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wearing a replica
- Thread starter Dave Thumper
- Start date
I really don't give a flying frak if Classic Breguet responds ever again, but he comes of as such a pompous blowhard that I really need to respond.
The biggest problem with the watch industry today is that people who know nothing about watches are turning them into status symbols for financial success. This is the foundation of Classic Breguet's condescending "scientific" rant. If CB knew anything about this board, he'd know that a love of watches combined with a hatred of phony marketing and inflation from luxury brands is the predominant attitude of RWI.
There is a long history of luxury Swiss brands charging exorbitant prices for authentic Swiss manufactured watches while at the same time cutting costs by outsourcing to China. Just look at the opposition from manufacturers when Switzerland changed the "Swiss Made" rule from 50% minimum Swiss origin up to 60%. Why pay $10K for a Swiss watch when it has been manufactured in China for pennies on the dollar, and then simply "verified" in Switzerland at an inflated labour price to bring the cost of Swiss inspection up to 60% of total cost?
Fake people don't wear fake watches? The entire industry is a complete sham driven by uneducated customers with feeling of bravado for spending too much money on a hunk of China made stainless steel. There are far more fake people wearing real watches than fake ones, they just don't know it yet.
I proudly wear modded replicas that I've either purchased or made myself, and I proudly tell people about it if asked anything above and beyond "nice watch." But I do anticipate negative responses, thanks to the stigma associated with fake watches. And that stigma comes directly from the manufacturers and the brainwashed uneducated masses that pay too much for the status.
The biggest problem with the watch industry today is that people who know nothing about watches are turning them into status symbols for financial success. This is the foundation of Classic Breguet's condescending "scientific" rant. If CB knew anything about this board, he'd know that a love of watches combined with a hatred of phony marketing and inflation from luxury brands is the predominant attitude of RWI.
There is a long history of luxury Swiss brands charging exorbitant prices for authentic Swiss manufactured watches while at the same time cutting costs by outsourcing to China. Just look at the opposition from manufacturers when Switzerland changed the "Swiss Made" rule from 50% minimum Swiss origin up to 60%. Why pay $10K for a Swiss watch when it has been manufactured in China for pennies on the dollar, and then simply "verified" in Switzerland at an inflated labour price to bring the cost of Swiss inspection up to 60% of total cost?
Fake people don't wear fake watches? The entire industry is a complete sham driven by uneducated customers with feeling of bravado for spending too much money on a hunk of China made stainless steel. There are far more fake people wearing real watches than fake ones, they just don't know it yet.
I proudly wear modded replicas that I've either purchased or made myself, and I proudly tell people about it if asked anything above and beyond "nice watch." But I do anticipate negative responses, thanks to the stigma associated with fake watches. And that stigma comes directly from the manufacturers and the brainwashed uneducated masses that pay too much for the status.
Classic, you are absolutely correct. But, I'll still buy and wear a rep.To the OP: After viewing the actions of the posters in this thread we now have enough evidence to be quite certain how they really feel about your original question of, “do any of you feel uneasy about wearing a replica watchâ€
Since social experiment studies clearly show that what people say they feel is often not true: Example, a group of people in a random bar were asked if they found a wallet on the floor with money in it, and it had a photo ID of someone clearly identifiable who was currently in the bar, would they keep the money, or would they return the wallet intact. As you would expect 100% of them said they would return the wallet. The investigators returned to this same bar the same night and ran the experiment of leaving a wallet with money in it with a photo ID of someone conspicuously visible at the bar, and as you probably guessed, more than 50% of those who found the wallet stole the money in it.
This proves, and has been proven time and time again that actions speak louder than words. This was the SAME group that was polled earlier. So I just simply ran this experiment here, and I even used me claiming to own some watches I do not currently own, just to make it a perfect analogy.
So, you asked the question and people answered. I then came along and said that I had bought several high end brand statue symbol watches, but they later revealed that I was not being entirely truthful about the list of watches.
