Do you tell ppl its a rep?

[COLDI]

I was at the fresh market last week. I had on my FGD 201a, LH cg, ect. Woman is standing right next to me in the meat department and keeps smiling then winks so I smile back. She says nice Panerai, my husband loves them. I was like, wow, thank you, very few people have ever commented on this. At this point she grabs my wrists (I notice a FM crazy hours all bling enough to blind someone shoot out from her wrist) and she looks at my rep. Says few young man have that taste. Gave me her card to a place she owns in FL that sales watches and says when I'm in the market again to call her and she would fly me down to look at her collection. LOL ya, did I tell her it was fake, hell no. But when I buy my first gen I'm calling her!

 

[fakemaster]

What were you wearing Wizard

 

[Hogan]

I don't believe what you wear matters at all... Look at people like Jay Leno, the guy is loaded yet dresses very down to earth in plain cloths that anyone can afford.

Last year I was at Barrett Jackson in the Ford Skybox. A man walks into the box and is talking to my buddy about one of the cars Ford was auctioning off. Blue jean shirt and pants and fairly kept hair. Roli sub on the wrist and his claim to have a million dollar line of credit to win the car so he could have 4 of the 5 produced.
BTW: he won it for $460k. All for charity!

 

[Wiz]

What wew you wearing Wizard

Breitling Avenger Seawolf Ti with gen dial.

Beside that only time, I've only talked about it with people I know, and it would be stupid to tell them i'm wearing gens because they know if I have to choose between buying a plane ticket and a watch I'll always choose the plane ticket

But I noticed the look I sometimes get when I say I wear reps. So each time I feel like I need to talk about it being an high end rep, that it's really different from any street junk, and if that's not enough, I say it's worth several $100. I know it's stupid, I shouldn't have to make excuses, but I can't help myself.

 

[donaldejose]

Let me start by saying my values seem to be in the minority among RWI members. I buy reps because I can have many gen looking beautiful watches for which I would never, ever spend the money gens cost. I rotate through about 20 different watches because I enjoy them all. I would be very, very embarrassed to have spent that much money for 20 gens when there are so many other more important needs for money in this world.

If someone comments upon a watch I am wearing I take it off, hand it to them and tell them it is a rep. The discussion usually then proceeds to how much it costs and I usually say from $150 to $350 because that is the range the ones I have generally run. The discussion then usually proceeds to how can you get such a genuine looking watch for less than one tenth the cost of the genuine? I then explain the differences to them. No one has ever given a damn about whether the ms line up on the submariner dial. I explain that the company which designed the gen simply made certain choices and serious rep buyers obsess over "beautiful" sub dials with "great" aligned ms and "crappy" sub dials with non-aligned ms. I then say if the gen designer had chosen to use non-aligned ms in the gen the serious rep buyers would be claiming the exact opposite: dials with aligned ms' look "crappy" and dials with non-aligned ms' look "beautiful" and "great!" Then we have a good laugh at how easily we are manipulated by companies trying to sell us stuff and making arbitrary choices which we are so gullible to simply believe are some sort of universal truth or beauty. The discussion then usually turns to why would anyone spend the money for a gen when you can have the same "look" for one tenth the price? I then explain if you are a "horological purist" you will appreciate the unique features of a gen and it will be worth the price to you to have those features: like the special mainspring and special stainless steel used by Rolex. I have never run into anyone to whom that matters but I am sure there are plenty of such people. 100% of the people I have had these discussions with have said that as long as it keeps time and looks good: it meets their needs.

Often, when I found people who seem to have a great appreciation for the beauty of these watches, I give them one or more: sometimes I give them the rep right off my wrist which they commented upon starting the discussion in the first place. They are thrilled. To date I have given away over 50 reps. Of course, I would not have been able to afford to give away over 50 gens! When other people comment about the rep they are now wearing the person I gave it to says "it was a gift" or they respond as I did.

I am 63 years old, have seen a lot of life, and have concluded your own self-worth and self-image and self-respect is determined by your behavior (especially by your kindness or meanness to the people who happen to cross your path in life) and not by any possessions you own. Even the worst human being can take his money into a store and buy some exclusive item. I have known many such people. Buying something expensive does not make you a good person who should be respected. You cannot buy your self-worth. People you meet in life will either see it in how you treat them or they will not see it no matter how expensive your watch, clothing, car or house. My dad used to say: "Just be nice." That was good advice. We can be nice to everyone and need never be mean to anyone.

 

[advuk]

.. if people comment on my watch, I do tend to tell people it a rep.

It can depend on the situation and to what detail people ask, if they just say it's a nice watch then sometimes I will just thank them and agree without saying it's a rep.

If someone takes a real interest and seem's really interested in it, then I will most likely tell them its a rep and as per Donald, talk a little about it.

I've had gen GMT for over a decade and worn it every day, any activity (apart from when it was off for service) - it's not the most expensive watch by any means, but still probably a lot more than most people will justify spending on a watch.

Could people tell whether I am a person that can afford a gen, probably not, I could be in jeans a t-shirt or a suit, I can be serious or messing about.

I think I would much rather thank people for a nice comment or tell them it's a rep, than get into a conversation where I am passing my rep off as a gen - for all I know, I could be talking to someone from one of the rep forums.

