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Has someone ever noticed that your watch was a Rep?

Katarsis

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Last week I went on a Tinder date with a girl and my heart almost stopped when I heard she used to work a few years in Rolex AD in Australia. I was wearing my ZZF no-date so I was quite safe but not sure she even noticed what I was wearing she didn't say or comment anything.

Also pretty sure she had taken couple of years off her age in the profile judging by the looks.

Not noticing your watch....

This is the exact reason I don't go on dates anymore.
 

Chall662

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No one has ever noticed mine so far!


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Adam_Smith

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As I said before in this topic, it seems obvious to me that 99% of mortals will never detect a Rep. However, I started this topic to focus on that remaining 1%. Have you ever come across someone who has detected that your watch is a replica? Do you think that if you had frequent contact with a collector, he could detect it? Here's the real question.

Otherwise, it is obvious that the common moral will only judge if a watch is Gen or Rep based on the other socioeconomic aspects related to your person: your trade, your clothes, your car, your age.
 

PorscheRacer

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As I said before in this topic, it seems obvious to me that 99% of mortals will never detect a Rep. However, I started this topic to focus on that remaining 1%. Have you ever come across someone who has detected that your watch is a replica? Do you think that if you had frequent contact with a collector, he could detect it? Here's the real question.

Otherwise, it is obvious that the common moral will only judge if a watch is Gen or Rep based on the other socioeconomic aspects related to your person: your trade, your clothes, your car, your age.

Depends what you mean by ‘collector’.

I know a few people with small to large collections of very nice watches, and honestly, there’s no way they would notice a Rep if it was good.

They like owning the watches and they like having a collection, but there’s no way they know every little detail about all their watches, or indeed other watches.

People on forums like this go on about ‘rounded hour markers’ and stuff like that, and I personally wouldn’t even notice things like that, even on close examination.

As I said in my post earlier, I have a collection of Gen and when I hold my Gen GMT next to my Rep GMF GMT I honestly cannot tell, even looking really close in good light. I just can’t see any differences, and that’s me actively looking for differences.

I believe it will be way less than 1% of the population who will ever notice, especially if all they can do is look at it on your wrist from a distance.

Sure if they asked you to hand it over and started looking at it with a loupe they may notice, but there is virtually zero chance of that ever happening.

With one exception: Wearing a cheap £80-100 ‘AAA’ Rep that you bought off a guy on the beach selling sunglasses, yeah, expect to be called out on that by someone with a keen eye.

But even then, I bought one of those AAA Reps on holiday once, and gave it to a friend of mine as a joke because he always wanted a Sub, and he wears it all the time! Over the last 2 years of wearing it, no one has ever said anything other than ‘nice watch’ even people I know who have collections! No one has ever noticed that I know of.
 
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qualityazn

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i was on a plane once and noticed the gentleman next to me was wearing an 116515 chocolate daytona on oysterflex. i have a keen eye for daytonas in particular as i’ve owned many modded daytonas. right away i spotted the white gasket ring around the crystal. we chatted a bit about watches, he seemed a but edgy, but i never called him out. but i knew. moral of the story is if you’re wearing a 30k watch at least buy a comfort plus seat and upgrade from coach! jokes aside, i prefer steel model reps because i think i could never pull off a gold model and look the part
 
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Kalev007

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As I said before in this topic, it seems obvious to me that 99% of mortals will never detect a Rep. However, I started this topic to focus on that remaining 1%. Have you ever come across someone who has detected that your watch is a replica? Do you think that if you had frequent contact with a collector, he could detect it? Here's the real question.

Otherwise, it is obvious that the common moral will only judge if a watch is Gen or Rep based on the other socioeconomic aspects related to your person: your trade, your clothes, your car, your age.

Your question has too many variables to answer yes or no. In case of the new batch ZZF no-date a rollie collector wouldn’t detect it while on your wrist there’s just nothing to detect. Serial is not exactly between second markers who sees that. For less gen like watches ie Noobs and ARFs you could detect the high sitting crystal and etc if you’re eye catches it.
 

Adam_Smith

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i was on a plane once and noticed the gentleman next to me was wearing an 116515 chocolate daytona on oysterflex. i have a keen eye for daytonas in particular as i’ve owned many modded daytonas. right away i spotted the white gasket ring around the crystal. we chatted a bit about watches, he seemed a but edgy, but i never called him out. but i knew. moral of the story is if you’re wearing a 30k watch at least buy a comfort plus seat and upgrade from coach! jokes aside, i prefer steel model reps because i think i could never pull off a gold model and look the part

I think this is an excellent point. Maybe we are looking for that 1% of people who could detect a Rep, when we are definitely part of that 1% ourselves. I think the experience that PorscheRacer explains is very interesting: have you ever detected a Rep in another person? And I don't mean, of course, the 'AAA' watches bought on a beach in Florida, but a high quality Rep, NWBIG. Have you ever been talking to someone, or shown you their watch, and been sure it was a Rep? And not because of his looks, not because of his dress, his car or his social status, but because of the watch itself.
 

BOSSK

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I always have to laugh when I see members mention in discussions how they spot reps on others all the time. Comments like these make me chuckle.

There is just no way to spot these super/first class reps On someone’s wrist in the street, opposite restaurant table, meeting room etc. You need time (like the plane story above), a really strong understanding and great first hand knowledge of BOTH Rep and Gen of the Specific model and probably a Gen on hand for side by side to really know you’ve spotted a rep.

