Raijor

Canada is a rep buyer haven - no customs worries here as long as for personal use. If customs does open a package they may send a tax bill depending on declared value.

I thought that reading from previous experiences that Canada was difficult to get reps through customs. I have also read members getting bills for import tax. Is this not true?

I collect Whiskys from around the world with my favs coming from Scotland and America. Scotches and Watches - love em both.

For me the upper limit for a rep is $250. I just won't go above that for a disposable watch.

Much ado about nothing. RCMP focus is on the sale of Replica merchandise in Canada not the importation and purchase for personal use. RCMP budget has been slashed to the bone and the force does not have the resources to take on Rep interdiction beyond its current status. Just more noise from a lobby group. Business as usual in Canada.

Yes I did read your whole post - you do not address the actual relationship as it stands between the western economies and China. I point out that western economies have accepted a disadvantaged trade position with China and opted to compromise principles for profit and entry opportunites to do buiness in China. I simply do not see how your point can happen. Who is beating up who? Nothing personal and no disrespect to you - I just disagree with your thesis and see the current Sino EU US continuing as it is now - advantage China. JMO

Did not mention anything about trade surplus.

Ditto on trade imbalence.

No where near talking about posturing ...

Are you reading the post I just posted?

To answer I simply have to complete the sentence part you neglected.

...get beat up enough and finally have to succumb to the pressure of complying with international laws in manufacturing

Usil

Have purchased many bands from Globalwatchband.com and always was happy with the service and product.

At some point in the future, when the Chinese get beat up enough and finally have to succumb to the pressure of complying with international laws in manufacturing

I am curious - what makes you say the Chineese are getting beat up. China has a trade surplus with all western countries desirous of access to the largest consumer market in the world. The U.S. and E.U. have made no headway on the issue of the trade imbalance. They merely posture and complain for the home crowd. Human rights issues are not even on the table. Who is getting beat up and "succumbing to pressure"?

With all the stuff going on around here lately with Paypal and dealer wars I really believed that the end was nigh upon us. Great Joke

In general, I think we are saying the same thing. But I do disagree, at least based on my experience, with the two points above.

First, regarding the proportion of the public that assumes every Rolex is fake. We must travel in very different circles because I frequently receive compliments from both friends and casual acquaintances about my beautiful 'Rolexes', and rarely (maybe three or four times in the past 20 years) has anyone ever asked if my watch was real. But I will admit that the last 2 times I was asked was in the last few months, and I think this is because there are so many people wearing obviously fake Rolexes these days. Personally, I only question a Rolex's authenticity when I can see it is a fake or when I see someone that obviously does not fit with a particular watch (like the case of the landscaper paying for groceries with food stamps while wearing a 'gold Daydate').

Of course, my watches are all well modded stainless steel models and do not contain any of the obvious mistakes that are frequently described in news reports and books about fake watches.

Second, one of the reasons I said Rolex owners are more concerned with making money (I get this info from my friend, whose family owns a jewelry store chain) is because they tend not to have time for hobbies. Magazines like Forbes often do stores about the lives of wealthy people and these people almost always say that they are married to their businesses or careers, which leaves little or no time for anything else (and that often includes their families) that does not in some way benefit their work (alot of business executives like Donald Trump do take time out from their workday to play alot of golf because they consider a golf course the best place to conduct business -- I do not play golf myself, so I cannot confirm this). I think it is probably safe to say that the average Rolex owner owns 1 Rolex watch and wears it daily and to advertise their bank balance and not because they have a wealth of knowledge about watches in general. But I could be wrong.

Very well put. My experience with wealthy people is that most are very one dimensional during their aquisition and accumulation phases of life. The ones I know focus almost entirely on building their businesses or accumulating wealth. Extravagant vacations, opulant homes and luxury watches and cars are often rewards for accomplishing goals and for showing the world that they have done well in life. This is a generalization of course - but I do not believe that the exception disproves the theory.

