How do replicas compare to real genuine watches that cost the same?

[nofitstate]

No, not had either. I hope all the reps will come out with better bracelets. My comments above were directed at Omega reps, just to be clear.

Hell, I bought a Fortis recently, and its bracelet is now in a drawer. Really flimsy and very disappointing. So even gen bracelets can be a letdown.

The rep PAMs these days are quite good. The last two reps I bought are PAMs, come to think of it.

To be fair I've not had an omega rep yet, but I will be getting a 45mm pumpkin planet ocean next. I don't buy cheapies, and will probably steer clear of BP as I found their build quality to be lacking, so will go for a noob one and will be really interested to see how it matches up to my Gen Omega.

I have a J12 v6 AP diver on the new J12 SS bracelet on it's way to me. From the pictures it looks like a lovely piece of engineering and I'm hearing great things from people who have that bracelet already

 

[Cloud]

Alright! You all have convinced me! I went to puretime and purchased this

http://www.puretime-asia.com/produc...mm-11-noob-best-edition-on-ss-bracelet-a2836/

Now the waiting game opcorn2:

 

[nofitstate]

Alright! You all have convinced me! I went to puretime and purchased this

http://www.puretime-asia.com/produc...mm-11-noob-best-edition-on-ss-bracelet-a2836/

Now the waiting game opcorn2:

Nice choice, the noob maker in my experience makes some of the best reps!

Best piece of advice I can give you now is, take your time viewing the qc pics. Look for a centred pearl, dial markers that may be crooked, date not centred In the date window, badly printed text on the dial, incorrect engravings on the case and bracelet and any dents of scratches.

Now please don't let all that make you wonder what you have got yourself into. I have only ever had two watches which had only some of those things mentioned wrong with them. On first rep purchase of the Pam 299o I didn't ask and wasn't given QC pics, so didn't have the chance to reject it due to some bad dial printing and my third purchase I didn't spot a crooked 12 hour marker on BP DSSD at QC as I didn't spend enough time looking at the pictures, which takes me back to my piece of advice.

 

[Cloud]

Nice choice, the noob maker in my experience makes some of the best reps!

Best piece of advice I can give you now is, take your time viewing the qc pics. Look for a centred pearl, dial markers that may be crooked, date not centred In the date window, badly printed text on the dial, incorrect engravings on the case and bracelet and any dents of scratches.

Now please don't let all that make you wonder what you have got yourself into. I have only ever had two watches which had only some of those things mentioned wrong with them. On first rep purchase of the Pam 299o I didn't ask and wasn't given QC pics, so didn't have the chance to reject it due to some bad dial printing and my third purchase I didn't spot a crooked 12 hour marker on BP DSSD at QC as I didn't spend enough time looking at the pictures, which takes me back to my piece of advice.

Thank you for the advice. Do you need to ask for QC photos or do TD normally show them to you? I'm so excited to look at those QC pictures! I remember reading somwhere that QC photos aren't supposed to be posted on the forum, is that true? Since this is my first rep I might need some help since my eyes aren't nearly as sharp as some of the seasoned veterans, the problem is I will eventually notice something wrong, just not right away haha.

 

[nofitstate]

Some TDs send you them, some require you to ask for them. I always ask .

Not sure about the rules on here regarding QC pics.

I have the most critical eye, so you won't be on your own when it comes to spotting something not quite right. Though any gen I've seen I can always point something out that isn't quite right.

 

[Helldiver]

Just don't expect reps to perform as well as gen if you want a diver by example (to be honest I trust more my Seikos than my gen Omega). My reps never ever touch water even the one sold as being waterproofed.

For 100$ to 300$ you can have these watches and I trust me when I say that I am really happy with them. (See pic below of some pieces of my collection! Almost all bought M2M)

And the combination with straps are endless (all bought M2M). Here are some black one:

Go to the trade section and get yourself a nice piece. Got to the TDs if you cannot wait

GLWB

(Sorry for the crapy phone photos)

 

[Cloud]

Just don't expect reps to perform as well as gen if you want a diver by example (to be honest I trust more my Seikos than my gen Omega). My reps never ever touch water even the one sold as being waterproofed.

For 100$ to 300$ you can have these watches and I trust me when I say that I am really happy with them. (See pic below of some pieces of my collection! Almost all bought M2M)

And the combination with straps are endless (all bought M2M). Here are some black one:

Go to the trade section and get yourself a nice piece. Got to the TDs if you cannot wait

GLWB

(Sorry for the crapy phone photos)

Just out of curiosity, why did you make most of your purchases M2M? My main concern is that with M2M is that I feel like no one will sell a really well made rep since they spent all that time waiting for it and people would be more inclined to sell their bad reps. Is this a fair assumption?

