Got a Gen Seamaster, but not as happy as I thought.

[rj999]

Bro, if you love the style of the watch. Keep it. It's a milestone. You can always buy a rep of the same watch to wear as a daily beater and not freak when you smash the gen into a table or other hard object as you stroll by.. :blink:​​​​​​. I wore the piss out of my "Dress up" Breitling, then found reps I can wear more often and not worry about inadvertently smashing them. Well, I still do lol. I finally sent that Breitling into service and repair... $800...something to think about down the road. It ain't cheap. Wear those reps and save your loved grail watch for those special occasions. It's not gonna lose it's value to you if it had meaning when you got it.

Exactly the same experience. Bought a gen Breitling when I was 24 and I was forever dropping it and banging into things, both resulting in very expensive repairs. So bought into quartz, good brands but no hassle. Then, as a joke my brother presented me with a fake Rolex bought on holiday in Turkey. He even put it in an oyster shell and gave it to me for my birthday... Didn't last even as a fun piece, the gold wore off! But a few years later I came across an article mocking reps and that started me investigating further, That's when I discovered RWI... I haven't recovered so far... I still have the Breitling, in its box, broken again but no longer repaired...

 

[Ylijumala]

Different strokes for different folks I guess. Personally, the only gen I could justify buying would be a Grand Seiko Snowflake. If there is a high quality rep available, that's the one I'm going for.

I guess for me it could be summed as: "I like the looks but can't justify the price tag".

 

[Warwickhunt]

Thanks so much for everyone's comment. It helps! After I expressed it out, I think I can enjoy the piece more, both rep Yachtmaster and gen Seamaster without guilt. I know that I'm not alone around here, or at least, I got to talk to people who appreciate both gen and rep. Where I'm from, people despise rep watches, understandable from a legal point of view. If I wanna talk about this rep vs gen feeling, I'll be shamed by colleagues, friends, or others. I kind of feel like this place is a sanctuary for rep owners.

You need new colleagues, friends, or others. Or move somewhere nicer. Seriously, who needs that kind of negativity in their lives?

 

[P..DR..D]

You need new colleagues, friends, or others. Or move somewhere nicer. Seriously, who needs that kind of negativity in their lives?

100% this.

Pardon the language, but if they're your friends, and they shame you, for how you choose to spend your hard earned money, fk that, they're not friends. Friends support, not tear down.

If they're colleagues and your peers, ignore them, probably jealousy.

If it's your boss, nod, smile and change the subject quickly

 

[Horace Derwent]

You need new colleagues, friends, or others. Or move somewhere nicer. Seriously, who needs that kind of negativity in their lives?

Cannot quote enough what you wrote.

 

[Horace Derwent]

Reason why I decided on rep. Yes the quality is top notch almost all the time for gens but even they have issues. But same like you my mind cant tell the difference. Its almost like I got the watch I wanted but at a crazy discount. And if god forbid it gets stolen, damaged, etc, I am not too worried because I didnt spend thousands of dollars for it. But in the end materialistic goods only can make most people happy for a moment. I think the chase is more of a thrill then once you get it.

100% quote what you wrote.

 

[M_Hall]

Classic buyers remorse.

You’re screwed now because if you sell it you’ll have sellers remorse.

Viscous cycle.

It’s a beautiful piece, enjoy it. Congratulations.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MolluskMan]

I've said before and I'll say again that, in my opinion, the gens most worth getting are vintage (obviously you should try to get one that's been serviced regularly and recently). If you're again in a position to be debating pulling the trigger on a gen, go for a vintage gold constellation or an old-school Rolex Air King or something cool like that. It'll probably run you a lot less than a new gen, and you'll hold it and think "holy shit, this watch has been ticking away for 50 years, and now I get to wear it too!" It's much easier to be impressed by the history than the raw product and mechanics, which rep factories can ape well enough.

 

[Audermars]

Congratulations on the pick up of the seamaster, i do struggle with the same thoughts and sentiment with you as well to go gen or stay with reps sometimes. But do understand, yeah as much as the vsf seamaster is very close to the gen, a gen is still gen while a rep is still a rep. The factory would never be able to replicate the 8800 co-axial movement be it in performance wise or finishing, yes it would be close but it would never be the same.

That said, personally what i would do is to read and research a lot on the model that i want and try to purchase watches that are non-replicable. Popular entry model would include a GS or a speedmaster that i adore, those are watches that would never be replicate. The same practise that you used to read up and study on over here for reps, bring it over when you are trying to purchase a gen. Also, i try to hunt down "deals" or go pre-owned if possible to lower the loss if ever i fallen out of love with the particular gen piece. All the best in the journey, afterall it's just a chunk of metal.

