Welcome to the hobby of rep hunting!
Browsing websites of TDs and researching this board, will answer most basic questions.
People here will gladly answer specific questions when these have not already been answered more than a few times.
You will rarely find an off the shelf rep that is 100% accurate.
It's always a comprise somehow. But even then it will still be a joy to wear. Also remember that most people don't care for watches at all, so a quality rep won't hardly ever be noticed as 'fake'.
For now I would read as many reviews on dealers as you can and give it a try.
When I started 10 years ago I always selected a EU-based TD to avoid custom issues. But recently I bought a nice PAM from Josh, so my fingers are very crossed now, lol.
Over the years I bought many reps. Most of them were - some still are - working excellent. Some were DOA or had some flaws.
Note that TDs have to rely on the quality of the batches delivered by the 'factories'. Sometimes a rotten apple slips through the QC.
To anticipate on this, most TD send QC pictures of the ordered watch before sending it out. So always check these pics thoroughly on a large screen.
Reliability in the long term also depends strongly on the design of the movement.
Most 6497 movements (even the Asian clones) are considered work horses. They will still perform after many years untill they need servicing (i.e. cleaning and oiling).
However, some movements are flawed by design. Back in the days (maybe even still now) chrono movements with seconds at 6 were notorious for dying after a few weeks.
Hope this helps. Happy hunting!