Bossart

Seems to me that as other rep forums, eventually the predominance of Rolex (just look at the "what are you wearing this weekend) and assorted large divers style watches takes over. Whis is a shame as there are many, many watches out there, but more often than not we're faced with image after image of big heavy timepieces with more steel bolts on the face than the titanic had rivets! Where are the Classic watches or maybe a nice dress watch - one that you could wear with a suit? This is one I got recently - not an exact replica by any means, but it has the likeness certainly to a couple of Vache models and it wears nice. Maybe we could have a forum that deals with this kind of watch - unless I missed it somewhere.

I have 7 rose gold reps and all are just fine - the oldest being 3 years. I wear them all on rotation.

Looks like it's a mess.....and different coutry to country. As stated by other posters, here in the UK - most interpretations of the law are that owning rep anythings is not illegal, but trading "can" be viewed as such and prosecution may be "possibe". One of the problems is enforcement. There are to Customs and Police, far more important priorities than rep watches or handbags or jeans or hats or all the many hundreds and hundreds of other items that young people wear openly on the streets - most of which are replicas. Look at the counterfeit CD market for goodness sake (virtually a no-win situation for the authorities for years). Here in "credit crunch" UK, the only shops still in business in this declining UK ARE selling cheap imported goods - mostly fake and replica brands, that people can still manage to afford. To go after these, by the authorities would be a huge and pointless waste of time, de-forestation and resources. The other point is that one wonders why it is SO difficult to get a truly definitive statement regarding reps as a UK standard - instead we have many and various little clauses from Councils to Counties and from law enforcement to lawyers - all of which are open to so many different interpretations, it's laughable. Maybe this is symptomatic of the fact that it is such an enormous "grey" area - like reps...LOL and the fact that nobody, here in the UK at least, if truth be known, actually gives a monkeys! :D

Then on Saturday (now) it's the old ML Calendrier Followed on Sunday maybe by this monster Emperador - took it from it's lair today and fired it up......lookin' mean!

Classic Vacherone today...

I simply wear the watch I want to wear that day. Rep or gen and whether anyone else sees it is of no particular interest. If someone did notice the watch and it was a rep - IF it was queried as to what it was - I simply tell them the truth. Funny thing is if I'm sporting a rep they believe me when I tell them it is a rep (not that they would know the difference anyway). But if I happen to be wearing one of my classic gen's they usually look skeptical....LOL You really can't win...

A classic watch as a wedding dinner guest..........and the grooms name is "Maurice" which is most apt! Not having a watch winder I'll have to get the ballpoint out to reset the date etc...

Dump your internet connection - it simply costs money - seeing all this stuff you think you want to buy! Just think about it - No more provider fees, NO more "junk" emails, no more temptation, no more eye strain and bad back & posture....the benefits are amazing! Get a real life, life..........speak to people, real people, face to face, like we used to do.........

Gold plating/wrapping on replicas is as others have confirmed - a bit of a lottery! to say the least. Genuine watches are often plaed with around 3 microns of gold and their wear life is only around 3 to 5 years at best. Replicas may or may not have around 1 microns, so it's pretty evident that the wear life will be considerably less. Many of the better quality genuine watches may be plated up to around 20 microns, but you pay for that privilege - but their wear life can be 20 years - also the watch may be pre-plated underneath prior to gold plating which can also affect the end result (nickel is one example). I would not pay anything extra for whatever gold is cited on a replica watch.

Great looking Vach.......Don't have that one. But I AM increasing my "jumpers" - I love 'em.

The only dated one I've seen recently is this model from Rolex2u.com - link is here - http://www.rolex2u.com/breguet-n4927-class...tch--22452.html His pictures are always pretty crap - the watches usually look better in the flesh.

I have a couple of JL's - and whilst they are quite nice reps they only have what I would call a "family resemblance" to the gens. But each of them is actually not a bad watch - and as somebody else said - You usually get reasonable watch from Josh. This one seems a liitle clumsy perhaps, but I've seen a lot worse!

My second "Jumper" - this rep Patek single hand "Haute Sautante" - (last night was a gen Emka "Jump" model).

Never actually met in person another collector of replica watches. In fact I only know a very few genuine collectors. I did speak to a guy recently on holiday (we just got on very well and on the same wavelength, which is rare these days). We started talking about watches because his cheap holiday watch strap broke at lunch. I happened to have another watch in my luggage with a Nato strap and gave it to him to use. Noticing my tritium MWC which I often take on holiday, he was interested and we started chatting generally about watches. In the conversation I discovered he had 4 (yes 4!) Pateks, one of which was vintage. As I also have some classic watches myself we I discussed those. But replicas were never mentioned! And he is probably the first guy I've met who had any interest in watches in maybe 10 years! So not a widely popular hobby, I would say.

