Just watched some of the counterfeit goods special on CNBC and it got me thinking. Am I going to get wrist cancer? Has anyone taken a geiger counter to their watches?
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Do replicas contain lead?
- Thread starter Lebron James
- Start date
Now this IS a decent question to ask.
Most of the decent reps don't appear to have the cases/bands contaminated with lead, dial paint, 'ceramic' and 'PVD' may be another question entirely. Sometimes the mix a 'factory' will use to come up with the right look could be made up of anything. So, additional testing of various parts, (especially if you plan to extensively mod by grinding and or refinishing) could be in order.
A real problem with SOME replica steel is an excessively high NICKEL content. This is a problem for some who already have a nickel allergy, and exposure is how allergies generally develop. So excess nickel could lead to an allergy.
No telling what really goes into that rep stainless, so that is always going to be a crap shoot.
Hell, I bought a stainless SUBZERO water bottle a couple of weeks ago that started leeching nasty rust flavor and smell almost immediately. So even 'legitimate' Chinese produced products are questionable, and I am going to have to wonder about what in the hell I have been contaminated with until I get the damn thing tested.
Most of the decent reps don't appear to have the cases/bands contaminated with lead, dial paint, 'ceramic' and 'PVD' may be another question entirely. Sometimes the mix a 'factory' will use to come up with the right look could be made up of anything. So, additional testing of various parts, (especially if you plan to extensively mod by grinding and or refinishing) could be in order.
A real problem with SOME replica steel is an excessively high NICKEL content. This is a problem for some who already have a nickel allergy, and exposure is how allergies generally develop. So excess nickel could lead to an allergy.
No telling what really goes into that rep stainless, so that is always going to be a crap shoot.
Hell, I bought a stainless SUBZERO water bottle a couple of weeks ago that started leeching nasty rust flavor and smell almost immediately. So even 'legitimate' Chinese produced products are questionable, and I am going to have to wonder about what in the hell I have been contaminated with until I get the damn thing tested.
I saw the same special.
I wouldn't worry about stainless steel watches next to your skin.
But I would worry about any toys children put in their mouths.
The most troubling thing to me is the fake pills being inserted into the supply chain with no regard to the harm they will do.
China should execute those factory owners and dealers.
I wouldn't worry about stainless steel watches next to your skin.
But I would worry about any toys children put in their mouths.
The most troubling thing to me is the fake pills being inserted into the supply chain with no regard to the harm they will do.
China should execute those factory owners and dealers.
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They do. They are executed when they are convicted. A couple years ago they even executed a high level government official (cabin level?) that took bribe for passing baby formula that have no nutrition in it that killed dozens of babies.
However, it just seems to me that they only enforce the law when they faced public pressure.
Yeah - but the real question is how the hell did you get to 2k posts already?!?!?!? :notworthy:
Fair point. Although as a metallurgist the last thing you have to worry about is that your rep will contain TOO much nickel. 316 stainless steel found on gen straps like breitling/rolex and pretty much all the others and supposedly on our reps (hmmm) has around 10-12% Nickel. The tendancy is to use 304 ss which has around 8% Nickel, and after testing a number of my reps (including high end ones) this seems to be very common. That being said, if you do have an allergy to Nickel it may be a problem, but a problem you would encounter with any watch whether a rep or gen.
As for the lead, very good point. You NEVER know what your getting from China. McDonalds very recently recalled millions of free 'drink cups' because the paint that was used to print the shrek character had to lead above legal limits, measured in parts per million (PPM). For me though its like most health scares, which are just spread for commercial gain and profit. Unless you sit at home and literally spend all your breathing hours licking your reps like jclouston7, your fine.
On the plus side, at least you'll be able to blag superman into believing your Rolex is a gen....
Weirdly I was reading this article today
http://www.cracked.com/article_18616_5-bitter-truths-about-chocolate.html
If you worried about everything that was reported you'd have no time to get drunk and party...
@Maddog ...I was impressed by what you wrote and I was totally on board until.....
:thinking:
LOL... there is an explanation. I wrote the first bit of the post, then got distracted by a phone call from an old friend. I then came back to the post after consuming a large quantity of single malt whisky! Currently 2.25am here in the UK.