 

[Helldiver]

(What you say is possible)

To be honest my first rep was from a TD. But if I knew then what I know now I would have gone M2M strait. I was myself also wandering why would someone buy a watch M2M (after the waiting etc...) but you have a lot of stages/levels of ownership in the rep worlds.
1- people having too many watches (I am myself trying to keep the number below 50!)
2- people wanting a new model (like the Tudor BB or the new Omega Aqua Terra) and selling another to finance it.
3- spouses/girlfriend forcing you to clear/clean your drawer... (That's number one actually) LOL

Reasons are endless but with some experience (and a lot of reading) on the forum you can really have great watches. Regarding straps it's even more the case. You get often a better feed back from sellers then strapmakers.

It also depend where you live. For people like me in continental EU the triangular cost (via UK) are expensive especially for cheapies. If a watch is already in UK I can get it 48hours and if you know the seller you will trust him (and the details of his sale post). Watches are also used=tested! And people getting reps are usually very careful and respectful of watches.

If you have no trust in the forum it would have closed long time ago. You have scumbags around but our mods are on the look out.

 

[cybee]

I remember reading somwhere that QC photos aren't supposed to be posted on the forum, is that true?

For those who are excessively anal they should not be posted. For those with "normal" expectations then yes. Don't dissect the pics with a 10x loupe.

 

[afdaddy]

I have been looking for a genuine watch in the $400 range when I stumbled upon this site after wondering where all these excellent replica watches were coming from. I already own a few watches in the $200 range from Orient and I was just wondering, do these replicas feel like a $300-400 watch? Do they feel like they are worth more? Less maybe? Or is it just the name brand that comes with it that is worth the price?

I just want to try and figure out what my next purchase should be. One of my biggest things about buying a watch is the feel. I need my watch to feel really solid and well made if I am going to spend a few hundred on it. So what do you think? Do these compare well to a watch in the same price range from an actual brand? How much would you pay for your replica if it said some random brand on the dial and not the luxury names?

One last question, why do you choose replicas over genuine watches in the same price range? I know some of these questions overlap so answer them however you would like, thanks for your time.

Well its sounds like you've made your choice, but I'd say take the comments about the rep downfalls with a grain of salt. Generally speaking (and assuming you get a super-rep in the $300 range), the vast majority of people are blown away by the quality of reps. I mean its REALLY impressive what you get for the money. That said, there are weak spots like bracelets and straps for sure......but in the grand scheme of things, most of the issues are virtually imperceptible to all but the kind of experts that lurk around these forums.

Just realize, some of these folks have been collecting reps and gens for years, to the point of scouring every detail (jeez, just look at ALEs PAM reviews), and while that is an amazing resource to the forum, you're probably not going to notice most of issues they do with a particular rep, nor would anyone not side-by-side a gen.

Also, from your questions, I own an Orient and I'd generally say my reps are nicer. Better fit, finish and smoother winding/time&date setting.

 

[Cloud]

Well its sounds like you've made your choice, but I'd say take the comments about the rep downfalls with a grain of salt. Generally speaking (and assuming you get a super-rep in the $300 range), the vast majority of people are blown away by the quality of reps. I mean its REALLY impressive what you get for the money. That said, there are weak spots like bracelets and straps for sure......but in the grand scheme of things, most of the issues are virtually imperceptible to all but the kind of experts that lurk around these forums.

Just realize, some of these folks have been collecting reps and gens for years, to the point of scouring every detail (jeez, just look at ALEs PAM reviews), and while that is an amazing resource to the forum, you're probably not going to notice most of issues they do with a particular rep, nor would anyone not side-by-side a gen.

Also, from your questions, I own an Orient and I'd generally say my reps are nicer. Better fit, finish and smoother winding/time&date setting.

Thank you for your response, especially thank you for the part about the Orients, I was worried my other watches would surpass it in quality but I see that will most likely not be the case

Also just an update, I had to cancel my order from Puretime due to the fact they weren't able to accept paypal at that time. I ended up going with M2M because of Helldiver's persuasive reasoning

Now I'm waiting for an Omega Noob CrPO 42mm with silver numbers, should be here soon! Can't wait!

 

[Helldiver]

Also just an update, I had to cancel my order from Puretime due to the fact they weren't able to accept paypal at that time. I ended up going with M2M because of Helldiver's persuasive reasoning

Oups!!! There goes my possible Discount with Puretime!

Congrats for your first buy and don't forget to post the mandatory wrist check!