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The Top 10 Lies about Replica Watches
- Thread starter AllergyDoc
- Start date
bama1965
Renowned Member
- 30/3/08
- 43,498
- 16,954
- 113
It was made during a police raid and is on some gen makers website from memory.
It's linked to in a thread here somewhere, I just can't remember where.
It's linked to in a thread here somewhere, I just can't remember where.
- 9/6/11
- 488
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- 28
- 30/3/08
- 43,498
- 16,954
- 113
Hum... I'm not so sure it's just made in a kitchen. I'v been working in watches business (quartz fashion watches), and had the opportunity to visit factories in China.
First of all, components are made by different factories. You have suppliers for cases, others suppliers for dials, others for hands, etc... And, of course, suppliers for movements. At the end, you have the assembly of these components which is not so complicated and doesn't need very big equipment.
I'm quite sure that cases are made by suppliers who also make officialy cases for many brands as sub-contractors. These factories have customers (whose business is rep trade) asking for cases and giving them technical specifications for a case. If this case looks exactly like Rolex submariner case, they don't mind. They are just suppling cases, and this il legal (only Rolex engraving at the end is not legal, but nobody cares).
Dials for reps can be made by dial factories. I personnaly visited a dial factory working for the brand I was working for. I saw dials for my company, I also saw people working on dials for other brands. It was mainly fashion brands that are officialy made in China. But I also saw Cartier and Tag Heuer dials...
These are small companies, working in small, old and dirty buildings. But you would be surprised to see the high quality of the products they are able to deliver at the end of the process.
Few pictures I took in a case factory :
Paul
- 30/3/08
- 43,498
- 16,954
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Yes, but the assembly is contracted out to mom and pop who do the assembly at home. I never said the parts are made anywhere but a factory of some sort. there is a big difference between the gen and rep industry. The rep game is a back room one mate.
I've been in this game a fair while myself, I know it well.
I've been in this game a fair while myself, I know it well.
OK. Thanks for completing my knowledge of the "dark side of watch industry".
I'm surprised to discover that this is "home made", because I can hardly imagine this organization being able to produce important quantities. On this forum, we are interested almost only by good quality reps. But there are so big quantities of cheap reps sold every day in the streets in Asia or Africa, I thought that the final assembly was also in a more industrial process.
But as said before, I've been working only with normal and legal production. So, it's very interesting for me to discover the hidden part, thanks to RWI. Nice to be here ! :thumbsup:
Paul
I'm surprised to discover that this is "home made", because I can hardly imagine this organization being able to produce important quantities. On this forum, we are interested almost only by good quality reps. But there are so big quantities of cheap reps sold every day in the streets in Asia or Africa, I thought that the final assembly was also in a more industrial process.
But as said before, I've been working only with normal and legal production. So, it's very interesting for me to discover the hidden part, thanks to RWI. Nice to be here ! :thumbsup:
Paul
- 30/3/08
- 43,498
- 16,954
- 113
You need to remember that you may have 100 people putting together one model at home or in the back room off a legit business and each can assemble a cheap crappy rep in about five minutes or so. Assuming an 8 hour day that's 9,600 watches.
Plenty of people in China.
Doing it this way if there is a raid all that is lost is the production of between one and five or so people but if you have an entire room full of folk you lose 1000s of watches at once and a fair whack of your labour force ends up in the slammer.
And yes the cheapo stuff leaves GZ for Africa and the Middle East by the container load on a daily basis. The size of the market for the cheapies is mind blowing.
Plenty of people in China.
Doing it this way if there is a raid all that is lost is the production of between one and five or so people but if you have an entire room full of folk you lose 1000s of watches at once and a fair whack of your labour force ends up in the slammer.
And yes the cheapo stuff leaves GZ for Africa and the Middle East by the container load on a daily basis. The size of the market for the cheapies is mind blowing.
Hmm I think those are the first ever photos of the "1:1 rep from gen sample" machines. Surprised they got leaked out.
Don't laugh ! These are the real, genuine machines used by Abraham Louis Bréguet when he started his production !
Paul
Very good read, thanks for that.
Rep watches are like drugs. You dont get into so much trouble for having them as you do selling them. What I dont get and find funny, is that I can buy them legally, but the seller is committing a crime. If the law makers decide its legal for me to have them... where do they expect me to get them from if it's illegal for someone to sell them to me?
Rep watches are like drugs. You dont get into so much trouble for having them as you do selling them. What I dont get and find funny, is that I can buy them legally, but the seller is committing a crime. If the law makers decide its legal for me to have them... where do they expect me to get them from if it's illegal for someone to sell them to me?