Yes correct. A genstein is quite special. It is a watch assembled with all gen parts, often sourced separately and over time. Technically it can be traded as a gen without papers (even the box can be procured). I do remember you almost completing one, with only the movement left correct? I really admire the dedication of guys who take the time to build gensteins, they are many levels up from building frankens.
Over the years in the hobby, I have seen guys happily wearing stock reps, frankens, and the spectrum in between and honestly it ultimately boils down not to the opinions of others, but just how happy the owner is with his build. It is mostly his own business. It is only when he chooses to share it and ask for feedback and opinions that it becomes the "business" of others, and the opinions given for the same watch are often varied and not everyone will like or dislike it the same way and that is totally fine. But sometimes I see guys getting into the hobby and trying very hard to convince himself (by trying to get concurrence of his opinions from others) that gens are overrated, or aren't worth their prices compared with frankens they happen to be building, that their builds will be 1:1 without flaws. That the $6000 or whatever that they spent on the watch is buying them equal prestige as the gen watch but without the hefty price tag. (A confident guy, by the way, can do the same with a $500 rep and no matter what the world sees, the owner will always 100% know that it is not a gen watch that he has on the wrist). But without the gen in the first place, the same rep cannot possibly exist. So there is always the inherent value and worth of any desirable genuine timepiece. It carries a part of the brand heritage, and is designed, produced, assembled, and basically brought into creation by the brand itself. It is THEN replicated by the chinese factories. The gen always has its own value and worth, and this is once again determined by the market and demand/supply situation. For someone who can afford it, the gen ALWAYS has its own value, seen from the perspective of the buyer spending the money, and often missed by the person who cannot see the logic of spending the sum.
That is why it is so important to be able to enjoy the hobby at one's own level and decide for oneself what is "good enough". Contentment is what makes a watch lovely on the wrist, NOT detail accuracy. A confident man pulls off anything he wears, and does not need a watch to prove himself. This is a replica watch community and it suffices to discuss replica watches without the need to compare them with gen luxury watches or worse, dismiss them as overpriced or having no worth etc. It is clear that replicas cannot exist without the gens in the first place. So by acknowledging replicas, we need to acknowledge the very thing which they are replicating. By all means, build a $7000 franken, or wear a $300 watch or a $50k gen or whatever, YOU will always know the inherent value of the watch no matter what the world sees on your wrist, and that is all that is needed if you stop to think about it.