The chances of that perfect scenario ever happening in real like is pretty much zero.
 

Katarsis

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I always have to laugh when I see members mention in discussions how they spot reps on others all the time. Comments like these make me chuckle.

There is just no way to spot these super/first class reps On someone’s wrist in the street, opposite restaurant table, meeting room etc. You need time (like the plane story above), a really strong understanding and great first hand knowledge of BOTH Rep and Gen of the Specific model and probably a Gen on hand for side by side to really know you’ve spotted a rep.

The chances of that perfect scenario ever happening in real like is pretty much zero.

You are right. Most NWBIG reps are really hard to tell. Even when you have two pictures next to each other you have to really scrutinize every detail to find something if you dont know what too look for.

Some reps is easier to spot, like the AP ROOs for example.
 
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BOSSK

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You are right. Most NWBIG reps are really hard to tell. Even when you have two pictures next to each other you have to really scrutinize every detail to find something if you dont know what too look for.

Some reps it's easier to spot like the AP ROOs for example.

Yup, and as has been echoed here many, many times - The biggest ‘tell’ is you.
 

mrsullivan

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Yup, and as has been echoed here many, many times - The biggest ‘tell’ is you.
This is an undisputed truth, you have to wear a watch that suits your lifestyle.
How can one be a simple student or bus drivers (no offense to those of course!) and wearing a PP or Richard Millle, it makes no sense.

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pompompurin

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And even if you think you could spot a rep, there are so many confounding factors to suggest otherwise:

E.g., you think it's a Rolex rep based on the crystal's AR; but in reality, it's a gen and the watch was previously unsuspectingly repaired with a non-original crystal.
E.g., you think it's a Rolex rep based on the SEL gap / low cyclops magnification; but in reality, gen Rolex watches have had poor QC and bad manufacturing batches.
E.g., you think it's a rep because of WXYZ; but in reality, your eyesight sucks + cognitive illiusions lol... which affects your judgement

However, if there are many little red flags, then it's strongly inclined to suggest that the watch is a rep.

Also, there are some tell signs that could never be excused in a similar fashion as the above circumstances. E.g., the crown height of a Rolex 116610 with a 2836-2 movement automatically raises red flag, upon closer inspection.
 
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schlonz

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I think it's obvious to everyone that 99% of people will never detect a replica. Most responses to this topic underline that, and I agree, and I think it's something obvious. But my question is: if some collector, or owner of the original model, observed or held your replica, do you think he would detect that it is a replica? And has it ever happened to you?

first of all one should not be afraid of being called out for wearing a rep
I would never pretend to wear gen if it is a rep
not that I could not afford gen or wouldn't get away with it

I usually when being asked about my nice watch I step forward at once and tell it is a rep and I am wearing it because I like the design but am not willing to spend 10-50 times as much for a gen

2 weeks ago I was in a business meeting over a 4 million € deal of machinery and the purchase director of the customer complimented me on my 114060, himself wearing a nice Eterna KonTiki
I instantly told him it was rep and we got into talk about watches himself being a collector /enthusiast as well
we ended up him talking me into selling him my ARFV3 Seadweller 126600 (which I did not have with me of course) as he owns the Gen and was only keeping it in the safe with not much chance to wear it as he is travelling a lot.
When he received the watch he called me and was admiring that he was not able to tell any huge difference with the gen next to it.

my 2 cents
do not pretend to be what you are not and do not pretend to have what you have not
if someone doesn't like that you wear a fake watch instead of a gen like him you can feel sorry for him lacking the self confidence to need gen for compensation
 

schlonz

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Last week I went on a Tinder date with a girl and my heart almost stopped when I heard she used to work a few years in Rolex AD in Australia. I was wearing my ZZF no-date so I was quite safe but not sure she even noticed what I was wearing she didn't say or comment anything.

Also pretty sure she had taken couple of years off her age in the profile judging by the looks.

hope you did not end up like that

i-faked-thats-ok-this-matt-orgasm-is-a-fake-2328268.png
 

Notenuff

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I’ve only recently got into watches and started noticing them. I worked for a consultant for a while who had a nice Panerai, met a recruiter sporting a Rolex, saw a guy wearing an AP on the train, met an old colleague for lunch who had a seamaster. I kind of took it for granted all these were real and gen but now I seriously don’t know. The train AP guy had on a nice suit but do people who have $20000 watches catch public transport? I like watches and have an eye for detail but highly doubt now I’ve looked into these nwbig that I could tell the difference.
While I like quite a few luxury watch brands such as Panerai and Cartier I feel that spending $6000 on a watch, even if I could afford it, is a bit selfish. The watch would be for me only and so what does the rest of the family get? $6000 buys a few holidays which the whole family gets to enjoy. So a rep now allows me to have a watch who’s design I really like and we can still have a holiday.
 

BOSSK

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my 2 cents
do not pretend to be what you are not and do not pretend to have what you have not
if someone doesn't like that you wear a fake watch instead of a gen like him you can feel sorry for him lacking the self confidence to need gen for compensation

Very well said!

Great story too, I feel for the Gen owners who don’t feel safe wearing their watch when they want. This is one reason to go rep even if you own the Gen.