 

[Burbizia]

To me the opposite happaned.

This is my timeline of purchases:

Submariner Date (Gen, from Authorized Dealer)
Daytona 116520 (Gen, from secondary market - at the time I started to get educated about replicas, to understand what to look for in a genuine/fake one)

After these, the only watch I desired was a Royal Oak (1 year ago).
I really wanted a Blue Dial (having 1 black and 1 white).
I hoped for a 15400 e 15300, but prices started climbing up.

At the poi "budget" for third (and last) genuine watch was not enough....

So I remembered all the expertise learned while looking for the genuine Daytona and then bought:

116500 Arf
15400 (Franken with White GEN dial)
15202 XF (modded by Legend, so a nice watch)

A the time I was pretty happy and planned to buy some more reps, then something broke:

1) I can only wear one watch at a time, sohaving too many is pointless
2) Buying replicas here on the Market of the forum became increasingly frustrating (due to scammers, but also due to the rule of non-profit that means that you basically have 1 minute to pay a wath listed, since after 1 minute is sold... if demand is so much more than offer, an adjusment could be safe.... I think this accelerated timeline also helps scammer to pretend fast payments)
3) Buying replicas from dealers also became frustrating (5 weeks hollydays, raids, dealrs failing and scamming, custom borders, Brexit and such).

after all these, I gladly wear my Genuine most of the time, 15202 since it is blue, but I gave up on some other watches (Planned for 5712 and 116519) since I no longer trust dealers and their willingess to ship in a way to avoid custom issues.

 

[CJS57]

Good and honest story OP. You are correct, owning a gen will not change your life. But if it is a watch you love it can make you happy for a long time. I purchased several 18kt gold vintage gens dress watches lately. Every time I too get a kind of sick feeling of buyers remorse afterwards. But I hang in there and give the watch a chance to grow on me and so far they have. Hope this happens to you. If you spend within your means then it is all good.

 

[Rehaut19]

I have approached this gen watch several times, the black one.

Honestly, since I've been in the rep world, I prefer to use € 4.700 for a super franken.

I would have the watch I've always wanted on my wrist, and at a cost of 1/3 cheaper.

I would buy gen just to get the same watches I own rep. But today the gray market doesn't allow that and luckily the reps are really adorable.

 

[mpx]

I sold my gen Seamaster again after about half a year. It was a nice watch for sure, but it also had some flaws, was a bit too big for my wrist and as soon as I discovered reps I thought it was just not worth it.

 

[RT8906]

pete_od9 This is interesting! I too have the VSF YM 42mm and agree that it is a masterpiece. I own a few other watches and I love my collection. For some reason, I prefer my reps way more than my 'real' watches.

In my head, what I struggle with is why must it say "Rolex", for instance, on my rep to make me truly happy? I would like to believe I would be happy to buy a NOOB watch that said NOOB on it rather than Rolex, but I know I would not buy it. I have a Tissot Chrono XL but I would rather wear my IWC Top Gun rep that sits next to it, which is basically the same watch. Tissot makes their version of the DJ, Black Bay, Royal Oak, Air King, Explorer, Speedmaster, Submariner and more. Quality is good and the price is usually equal to 3 times that of a good rep. For $750 I can get the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 (sounds like a washing machine from the 60s). This watch is an Omega Seamaster with an 80 hour reserve automatic movement and a 2 year warranty. So why don't I own one, besides the bad name? Because I prefer my "real" Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean by VSF with it's ~72 hour reserve and good luck warranty. It's a perfect copy of a $15k watch for the same $750.

The watch I currently have on, VSF's version of the Rolex Smurf, brings me all the happiness I would feel if I paid the $50k for it without wondering what the hell was I thinking. Plus I'm not afraid to wear it, I polish out my own scratches and fearlessly wear it everywhere. I get to actually enjoy something I love.

What I can't honestly answer is do I love my reps because they have superior styling or is it because they represent popularity, wealth and success.

 

[mpx]

Agree, the brand logo can completely transform a watch. Same with pilot watches for example, a Stowa Flieger doesn't do anything for me, but an IWC Pilot Mark XVIII, which is pretty much the same watch, is quite appealing to me. That's also one of the reason why I don't buy any Pagani Design watches for example. Maybe they are amazing value, but having a straight copy of a Rolex, but with a crappy logo on the dial, ruins the watch for me. Sterile dials are even worse.