jmd33

Single blade razor and water - that's it. And for a treat, straight razor at the barber shop.

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I totally agree about autos having a soul (half my watches are autos) - but you have to admit, there is something nice about the "set it and forget it" of a nice quartz:

What a great thread!!! Mine started back in the 80's with a drunken trip to Tijuana and both my buddy and I buying the biggest POS quartz Rolexes you've seen (we were so f'ing cool back then with our watches and mullets). Fast forward xx years (holy sh!t, that went fast) and the search for a gen sub (well not really a search given they are in every mall from coast to coast), but one a decent price. Some internet searching, reps comming up - but the websites smelling bad, and stumbling into both this place and RWI - that was about it. Now all I hear from my wife is the pissing and moaning that comes with this hobby - come on, you've all been there too - "another watch?!?" "is that one real or fake?" "you are on that site again?!?". [hey, at least it ain't porn - I could be doing much worse stuff with my time and $$, right?????].

That's because brands like Tissot, Swiss Army, ESQ (Movado), etc... make VERY good watches at a great value. The reps are fun because you can get a multi-thousand dollar brand name watch for next to nothing that is fun to look at and fun to wear (it's great to wear your favorite rep watch - I have a few Cartier reps I love wearing). But the quality is most certainly better on the brands you named above if you need functionality. PS: As I write this I am wearing a rep Omega GMT - I love it.

P.S. Not to flame the above posts - but there is a huge difference in materials and quality between a $100 rep and $3k - $5k gen. Don't take my word for it - get any rep and the same gen. Put them side by side and compare with a 10x loupe. Also compare the screw down crown function, etc... . We all know the rep crows strip, but I've never had that problem with a gen. Dials are not even close in quality, neither is the lume, etc..., etc..., etc... . That said - I still love reps!!!!!!

I buy both reps and gens. The 21j reps are fun for me because I have no worries - I consider them semi disposable. For example, I have a gen Omega 300m and rep Omega 300m. It's perfect for me to have both because I can go to the beach, park, work in the yard etc... and wear the rep of a watch I love. I am very happy with the reps I buy. There are quality differences, of course, between the reps and gens (pearl, lume, dial, hands, screw down crown, etc..., etc...), but from a foot away you probably couldn't tell the difference between a good rep and a gen. I'm very happy with both, as they serve different purposes for me.

Yes - the alley watches a normally total sh!t, but if you look hard enough (and have a lucky day) you can find a gem. I got very lucky on a Rollie (haven't seen one like it there since - as most totally suck), and bought a Cartier Tank (with the usual dial flaws). Both have ran great for over 2 years. The Rollie has surprisingly good lume (not normal rep lume) and ran +/- 15 sec before any regulation. I've never seen anything decent at Venice. Of course, now I just order from trusted dealers on the forums (I don't have to wander around for days to find a half decent rep). The Omega GMT I bought from a dealer is worse than the finds I got in the alley (again, with hard work). Although, I was able to regulate the dealer GMT within +/- 3 sec per day .

Before joining online groups I would often hit the alley. Most of it is crap - but there are a couple dealers with good stuff if you ask (although it's still hit or miss). Buying online from a trusted dealer is a lot less work. Just my $.02 after years of buying reps.

Very nice - Omega is my favorite.

Great review!!!!!