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I can see both sides. Still, with impetus from the ever-willing/improving Asian Switzerland, I think the brands are creating a rift between themselves & their buyers, which is never a good thing. Making gen ownership more difficult while the Asians are making their copies more accurate -- both aesthetically & functionally -- cheaper & accessible cannot end well for the brands. Any of them, including Rolex. With rep factories like Noob having recently reverse-engineered the 4130 calibre to a fairly accurate degree -- sufficient to replicate OEM feel/function & accept many gen parts as drop-in replacements -- I think it is only a matter of time until traditional Rolex/Omega/Bulova, etc. buyers realize that high-end reps that offer 98% of the overall gen look/feel/experience for a fraction of the gen price make more sense than dealing with ADs, wait (& permission) lists & grey market scalpers (who often charge 2x retail). As it is, I recently read that more than 50% of the 'genuine' Rolex Daytona 116500LNs being displayed on Instragram are Noobs! I have no way to verify that, but I do see alot of Rolexes online that contain tells indicating their source was likely far east of Switzerland. On the other hand, I can appreciate the frustration of ADs, who are stuck between brands trying to protect their investments/intellectual property & buyers, who are feeling used/abused for the opportunity of having to fund the whole mess. I get that the brands just want to sell (new) watches. After all, that IS their business. But, as was the case with mp3 downloading, Napster & the record companies many years ago, I think the brands need to find a way to co-exist with (& profit from) the reality of a 21st Century luxury watch business that includes cheap CNC production, 3-D printing & global communication. I just do not see a way to have a successful business model based on exclusive distribution channels while those channels are inherently distributed & impossible to control. Remember IBM thinking they could market a PC & use their clout to maintain control of the PC market? Then, companies like Compac reverse-engineered the PC & produced a better PC for less money with more features? Well, I think history is about to repeat itself. As I posed elsewhere, what happens when (not if) Noob (or someone like them) begins offering spare parts &/or (reasonably priced) service for their reverse-engineered Rolex calibres? Of course, the question is completely rhetorical, because I think we all (including Rolex) know the answer. This is the ultimate nightmare for Rolex & the other brands -- Daytona Gen vs Noob

I do not blame you at all. It is the one and only reason why I staggered into replicas and Frankensteins. Now Bulova, one of my favorite brands, is refusing to sell parts. I do not know if it is Citizen policy or Bulova USA policy, and do not know if the Citizen brand sells parts in the USA or not. I have quite a few vintage Bulova watches and parts for them are still relatively easy to find on the 'net or from old school watch shops/traders, but their modern watch parts policy is now: 'NPFY'. I say to modern Bulova...No partee 4 mee = No Bulawatchee 4 mee = No Monee 4 you. FU2. As for rlx... I am slowly getting all rlx watches running or at least in one piece, then I will sell them all. Next...sell all the cases, dials, bracelets etc. Last...sell all movement parts to someone in the repair trade or a supply house. Have not decided about 2 or 3 F-steins with genuine movements, probably part them out. I understand why various brands will not sell parts to just anyone, but my guess is the real reason behind it all is to force owners to send their watches to 'factory authorized repair facilities' for high $$, slow, and sometimes shoddy service. A monopoly in other words. Omega...gave up on them in 1997. Bought a few low $$ bargains since then. Vintage Val etc powered chronos...Adios at the same time. Now have one vintage two register chrono and a few Val/ETA 7750 watches, do not wear them. Bulova Accutrons...same fate, same point in time but have accumulated a few bargains since then. I am Not an 'Accutron Accumulator' by any means.