Is the term "Trusted Replica Dealers" an oxymoron?

[Bronzy]

Just as a side note.. This forum and others like it actually serve the community by pointing out nearly every fake that someone tries to sell as gen on ebay.

If I buy a gen used I will come here to get help authenticating it, bloody amazing WIS's on this forum.

Cheers and welcome

Sent from my DROIDX

 

[appalled]

The motivation for wearing replicas varies from person to person. For some, it's about impressing other people by giving the impression that you're wearing a Rolex or Panerai. For others it's truly about a love of watches, and an appreciation for the mechanics and design. For most, I would think, it's probably a combination of those two things, with other considerations mixed in there too.

For me, I love watches, but at this point in my life (grad student) I cannot justify the purchase of a genuine watch that I would like. I'm also slightly vain and a brand whore, and I care not so much about giving the impression that I have money as I do about giving the impression that I have style and taste. I find that hard to do as effectively with citizens and seikos. It's also, for me, kind of a form of make believe. I get pretty much the same practical experience of wearing a $5000+ watch for a few hundred bucks. In other words, it's more about fooling myself into a feeling than it is about fooling others. In fact, in situations where I know people will recognize/care about the brand of watch I'm wearing I'm more inclined to wear a citizen.

Finally, re: the argument about homage watches, as far as I can tell replicas offer higher quality, accuracy and value than the available homage offerings. I also feel like homage watches make you just as much of a "faker" as reps, but are much more likely to give other people that impression (because people will know it's an homage, they probably wont know it's a rep).

Well thought out and well said. Thanks.

 

[appalled]

Appalled, I own a few genuine watches myself...

What I usually do is test drive the replica. If I like it after a few months, I end up buying the real deal.

More often than not the infatuation fizzles and I sell them.

Nothing worse than a $27k paperweight like my AP Panda right now.

I hear you. That's why I usually buy 2nd hand (let someone else take the depreciation hit). I can own buy a 2nd hand Rolex for say, $5000, give it a try and if I don't like it, sell it for little to no loss (truthfully I usually make a little money if I buy smart).

 

[appalled]

If I buy a gen used I will come here to get help authenticating it, bloody amazing WIS's on this forum.

Cheers and welcome

Sent from my DROIDX

Thanks Bronzy. You're right. I have figured out in the few days that I've been here that you people know your stuff! I'm a Rolex expert myself and the guys on the Rolex forum here know what they're talking about.

 

[wat44]

Except the TRF guys are about 1% as nice as the people here

 

[cybee]

Trusted dealers come in many forms and don't apply
only to replica watches

 

[trksh-bzr]

That makes it a full seven different pics where I have seen you wearing that shirt with the flowers, cybee..... Nuf's'nuff

 

[Zack Morris]

The reason I started going rep appalled is because half the watches out there are just ETAs with engraved rotors and worthless accoutrements. I've used it as an example before, but my gen U-Boat Flightdeck (just a turd of a watch) was when I realized that most watches out there are just crap. Just like the Benz I just sold that was made in South Africa (REALLY?)... I feel that the majority of the genuine watch brands have become "replicas" of themselves. I wouldn't wear anything Rolex puts out right now, for instance, except the Explorer I. If I have a Tudor snowflake with gen dial, bezel, crown, crystal and the identical movement, and I can enjoy it for $1000 instead of the RIDICULOUS inflated prices of 9411's right now, does that seem so crazy? I bought a rep for $1,350. Am I crazy? No. It's just what I wanted. And 1 out of 10,000 people I meet will even know what a Tudor 9411 is, let alone look inside at the movement!

 

[Steelfish]

That makes it a full seven different pics where I have seen you wearing that shirt with the flowers, cybee..... Nuf's'nuff

They go with the tattoo trk........

........you know I luv ya' cy.

 

[cybee]

That makes it a full seven different pics where I have seen you wearing that shirt with the flowers, cybee..... Nuf's'nuff

They go with the tattoo trk........

