I just found out about this board a few weeks ago and went out and made my first purchase, which I reviewed on here as well.
I'm very happy with my replica Submariner, although it appears I have the "Big Mac" of replicas by going with this thing. Oh well. Maybe next time I'll go a bit more esoteric.
Anyhow, I have been reading about how to detect the fact that it's a replica, and looking at this thing on my wrist, I seriously can't tell. All the stuff that I've read about o-rings on the stem, micro etched crown on the crystal, hologram sticker, 120 clicks bezel, and so on--well, this thing's got them. I have looked at what Rolex itself puts out on their site and compared every detail I could to my own sample and can't see any difference. Of course, I have no papers, box, etc.
I saw this thread:
...where Demsey jokingly gave his method for detecting a rep (Step 1: pull off the back and check the movement).
Is that basically where we are? Could I hand this thing (which feels quite substantial and weighty) to virtually anyone without a set of tools and expect it to pass muster? Then again, I'm a novice and neophyte at this hobby, and perhaps I'm missing something that one of you experienced collectors would immediately spot.
I thought about getting a copy of The Rolex Report by Brozak, but it sounds like that's about as useful as a buggy whip storage case given the improved state of the rep market. Are there any books worth having, or is RWG the only resource I should require to adequately educate myself?
-h