first Rep purchase... go lite, or face first?

[ixobelle]

By this I mean I've been trolling for a while now, and soaking up as much as what I can only imagine will become my new favorite thing to blow heaps of money on. I tend to "obsess", rather than "become vaguely interested in" my hobbies, so I reckon this is me, standing on the precipice.

I'm going to buy a subC. It's ridiculous, because I honestly knew nothing about this whole ... world... you guys have been operating in until just recently, and the sub immediately caught my eye. I'm sure you guys are all bored to tears with Black Ceramic Subs at this point, but I was interested in before I knew there were a bazillion versions (honest!).

I'm basically torn between throwing a good chunk of change (say 400-500) right out of the gate, versus just getting a basic 150-ish, and dipping my toe in the water.

I'm looking specifically at BK's souped up custom jobs where he super lumes, readjusts offset pearls, double checks water resistance, all that lovely jazz... 500 dollars isn't pocket change, but it won't prevent food from getting to my kids mouths... I'm just curious what kind of timeline I can expect from these, if well taken care of.

Can I reasonably expect 5-10 years out of one of these? Is that just being silly? I've never spent more than 50 bucks on a watch, but am getting to the point where I want nicer things worth taking care of. Not 5000 dollars, but 500 seems respectable. I just don't want to drop that kind of change, and have it crap out in 4 months, or have to be babysitting it every 12 hours to keep it accurate. That I would expect from a 125$ rep, but not a top shelf.

Anyway, you all seem like great folks, and here's me, stepping out of the shadows. Any input is welcome.

 

[Rudy40]

If you can buy a BK Sub I would! He puts great movements in Rep's and does great work. I think you would have great watch that will give you great service for years to come. Given that you take great care for it and have it serviced. This is the mistake I made I got a carried away and bought a bunch of 21j reps. When I could bought a good rep! For the same money! I would take my time and buy a good rep! That you will respect! Good Day Mate!

 

[jamesfl]

If you love the watch, go with the best you can comfortable afford, otherwise you will end up buy the BK after spending the money on the lite version and noticing all the little flaws.

If you just want to try to see if this the watch is for you or you unsure if wearing reps is for you, go for the lite version.

At least that's my 2 cents.

 

[TESLA760]

Pay now or pay later. That's how this game goes.

 

[ixobelle]

my biggest apprehension is not being able to wear it first!

I know it looks great, and BK's work speaks for itself. I'm just hoping it feels as good as it looks after dropping close to half a grand on it : /

 

[TESLA760]

I hate to tell you this. But half a grand isn't much compared to what a lot of us have invested in our watches. Buy it. You won't regret it. If you do, I'll buy it from you

 

[stompamoto]

My first Hulk came from BK,I couldn't be happier,the unit is what you see is what you get.
If you have doubts about how it is going to feel got to an AD and try a gen,see how it feels and then make your decision.
For me there was not a single doubt in my mind,go big or go home!Why troll around with things that you are going to discard after a minute?
Good luck and hopefullly you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

 

[Dr.Verylong]

It depends on what you want.

Some people here are perfectly happy with a 90$ sub because it is a nice, reliable beater that is inexpensive to replace. Perfected replication is not the goal for a daily beater, just the looks of the watch. Bearing in mind that from the usual 1m distance the tells are not visible anymore.

Then there are people that try to get the perfect replica and invest into that. They aim for perfection and enjoy the closeness to the original. These people would buy a BK watch, for instance, or send their watches to modders and lumers.

And finally there are those that buy a cheapo as a daily beater and have a nice high-end watch for all other occasions.

Regarding 10 years of service: Mind you - these are replicas. With the exception of a few models, they might not perform as the original. There is a reason why the gens cost so much more moeny. Asian movements can be hit and miss with their atrocious QC, but our rep friendly watch smithes in the forum can make a service. Not all Swiss movements are automatically better. Therefore you need to carefully research your watch beforehand, if in doubt, ask in the forum.

However, I do not want to scare you: A BK sub is a very good investment from what I hear.

 

[TESLA760]

For me there was not a single doubt in my mind,go big or go home!Why troll around with things that you are going to discard after a minute?
Good luck and hopefullly you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

+1

 

[ixobelle]

I hate to tell you this. But half a grand isn't much compared to what a lot of us have invested in our watches.

