Scott Earle

I don't post here very often, but I do think that Pug was right to ask the question (for the subject is a question), and to raise the whole issue of 'honesty' in a hobby such as collecting replica *anything* - but especially replica watches, which is seen pretty much as being an illegal hobby almost everywhere. I was expecting from his original post that everyone would basically reply saying "yeah, we've had enough of being lied to!", but have been amazed at some people's replies saying "what do you expect, you're buying illegal stuff. You're going to be ripped off - deal with it". Personally, I don't buy the whole "it's OK to lie in advertising, because that's what advertising is about" thing. If someone is offering something for sale, and when you get it, it is not as described - then that person is deceiving you and is a liar, and arguably a thief. You can say "but it's an illegal hobby!" as much as you like, but I don't see that as the same issue. Someone else said that if someone sold oregano claiming that it was weed, then they would be due a kicking. This is not a bad analogy, because even when dealing in something that is illegal, nobody likes to be ripped off. And as for the "it does not matter what the movement inside it is" crowd, if that were truly the case, why would the 'bad' dealers be misrepresenting the movements in the first place? If it truly did not matter if you had an ETA, a 'genuine Swiss' ETA or a poor Asian copy of an ETA ... then why would the 'bad' dealers all be claiming 'Swiss ETA' in their adverts? Another point ... the people on this forum represent the people who DO care. They want to know what's inside the watch, what the 'glass' is really made of, how close to being 'accurate' the replica is. It's all very well saying "we know what the terms mean - when they say 'genuine ETA Swiss movement, honest', we know it's a cheap Asian knock-off copy" ... but that really is not the point! Why should we have two sets of standards? Why is it OK for a noob to be ripped off? We don't want people to share our love for a well-made timepiece, genuine or otherwise? Lying is lying. I was brought up to believe that you should always be honest. Buying something that is sold as a replica watch may not be 'legal' everywhere in the world, but at least if you offer one for sale as being a replica watch, you are not claiming it is something else. Basically, I guess I am saying that there is a difference between dishonesty and illegality. Just my 2p's worth SWW

Thank you very much for the welcome! I have been registered for some time, having found an interest in replica watches around the same time as JJ did. I am just usually the quiet type, but when I was told that someone had said lots of people had been killed in the recent Thai coup, I had to say something. Actually, not 15 minutes after I wrote my reply, a friend of mine came to visit and asked if we could go to look at the tanks! So we got a taxi, and went to the government buildings, where sure enough there are about 6 tanks parked, with attendant soldiers. I took some pictures of the tanks, and of my friend standing in front of them - and then a soldier with an M16 came up and stood behind her, while I was taking the photos! There were a couple of hundred other people also doing the same thing, and the soldiers were posing for all their photos. It's all very friendly. As for keeping JJ in check, don't bother - I gave up years ago

I am that brother, and I live in Bangkok. The last days have been surreal, what with soldiers being on every junction of a main road, and on the expressways. There are tanks at most government buildings. However, I have yet to hear of a single death or even an injury related directly to the coup. There was a report of a riot in a prison in Nonthaburi, when the guards would not turn on the news to allow inmates to find out what was happening - they took a couple of guards hostage and were shot for the privilege. Pretty tenuous really, but technically related. I think nobody was really surprised when the tanks rolled in - the political situation here has been bad for almost a year, and has been getting steadily worse. So when the military finally did something about it, the people basically let them, and watched. Everyone I know has been going "look! Soldiers! Fun!". People buy them snacks and drinks (it gets hot here in the day!), and when I was leaving work today there was a group of about 10 people laughing and joking with the three soldiers outside our office block. They were sharing snacks, and nobody seemed bothered by the semiautomatic weapons they were carrying. So, my impression of the coup? As bloodless as it gets. I hope this helps put some people's mind at ease a little - it frightened me when I read the initial reports of tanks rolling in the streets of the capital, too. Best wishes to all, Scott (in Bangkok)