beaten to death topic.
I agree with Ubiquitous, Reps to me ARE more interesting, with the options open to mod and do stuff to them that you would never dream of doing to a gen.
Before you judge me to be another cheapo rep collector, a very brief background
My gens: I own 6 AP ROOs, an IWC, 2 Hublots and 1 rolex, and a nice Rotary watch from one of my buddies here
My Reps: Currently 4 Hublots, 2 ROOs, 2 rolex, 2 Franck Mullers, 3x Cartiers
I own reps because I find some of the models close enough to gen, and its a matter of economy for me. Some reps I bought to try on for fun. I wear reps for travel as well, and there are very interesting looking reps which the gen are no longer available. I also love the process of modding a rep to be a better watch, something I cannot see myself doing with a gen. So you see, the reasons are many.
I like each watch I own, gen or rep. The watches do not judge themselves, its only we and our fellows that judge them. I have said it many times: You wear ANY watch for yourself, because you like it. As for what your neighbor thinks of your watch, it should not be a concern, nor should it really be his business.
If I see a Hublot on a wrist of a man in a mall, I would not bother spending more than 2 sec wondering if it was a gen. That is his business. But if that man is dressed in a torn T shirt, shorts that needed patching 2 years back and flip-flops with no soles, yeah, I would be thinking that the watch is either a stolen one or a rep.
If you want to wear a nice watch, gen or rep, just make sure you look like a man with a nice watch, and not a mismatched work of art. If you would not think of wearing pink shorts and wellingtons with a tuxedo, apply the same sense when wearing a nice watch, and 99% of the time, you would do alright.