And the responses were thus:
“Your probably some broke ass wanna be whinning about all the things you don't have and coming here pretending you do.†Indicating that this poster clearly feels that people who knowingly and intentionally attempt to give a false impression of owning such status symbols to the public (this forum), when they don’t actually own them, makes that person “just a lying Fing asshole.†Because only "lying fing assholes" would attempt to lie to others about owning such things, and people who lie about owning such things are " probably some broke ass wanna be whinning about all the things you don't have and coming here pretending you do"
Another comment worth mentioning was “That's a good point to make about oneselfthis is so odd.. Do people get enjoyment coming here doing this? “ This appears to be saying why would anyone go out of their way to lie about owning a genuine high end status symbol watch to people they should not care what they think of the liarâ€
The word “douche bag†was also used and I think that sums up the feelings towards my behavior of pretending to own, and putting off to this public that I owned expensive watches that I do not, so I got caught trying to put off that I could own things far more expensive than I really can and that, per the quotes of members on this forum is “doucheyâ€
SOoo, to answer the OP’s original question, “How do you guys feel about wearing replica watches†when we look at the poster's responses to the behavior of my having falsly claimed to own gens which I do not own, we find:
It appears that, given the posts in this thread, that knowingly and intentionally misrepresenting yourself to a public group as owning genuine high end status symbol watches meets the criteria of
1: Being a poser, wannabee, and a liar
2: Being a douche
3. Being a fool for wasting ones time trying to impress people you should not care about what they think.
So lets just simply this to make it clearer. People on this board who responded believe:
Intentionally lying about owning a gen = douchebag liar
So does it follow that wearing an accurate fake watch in public is very similar to what I did?
The evidence points to a pretty solid yes
Sooo if the actions of the posters in this thread are to be taken as more honest reflections than the original words then these posters clearly feel that:
Wearing a fake watch in public = douche
Your experiment also proves that some people think they can win an argument / discussion by cussing you out or calling you names. It's okay to disagree with someone without being vile.
Just curious: Do you advocate structuring an argument with blatant condescension?
That is hardly more noble than a vile response to such, IMO.
@ Classic Breguet. In some terms, we are only douches to douche companies. I respect companies that follows the codes of haute horlogerie and not some cheapos in lab suits slapping logos and selling it as new series for preposterous price. Just imagine you're given a lump sum, and proper marketing backup, can you not create a brand even with a pig brain? I doubt so. There are gen brands which I would never touch their reps.
Besides so far, the patrons of douche brands would hardly be educated enough and well informed to know about a rep, so, they really deserve it, can't I say that. Cheers. After all, reps are for our own pleasure, and to make fun of certain people and brands who should have known better. Some of the rich are just so amusing and ridiculous, but what can you and the other people do to us? It is our decisions to wear it in silence, and humbleness. But even so, as an example, should I see a person wearing IWC rep and deliberately showing off all around its still very easy to expose them, so do not worry, this rep thingy is controlled. There are so many of us around you just don't know who are we and where we are.
Besides so far, the patrons of douche brands would hardly be educated enough and well informed to know about a rep, so, they really deserve it, can't I say that. Cheers. After all, reps are for our own pleasure, and to make fun of certain people and brands who should have known better. Some of the rich are just so amusing and ridiculous, but what can you and the other people do to us? It is our decisions to wear it in silence, and humbleness. But even so, as an example, should I see a person wearing IWC rep and deliberately showing off all around its still very easy to expose them, so do not worry, this rep thingy is controlled. There are so many of us around you just don't know who are we and where we are.
My position is I'm gonna say it like I see it and I'm not gonna discuss every minuet point of the Fing book here wrote here. He's an asshole, he came here with the only intention of arguing, and has no real interest in us or the board. His intent is to disrupt, argue non sense with his own twisted thinking, and lie. This wasn't about a real discussion for him, it was about him, and that's all it was about.
This thread is funny because I can see both extreme ends of the spectrum... I can see some of Classic Breguet's points, but he also does come across as an bit of a pretentious elitist. And I can see some of the points of the Rep enthusiasts here as well, but they're kidding themselves if they think the majority of rep owners aren't hoping to pass them off as the real deal. I'd like to add my own viewpoint.
I'm kind of in a weird in between spot of the two extremes represented here.