I get that; trust me, I do. Like I said, this is me on the precipice of a vast gulf. I know there will be plenty of opportunity to spend money, I just don't want to be soured on the first stone cast out into that void

 

[ShiroTenshi]

I would advice you to start with a 21J Sub-C, you can get those from Ryan, Narikka, PureTime, Trevor or whoever your choice of TD is, for $100+-
Especially that you never spent more than $50 in a watch before, take it slow.

These rolex reps will usually come out with better versions and there is no hurry to throw out your money.

And believe me, those 21J movement are workhorse and can run without service for ages.
Even if they spoil, the replacement is like $20.

Only when if you are more comfortable in spending more $$ and know what you are getting into, will I advice you to go to the higher end.

 

[boostin20]

I say go for the BK. You'll enjoy how good of a rep it is, and if you get tired of it, you'll recoup most of the initial investment. It's a win-win.

 

[locoandroid]

If you can afford it do it now 'cause at the end you will regret not investing that xtra cash

 

[sumiter7]

I think it's great that you are thinking before buying.
I wasn't a thinker when I first started buying reps. I bought number of watches; ranging from $30 to $500. Right now, I have to say, I regret spending $$ on cheapies. Don't get me wrong, they're great for what they are, but the flaws started to bother me. I regret not getting the modded watches to begin with; it's not that people start pointing fingers, but it's about how you feel about it. The more you become obsessed, the more the flaws will start bothering you.

If you could live with having flaws, by all means, stick with the ones that cost a bit less. Like someone has mentioned earlier, not many could that it's a rep 3 feet away from the watch.

Anyways, good luck!

 

[bradj]

Just something to chew on...

The BK isn't super lume, pearl is wrong, hour hand is wrong, bezel paint is off and a few other small things... but so are all the other Sub-C's out there. The BK is probably the best out of the box but comes at a step price point for this many things that aren't correct.

The reason I bring this up is according to Angus a better Sub-c is on the horizon, maybe sometime around CNY. Do you want to go all in on something to find out that for the same or less a correct Sub-C is due out? You could always get a A2836 SubC for $160ish and live with the few things that BK has corrected(date wheel, pressed in crystal etc), still have an amazing watch and sell it for near the same when something better comes out?

Either way you can't go wrong but the BK still has plenty of flaws, for my money I'd buy 3 watches than the 1 BK subc.

 

[madcatlancelot]

My advice is to go face first and skip the sub-$100s, with the quality of the reps available from the TDs it's hard to go wrong.

 

[bobkat]

There is a new sub c from the BP maker. Best on the block from all the photos out there. Sead has the best photos. If you're wiling to wait, several members are waiting to get pieces and will post photos. The clone goes for 215-230ish. For the correct case and pearl as well as super lume, you will have a great start. Once BK is back from hiatus, I wonder if he will take up this new case set.

 

[bradj]

There is a new sub c from the BP maker. Best on the block from all the photos out there. Sead has the best photos. If you're wiling to wait, several members are waiting to get pieces and will post photos. The clone goes for 215-230ish. For the correct case and pearl as well as super lume, you will have a great start. Once BK is back from hiatus, I wonder if he will take up this new case set.

You're right, I forgot about this one.. http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/rolex-sub-c-126823

 

[ching86]

My personal take on this is go with a cheapie first, preferably from a reputable source such as the noobmariner from Narikaa (being the fact that people will buy them if you decide to upgrade). Once you have decided that you like the look of a rolex, then stump out the money for something better. I, for one, after getting the noobmariner, realize that Rolex isn't the watch for me due to my age, and I have no problem getting offers for them and taking a small hit (about -30USD)

Then again, if you have decided that Rolex is the watch for you, then by all means, take the plunge and go for the best!

Keep us updated on your decision

 

[Vert]

BK is the Man!

I've been exactly where you are now. I bought a few cheap reps and let me tell you mine all failed within a year. I don't buy the cheapies anymore, I went with a BK Sub C, not the highest dollar one, the one below that and I'm pleased. Sure it could use a few mods but for my purpose it's all I need. The most impressive thing is the movements he puts in them, mine runs dead bang on the money. Nothing is more frustrating than a cheap movement that's off by five minutes or +/-. Go big.