This is not "our secret" - money talks and the INTERNET exposes the rep dealers to millions of people worldwide who have the inclination to search for replica items. The reason the reps have become so good is because the market has grown to bring in millions of more dollars to the industry. If you want to see improvements stop watch the money. If people stop buying reps innovation will stop. The replica business in China is like any other business. In China there is not the history and attachment to intellectual property rights that there is in the west. Consequently, the replica manufactures are able to act in the same manner as western manufactures do and give consumers what they want. occasionally, the Chinese government pretends to crack down to appease the Americans and Europeans but if one looks into Chinese history you can see the pattern that these crackdown will follow. the Middle Kingdom will always do what is best for itself. The replica industry will not go away unless China itself determines it must. And since the EU and America are puckering up to kiss whatever Imperial butt they must to gain entry to the world's largest consumer market the replica manufacturing part of the rep business looks very safe. Most if not all real contraband enforcement will take place on the importation side, with various customs forces interdicting merchandise in the country where it was imported to. There have been some very sad stories of EU forum members being called up on the carpet to explain themselves when rep watches were seized en route to them. I expect that more and more of this will take place in the future and with harsher penalties on the importing side rather than the exporting side. JMO

you have to hold this one before you know it is a rep. lol

That is a beauty - I have been looking for a white gold Daydate like that can you share more info on it?

Most anything at a glance will fool most everybody. Once sombody has it in their hands it is a different matter altogether. Some posters have noted bling and gold will not fool them and they are using context to determine authenticity and not the actual quality of the rep. Eliminate the bling / gold thing and most reps are good at a passing glance. JMO

I have owned both and while wearing them they both feel the same - side by side the Datejust is visibly larger. I purchased my Datejust new there was a very slight MSR price difference between the two. My 2002 Canadian version Rolex Catalogue has the TT Datejust priced at $7,990 CAD and the TT Oysterdate priced at $7,820 CAD. Both have Oyster bracelets and smooth bezels.

Pure emotion - how does the look of the watch move me. A different dial color on the same watch can completely attract me or do nothing for me. Very strange - but it works for me.

I was in a rolex store one day and the salesperson noticed my genuine air king. She suggested that I store the watch face down periodically to make sure that the oils are circulated through the entire watch. Does this makes sense?

You should not rely on the advice of a wristwatch salesperson who sells Rolex watches unless they also happen to be a trained Rolex technician. This person clearly gave you wrong information. It is good you posted here as there are many very knowledgeable members who can steer you right. This is a great topic.

QED - have done it myself to an AP rep that had lost its brush - use the kitchen scrub pads and some very fine grit emory paper and make sure to mask the dial with tape to protect iand work slowly - o luck and please share pics of the final result.

Very helpful n timely as I want an Artikos and am planning a purchase. Thanks

Way to avoid stumbling over your principles! Bravo!

/Tim

Mea culpa - Mea culpa - Mea maxima culpa

Interesting question - I have thought this through and even though I wish I could say no - I must say yes. BUT, I don't care and I will not change my behavior and I will keep buying reps instead of investing in a gen. I am an accumulator not a collector so one gen will never serve me the same way as 20 reps. Made me think. I like that - thanks

Deep thinker Huh?

My last post on this topic - it has gone way down hill from when it started. Too bad - there were some interesting thoughts generated.

That's it? They spent thousands of years on a whopping 8 inventions?

Deep thinker Huh? Get back in the shallow end - intellectual water wings won't keep you afloat here. Context determines relative importance of invention - the invention is only of importance relative to its use within a particular context - this is only the basics - but of course you considered that in your measured post. I am sure the microchip is exceedingly valuable traversing through 4 foot snow drifts in search food. Never mind being hip deep when your iPod still has battery life. By the time your iPod died you would be an ice cube. Snowshoes or iPod, hmm - context is everything and those 8 inventions in thousands of years encouraged a society to flourish in the harshest of environments and to do so in an ecological way. I suggest some basic reading in the the science of complexity and emergence - it should bring you up to speed in about 5 years.

It seems to be a general rule that aborigines/natives aren't very deep thinkers. I can't think of anything useful invented by the North American natives, for example. Even their main industry, indian gaming, was invented by the white man.

Both canoes and kayaks were aboriginal inventions. Lets see what else can I think of just off the top of my head - hmm - the toboggan - Aboriginal peoples were processing maple tree sap into maple sugar syrup by tapping the maple trees in early spring - they used the oil lamp a mere 1000 or so years before the non-aboroginals - snow shoes - sunglasses - cultivation of corn known also as maise but I guess you wouldn't consider these useful.

Thanks for the laugh.

$1000 for a rep - never ever and even after that never and $1000 for a Seiko - never never never never !

Good review, Rob. This could be the answer to our ETA dilemna in the future. BTW, was this the movement that came out of the River sub?

Thanks,

Mac

Ditto what he said

Looks like an Eta and works like an Eta, maybe a solution to a future problem,