Some background: I am one of those silicon valley "techies" with a lot of disposable income, and have made a considerable amount of money in the past from cashing out of a startup that ended up doing really well. But my image would never have you believe that. I have long hair and a big beard and spend most of my free time skateboarding at skateparks and in crusty street spots with my friends. I rarely buy new clothes and just look/dress like your average skateboarding hipster in jeans+old t-shirt and a hoody or a flannel shirt that most people probably assume works at a coffee shop or something. That said, I spend my on things I like geek out about. I drive a new Mercedes C63 AMG that I've modified pretty heavily, as I really love cars and motorsports and like to frequent the track. I also bought a used Lamborghini Gallardo last year as a second car to have fun with on the weekends. I live in a somewhat ghetto neighborhood in my city, because frankly the Bay Area is insanely overpriced right now, and I get a lot more space for my money, and have a back yard big enough for a big halfpipe, haha. But I don't really care that much at this point in my life about living in a "big fancy house in a nice neighborhood." Now I'll be honest, I have always kind of enjoyed this clashing juxtaposition of looking the way I do, but then seeing people do a double take when they see me walk up to my car, unlock it, and drive away. It's certainly not why I own them, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't part of the fun of ownership for me
I say all this so you can get a better idea of what kind of "person I am."
When I first gained an interest in watches, I bought some Gen's. I'll always prefer to have a gen over a rep, because I really do in fact appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into the Gens. I can definitely tell the build quality of my Gen's is far beyond my reps when handling them. I find the internals of watches to be fascinating and they really trigger the nerdy engineering part of my brain! I disassembled/serviced my Breitling Navitimer movement this summer on my own to fix an issue I started having with it. It probably wasn't the smartest idea, but I successfully fixed the problem, but also introduced some new minor issues. But it was a fun way to learn a bit about watch making and indulge my desire to take it apart, haha. Anyway, like my cars, I'd be lying if I said I didn't also enjoy the status symbol aspect of them a bit. The contrast of my image combined with wearing a nice watch--a guy who looks like a bum wearing a Breitling. The thing is, unlike a car, people rarely notice a nice watch. I one day stumbled across this forum, and realized I could indulge this desire to to have some fancy watches without blowing loads of money on it. I've been trying to be a bit smarter with my money as I've gotten older, haha. Typically I'm buying rep's of watches I can't get as a gen for $5k or less, as that's what I feel comfortable spending on an individual nice watch (though I'm considering something in the $10k-12k range for my upcoming bday to treat myself). But I also am terrified of getting called out. Because of this, I usually only wear my reps around my friend when I'm out skating or at the local dive bar I go to, because honestly, none of them have a clue about watch brands. The average person out there is really only gonna know you have a nice watch on if you're wearing a Rolex. That's pretty much it...
Now, because of the cars I own, I go to a lot of high end car events, and do weekend drives with groups of other exotic car owners. Most of these guys all wear nice high end watches. I have no clue if they're real or not, but as others have said on here, I assume they are because they're also driving a $150k+ car, so I don't really question it because of "their image." But this is also why I never ever wear anything but my Gens when I'm around these people, because yeah, I care enough to not want to get called out and feel embarrassed about it. BUT most of these guys also aren't watch enthusiasts in the WIS sense. They just have them purely because of the name recognition and the status symbol. Which is what it sounds like Classical Breguet is after. I would speculate that that makes up the MAJORITY of high end watch buyers. Obviously not all people who are buying an AP or a Rolex are doing it for the status, but it's pretty safe to say that that's the reason for a pretty large percentage of the sales of those watches. Inversely, you can draw those same conclusions about reps. Sure, there are people on here that maybe aren't buying them for the perceived status symbol, but to pretend that that's not what the majority of Rep buyers are getting them for is just trying to deny the reality of it. I saw comments on here saying "Maybe some people are getting them to pass them off ass the real thing, but there are plenty of people here that aren't doing it for that reason." Let's be real...people who buy them without that intention are definitely in the minority of Replica watch sales. Contrary to what some people on here are trying to act like, enjoying the hobby of modifying the watches to be as close to Gen as possible isn't mutually exclusive with also enjoying that perceived status to others.
I know I'm kind of rambling incoherently on here, but I sat and read through the entire 11 page thread and found it amusing. Lots of people getting defensive about it, and I suspect some people lying to themselves to some degree.
