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How much would YOU spend on a Pam rep?
- Thread starter beau_bands
- Start date
rolexwatchfan
Respected Member
- 17/8/13
- 4,225
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If rep makers would offer super aesthetically accurate models with high quality & reliable movenments, I'd gladly spend up to 20% of the gen list price to get one.
Depends on how much cash I have to spare when a watch appears and how bad I want the watch I guess. There's been a couple of VAC modded 243s come up the last little while and while the watch is on my shortlist and I can see that they're easily worth the money, I just can't justify the outlay ATM (they've all been over $1k), if one comes up when I have a little more spare cash then I'm sure I'd happily part with it.
So no hard limit really, if the watch is worth the money then I'd have no problem paying it so long as I'm not taking away from anything else.
Certainly if a factory was to pop up that correctly assembled their movements and watches in clean conditions, lubricated and sealed them properly and provided 1:1 visually I'd have no problem paying several times what reps cost now or more.
Consider the watch I've just purchased, it came in at £260 from the TD with WU fees etc, I bought a strap and a buckle to replace the poor ones that it came with for around £100 and I've also booked it straight in for service at £110 (or maybe more depending on if there're any problems with it) so my $338 rep by the time it's fit for daily wearing will have actually cost £470 ($693.35 at today's rate).
You get what you pay for IMO (up to a point, with gens most of what you pay is for the brand name obviously) and while I'll probably never be able to justify buying more than one genuine Panerai watch at £5k plus I'd be happy to buy 5 high end replicas like this at £1k just because I really love the watches and have no problem spending the money I work hard for on my hobbies, there's plenty of guys out there dropping way more cash on season tickets for sports or whatever else they like to do with their time.
So no hard limit really, if the watch is worth the money then I'd have no problem paying it so long as I'm not taking away from anything else.
Certainly if a factory was to pop up that correctly assembled their movements and watches in clean conditions, lubricated and sealed them properly and provided 1:1 visually I'd have no problem paying several times what reps cost now or more.
Consider the watch I've just purchased, it came in at £260 from the TD with WU fees etc, I bought a strap and a buckle to replace the poor ones that it came with for around £100 and I've also booked it straight in for service at £110 (or maybe more depending on if there're any problems with it) so my $338 rep by the time it's fit for daily wearing will have actually cost £470 ($693.35 at today's rate).
You get what you pay for IMO (up to a point, with gens most of what you pay is for the brand name obviously) and while I'll probably never be able to justify buying more than one genuine Panerai watch at £5k plus I'd be happy to buy 5 high end replicas like this at £1k just because I really love the watches and have no problem spending the money I work hard for on my hobbies, there's plenty of guys out there dropping way more cash on season tickets for sports or whatever else they like to do with their time.
Hard to say, for the right watch with the right mods i guess only the sky is the limit, but when you start to hit 20-25% of the gen price, i guess its hard to justify. I didnt mind spending 625$ on my 292 with gen strap and gen crystal. Worth every penny.
It depends on what a gen would normally cost and how much you really like it after you got it. I have a gen gmt ii, but now I find myself wearing my bpff rep way more.
Over the 6 or so years I've been into reps, I would have answered this question differently, depending on the circumstance.
At the start, I would have thought it sheer madness to spend more than $150 on a 'fake watch', but over time came to realise that some reps exceed the quality of some lower price gens (I had a gen TAG Formula 1 when I found this forum; it is now long gone) and then the pleasure I found in modding and Frankening made me re-evaluate yet again the sense in spending $3000+ on some gens.
As some before have said, I am more inclined to spend more on the models I really covet, such as the rarer, older models that you would never see in the wild, rep or gen. And the knowledge of watches, and the friends I have gained over the years of modding are well worth the inflated prices alone.
So, in answer to your question; straight out of the box from a dealer - $400-500 max. If I were to keep it, modify it and have it professionally serviced? $1000-2000ish. But you're kinda paying in instalments when it gets to that price range, as the fun for me is spending the time and effort finding just the right parts to make your rep that bit more special. It's a different feeling than just walking into an AD with a wallet full of cash and dropping it on the nicest gen you can afford. And in my opinion, worth more.
At the start, I would have thought it sheer madness to spend more than $150 on a 'fake watch', but over time came to realise that some reps exceed the quality of some lower price gens (I had a gen TAG Formula 1 when I found this forum; it is now long gone) and then the pleasure I found in modding and Frankening made me re-evaluate yet again the sense in spending $3000+ on some gens.
As some before have said, I am more inclined to spend more on the models I really covet, such as the rarer, older models that you would never see in the wild, rep or gen. And the knowledge of watches, and the friends I have gained over the years of modding are well worth the inflated prices alone.
So, in answer to your question; straight out of the box from a dealer - $400-500 max. If I were to keep it, modify it and have it professionally serviced? $1000-2000ish. But you're kinda paying in instalments when it gets to that price range, as the fun for me is spending the time and effort finding just the right parts to make your rep that bit more special. It's a different feeling than just walking into an AD with a wallet full of cash and dropping it on the nicest gen you can afford. And in my opinion, worth more.
rolexwatchfan
Respected Member
- 17/8/13
- 4,225
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- 113
Unfortunately, some Gens cannot be acquired simply by walking to an AD. And to top it off say, $10k+ to replicate would not even scratch the 10% of the gen market value. Just saying.
Not exactly sure what point you're making here in relation to the discussion at hand, but I do agree with you.
At that sort of level/price point, there is no comparison between rep and gen. What you are buying is the highest expression of the watchmakers' art; something hand-made by artisans of real skill. In this respect, purchasing a watch of this calibre (no pun intended) would indeed buy you a feeling no rep, Franken or labour-of-love DIY build would ever bring you.
But when we're talking about reps/builds of watches that are essentially overpriced branding exercises, I think that ending up with a cheaper version of a gen that you built yourself, with the same or similar aesthetic quality and same functionality of its more expensive counterpart, has a value all of its own.
I have a Marlin 111, which is my favorite Panerai at this moment. Im sending it to tr0y with a Noob 390 so he can give it a polish treatment and do a transplant. When it's back I'm going to order a special tanning alligator from ABP. That's going to be the limit. All rep, still freaking good!