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At what point/price does it not make sense to buy a rep but save for a gen.
- Thread starter stussycrew
- Start date
I often wonder about this question. I am getting one gen Rolex and gunna see how long it takes before I miss the variety and the chase before getting back into reps. Price to me doesn't matter as much as build quality. I don't mind paying a guy like Tagfan1 a few grand to do a franken because I know he will build it with similar care and precision as someone who is putting together a gen Rolex. I used to be a quantity over quality guy but I'm very happy with my handful of Frankens and great OTB reps now.
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Exactly Joey. I feel the same. Mike makes a watch, I would say, better than most. I hit it off with him when I saw the quality of the work he did for me. The rolex part of it makes it better. What I mean by that is, he does gen rolex repair and service. I just paid 650 for my wife rolex to get serviced. If I knew him it would have been less than half of that.
The builds he does are second to none. I have no complaints about any one of them.
The builds he does are second to none. I have no complaints about any one of them.
I think that the 10% rule makes sense, in some occasions though that rule can be broken if the gen is way out of budget.
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The good thing about gens are the potential to go up in value and I believe it's still tax-free on capital gains. I am considering a nice gen that I can give to my son when he's older. That said, variety or reps suits me better because I'm so indecisive.
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That is pretty much why I bought my Rolex gen. To leave for my nephew....I may flip it for a BLNR but whatever I end up with, he will get. I would love to pick up a Tudor GEN at some point but the thing about having too many GENS is the servicing can get costly especially on watches that don't get used. That's why I narrowed my collection down to a handful of REPS. They will all get air time.
My Japanese quartz gens are not getting any wrist time though. But they are quartz and mostly stopped.
I do not believe that the 10 percent rule is the absolute truth. If this was the case even a TC Sub would not be a good deal which it clearly is. The perfection compared to the gen is another important factor.
I own a Franken myself. Its a LMPO with gen dial. 300 + 200 dollar compared to the 6000 for the real deal seems fine to me.
I own a Franken myself. Its a LMPO with gen dial. 300 + 200 dollar compared to the 6000 for the real deal seems fine to me.
Yep, it's a guideline I came up with to attempt to control my spending on reps. I ended up spending $14k on gen watches after that, and realized I need to just control my impulse buying. I'm still sticking to my 10% rule for reps, but everyone has their own method that makes them feel good about their purchases.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Like Marijuana leads to Heroine.......... Reps lead to gens LOL The only REP I have I want a GEN of is the Black Bay.....The PAMs are PERFECT Reps.. No need to buy the GEN.
I would never go over 50% for a watch... build what you want and screw rules or social norms.
few of my on going builds and cost vs gen
16613 franken $3000 - gen $5-7k
1680 white $2500 - gen $5-8k
6263 daytona $5000 - gen $30-50k
5510 big C $3000 - gen 100k
PAM 3646 $5000 - gen 70-100k+
7032 Tudor MC $1200 - gen 25k+
Phong flake $1500 - gen 3-5k
few of my on going builds and cost vs gen
16613 franken $3000 - gen $5-7k
1680 white $2500 - gen $5-8k
6263 daytona $5000 - gen $30-50k
5510 big C $3000 - gen 100k
PAM 3646 $5000 - gen 70-100k+
7032 Tudor MC $1200 - gen 25k+
Phong flake $1500 - gen 3-5k
"At what point/price does it not make sense to buy a rep but save for a gen. "
These days? Never. I have gens I bought in the 80s and before, but now it really makes no sense any more. Second hand lower priced watches like Rolexes are still more than twice the price of a good rep. And I'm very happy with my rep Explorer II thanks! Watches are, after all, only really wrist adornments of which I've bought one a month for 20 months or so. That's since I found the high quality ones via this and other sites.
These days? Never. I have gens I bought in the 80s and before, but now it really makes no sense any more. Second hand lower priced watches like Rolexes are still more than twice the price of a good rep. And I'm very happy with my rep Explorer II thanks! Watches are, after all, only really wrist adornments of which I've bought one a month for 20 months or so. That's since I found the high quality ones via this and other sites.
This is a very interesting topic. Thanks OP for bring it up to discuss and love to see other's view on the matter.
For me, I would go with the 10% rule with additional requirwment as, 1. The watch has to have gen parts; 2. The watch has to be assembled by me; 3. The total cost < $1000. The fun of having a franken to me is to do the work myself. I would not enjoy an expensive franken that was built by some one else. Finally, it is not worth to pay over $1000 for non-gen watch
For me, I would go with the 10% rule with additional requirwment as, 1. The watch has to have gen parts; 2. The watch has to be assembled by me; 3. The total cost < $1000. The fun of having a franken to me is to do the work myself. I would not enjoy an expensive franken that was built by some one else. Finally, it is not worth to pay over $1000 for non-gen watch
I'm pretty much there with your #3. I saw a really nice modded AP for ~$2500 recently. It met my 10% criteria, but I'd rather buy a used gen at that point. Hell, I got my gen 2011 yellow dial superocean brand new for $2050, and my 42mm gen PO 2500 for $3150 from an AD. When I can find those kinds of deals, high-priced reps don't make much sense.
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I have always loved Panerais, and once I started making a few bucks, I went to an AD to try on a few. I was completely turned off by their attitude and although I loved the look of the watches, after trying on several examples in the 11-14k range, I was simply unimpressed and far from blown away. I've since walked into 4 more ADs to try to pursuede myself to buy one, and can never justify the obscenity of the cost, considering my rep 243, 005, 127, 253, and 364 are all virtually indistinguishable from the real deal while on the wrist. Sooooo **** it. For Pams, I highly doubt I'll ever get the real deal, as I love my reps and have subconsciously convinced myself that they're genuine lol