches to me are an accessory, not necessity. I wear it because I love it, out of a passion. Some people wear it to flex, but hey - each to their own.
it’s like when I see a nice super car or a Porsche. Never thought if the owner bought it brand new with cash or used or finance. Just simply thought “oh, wow nice car”. Hahha
 

Bigcity777

Active Member
31/7/19
233
95
0
US / Closing deals
Sure if the rep is a canal st $10 cheapo obviously it is going to be spotted from a mile away by me or from anyone who knows about watches.. but If that person is wearing a super rep or a high end rep with gen parts probably not since you will really never get a chance to look closely enough to analyze it unless you compliment the guy and he hands it to you with confidence.. mainly it boils down to appearance superficial as it may be but if a guy is wearing say a rolex sd43 and is driving a 20 year old honda with bald tires and body damage I'm going to ASSUME it's a rep even if it's a gen becouse even in the slight chance it could be real then that guy has his priorities all screwed up but it's still possible and vise versa if the same guy is dressed well and is driving a Mercedes or a newer luxury car I'm just going to assume it's a gen even if it's a rep unless he hands it to me and I see it is surely a rep becouse of my knowledge .. it's so much easier to pull of somthing modest and not over the top like a stainless model .Now if your wearing all gold plated day date rep covered with fake diamonds well you get the picture now were talking about something that if it was gen would be In the 60 to 100k range depending on the quality of the diamonds and well MUCH harder to pull off unless your a celebrity or some fortune 500 company CEO .. just my two cents ..

:drinks_cheers:
 
Last edited: