kanerich

Thanks Tommy! No more PM's from me until I get the green light from you

You see an opening in the market and a business opportunity for yourself, that's cool. Operating from the US sounds like a fairly terrible idea considering that one package to you marked "fake rolex" (don't laugh, EL got something much like it recently) could land you in a lot of hot water, but that's your call. Of course, your business model means that I'm sending $500 and then necessarily facing a fairly significant turnaround time compared to buying a regular rep from EL, River etc., so considering the lag and your US operation there's a meaningfully higher chance you'll get in trouble and I'll be out my $500. I'm not criticizing you, just looking at it objectively from the buyer's standpoint. However, I'm not sure to what degree pouring on the altruistic "I'm taking it for the team" thing so thick is necessary. I don't claim I only buy reps because I want to personally make sure there's a roof over our dealers' heads. You want to sell watches that's cool but let's keep things businesslike, I'd rather buy from someone who's serious about operating a business and not a charity anyway.

If you think Pams are too massive for your wrist the Arktos is an odd choice for your first Pam purchase . . . although it's the same 44mm it's significantly thicker and heavier than watches in the Luminor Marina line.

The greater mystery is what Brian's rant has to do with this topic. I don't disagree with his politics, just puzzled by what some guy selling a (presumably) fake GMT on the 'bay has to do going off on The Man. As for the GMT, thanks for the tip although I'm not sure I needed convincing that it's a bad idea to buy a Rolex off ebay based on a couple of blurry photos.

Wow, it's like spam email, except even lamer. Impressive, in a "I've managed to get too fat to move under my own power" kind of way.

All I got from him was an AR crystal, but smooth and professional transaction.

I got a 005 from River, and upgraded it with a Jimmyzfu CG, lello crown, Davidsen AR crystal, and had The Zigmeisterzumba do his cannon pinion/lume job. Not cheap, but still for under $500 I have a damn near flawless PAM rep.

Europe doesn't have an accessory to illegal activity law, like many legal jurisdictions? That's somewhat surprising. That's why Napster was shut down in the US -- regardless of profit for itself, the court ruled that it primarily promoted illegal activities and thus it was fair to order it shut down.

No, here too. Just not so many people interested in prosecution. Frankly, I am always amazed that this site hasn't been targeted by the rep police more than it has.

Wow, interesting and unexpected result, Dan Brown wishes the Da Vinci Code had the plot development and surprising ending of this thread.

Since I have yet to get a replacement bezel and/or markers for my 187 (wear and tear on the watch hasn't been a problem at least) I got bored and decided to see just how poorly applied the bezel markers are. Picking at them with my THUMBNAIL, I flicked off three more with minimal effort, I mean on the first or second try. So much for hoping the one that fell off was an aberration.

Fisherman, what's your problem? You seem to be accusing Archibald of lying and slander but on what basis? Just because you think Andrew can do no wrong? I certainly also think that Andrew is a very good dealer and probably as good as anybody here, but everybody who does business makes a mistake, or pulls a slightly fast one, once in a while. Archibald has made a showing that his gripe has a basis, and if Andrew wants to deal with it or address it, he should. In the meantime, you can post 100 times complimenting Andrew in general and every single one of them will be completely irrelevant regarding Archibald's specific dispute. None of the dealers have provided flawless service or made literally accurate representations 100% of the time. They've all been gypped by customers, sometimes their customers were disappointed in how the deal shook down. This is a dirty business and being a good dealer doesn't make you perfect. I guess it might make you "perfect" or "1:1" with gen dealers or the "ultimate," but not flawless beyond any reproach. IMO a member who has legitimately had a bad experience has the SAME right to complain as members who have had good experiences have to praise. In fact, IMO a respected longtime member airing a legit dispute is 100X more valuable than effusive posts from a newbie who got the one watch he paid for so far. I don't know why this is so controversial a concept. If Archibald should somehow be punished as Fisherman suggests, then all the members who kiss dealer or trader ass for no particular reason except to get in good with them should be disciplined if that dealer or trader (and there have been a few over the years) flakes out. Is that viable? Of course not.

I certainly agree there is a minimum of one idiot here.

This is the honest response for most of us. I wish people would stop trying to sugarcoat it and try to prove that it's somehow the gen watch companies' fault they buy reps, or show that reps somehow represent the pinnacle of intelligent decision making completely unrelated to looking like more expensive genuine goods. Give me a f*cking break. Every one of you know perfectly well that Tissot, Invicta, Zeno and Hamilton, Time Factors and any number of legit companies are more than happy to sell you good-quality automatics for $100 and up. The $120 Seiko Orange Monster is better made than ANY rep. So it's not because "nobody sells autos at fair prices," or "you can't buy good watches for rep money." That's complete [censored]. You want the fake brand name on there more than anything, just admit it and live with it. It doesn't make you a terrible person, certainly not worse than having a deluded sense of self. And the stuff about how Rolex, etc. "rip people off" is weak. Guess what? Nobody has to buy a Rolex. If you want one that's your call, but don't blame Rolex because you can't distinguish between wants and needs. In any case, Rolexes are mostly bought by twits with more money than sense and Rolex plows back most of its profits into charity. So the idea that Joe Six-Pack is "screwed" by Rolex and has to therefore "get back" by buying reps is laughable.

