The Top 10 Lies about Replica Watches

[crick]

YUP!

watches are watches and the fun of the watches are watches!

 

[guanaco]

Even reps that have several flaws (like a $110 Santos 100 in SS w/chinese 21J movement) for example) and have cheap 21j movements beat the hell out of any cheap gen in the same price range like a swatch, casio or invicta. :|

 

[lolex]

Great infos...Keep it up

 

[donnay458]

i've read this before but never made a comment till now. it's great to remember all the things about our hobby and Doc concisely puts it all here. this is a very helpful and good read!

[smilie=icon_thumleft.gif] [smilie=icon_thumright.gif]

 

[pituti]

I've to say this world is quite difficult, specially at the beginning when you can buy "the same" watch for three different prices... at the end, with the time, the mistakes, and reading specialized forums you can begin to learn this lies...

This post is a "must read" for beginners ;-)

 

[thacrownprince]

Thanks for the list. I've been on this board for about a year and some of the stuff is new to me.

 

[rfhayden]

#1 How true. We all have believed that at some point from the numerous websites that are out there. Just met an associate at work this week who believed the same until he looked at my recent DJ purchase which is one of our lower end models. He could not believe that it is a rep after looking it over very carefully. And then kept insisting that it must be a swiss made rep as that is the only source for a good rep model. This person is a watch collector and happened to be wearing a gen that day that sells for $35,000.

 

[jameo210369]

The more I read it the better it gets Doc

 

[AllergyDoc]

The more I read it the better it gets Doc

Thanks, barking dog.

 

[craigchek]

Thanks!

 

[alwayslate]

Very informative, very enlightening. As a noob, I've been burnt for over 6 reps from shoddy merchants who claimed to be super reps. But since joining this forum, I've had nothing but the best help and advise from some of the most knowledgeable members, some of which spill so much jargon I had to google every single term just to decipher the message.

Needless to say, topics like these are always great help for noobs like me. Thanks guys!

 

[AllergyDoc]

Hang around here and you'll not be lead astray. Plenty of good guys here.

 

[Hermitkermit]

Hey Doc,

Thanks, great list and ever so true.

But it was the lies on these sites that actually got me thinking. I would have fallen for the scam sites. But the lies were so obvious and the review sites - well, nice try, but they got me thinking. And I thought: There must be a great forum of rep enthusiasts outside the fake fake matrix.

And then Morpheus called 8) and I found you guys here at RWI and I´m glad I did. So - thanks for that list - I mean these lies are just too sweet to be true.

Besides: I know the wages in Switzerland :shock: - no way for Swissmade Replikas - Sitzerland has the highest wages in Europe.

Now all is well and I found like minded souls [smilie=angel13.gif]

Cheers, Kermit

 

[jaras1]

What is said here is really important for every newbie to read.

However, there is no doubt that the quality of the replica is getting better all the time and that the "exact copy" is potentially well within reach. Some of the latest reps to hit are very close examples, just look at the Rolex GMT Master II -C. It is extreamly close to 1:1 ... what is next ?

 

[Klink]

chop suey!

 

[johhnyq]

as a noob I must say thanks for a fascinating read !

 

[Axle]

Gotta love that factory,

 

[yossarian]

There's one more lie I've always thought about: Buying replica watches robs the genuine manufacturers of income, because if the buyer hadn't bought the replica, they would have bought the genuine. I'm sure in 99% of cases this simply isn't true.

 

[seventhexile]

http://www.hautehorlogerie.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=1832 <-- see a rep watch fac. here.

- How did I miss that mall on my travels through China !!!
Hmm.. don't think customs would have let me back into the US with everything though..
Maybe cut the lining of my suitcase and hide watches and such in there...
No wait, I've seen this in a movie.. bad idea !
Chinese jails for americans = no fun *(so says the TV) and.. what do we know about tv... it never lies !!

- Ex

 

[Krieg]

Never really posted this list here, but this was the 2nd replica watch board I found, so here it is. Whatever good it can do.



