I'm struggling to see the value in a gen Rolex!!!

[Jackster]

Hi guys,

I have now had a gen Rolex Sub (no date) for a few months now atbh i am struggling to find the value in the $$$ that I have spent. Moreover I have just had a quote from Rolex to service it ( it is 10 years old) for between $1500-$1600 AUD!!!.. With a turn around of ....'maybe you'll see your watch in March'!!!! I have decided to send it to a local fellow who will service it for a sensible $450 and get it back by Xmas. But even tho I love my watch I seriously still doubt its value, my other sub is an ordinary rep and I really think I love it as much or just as much as my gen.... am I mad or is this a fairly ordinary/usual conundrum?? Thoughts pls gents.. am truly interested in your insights/thoughts?? P.s I am not wealthy, just saved really, really hard for my grail.

 

[schlonz]

the value of a Gen is simply to be able to tell others that it indeed is a Gen

It does not work or look or feel that much better than a good Rep in order to justify the spending, in particular if you are not filthy rich and had to save from hard earned money

sell the Gen at market value and keep enjoying your Rep and spend the money on value time with your loved ones

just my 2 cents

 

[GingerBubba]

I find there is no magic Gen aura; they mean the same to me as my Reps. The only Gens I'll buy now are cheap Gens where the price difference to reps is minimal (think Seiko type range) or where the reps just aren't available/good enough (Speedmaster, GS). I'm probably lucky that my taste in watches is generally uncomplicated divers/steel sports watches.

 

[CJS57]

For me the Super Reps are more Fun than my Gens. A Gen is a Gen and if it has Mfg. faults or mistakes it doesn't matter because it is Gen and all Gens are equal (in the Rolex owners minds). Super reps are much more interesting to me coming from a manufacturing background. Seeing the Chinese factories working and improving their watches is great fun for me. And they are so very good at it. The Gen is a gold standard and it will always be at the top. In a few years the Super Reps may be even better in their own way.

 

[BOSSK]

Interesting topic, for me two things I’ve experienced since entering the rep world regarding the value of Gens are:

1) Rep or Gen, a Rolex/AP/PP etc grail watch won’t change your life or make you super man or even a better person. It’s a watch. At best you may get a few nods of approval or odd comment from strangers, but life will go on as normal. So investing 10k plus into something that will have very little impact on my life seems stupid, so I don’t see any value in a Gen.

2) Design/build. Yeah Rolex etc make some mighty fine pieces with great finishings in the worlds best facilities, worlds best equipment and worlds best personal. That’s pretty impressive. But you know what’s more impressive? The fact that shady factories in pretty average conditions can come up with something between 70-95% of that of something built in the best of the best conditions is truely remarkable. So I can’t even put value in a Gen based on its build/finish quality. What the rep makers do is way more impressive!

 

[YellowFin]

The 1600 AUD seem a little over the top in my eyes. In Germany, you pay 650 Euros (~1050 AUD) for the standard service of a Sub. This includes a full movement service incl. spare parts that have to be renewed. Once the movement is back in the watch, the case and bracelet get brushed and polished to factory standard, new spring bars are also included. It's not cheap, but I think that's a fair price for what you get. Your watch will be as good as new and run for another 5-10 years without issues.

 

[hwilliam]

i own a kermit, 16520 explorer 2 and the successor, 1601 datejust, 1603 datejust, and a 1803 day date. i also own numerous versions of Rolex reps (daytona, yacht master, deepsea, etc).

I own 2 day date 40 reps and both feel like rubbish when compared to gen 1803. Perhaps gold is gold, no steel reps can ever compare.

I had earlier version of explorer 2 reps and they were really bad compared to gen. But those reps were earlier version, without CHS, etc.

My first ever rep was a Rolex kermit bought in China around 2006 with enicar branded engine inside. It was expensive for that time. Later, i bought a gen Kermit and people cannot tell the real one without touching the crown.

1601 were non-quickset, thus no reps. I enjoyed them because they were thin and dials were special ( i have a few).

Except for kermit which i bought new at list price (around USD5000), others were vintage and relatively undervalued in the market. datejust 1601 were around USD2000, 1803 were USD5000 head only. After playing and living with gen Rolexes, playing with rep feels different. The accuracy, winding feel, etc feel refined, even on 50+years old watches. Newer replica with 4130 3135, etc. are closing in somewhat, but there are still some ways to go.

And don't try gen Patek. Compared to rep, they are very very different.

One other observation: if you only play with one watch (rep or gen) and you don't compare or look at other watches, you are fine. Keep it that way. You will save a lot of money.

 

[Ams55557]

From an engineering perspective I also find that the “shadyness” and lack of pedigree of the factories and their ability to get close for 100/th log the price is amazing.

I think the same thing about cars. Of course, given unlimited resources, the worlds best designers and not a care for longevity, ferrari, bughatti are all very nice. But it’s also kind of cool that a mustang gt can be manufactured for the masses for 10/th the price and still go 0-60 in 4 seconds. That’s where Ferrari was 25 years ago(magnum pi), use “standard parts” and can be operational for hundreds of thousands of miles.

 

[micksmith1987]

I happen to own both gen 114060 and 116610 (don't ask me why...). I love both, they have huge sentimental value, but they are absolutely not worth the price paid, especially on the grey market (13k on Ch24). I'd say a milgauss at 7-8k is reasonable, but rolex for more than 10k is absurd. The only watch I am willing to pay a ridiculous amount is ALS datograph

 

[GingerBubba]

Exactly, save the Gen money for the fancy stuff. I quite fancy a Zeitwerk, though it's perhaps a bit too dressy. And it costs a fair bit obvs!!

