TeeJay

I'd guess that they get [censored] off with people on gen forums slagging off reps as if all reps are Canal St quality, and all rep collectors are wannabes living on welfare, so want to redress the balance. To be honest, I think comparisons like that are a joke, as, as someone else mentioned, they missed a detail about the cyclops, so it reads more as a regurgitation of information rather than something they actually understand (or they wouldn't've missed the other detail) and, as previously mentioned, there's a heck of a difference between being able to spend hours/days staring at a 500% sized high definition image of a watch from all angles to spot flaws, and catching a glimpse of a watch at 10ft in a crowd for a few seconds as someone passes. Things like the detail on the diver's extension, yes, interesting to know that that's a difference, but, something that under 'normal conditions', anyone but the owner would never see. To be honest, such people on the gen forums are just shallow elitists, likely with no actual product knowledge of their own. I have to admit, if I read a comment like that, I think I'd laugh my ass off I admit, gens might have that 'little extra' to a rep, but personally, I don't consider that 'little extra' worth the 'big extra' on the price tag, so even if I were to aquire a gen somehow (I'd certanly never buy one unless it was dirt cheap) it still wouldn't take away my appreciation of reps

Not a fresh photo, but I've had this on most of the weekend

Wow. There's a difference between being 'un-PC' and just blatantly racist. Sorry, but I don't think racism is anything people should ever 'lighten up' over.

Carl, sorry for the delay, my net connection was down all day yesterday. That only works if you don't receive the item. I received the item, and it was garbage. He even acknowledged in his emails that he realized there were problems which he was trying to have rectified, yet when I put the complaint against him, he used his usual feedback of "Liar, all customers happy with our product and service." Getting a credit card to issue a chargeback is a potential minefield in this area of interest. Sure, buying an aftermarket bezel insert is no problem, but, had I tried claiming the parcel never arrived when it did (it could ultimately be tracked) would have made me a liar, no worse than Faisal, and likely to eventually be humilliated by the CC Company. At the end of the day, the guy is a lying roach, (ie seemingly indestructible) and anyone would do well to avoid him.

KFED wears a rep Omega? My opinion of him has gone up Further proof of those who can actually afford to buy gen watches taking the cheaper option of buying a rep. As for OJ, he was found innocent. Just like Michael Jackson was found innocent. Now, who wants to hire them as a childminder for the weekend...

In all fairness to Rob, he wasn't so much giving information away, as pointing out how the factories operate (fairly standard knowledge) and pointing out that we're just people with an interest in watches. It was the elitist "I bought my watch from an AD" twats who were getting their boxers in a bunch over it. So someone spend $4000 on a watch and thinks that makes them a 'Big Man'? I think it makes them a chump who worships commercialism As pointed out by FiremanFred, all that comparison goes to show, is that someone can by a rep which, without a loupe, is virtually indistinguishable from the gen, for a fraction of the cost Why pay the extra? An 'official brandname'? Sorry, not worth the extra duckets in my book

To be honest, I've never really had a problem with the reliability of Asian movements. I admit, they're not quite as 'smooth' as ETA, and obviously you can't fit genuine hands to them as easily, but, that depends on how important that is to you. For example, a while back, I bought a Vacheron Constantin Overseas with an Asian movement, and, with the exception of the movement itself, everything else about the watch was identical to the watch sold with an ETA movement. It was also about half the price With regards dealers, there are the dealers here, or, if you want a cheaper price, you can always look on sites like CQout. Some folks here scoff at CQout purchasses and dealers, but, in all honesty, the site is regulated much like eBay, so even if a deal were to go wrong, you would have someone you could complain to and get the issue resolved. Best of luck with your purchases

I have to admit, I would actually love to track down a really nasty Canal St Special, just so it could go in my collection Interesting question, and one that has a double-layered answer. If I was to erase all brandings off all the reps which I own, then yes, they would still have the same emotional value (some were gifts, one was the first 'expensive watch' I bought, some are ones which I've customized) and I would wear them with equal pride in their emotional value to me. But. I would consider them to be less accurate reproductions for being 'non-branded'. It wouldn't bother me enough not to wear them, and as mentioned, it wouldn't affect my emotional bond to them, but I can't say that I wouldn't notice at all if they were non-branded. As a side note, I actually rather like 'sterile watches' as issued to forces personel, and plan on aquiring an American Mark II for my collection (even if it never gets worn) simply because I like its 'sterility'