Situation will always come into it, but as said by many people here, from the distance most people see a watch, they wont be able to tell, unless its a really bad rep.. and most people out there wouldn't be able to identify one anyway, even gen owners.

 

[newbie2replicas]

Donaldejose - you are a gentleman. Thank you for taking the time to write your post. I hope to be a little better of a person for it.

Wishing you all the best.

 

[Edward Cullen]

I make about £250,000 a year so people genrally believe me when I say my Bvlgari tourby is genuine. same goes for my PP Moonphase Skeleton

 

[watchman1]

Because this is our hobby, we make it a point to look at what watches others are wearing. And because we do that, we tend to think others do as well; they don't. The truth is most people couldn't care less about what you or I wear on our wrists. That is why I am a firm believer in wearing whatever rep makes you smile all day....because most of the people you come in contact with won't notice and/or wouldn't care any way.

 

[VagueByDesign]

Since importing bootleg stuff is kind of illegal, I tend to not tell people it is a rep. I'm not flashing it around and looking for opportunities to make people notice it or anything, but if someone comments on it then I just say thank you and agree with them. Nobody has ever asked me how much I paid or how long I've had it or anything. Since most of the reps I have are ones that could be purchased for probably around $2k or $3k on the used market, it's not unrealistic that I would have one. If I were making $9/hr at TacoBell or something, then I probably wouldn't be flashing a $6k watch on my wrist. It would seem kinda out of place. I'm in my mid thirties and reasonably successful and it just isn't unlikely that it would be a genuine brand watch to people.

Everybody makes assumptions anyway. You see the young guy in a fancy car and you assume it is Daddy's ride that junior is taking for a joy ride. It could be that Daddy is just rich beyond measure and the car actually belongs to junior. Same thing with watches. People may assume one way or the other, but it really doesn't matter. If their perception is that you are the type of person not likely to be wearing a watch like that, then you are either wearing the wrong watch, or they are just a little too concerned what other people possess.

 

[Ausin]

Ive never been asked. Since my reps are PAMs, all I get is: Wow that is big!, or a similar "joke". And that is the first day they notice, after that nothing happens.

As an example of how well known PAMs are for the general public: Ive been asked by my girlfriend boss where did I get my PAM 229, because he got a "very expensive" watch in Italy and he liked it a lot but didnt find anything similar here. He told me "yours looks like knock of of what i got" but still i like it. Guess what he was wearing: An Anonimo. LOL

I said look for it in the web...and he wrote Panerai in a little piece of paper.

Anyways if someone ask me, (which i really question), i will say is a rep straight, Im not ashamed of it.

 

[optical]

Let me start by saying my values seem to be in the minority among RWI members. I buy reps because I can have many gen looking beautiful watches for which I would never, ever spend the money gens cost. I rotate through about 20 different watches because I enjoy them all. I would be very, very embarrassed to have spent that much money for 20 gens when there are so many other more important needs for money in this world.

If someone comments upon a watch I am wearing I take it off, hand it to them and tell them it is a rep. The discussion usually then proceeds to how much it costs and I usually say from $150 to $350 because that is the range the ones I have generally run. The discussion then usually proceeds to how can you get such a genuine looking watch for less than one tenth the cost of the genuine? I then explain the differences to them. No one has ever given a damn about whether the ms line up on the submariner dial. I explain that the company which designed the gen simply made certain choices and serious rep buyers obsess over "beautiful" sub dials with "great" aligned ms and "crappy" sub dials with non-aligned ms. I then say if the gen designer had chosen to use non-aligned ms in the gen the serious rep buyers would be claiming the exact opposite: dials with aligned ms' look "crappy" and dials with non-aligned ms' look "beautiful" and "great!" Then we have a good laugh at how easily we are manipulated by companies trying to sell us stuff and making arbitrary choices which we are so gullible to simply believe are some sort of universal truth or beauty. The discussion then usually turns to why would anyone spend the money for a gen when you can have the same "look" for one tenth the price? I then explain if you are a "horological purist" you will appreciate the unique features of a gen and it will be worth the price to you to have those features: like the special mainspring and special stainless steel used by Rolex. I have never run into anyone to whom that matters but I am sure there are plenty of such people. 100% of the people I have had these discussions with have said that as long as it keeps time and looks good: it meets their needs.

Often, when I found people who seem to have a great appreciation for the beauty of these watches, I give them one or more: sometimes I give them the rep right off my wrist which they commented upon starting the discussion in the first place. They are thrilled. To date I have given away over 50 reps. Of course, I would not have been able to afford to give away over 50 gens! When other people comment about the rep they are now wearing the person I gave it to says "it was a gift" or they respond as I did.

I am 63 years old, have seen a lot of life, and have concluded your own self-worth and self-image and self-respect is determined by your behavior (especially by your kindness or meanness to the people who happen to cross your path in life) and not by any possessions you own. Even the worst human being can take his money into a store and buy some exclusive item. I have known many such people. Buying something expensive does not make you a good person who should be respected. You cannot buy your self-worth. People you meet in life will either see it in how you treat them or they will not see it no matter how expensive your watch, clothing, car or house. My dad used to say: "Just be nice." That was good advice. We can be nice to everyone and need never be mean to anyone.

bravo mate,
Insightful post and I couldn't agree with you more

 

[onlytheone]

I have no idea what I would do as no one has ever asked me. Things that make you go hmmm.....