:rofl: :lol2: :lol1: :arghh: :wave: :lies: :lol1: :biglaugh:

 

[tommy_boy]

The "test drive" model is what I apply to reps. I have bought and sold a couple dozen. None for over a year.

I have always been conflicted by reps. In my view, reps do less harm than when I first got familiar with the game. In fact, they might stimulate gen sales. That is what happened in my case at least.

Welcome to the forum. I suspect you are from the NW?

 

[Steelfish]

:rofl: :lol2: :lol1: :arghh: :wave: :lies: :lol1: :biglaugh:

Hehe........with snappy threads and tat's like that you must be the pure envy of all your little chums my friend.

 

[cybee]

Hehe........with snappy threads and tat's like that you must be the pure envy of all your little chums my friend.

Oh yes and especially the little lady really enjoys my Rolex tat.

Incidentally Mr. Steel I realize it's Friday nite again but on the ABC network they are showing a movie of your boat, or one like it.

I may have to go and watch it now

 

[d4m.test]

What an excellent discussion thread!! Appalled is to be admired for his bold but civilized approach; the membership, of course, civilized as all hell (oxymoron) for discussion some of the issues in an intelligent, mature manner. F*ckin' groovy, man!

dave

 

[appalled]

I suspect you are from the NW?

Thanks tommy_boy. I'm not from the NW

 

[appalled]

What an excellent discussion thread!! Appalled is to be admired for his bold but civilized approach; the membership, of course, civilized as all hell (oxymoron) for discussion some of the issues in an intelligent, mature manner. F*ckin' groovy, man!

dave

Thanks Dave. I started out with a smart-ass statement and it was received well by the members here. I expected people to be more hostile to me! It's cool that didn't happen and I'm appreciative.

I still can't get behind the whole replica thing tho!

 

[TESLA760]

You'd be surprised at the broad spectrum of members that we have here. You've already interacted with some members that are executives/doctors etc. So don't think this a group full of degenarates. I can understand some of your anger, because I too have spent money on GEN watches that were quite frankly disappointing. You probably think our hobby cheapens your investment. But i'll tell you that it doesn't. Rolex isn't hurting for business.

 

[appalled]

You'd be surprised at the broad spectrum of members that we have here. You've already interacted with some members that are executives/doctors etc. So don't think this a group full of degenarates. I can understand some of your anger, because I too have spent money on GEN watches that were quite frankly disappointing. You probably think our hobby cheapens your investment. But i'll tell you that it doesn't. Rolex isn't hurting for business.

Subtle.

I'm not angry and I've never been disappointed by one of my Rolexes.

I don't think your hobby cheapens my personal watches in any way. It doesn't work like that. What you put on your wrist has no bearing on what I put on mine. None.

My initial point was: how could you trust a dealer that knowingly sells fake watches? That dealer is getting monetary gain from someone else's work.

And my sub-point, why would people want to wear a watch that advertises itself as something that it isn't?

 

[45acp]

My initial point was: how could you trust a dealer that knowingly sells fake watches? That dealer is getting monetary gain from someone else's work.

No, the dealer is getting monetary gain from buying something for a dollar and selling it for two.

A better argument, though still seriously flawed, would be that someone who deals in illegal goods should be seen as somehow deficient in character and less deserving of trust. I would counter that there are legal industries that are much more morally questionable than the sale of counterfeit luxury goods, do we consider people who work in those industries less trustworthy?

 

[gw4k]

Subtle.

I'm not angry and I've never been disappointed by one of my Rolexes.

I don't think your hobby cheapens my personal watches in any way. It doesn't work like that. What you put on your wrist has no bearing on what I put on mine. None.

My initial point was: how could you trust a dealer that knowingly sells fake watches? That dealer is getting monetary gain from someone else's work.

And my sub-point, why would people want to wear a watch that advertises itself as something that it isn't?

Let me flip the argument;

How can the genuine companies justify selling a watch for $10k when a small time factory in an alley in china can produce a 99% replica for $100