I guess it's just a matter of personal preference. Something worth tracking down if you can find it, is a concoction called Fentiman's Curiosity Cola (in a glass bottle) It's pretty expensive, and, quite different to either Coke or Pepsi, but it is a nice drink That's very true, I guess the difference is we aren't ashamed of our gens, but they're ashamed of their reps I wonder if they cry when they look at their collections and find their gaze lingering on the rep You're spot on there, for some reason glass bottles make a huge difference to the taste of a drink

Now, this is the funny thing. While I have no objections buying a rep of a particular marque, I don't like 'Clone Brands'. Reps aren't trying to be something different to what they're supposed to be (if that makes sense ) where brands like Invicta simply take the existing design, alter a minute detail, and then slap their own logo on, as if they actually designed the whole thing themselves. At least reps are (well, within 'tollerance for rep accuracy') true to what they are copies of, and are branded as the originals, rather than the factory slapping their own logo on. The name (Rolex/Omega/Panerai) is not important to me in terms of 'flashing a brand-name', but, in terms of visual accuracy, that's what the original has on the dial, so that's what I want mine to say on the dial. It's not a case of 'brand worship', just a case of wanting the most accurate to the original at the most reasonable cost. If that makes any sense to anyone but me

Speak for yourself there, Anton... I collect reps because I object to the price tag of gens. I like how certain watches look, but am not prepared to pay the price tag, so instead, I want the closest to that appearance for the most reasonable price. I do not, however, wear 'high end' watches to impress people or convey a certain image, I do so for the reason I decide to put on jeans or a pink shirt: Because I like the way they look. If people want to assume that my watches are genuine, then that's their assumption. If someone was to ask me, I would never claim that a rep was a gen. Infact, the closest I would come to claiming a watch to be anything other than a rep, would be one which I customized or built myself, as I did with The Patient: Not everyone on the forum buys reps just to pretend they have the real thing.

As a side note, my favorite drink is tap water (chlorine and all ) Also, I can taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi, and prefer Pepsi, however, I have found that some 'generic supermarket colas' are just as nice as Pepsi and just as satisfactory in quenching my Thirst (vampires get it for blood, I have The Thirst for Pepsi )

*Reads what I originally wrote* You know what I meant (I hope ) Anyhoo. Yeah, so I'll try on a gen watch in an AD, and just think "I can get this* for cheaper..." I view ADs as the 'testing ground', and then decide if I want to buy the watch. If I do, I order a rep, not the factory perfect gen. *cosmetically similar enough for my purposes

I admit, it's not perfect to the closed factory versions, as I believe that had dark blue fill-ins on the bezel, but of what's available today, I think it's a good buy (as long as you don't mind an Asian movement ) If you do go with my usual guy, I think you'll be more than happy with it

You mean one of these... Not the closed factory version, I know, but good enough for my purpose

"Rolex?" "Oh-Mee-ga..."

Indeed, have a read around, see what's available, see what you like, but also see what you don't like. Think about what's important to you about the watch. Do you want it to look 100% accurate so you can tell people it's real, or just something which will 'look about right' to keep yourself happy and tell the time... What kind of situations would the watch be worn in? Would it require chrono functions? Lots of things to consider, but, once that's all done, you'll wind up with the perfect watch, and by looking around, you'll get it for your perfect price. Best of luck with your purchases

Awesome watch and review Always good to see 'alternative sources' which have happy endings Congratulations

Carl, Did you not see the post I made regarding this very course of action? Faisal is a slippery bastard and knows how to work the system. He is a liar and a cheat. He incorrectly labels his merchandise, and calls anyone who calls him out on it, a liar. As I said before, anyone leaving him negative feedback, gets the reply "Liar. All customers happy with our product and service." Opening a dispute against him is an exercise in futility as he will drag out his responses untill it passes the time period which a dispute must be resolved by before automatically cancelling. He offers to withdraw negative feedback on the condition that the other person does likewise, and all that does, is prevent others from knowing that he [censored]ed up a deal, and someone stood up to him. This is not a situation someone can win, because as long as he refuses to acknowlegde the messages from eBay, the dispute eventually goes inactive, and his status is unaffected. As I've said before, and will say again. It is simply not worth the risks of dealing with Faisal as if anything goes wrong with the deal, the "I'll make it right" attitude which people expect from the recommended dealers, simply does not exist in this person. He is a liar and a cheat, and deserves nothing less than being banned from eBay completely.

