Which R-lex type is easier to replicate and has fewest flaws?

[Karabas]

Hello,

After reading few threads, like "blue Datejust comparison" or "VSF vs clean Oyster Perpetual"

Gen, VSF, Clean, GM and AR, 41mm blue datejust detailed comparison

Our previous WhatsApp account is temporarily unavailable. We have switched to a new contact: WhatsApp: + 86 135 0241 3035 Please add us using this number. Hello everyone, this is Steve. Today we bring you a full comparison of the GEN Blue datejust 126334 with several major manufacturers! Let's...

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or https://forum.replica-watch.info/th...n-vs-clean-comprehensive-comparison.10955884/

I still cannot answer to myself following question:
which model is easiest to replicate ( replicas from VSF, Clean, Noob has fewer flaws ).


Anyone can help me with this?

From what I have already read and best guess I can say following:
1) simple dial - less details to replicate/make en error, flaws
2) black color - in many comparisons color is hard to replicate.
3) date - in many comparisons they pay attention to date glass, look, font which means its hard to replicate
4) metal - should be steel, no white gold
5) bracelet - in some reviews its "loose" or "rattle" - does it mean I should go for nylon or rubber or specific type of steel which is easier?

Also, I cannot evaluate severity or visibility of different flaws. So I cannot answer the question which flaws I can go with simply because I don't know how visible they are.
Example: I know that date glass might be bluish, I see that there is blue effect on all 3 pictures: Gen, VSF, Clean. So is it flaw or not?

Gathering all of these points, I guess, the best is to go with Oyster Perpetual 41 mm black.
Is it correct?

What is the next easiest from the bottom?
Oyster Perpetual other coolers, like blue or DateJust 41 black (depends of which flaws are more critical: date or blue color )

 

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[eBoy]

Moved this to the Rolex section for better exposure.

 

[RollyAP]

Submariner No Date

 

[Karabas]

Submariner No Date

great answer.

In Submariner thread guys wrote about problems with bezel rotating ( feels different with Gen ). Also problem with sharp edges on bracelet.

Are those flaws smaller to spot for naked eye then date on DateJust 41 or even Oyster Perpetual black ?

 

[Winni1611]

Whatever rep you will buy it will have some flaws. As you said you can minimalize that by choosing a simple watch, but thiy will also have flaws. You should be aware that all these flaws will not be seen on distance bigger than 40 cm. The biggest tell to me aleays is the owner. If nothing else in his life Shows HD could bzy a rolex then people will always suppose it's a rep.
So my final advice: choose the warch you really like and don't care what people think. Just enjoy it.

 

[Karabas]

Whatever rep you will buy it will have some flaws. As you said you can minimalize that by choosing a simple watch, but thiy will also have flaws. You should be aware that all these flaws will not be seen on distance bigger than 40 cm. The biggest tell to me aleays is the owner. If nothing else in his life Shows HD could bzy a rolex then people will always suppose it's a rep.
So my final advice: choose the warch you really like and don't care what people think. Just enjoy it.

agree with you about the owner.

Let me specify my question:
1) which flaws are hardest to spot? (are all of them equally hard to spot from a distance of 40 sm or some of them are more visible)?

Example:
on Submariner - metal edges of the bezel looks more raw then on gen. But how visible they are?
on datejust - date glass has blue effect, but is it the same blue effect on all dial colors?
on Oyster Perpetual - VSF and Clean do not have black color dial which means flaws in colour.
probably - more brushed metal is easier to replicate then polish. Or not? Example: Explorer and Submariner looks like more brushed.
Bracelet: jubilee looks like more details which means it might be harder to replicate, also it looks more polished.


then my question: which watch is the easier to replicate?

I guess, the easiest should be
Oyster Perpetual black dial
Explorer. A lot of brushed, easy bracelet.

But here people said about Submariner no date. Is it easier to replicate then Explorer?

 

[Feefo]

Oyster Perpetual. The fewer parts, the lesser likelihood to f#*4 up

 

[1016_idiot_savant]

Vintage Explorer 1016 - a bit of reshaping and even ham-fisted attempts become “authentic patina”

 

[Winni1611]

You should be aware that 90 % of the people you meet never had a rolex in hand. So they Sold den not realize totaly wrong lugs. Whats most to be seen are inlays, crown and bracelet. But as said, reps today are very very good.
As said above - if you go with vintage watches next to nobody will know




The only Bad thing about them iy you can't buy them, they have to be build.

 

[Karabas]

You should be aware that 90 % of the people you meet never had a rolex in hand. So they Sold den not realize totaly wrong lugs. Whats most to be seen are inlays, crown and bracelet. But as said, reps today are very very good.
As said above - if you go with vintage watches next to nobody will know




The only Bad thing about them iy you can't buy them, they have to be build.

Thanks for a good answer.
I agree that watch can not be too expensive and owner should look appropriatelly.
One guy in the office owns a Speedmaster so I descided that Oyster Perpetual might be adequate, in the range of "realistic" at the same time hard to spot.
The last you wanna end up in is embarasment during the party in the office when someone starts to challenge your watch after couple shots of whiskey.
1 out of 100 guys in the office knows a lot about watches.

Do you think date glass, fonts, bluish are easy to spot from "pub-office-table" distance?
Maybe, I can take the risk of getting datejust 41, black dial smooth bezel? It looks similar to OP but with date.