I'd also like to quickly add, that I think the claim about Reps hurting the Gen companies are a bit exaggerated. You have to realize that the demographic of the majority of Rep buyers would like never buy the Gen anyway, even if the rep's didn't exist. So it's not really a "stolen" or lost sale to the Gen company. And the only one I think could really claim any damages are Rolex due to vast number of fakes out there, but they don't exactly seem to be hurting or declining in sales at all... So it's kind of a BS argument to make.
I'm kind of in a weird in between spot of the two extremes represented here.
Some background: I am one of those silicon valley "techies" with a lot of disposable income, and have made a considerable amount of money in the past from cashing out of a startup that ended up doing really well. But my image would never have you believe that. I have long hair and a big beard and spend most of my free time skateboarding at skateparks and in crusty street spots with my friends. I rarely buy new clothes and just look/dress like your average skateboarding hipster in jeans+old t-shirt and a hoody or a flannel shirt that most people probably assume works at a coffee shop or something. That said, I spend my on things I like geek out about. I drive a new Mercedes C63 AMG that I've modified pretty heavily, as I really love cars and motorsports and like to frequent the track. I also bought a used Lamborghini Gallardo last year as a second car to have fun with on the weekends. I live in a somewhat ghetto neighborhood in my city, because frankly the Bay Area is insanely overpriced right now, and I get a lot more space for my money, and have a back yard big enough for a big halfpipe, haha. But I don't really care that much at this point in my life about living in a "big fancy house in a nice neighborhood." Now I'll be honest, I have always kind of enjoyed this clashing juxtaposition of looking the way I do, but then seeing people do a double take when they see me walk up to my car, unlock it, and drive away. It's certainly not why I own them, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't part of the fun of ownership for me
I say all this so you can get a better idea of what kind of "person I am."When I first gained an interest in watches, I bought some Gen's. I'll always prefer to have a gen over a rep, because I really do in fact appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into the Gens. I can definitely tell the build quality of my Gen's is far beyond my reps when handling them. I find the internals of watches to be fascinating and they really trigger the nerdy engineering part of my brain! I disassembled/serviced my Breitling Navitimer movement this summer on my own to fix an issue I started having with it. It probably wasn't the smartest idea, but I successfully fixed the problem, but also introduced some new minor issues. But it was a fun way to learn a bit about watch making and indulge my desire to take it apart, haha. Anyway, like my cars, I'd be lying if I said I didn't also enjoy the status symbol aspect of them a bit. The contrast of my image combined with wearing a nice watch--a guy who looks like a bum wearing a Breitling. The thing is, unlike a car, people rarely notice a nice watch. I one day stumbled across this forum, and realized I could indulge this desire to to have some fancy watches without blowing loads of money on it. I've been trying to be a bit smarter with my money as I've gotten older, haha. Typically I'm buying rep's of watches I can't get as a gen for $5k or less, as that's what I feel comfortable spending on an individual nice watch (though I'm considering something in the $10k-12k range for my upcoming bday to treat myself). But I also am terrified of getting called out. Because of this, I usually only wear my reps around my friend when I'm out skating or at the local dive bar I go to, because honestly, none of them have a clue about watch brands. The average person out there is really only gonna know you have a nice watch on if you're wearing a Rolex. That's pretty much it...
Now, because of the cars I own, I go to a lot of high end car events, and do weekend drives with groups of other exotic car owners. Most of these guys all wear nice high end watches. I have no clue if they're real or not, but as others have said on here, I assume they are because they're also driving a $150k+ car, so I don't really question it because of "their image." But this is also why I never ever wear anything but my Gens when I'm around these people, because yeah, I care enough to not want to get called out and feel embarrassed about it. BUT most of these guys also aren't watch enthusiasts in the WIS sense. They just have them purely because of the name recognition and the status symbol. Which is what it sounds like Classical Breguet is after. I would speculate that that makes up the MAJORITY of high end watch buyers. Obviously not all people who are buying an AP or a Rolex are doing it for the status, but it's pretty safe to say that that's the reason for a pretty large percentage of the sales of those watches. Inversely, you can draw those same conclusions about reps. Sure, there are people on here that maybe aren't buying them for the perceived status symbol, but to pretend that that's not what the majority of Rep buyers are getting them for is just trying to deny the reality of it. I saw comments on here saying "Maybe some people are getting them to pass them off ass the real thing, but there are plenty of people here that aren't doing it for that reason." Let's be real...people who buy them without that intention are definitely in the minority of Replica watch sales. Contrary to what some people on here are trying to act like, enjoying the hobby of modifying the watches to be as close to Gen as possible isn't mutually exclusive with also enjoying that perceived status to others.