I disagree. IMO this website and others like it should provide as honest an environment for buying reps as possible, and I do not believe that it is in anyone's interest to make newbies engage in some kind of trial by fire before they can buy with confidence from our dealers. I also do not believe that language barrier defense is legitimate in fact. I would note that the dealers who are most fluent in English on this site most often use terms like best, perfect and ultimate and are also responsible for calling glass sapphire, etc. I have never seen any indication that Neil, EL, River, Joshua, PT and Andrew are anything other than highly proficient or fluent in English, and it's frankly an insult to their intelligence and ours to suggest now that they barely know how to string sentences together. Besides, THESE SAME GUYS were calling their reps things like "90-95%" before the recent war of hyperbole, am I really supposed to think that they suddenly all unlearned their English? Please. Actually, it's the dealers who seem to be less fluent who are less hyperbolic. For example, Paul is honest enough to call his Sub the "so-called ultimate sub." And if you must make language an issue, there are many more English-challenged members than there are dealers. But some people are so paranoid about guarding their supply (and therefore kissing dealer ass as if that really makes a difference) that they could care less about their fellow members and their needs. Is that why we have a community of rep enthusiasts here? I think the war of words should stop, and dealers should let their products speak for themselves. People say it doesn't matter if dealers use terms like 1:1 or perfect because most people understand that's not true. But if that's the case, why wouldn't it be even better to leave those things unsaid? No one has explained that to my satisfaction. I agree "best" is best. Easy to understand, not misleading (assuming true), dealer makes his point.

This topic really should have been subtitled "things that make you go 'What the Hell?'"

Andrew, That's my point. Pugwash indicated that gen makers have to modify genuine ETA ebauches to make them "legally" Swiss. I don't think that's the case, they're legally Swiss when you get them so long as they are genuine ETA.

No offense, but in the world we live in there are probably more important political statements to make than "I think Swiss Watches are overpriced" . . .

They can't be less than 50% Swiss, but ETA assures that much even of its Chinese-assembled movements. Surely you're not suggesting that any ETA movement not modified by the maker does not qualify as legally Swiss?

I can't really ethically defend what I do. I just like reps. I probably shouldn't buy them but there are lots of things I probably shouldn't do. I have several gens and have spent something north of $4,000 on reps during the past 2 years so it's not just an issue of pretending I have money to spend on watches. I guess it's like this -- I like a good pizza as much as Peking Duck, and since that's how my tastes run I might as well have pizza often and save my money.

C'mon Pug, you know as well as I do that ETA's are robot-assembled from machine-produced parts and boast the highest quality of any mass-produced auto movement, and there's no particular reason they should be "off" unless there's reason to believe they are. If the Sinns and Breitlings of the world overhaul their ETA ebauches it's more to save face for charging $2000 for watches with $40 movements as for anything else. I've never heard The Zigmeister say that we should all have our eta reps serviced as a rule because they are otherwise potentially problematic.

Andrew, Whatever definitional differences we may have, I respect and appreciate your civil and candid responses to the questions raised here.

Oh well, I suppose you are right, we can only expect a reasonable replica of perfection when buying reasonable replicas of luxury watches. But I would note it is the seller, and not the buyer, who formulated this definition of "PERFECTION." If I agree to pay a dealer "exactly $250" I imagine I wouldn't get a watch if I paid him an amount *I* decided was close enough that he had no right to complain. However, what about your PERFECT bracelet? No quotation marks there. Am I to understand that the bracelet is in fact identical to the gen then, with 3-piece SEL's? And what about your rather unequivocal statement that this is the BEST SUB REP WE CAN EVER GET? If someone puts out a better one, does that mean I get a refund? My post was as much about value as it was about cost. It doesn't answer the question of why brand new ETA movements with nothing but a date complication would need to be broken down and overhauled in the first place, what benefits are conveyed by imported Swiss lubricants, or exactly where all those extra gaskets and seals are going. What case modifications were made? If a case can be modified to accept additional waterproofing, surely it can also be modified to fix the CG's? Hey, you've thoroughly re-engineered the humble replica Sub, I'm glad to hear it, in fact bring on the perfect SD if you have the time and resources to redo the case. That's the watch that needs a new case. But color me skeptical when a dealer happily admits his "perfection" ain't perfection, wink wink nudge nudge.

Is there some point in hiding the fact that you got the watch from Josh? He's the only one who sells the "PERFECT" SD. This is one of the strangest rants ever. Good work.

Buddy, you need to stop while you're behind. Do nothing for 2 years and you'll have enough money not scammed away to buy a gen Sub.