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Here's what happened to wm9

Muaitai

Active Member
6/5/12
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I am new to all this but I have read a lot here about Wm9, interesting to know what really happened. I am happy that I found this forum, lots of good information here.
Thank you BK.


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blue rocket

Active Member
12/4/11
249
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BK, your posts are some of the most informative I have ever read... you are such an asset to the rep community!
 

rol_man

Put Some Respect On My Name
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25/7/08
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Thanks for the update BK. Always good to know what is or has happened in the rep community. Helps to bring closure.
 

frigpig

Ghost of Sales Mod Past
Advisor
16/8/09
7,846
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48
Of course, no one wants George to have died. No doubt about that. However, if the younger Ku was in fact George, it does explain a lot. It also would mean those who lost their money were not swindled - the man died.

Exactly what I was thinking. This story explains pretty much everything.

About the Lambo, I'm sure this wasn't the only business venture the Kus were into. Let's face it, they were making the best Rolex replicas in the world at the time at the time, they were probably making some of the best OTHER replicas at the time aswell.
 

45acp

I'm Pretty Popular
2/12/11
1,501
1
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About the Lambo, I'm sure this wasn't the only business venture the Kus were into. Let's face it, they were making the best Rolex replicas in the world at the time at the time, they were probably making some of the best OTHER replicas at the time aswell.

Not to mention that they probably had some sort of legitimate business too, manufacturing or watches or what have you.

What I'm curious about is the alleged 1/2 million that the guy had in deposits before communication stopped. Certainly that wasn't all for the sea dweller project that so many people got burned on, was it?
 

eVojlib

Renowned Member
Certified
15/1/11
668
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It would be sad to know that one of the finest case makers for Rolex sports models was truly gone, however, it would be a small closure to members who lost money from this guy vanishing into thin air after deposits were paid.

It would explain the time-line of events as Bert stated, its nice to know more about the story as you hear different things that may be right or wrong.

BTW, any chance you may have seens anything worthy of a new offering while you were there?

Thanks for sharing and I hope you had a great trip.

eVo
 

woof*

Renowned Member
25/12/10
566
2
0
45,
People had sent money for ongoing orders for subs and the other models too, not just the upcoming SD deposits. Wm9 had it's very own forum back then, and was pretty active with a good sized membership.
As recent as last year you could google and find that forum and read a couple years worth of posts and pictures. I looked for it a couple of months ago, but it seems to be gone now. I bought a sub from a Wm9 forum member a couple years ago.

Whole thing makes sense BK about the son, it's very interesting. Thanks for letting us know.
 

levelmanroger

Mythical Poster
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1/10/08
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The irony would be if a defective Lamborghini clone was the cause of his demise.

Sad in any case, and truly a loss in our little world. I have 2 of his watches and they are both...... for lack of a better descriptive word....... Gen.


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ThinkBachs

Mythical Poster
DO NOT TRADE WITH ME
9/2/09
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The irony would be if a defective Lamborghini clone was the cause of his demise...

OMG. :facepalm: :lol:

Thanks for taking the time to share this.

One of those stories that I'd love to sit and read about in greater detail.
 

trailboss99

Head Honcho - Cat Herder
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Important local familly?
Very.



A sad tale indeed, he was a true artisan was George.
Mind you if you gotta go, at the wheel of a Lambo isn't a bad way. There is probably a news report somewhere. Do Chinese newspapers keep a public archive on line?
 

greg325i

Renowned Member
29/4/10
869
1
18
I tried looking for a news story yesterday, but that was a little naive of me I think. Just throwing this out there...but they had to be making a lot (most) of their money elsewhere from reps.

Here's how I see it:

There are a few GREAT rep forums where folks like us become educated and really nit-pick the quality of reps. Beyond RWI, RG, RWG, RWG Jr., Wristcheck...there are probably a few more too. Then, there are only a certain percentage of members that are into Rolex (vs. Pam, for instance), and even fewer that are willing to pay a lot for one (as opposed to being happy with a Noob).

So we're not talking about a lot of people. Sure, it's a lot...but not A LOT, A LOT. Beyond the forums, I'm sure they had other sales channels, but they could not have been that big, or else the market would have been flooded with top quality reps, and Rolex would have a lot bigger problem on their hands than just chasing down Canal St. crap dealers.

Keep in mind that most sensible folks don't buy Lambos until they are "F you" rich, and this guy (if it WAS "George") was one of multiple partners.

I just think that the bulk of the money had to be coming in from somewhere. I was about to make a comment about $.5M in deposits being rather dubious, but I guess that's only about 1,000 watches, give or take.

The workings of the rep world are certainly interesting. This is a sad chapter if the younger Ku was "George."
 

kendog870

Active Member
30/6/09
428
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0
This brings a little more value to these watches IMO. Even though i dont have one :cry:
 

bklm1234

Known Member
Trusted Dealer
5/10/09
158
141
43
I forgot about this. On April 25, 2010, on explaining why so much delay in shipping my components, George wrote "My cousin Allan was poisoned by carbon monoxide on Mar 27. He hasn't wake up since the accident and is like a vegetable since. We're the only two family members in this business. So, I have to take care of his part as well". Allan was the one who took care of shipping things. When I talked to the rep of the current company, I asked if the young Ku had a cousin that was poisoned by carbon monoxide, he said yes immediately. Said he's still in a vegetative state. I hate so much to accept George was the young Ku. But all the data seems to point to one conclusion.

The rep made a comment that sent shivers to my spine. To paraphrase him: "I don't know if this business is cursed or the Ku's were cursed". Anyway, I worked about 2 years with George. I was mad at him for a while that he didn't reply my emails. Then I told myself George must have been very burnt out from operating wm9 after a slur of unfortunate events, the old Ku passed away, his cousin was poisoned, his warehouse got flooded, his bracelet-smith retired. I'm sure the customers never stopped mail-bombing him. It's totally understandable he would have said "enough is enough, I don't want to deal with this. I would take a back seat and just make molds for other factories". That was my theory. I was awaiting his comeback to making watches. Now this? Not the kind of closure I want but a closure after all.

-bk
 

TESLA760

Time is Money $$
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Bk, we do make relationships with people we have never met. To the extent that we consider them friends. There are a few RWI members who I can call friends. Never met them. If I found out something happened to them , I would be devastated. Sounds like you have reached some closure. I think it's fair to infer that he passed away. Very sad indeed.