I know I'm kind of rambling incoherently on here, but I sat and read through the entire 11 page thread and found it amusing. Lots of people getting defensive about it, and I suspect some people lying to themselves to some degree.
I'd also like to quickly add, that I think the claim about Reps hurting the Gen companies are a bit exaggerated. You have to realize that the demographic of the majority of Rep buyers would like never buy the Gen anyway, even if the rep's didn't exist. So it's not really a "stolen" or lost sale to the Gen company. And the only one I think could really claim any damages are Rolex due to vast number of fakes out there, but they don't exactly seem to be hurting or declining in sales at all... So it's kind of a BS argument to make.
How many copies, reproductions and prints of Leonardo da Vinci´s “The Last Supperâ€, how many Claude Monet and Impressionists art prints and posters, how many Salvador Dali´s Melting Clocks have been sold on Amazon and Ebay? Millions.
How many of Your friends, relatives, aquaintances have them hanging on their walls?
Do they all “think and pretend they have the real thingâ€, are they all “trying to show off how rich and wealthy they are†and all the other stuff? Are most of them posers and wannabees and douches - just because they don´t take the painting off the wall before visitors come in?
Simply NO, they just see something they always liked, they would love to have it around and simply buy a copy of it. And those copies include a reproduction of the original Artists signature btw.
This analogy is by far closer imho to rep. ownership by rwi-members than anything else. We see something we like, we want it to be as close as possible to the original but we know very well “it´s not the real thingâ€. There´s no complex psychology behind it. The rep is just a nice thing to have on the wrist, to me: exactly the same as the poster or painting is a nice thing to have on the wall. Really simple, uncomplicated - and nice, the rest are made-up complications by those with an interest and in control, eagerly publicized by media (watch the watch-ads when there is an article). End of story.
Swiss or not-so-swiss, let´s just enjoy beautiful, technical or not-so-technical things Kate Middleton´s family net worth is $50 million, the earrings are £48,- and sold out....
How many of Your friends, relatives, aquaintances have them hanging on their walls?
Do they all “think and pretend they have the real thingâ€, are they all “trying to show off how rich and wealthy they are†and all the other stuff? Are most of them posers and wannabees and douches - just because they don´t take the painting off the wall before visitors come in?
Simply NO, they just see something they always liked, they would love to have it around and simply buy a copy of it. And those copies include a reproduction of the original Artists signature btw.
This analogy is by far closer imho to rep. ownership by rwi-members than anything else. We see something we like, we want it to be as close as possible to the original but we know very well “it´s not the real thingâ€. There´s no complex psychology behind it. The rep is just a nice thing to have on the wrist, to me: exactly the same as the poster or painting is a nice thing to have on the wall. Really simple, uncomplicated - and nice, the rest are made-up complications by those with an interest and in control, eagerly publicized by media (watch the watch-ads when there is an article). End of story.
Swiss or not-so-swiss, let´s just enjoy beautiful, technical or not-so-technical things
Kate Middleton´s family net worth is $50 million, the earrings are £48,- and sold out....
I'm sure you're right bud, I've probably been a little harsh, he's obviously a stand up guy and probably is from the family itself don't you think?
These "red meat", forum-disparaging threads are so predictable- same script, different cast. They also never end well for the protagonists. The next person to start one should get a link to this and other similar threads. [emoji57]
Come for the watches, stay for the drama! [emoji12]
Come for the watches, stay for the drama! [emoji12]
What are you talking about?
I thought gens were made by little Swiss kids using materials dug up by other Swiss kids.
He hates the entire scene soooooooo much ol' fuckstick Classic Breguet has re-registered twice under separate user names since being banned.