 

[maestroa12349]

For me, I find more fun in building a nice franken watch than just buying a gen to wear, even beyond the price point of being worth an investment for an inauthentic piece. The most fun part of it is compiling the parts over months and building something unique that I know I had a direct hand in crafting. Maybe that’s why I can never seem to hang onto watches for too long, even when I’ve finally built “the one”..... I am almost exclusively into the vintage (or at least older) scene and it can be very fun to find a group of period correct parts and bring them to life in a way that could have been their original makeup or not. For example, a Gen 1987 oyster bracelet could have belonged to a 16800/0 or a 5513 and taking a stab at what watch reference it may have originally come off of and bringing it back to life is a joy to me.

As far as gens go however, there are a few pieces where reps or frankens couldn’t compare. Primarily relating to gold. I had a MyManMatt day date 18238 rep and I loved the watch but it was always in the back of my mind how much heft it lacked and how far from the Gen it really was in the hand. I’ve always held the Day-Date after that in high regards as one of the Gen pieces that would be worth it. Perhaps that or a solid gold Sub or something similar. Other than a select few however, it’s just not really worth it in my eyes. I’d rather have a truly indiscernible franken with all Gen parts but a case and a clone movement and wear it with a 99.9% Gen feel for half the price than pay the extra 50% price (at least) to wear a gen. Shit, with datejusts you can build a perfectly genuine watch with a clone movement for $3k vs the $5k price and even that is worth it in most cases. As long as you’re not trying to go off and scam someone, the rep seems much more appealing to me at any price range or any franken/rep amounts.

My friend who owns a single gen and doesn’t know a particularly great amount about watches asked me one day why I’d have more money wrapped up in replica watches rather than just buying a gen and my answer was ultimately this thread’s question, that there isn’t any magic in that to me. Not to even mention the fact that the rep guys here know a greater amount about watches than even some of the most informed guys in the gen community. That’s just my 2 cents however. Just a proud member of the rep community!!!!!


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[Jackster]

I am finding these replies very interesting so thanks to all for sharing... Here's a thing I have been thinking about tho... I subscribe to and watch various watch enthusiast channels on You Tube and the disdain for replica watches is palpable, indeed if you are perceived to be supporting the rep industry you are labeled as a sad wannabe tantamount to supporting the illegal drug trade and even terrorism!!

I thought the above post was great and I myself have mucked about with the intricacies of watch making and I find it very enjoyable indeed as well a scouring eBay etc for watches and parts.

A friend of mine has a 5513, he's not into watches and he received it as a wedding gift 30 years ago, but he knows I'm into watches and before I got my gen he looked down on my rep sub, indeed one time when I said I was going to get a frankenwatch with real rolex parts he laughed in my face and asked which parts!! To be honest right at that moment I did feel like a bit of a chump. Now this 'friend' I know is an insecure wannabe himself and the gen rolex on his wrist unfortunately bolsters this opinion of himself.

If I ever wore my Rolex with the same pompousness I hope someone would shoot me!

I think it is for the above reasons that I bought my gen, but at the end of the day I'm starting to get used to the idea of stuff what anyone else thinks... i'm not a terrorist, a drug pusher, or an insecure wannabe, I just like watches!

 

[mp1mancini]

Value and the way you feel about a watch are two different things.

For example I have a gen 16570 paid $3,800 in 2016 its now worth $7-8K on C24.
Same is true for my gen 15203, paid $2,400 in 2007, it's now going for over $4,500.
Just last year I bought a 16700 Pepsi for an unbelievable price of $8,400, this year can't find one for sale less than $10K.
Now those are examples of value.

Alternatively, I have always lusted over that beautiful ceramic bezel of an 116710 LN but hated the green GMT hand, dial markings and polished center bracelet links. So I built my own with a 2836 base and swapping out the bezel of a BLRO with a gen LN, a red date wheel and brushed up the center bracelet links. Who'd of done that with gen...

Point is I love them all rep and gen and don't feel like I overpaid for the gen's cause I invested the time to purchase at a good price.

 

[yodog]

Gen Rolex is a liquid asset. You cant compare a fake watch to a genuine watch that appreciates in value every single year. Appearance and "feelings" aside they are vastly different in purpose.

 

[GingerBubba]

Gen Rolex is a liquid asset. You cant compare a fake watch to a genuine watch that appreciates in value every single year. Appearance and "feelings" aside they are vastly different in purpose.

If you bring money into the equation in a slightly different way, the money you save on the rep, invested well, should make much more money than an appreciating Rolex (assuming you actually get a model that will appreciate).

 

[yodog]

If you bring money into the equation in a slightly different way, the money you save on the rep, invested well, should make much more money than an appreciating Rolex (assuming you actually get a model that will appreciate).

Of course, no doubt. Not saying you should buy a Rolex as an only form of investment. Just saying it definitely is a compliment and diversifier to traditional investments. Plus you can pull big booty hoes wearing your Rolex at the same time, not so much with some little numbers on a statement

 

[GrandmasterChime]

Of course, no doubt. Not saying you should buy a Rolex as an only form of investment. Just saying it definitely is a compliment and diversifier to traditional investments. Plus you can pull big booty hoes wearing your Rolex at the same time, not so much with some little numbers on a statement

You'd be surprised how horny, a bank statement,can make women

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[yodog]

You'd be surprised how horny, a bank statement,can make women

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Sorry I never tried walking around the club with my bank statements taped to my forehead...

 

[BOSSK]

Some great replies here, thanks again to the OP for starting the discussion.

I’m also thankful I don’t need Gens or bank statements to get the ladies :blink:

 

[GrandmasterChime]

Sorry I never tried walking around the club with my bank statements taped to my forehead...

Do people still pick people up in clubs ha

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