Legend

The larger hour hand base is a rep characteristic not many people bring up when comparing gen/rep AP ROOs in the forum. Yet to me, it is one of the obvious tells, having it smack in the center of the dial! I have asked my dealer the same thing before: Would it be possible to shave the base down such that the min hand and hour hand have the same size "base".. and gotten a negative reply. I wonder if it could be done on a DIY basis.

cost increases could be absorbed by dealers in the short term, but yes I do foresee the prices of our toys going up in long term, not counting inflation. I just had a brief email exchange with my dealer today and though the website is up again today, things still look bleak. The raids have lessened in intensity somewhat, according to her, but they have not ended yet. The raids are estimated to go on for another 2-3 months according to my dealer. That's not good news for us!

lol and what if you really see the stream of bubbles? Time to send it for repair?

Hey J how you doing? Yes I guess it boils down to a question of demand, supply and affordability. As long as that $6000 watch is out of reach, yet desired, there will be a demand for reps. Like you, I hope that the crackdown is yet another one, and not one that forces this industry to go deeper underground.

Didn't you guys see this? http://www.ttw168.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=241_251&products_id=5484 Listed at $89k and its going for about $8-9k if you enquire.. lol

same wares under a different front, I agree..

I don't think Rolex supplies are affected much. There are dealers that went offline entirely, and there are factories that cease operations for the time being. You're lucky, and should enjoy your watch

Hi Hambone, I agree with your view. Talking about Andrew, it seems that the website for Trusty is down again? Do you have the latest site? I tried ttw168.com Thanks

I like your story. A rep will always be a rep and a gen will always have its value. But we cannot deny that the reps are evolving toward better quality (general build, accuracy of features, better lumes etc) and as long as there exists a salient price difference between the rep and the gens, the reps would always have a market. Rep haters like the guy you mentioned would always be around. Whats most important is that you enjoy your hobby and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

You are talking about one watch, and I am talking about the general situation. I guess not every order would be affected. It would all depend on which watch you ordered, and the choices your dealer made when it comes to accepting orders and delivery. Its good that you got your watch quickly, but there are many who would not, had they placed their order at the wrong time. There will always be exceptions in situations like this. Not every factory would be affected, and for those affected, there would be those that still operate in short window spans. I do not think your post is a "cat among the pigeons". Its more like "the white crow among the black"

excellent news. My order has been on hold for quite a bit now.. lol

The raids are regular parts of the rep business.. happens at least 2-3 times a year. The authorities need to be seen doing their job, even on a perfunctory basis. This time does happen to appear more serious, with rumors aplenty regarding the fates of the affected factories. We would just have to wait and see. Or maybe, its just a giant conspiracy to cover up the factory folks taking a mass hiatus to travel to London to watch the olympics.

fingersxd your nick is apt for what I am about to say, which is, I am keeping my fingers crossed. lol

Thats a catastrophic statement!

Dear Hambone thank you for the update. Sounds serious to me, but I understand this is a routine part of the rep industry in China.. same goes for rep handbags and other luxury goods. The rep industry is simply too lucrative to be kept down. I agree with you, patience is imperative here.

Situation update: Earlier on today, got news from a dealer (not one of the TDs here) that the noob factory is operating again. I checked with connie from Kingwatch and found that this is not the case. She has given me a time of "2-3 weeks" for it to get going again, but she did not sound convincing. Anyone else with updates on this? Situation update: Earlier on today, got news from a dealer (not one of the TDs here) that the noob factory is operating again. I checked with connie from Kingwatch and found that this is not the case. She has given me a time of "2-3 weeks" for it to get going again, but she did not sound convincing. Anyone else with updates on this?

I do not think its easy to tell from that photo. Like hambone said, its a good rep. I used to own a gen milgauss that I purchased from a friend years back. I sold it after deciding that its not my cup of tea.

It is reasonable to assume that when you buy online, you SHOULD get a brand new item with new parts, and if that is not the case, the TD should inform you accordingly. Having said that, I am not surprised that problems like this are encountered from time to time. You are being dealt with dishonestly, and you should highlight that to the TD involved if you intend to carry on a business relationship with him.. He could always argue that he supplied you what you requested, albeit it not being brand new. $400 plus is a little high to pay for the watch though in my opinion, unless it has value added features.

I got an update that Noob factory is open.. has anyone else heard anything?

Giveaways on the watch: a. Rep hands b. Case is 100% rep. The gens have plot screws perfectly centered and the reps have them slightly off center. c. pushers look wrong d. Crown and pushers alignment says rep, and angle of shot appears to be used to conceal this deliberately. Your friend could ask for a direct close up shot of the dial to confirm, but from what I see, a definite REP.

sorry saw the wrong watch.. its a rep!

To track the factories down would take much more time and effort, which translates to much more money being thrown down the drain. This is because they can never really eradicate the factory operations. As long there exists a great cost discrepancy between the gen and rep watches, there will always be a demand for the reps. And the chinese are very shrewd opportunists. Shut down factory A, and it simply resurrects again under a different company in a matter of months or even weeks. Forcing the rep industry to go underground via legal enforcements may just drive the rep prices up due to scarcity of demand, and until the pricing becomes inflated to an absurd level or a complete industry meltdown occurs due to consistent and aggressive enforcement, the rep industry is here to stay for a long long time...

I visited the website, and immediately recognise that this is a site run by nothing more than low class douche cons. For instance, all their AP sec@12 are advertised as swiss 7750 movements. I don't believe they are anything more than A7750 movements. The prices are ridiculous as well. These people prey on the ignorant, please cut your losses, move on, and stay with the trusted dealers here. Oh, there will still be occasional issues even with the best of dealers, but you can at least be assured that the TDs here are generally helpful and sincere.

Actually, I don't see why the prestige brand watch makers have to worry and fuss. The guy who buys a $300 rep does so because he would not or could not spend the $6000 on the gen item. so even without the rep being available, he would not be buying the gen anyway. The only issue is when the rep product becomes a 100% replacement for the gen item, at 5% of the price. But currently, without spending salient amounts of money on replica watches, this is not achievable for >99% of the rep watches that come out of the box? I am talking about true 100% replication here. In fact, the rep business serves to market the brands they replicate. Its just that once in a while, the legal issues need to prop up to remind the rep makers not to go too far in their endeavors. Kind of like a kick in the shin to remind the over enthusiastic little brother who's the boss. This too shall pass. Just ride it out guys.