Most of us arrived here with minds polluted by scam sites and scam "review" sites: all peddlers of lies and deception.

In an effort to help cleanse the noobs' minds of this filth, I propose the following 10 common and devious lies and misconceptions
about replica watches, and the business of manufacturing and selling replica watches.


Lie #1: The best replica watches are made in Switzerland, followed closely by Italy.

-- This is the biggest lie of all. All replica watches are made somewhere in Asia, mostly China. Saying that replicas are made in Switzerland or Italy is a lie intended to extract more money from the ignorant.


Lie #2: Replica watches are graded according to quality. C (or whatever) is the lowest and AAA+++ (or whatever) is the highest.

-- Who decides what is "C" and what is "A"? The "International Replica Watch Governing Board"? Pure nonsense designed, again, to get more of your dollars.


Lie #3: The movements in "Swiss made" replicas are identical to the genuine watch movements. 27 jewel movements are the best.

-- (See Lie #1 for "Swiss made".) Far from the truth. Very few replica watch movements come from anywhere but China and any watchman can immediately tell it's not genuine. There are no Asian 27 jewels movements in replica watches; only 25, 21, or 17. (Some newer replicas are powered by an ETA 7753, which does have 27J.)


Lie #4: The best replicas are 99% true to the genuine and will even fool an Authorized Dealer (AD).

-- Not true. While some may be close (picking a number is impossible) to the genuine, all replicas are flawed. Do you really think you can spend $200 or less and get a watch that's 99% identical to a $4,000-20,000 watch? As for fooling ADs, maybe. Common clerks are easily fooled, but seasoned ADs, upon close inspection, will know it's a replica.


Lie #5: The gold on "Swiss grade" replicas is much higher than on other replicas. The crown, bezel, and mid links are solid gold and the full-gold replicas are 5-wrapped (or 6-wrapped, or whatever).

-- While a few models have been shown to have solid gold mid links (Rolex replicas), the rest of the watch is gold plated or double or triple wrapped gold. ("Search" for threads on how this is done.)


Lie #6: The best Rolex replicas are made with 904L grade steel.

-- Big fat lie. Good replicas are made with 316L quality steel. Rolex is one of the few companies that use 904L steel and it costs 3 times as much as 316L. Replicas are not made with 440 steel, either.


Lie #7: Buying a replica watch is risky, but not if you use sellers from "Replica Review" sites.

-- What most people don't know is the "review" sites are owned and operated by the people who run the sites they recommend--it's very incestuous. These "review" sites are clever and it's easy to get taken in by their lies.


Lie #8: You can tell you're getting a good watch after a thorough examination of the web site.

-- Please. If you think everything displayed on the web is true, you deserve to be fleeced. Scam sites lie about everything, from the quality of their goods to their pledge to make sure every customer is happy. Many even post pictures of genuine watches, (Look for pictures where the watch hands are set at "10:10." Pictures of genuine watches seen in advertisements are always set to "10:10.") but send you junk.


Lie #9: Picking a good seller will always result in getting a good watch, one I won't have trouble with.

-- We wish. Quality control in replica watch factories is hit-and-miss, but mostly shoddy. One batch may be great while the next produces watches that are DOA. (Remember, making replica watches is illegal, even in China. Replica watch "factories" are usually small operations that can be easily moved or hidden from prying authorities.) What is true, though, is a good dealer will want to protect his/her reputation and will fix whatever is wrong.


Lie #10: Paying by COD is the best way to get the cheapest price. Plus, I can examine my watch before paying the courier to make sure I get what I paid for.

-- A really dumb thing to do and a huge red flag that you're dealing with a true scammer. They want cash because they know you'll scream foul to your credit card company the moment you see the junk you just paid $1,000 for.


One final point. Remember, replica watches are counterfeit goods. While it is not illegal to purchase or possess replica watches in most countries, it is illegal to sell them. Keep this in mind when using PayPal or communicating with credit card companies.

Excellent. I enjoyed very much the "International Replica Watch Governing Board"; perhaps we could contact that board to help us free th customs troubles :twisted: