The Franken mania or what's with the hype about super Franken modified super clones - which will never be a Gen?

[msc1967]

In Europe, we know that stolen luxury cars are often marketed as spare parts and then end up as used parts on eBay or other platforms via various dealers or are used to rebuild vehicles that have been involved in accidents.

So where do all the great parts of the Super Frankens come from, which are traded as expensive as platinum, gold or diamonds?

By wanting a pimped Rolex, are we encouraging crime and buying back stolen goods ourselves? A Superclone with a couple of Gen parts advertised for half the price of a new Rolex? - I too have been the victim of a housebreaking and my Gen watch collection was gone...

On the other hand, the superclones of this world are reworked, disassembled and reassembled by watchmakers, gaskets made of original material are used (LOL), they are oiled, silenced, sealed and then tested again... and then you get a Franken-Superclone for twice the price. But in this case the "Superclone" must have been a pile of scrap metal on arrival? Or was it? My Superclones felt like Superclones, they feel like Gen, just from the beginning on. For some reps, that are no Superclones, i changed the straps, sanded some really sharp edges, tried a bit of oil,...

I keep seeing watches offered here where a movement repair is offered as the super-performance cure for a lot of money as an additional benefit. NO - at some point the rep movement simply broke. I had a couple of them and send them for a lot of money to a watchsmith to get them repaired. The watchmaker took it apart, cleaned it, found some parts to lace the broken rep parts and got it running again. Of course he checked the accuracy and water-tightness afterwards. Otherwise, the broken replica would have been nothing more than spare part scrap.

What I find most impressive are the super-modified Super-Frankens with the totally disfigured screw heads and scratched cases from changing the bracelet. It seems that dilettantes were at work here who can't even hold a screwdriver properly, but then build a Super-Franken.

I have also tried to treat a standard rep so that it looks extremely used and old. You can't tell the difference between a gen and a rep when the bracelet and case are as battered as if they had been “stone-washed” with some shovels of gravel in a concrete mixer for weeks. I wouldn´t call it a successful project.

You can see from my comments that I have very mixed feelings about high-price modding with original parts.

But I have great respect for a good craftsman who works on a rep so that it looks totally authentic, like a Gen after the first or second revision with new polish on the bracelet and case and the revised patina...

Looking forward to your comments and some interesting discussions.

 

[ward1991]

12 years here and you're still confused about frankens?

Humans covet, plain and simple. If they can't have a gen, they'll get the rep. The franken as we know it, is just "more" coveting. Thinking that gen bezel insert is going to solve all of your problems and you will find your forever watch! Well, most people sell their frankens damn near as soon as they build them. We are rarely satisfied. (For me the build is the most satisfying part anyway).

About the criminal stuff, significantly more non-modded, stock replicas are sold as gen to unsuspecting dopes, not gonna stop that.

And not to drive off topic, perhaps rolex should lower their prices or actually manufacture a watch that can't be made for significantly less than $500. It really really really sucks when someone gets cheated out of their money and is sold something that was different than what was advertised.

I often wonder if the AD isn't the biggest scammer of all, but then I remember...all of our dreadful coveting sets the price.

 

[Winni1611]

I've never been a Fan of high end franken reps. If you wanne have a gen - buy one. For me the fun is beeing able to wear several diffrent watches without spending that lot of money. If someone asks I always tell it's a rep, and we have fun discussing how well it is made. Beside that I love - and build - vintage watches which are hard to get and extremly expensive. But everyone has his own tast and reasons which I respect.

 

[mclarendude]

It's easy, don't like them? Don't get one.

 

[p0pperini]

Only total idiots buy Frankens.

 

[starlantic]

Why does the source have to be stolen gens that are resold as parts?

I prefer to imagine a windowless factory where the most base humans, who don't even have the wherewithal to provide for themselves, are having the ever-loving shit whipped out of them to crank out little wheels, pivots, and mainsprings for Rolex, VC, PP, AP, etc. at such a rate that there's enough to sell outside of completed watches.

But to suggest buying reps creates a niche market which encourages the dregs of society to prey upon productive citizens to steal gens and sell the parts back to us?

How dare you, sir.

 

[KGZ]

Well, most people sell their frankens damn near as soon as they build them. We are rarely satisfied.

You are right. However, most of the "total idiots" that build franken watches will tell you that the fun part is in hunting the parts. It's mostly about the challenge of completing the process of building the closest thing possible to the gen counterpart. That's why most of these "total idiots" have advanced OCD and will obsess over the tiniest of details such as small hidden fonts.

Once the challenge is completed, the fun dies down and selling the franken is a way to recoup funds and dedicate them to the next challenge.

If you think that frankening watches is a driver for watch theft, think again. The real driver is the speculation caused by the games played by watch brands/ADs that drive the hype on certain models to obscene levels. Besides, most of the parts that are commonly used in frankening are bought blistered. Now, I know that on some rare used high ticket gen items, there's a reasonable probability that the origin is questionable (after all it's no coincidence that the biggest sources for used gen parts are in Italy...) but I'd say that it's a marginal issue when it comes to frankens.

And last, this is a hobby for most of us. So whatever makes one tingle is fine by me. To each their kink...

 

[Mkempes]

after all it's no coincidence that the biggest sources for used gen parts are in Italy....

That's why I don't buy gens from Italian dealers. I am always afraid that they have changed some parts and sell them separately for an extra profit.

 

[Teamdsi]

For me Building Franken watches is definitely the hunt and the search for the parts… and the Frankens I like are not really offered in good context in the rep market

 

[msc1967]

I agree, blistered parts are out of my theory. Than there might be some stock left somewhere. Hopefully there is no market for well blistered fake GEN parts

 

[mrsullivan]

For me Building Franken watches is definitely the hunt and the search for the parts… and the Frankens I like are not really offered in good context in the rep market

This ^^^

I love frankening : it's about the hunt, the thrill and the idea to upgrade what can be upgraded on a specific rep model.
It takes seconds thoughts and knowledge to choose the right gen parts for a rep, not all modifications are worth the effort but some are definitely worth it.
Of course nowadays the need to franken is less obvious, as high end reps got to a stellar level of finishing, but there's always gonna be something to upgrade for the best.

 

[Teamdsi]

I just finished a 16710 Franken, there isn’t a good rep of this iconic model so I built a gen spec 16710 that I love dearly!!! I wear it more than I wear my Gen 116610

 

[Reaps]

I think super frankens are for the love of the game. Like others have said - it's a collection/chase/hunt thing.

For modern watches/superfrankening is not that good of a value proposition.

But sometimes super frankening is also to resolve percieved flaws with the watch. As Teamsdi said above - no good 16710 so they go franken. Same story wuth 16570 or vintage Datejusts etc

The vintage super frankens are cheap anyways. Gen parts for 5 digits are not crazy expensive, so it's cheap (relative) to do.