This is one of my Tourbillons - this is a JLC replica. It is one of the best timekeepers I have and it is beautifully made - perfect coloured hands and excellent build detail. A definite cut above many of my other reps. It is also a nice watch size (unlike many rep tourbys) at approx 38mm (ex crown), sensible height of around 11/12mm and the best reserve of any replica I own. It is hand wound and very smooth indeed. I changed the strap for a better quality one with no stitching (just a personal preference), but show the one that came with it, which was not too bad. Whilst not a perfect copy of the real model, it is quite close and certainly has the family resemblance. It's a keeper for me. Bought from Puretime a good while back. I also had a Breguet tourbillon rep, but I sold it on as it was never on a par quality wise or believability wise with this one.

Agree absolutely - it looks cheap and some "handyman" has been cutting holes in it - to expose a poor interior. It's certainly not for me either.

My problem with Joma is as others have said - they offer their own guarantee and the status of that is VERY debatable. Also we are not talking reps here - but watches still costing more money than many would regard as "affordable" but rather possibly a "grail" watch. NOT to have the manufacturer's guarantee in these circumstances OR perhaps proper provenance regarding the watch, which may be important if you should come to sell in the future, I do NOT think is a good idea or indeed sensible at all. For this price of watch (IWC at $3899.00) - an AD offering maybe a little less but reasonable discount is by far the most sensible approach IMO.

Wearing a Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde tonight...

Withdrawn.

Absolutely agree with the above. I also have NEVER been asked for ANY ID when picking up a Royal Mail Parcel - as long as I have the screwed up little note that was stuffed though my letter box with me saying they attempted to deliver. And that's only so as they can get the bar code off it.

I have a Patek Calatrava yellow gold hobnail cased replica which isn't a bad copy (it is only 8.11mm height), so is neat. It is quite close to the gen visually and with a decent strap looks pretty good too. This was obtained from Andrew at Trusty about a year ago. I can PM you a pic if you like. So far I've found the least expensive Pateks the best for looks - why I have no idea. But it keeps good time (after some lubrication from a local watch-smith). The PP-004 shown on the second site reference you gave is no way even a Patek style of watch but a copy of a Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde, with a copied JD case and trademark crown (it is also quite inaccurate). As to Patek's cost - $50k seems a bit much - You can certainly own one for a lot less! I bought a pre-owned Calatrava 6 months ago for $8400 and it is perfect - so not too expensive for what you get - a cal 12-600 nickel lever movement, gyromax balance, 30 jewels, 18k gold rotor, precision regulator, adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions etc etc....with an 18k cushion form case...can't be bad. It was in beautiful condition and as new. The pre-owned market is a pretty good one for Pateks. Is my Trusty Calatrava near it in appearance and quality.....? Not a chance. BUT it got me to thinking as I liked it so much that maybe I could own a real one - and now I have. Now I'm not promoting gen watches as this is a rep forum, but the simpler style of Patek repped, once owned can lead to greater things....

Hi Delta and Nanuq and thank you both for your welcome and encouraging comments. It was most appreciated. Just after posting my intro I did trawl around a bit and at first looking the site does appear more balanced than others and I'm quite looking forward to being here a while. My interest in Replicas ( I did have 40 odd but now only 7) has been starting to wane along with my collection as fewer and fewer decent replicas of classic watches were appearing or even being discussed, so much so that my genuine collection is starting to increase (27). Whilst more expensive perhaps, the attendent "it's all part of fun" rep problems of delivery, after sales, assembly quality and all the other issues we know about in this rep game, have virtually disappeared - BUT - I'll give it a try here for a bit, just to see if the interest will come back. Thanks for the encouraging comments though and I hope to see you around the place. Bossart ps - as to Comex - I did once after an overseas contract job in '76, have a genuine Submariner/valve/comex 514? watch which I swapped would you believe for a new Citizen Quartz at the time ....it would probably be worth money now!

Hi, New member but into classic watches both gen and sometimes rep. Traded a genuine Vacheron Constantin a year or so ago and also had a friend who had a similar Rep model from Josh?. The glaring problems apart from the overall finish, weight and fineness of the case and dial was the careless placement of the numeral batons - the rep ones are never straight or indeed the correct profile. The hands on the rep are a flat metal disaster, whereas the genuine ones are superb close up. The differences in real life are immense. Maybe better never to see a genuine one at all - otherwise you would never buy the rep!

Hello all, I have been around a while and even been on other forums, but getting disenchanted with much of their content. So many forums it seems to me are boringly featuring Monster watches or Macho Divers watches, with very little content on or interest it would appear in dress watches for example or "normal" watches - classic watches. Ones that fit NORMAL wrists and don't look quite rediculous as great lumps of steel on wrists patently too small to take them. Tell me this forum isn't like that....please - otherwise this will be the shortest registration this year!