Or maybe, I can take a risk of Submariner no date for "table distance"?

 

[Karabas]

You should be aware that 90 % of the people you meet never had a rolex in hand. So they Sold den not realize totaly wrong lugs. Whats most to be seen are inlays, crown and bracelet. But as said, reps today are very very good.

You are full of knowledge. So I will use this opportunity to ask few more questions.

Which braselet do you recommend?

My best guess is:
Brushed, bigger details is easier to make.

So probably jubeliee is not the best?

 

[Plaasbaas]

This discussion is not without relevance from a technical standpoint, but if it is aimed at trying to pass off a rep as a gen it might be all for the wrong motif imho.

 

[Winni1611]

I personally love jubilee. Have a Clean BLRO GMT II on jubilee and comparedcto my gen ity fine.
Man of m friends wear gens and we compared it side by side, It's visible in certain points (the shiny brush of the oyster bracelet for example) but most of this can be solved by working on it. (Softening sharp edges and giving it soft brushing.
Once again - choose the watch you like and enjoy it. If want to be absolutly shure noone will call you out yoj hsve to buy gen.

 

[Karabas]

Once again - choose the watch you like and enjoy it. If want to be absolutly shure noone will call you out yoj hsve to buy gen.

This discussion is not without relevance from a technical standpoint, but if it is aimed at trying to pass off a rep as a gen it might be all for the wrong motif imho.

Isn't it the idea of this forum: to find a watch that looks as close to gen as possible?

I am exploring one of the aspect of this by assuming that simplification of design might solve some issues.
I did not find such topic and was surprised, I am sure I am not the first one who came to such idea ( probably 100% of people on this forum got this idea ).

 

[ihavedrainbamage]

Thanks for a good answer.
I agree that watch can not be too expensive and owner should look appropriatelly.
One guy in the office owns a Speedmaster so I descided that Oyster Perpetual might be adequate, in the range of "realistic" at the same time hard to spot.
The last you wanna end up in is embarasment during the party in the office when someone starts to challenge your watch after couple shots of whiskey.
1 out of 100 guys in the office knows a lot about watches.

Do you think date glass, fonts, bluish are easy to spot from "pub-office-table" distance?
Maybe, I can take the risk of getting datejust 41, black dial smooth bezel? It looks similar to OP but with date.

Or maybe, I can take a risk of Submariner no date for "table distance"?

You're worrying about what others think too much. Very few people will even notice your watch, fewer will care, and virtually no one will ever be able to tell it's a rep. Even with perfect vision no one that respects your personal space will be able to see that your date wheel is 2.6x instead of 2.5x. They MGIHT be able to tell if it's in hand side by side with a (known) gen, but that requires the stars to align and for you to take your watch off.

If you're worried about getting called out you should be more concerned about what rep you're wearing rather than the quality of it. If someone is gonna call you out it's probably because of you rather than the watch. It's more likely that your 5k Daytona Franken build that's basically gen is gonna get questioned if you're flipping burgers at McDonalds, but that $20 Canal St. special on Elon Musk's wrist isn't gonna be called into question by anyone.

Point is, wear what you like. If that's something as close to gen as possible that's fine, but reps are an endless pursuit of perfection. Given that perfection is unattainable you have to decide what's acceptable.

 

[Karabas]

You're worrying about what others think too much. Very few people will even notice your watch, fewer will care, and virtually no one will ever be able to tell it's a rep. Even with perfect vision no one that respects your personal space will be able to see that your date wheel is 2.6x instead of 2.5x. They MGIHT be able to tell if it's in hand side by side with a (known) gen, but that requires the stars to align and for you to take your watch off.

If you're worried about getting called out you should be more concerned about what rep you're wearing rather than the quality of it. If someone is gonna call you out it's probably because of you rather than the watch. It's more likely that your 5k Daytona Franken build that's basically gen is gonna get questioned if you're flipping burgers at McDonalds, but that $20 Canal St. special on Elon Musk's wrist isn't gonna be called into question by anyone.

Point is, wear what you like. If that's something as close to gen as possible that's fine, but reps are an endless pursuit of perfection. Given that perfection is unattainable you have to decide what's acceptable.

You guys are right.
Thanks for those comments.

Summary of what few commenters said:
1) all rep are too good to be found out easily. Probability is close to 0.
2) the guy who wear watch should be good for it. So rep is the replacement of a gen for a guy who can afford a gen. Thats why so many guys has both rep and gen of different models.

 

[daytonadude]

Rolex

 

[Feefo]

Well you asked what Rolex is easier to replicate, but then the discussion drifter to what's the most gen-like model. It's two different questions. In theory, the simpler the better. On the other hand, vsf and clean make submariners or daytonas that are very difficult to recognize unless you're an expert.
Finally, in real life the chance you meet someone that could spot any Rolex rep (unless you carry an infamous shitter) is next to 0. And the chance of that one person to question genuineness even lower.
Wear what you like and don't worry.
And if you're worried to be called out nonetheless, then be ready with "what are you telling me? A fake? My uncle gave it as a gift. Cheap bastard!"

 

[Karbon74]

As said above - if you go with vintage watches next to nobody will know

100%

The only Bad thing about them iy you can't buy them, they have to be build.

ah, Disagree...That the best thing about them