Looks awesome A fantastic project

In all fairness, I think as long as someone's sensible, then there's not going to be a problem. In all honesty, how many watches does someone have to take for a trip? I figure three or four is about the most. 1. Beater. 2. Business 'compatible' watch (if on a business trip) (ie something that will look believable on the wrist in a business environment) 3. Dress watch (if evening meals/opera trips are a possibility) 4. Back up beater (just in case the regular beater dies) As long as they're all suitably stored in the luggage, I doubt a customs official would have cause for complaint, and, if someone was wearing a PAM, they could just have different straps/bracelet to accomodate the different environments the watch would likely be worn in. To clarify on the context of the two cases, the guy had quite a few Rollies with him, supposedly for family and friends, but, possibly not, but, either way, carrying that many watches, rather than posting some home, was probably not the smartest of moves, so it's not too surprizing that customs came down on him heavily. The second case, was where the boy's class trip was caught up in the middle of a police raid on a notorious (to locals) market. It wasn't as if he got stopped at customs or had his baggage searched, he was was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Doesn't make it any better for him, and, from what I understand, mere posession of a rep is illegal in Italy, but, the context does make all the difference, in that these really weren't just random cases of someone waiting in line getting hauled in by customs because they were wearing a rep, but specific circumstances which were reasonable investigations.

When/if you receive the inserts, if you to leave an honest, but negative feedback with the dealer, I'd almost bet that his reponse will be to give you negative feedback and put "Liar. All customers satisfied with our product and service." If you lodge a protest with eBay, his responses will drag to the point where the dispute is automatically cancelled. As frustrating as it might be, for the cost of a couple of inserts, I'd suggest letting it drop, moving on, and warning people against using them if their name is ever mentioned again. Best of luck

Sorry, but that's not really a comparable analogy. People aren't suddenly going to forget who the recommended dealers are if their names weren't openly available, most people who have used them will be on 'email terms' with them, so will also have their contact details on their own email listings. How could my playing Devil's Advocate become an anti-RWG stance? I have posted absolutely nothing against the forum, and think it has an incredible community, so please don't try and suggest that my comments could be taken as 'anti-RWG', as I was merely pointing out some possible reasons why people may not feel the need to contribute. As Ry pointed out, look at the amount of views compared to the amount of comments. To me, that suggests that people are either scared to comment (for whatever reason), or simply don't care enough to. How many people have offered to pay the annual subscription fee monthly? With regards my own subscription, had some [censored] not given me a 'rubber cheque' for work done, I would have upgraded earlier in the day as promised previously. It really irritates me that thanks to someone else's actions, I have been unable to make good my promise, as that makes me look like a deadbeat, but I can assure you that once the funds do become available, I will be paying $50 a month every month towards the running of the forum for as long as I am able to do so. I am not trying to be antagonistic about this, and don't want there to be any bad blood over this, afterall, I've got quite the Christmas list which I'll need your services to fill, my only intentions on this thread have been to try and provide reasons why people have not been keen to subscribe, which, up till now, people have simply implied it is because people are too cheap to do so, when the case may well be, that, having made purchases, they simply might not find the dealer information usefull, and not see why they should have to pay a subscription just to discuss their existing watches. That's not intended to belittle or discredit the information given in any way, so apologies if it has been taken as such.

Here's some group shots of all my Omegas. Some work, some don't, but even the ones that don't work have sentimental value, so they're keepers

I don't mean to argue, but I think you're still very slightly missing my point. I quite agree, the forum's primary role is as a discussion forum to prevent people being ripped off. I'm totally with you on that point. The point which I was trying to make, is wether the information about who's good and who's not is in 'sticky' thread, 'collector galleries' or just a thread of discussion, once someone knows who is who, who to avoid and who to do business with, then they know, and that information becomes redundant to them. They may well learn something new the next time they check the forum, but that previous specific information, is no longer of benefit to them personally. This is the point I was trying to illustrate. It might have saved them money one day, but once they have their 'dealer of choice', that specific information won't continue to save them money, and that is why a subscription could be viewed as an unfair expense, as they would still be paying for the privelage of the information even after the information had served it's usefullness to them, and all the time they continue to pay a subscription, then from their perspective, they would only be paying for the privelage of posting and chatting with people, and any horological articles and facts which may or may not be posted, as the original information they found usefull and saved them money, the X is good, Y is Bad, Z ships garbage, they would still know, and still be acting upon, but would not need to re-read, hense why I said that the information becomes redundant... I hope I've better clarrified the point I was trying to illustrate, and if not, we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one