Aidan

Just got the Blue version which is equally nice. The only thing that lets it down is the rather cheap strap which I replaced. Great looking classy watch and good value at the price.

Evening all!

My experience with replicas is extremely close to zero, although not quite there seeing as I own an exceedingly awful Omega Seamaster. I got it out of idle curiosity a few years back, on the internet, paid very little for it and got exactly what I paid for. Oh well.

Anyway, although I'm by no means a watch afficionado I'd quite like to get hold of a nice watch for festive use (once every three years or so in other words), but I really have no clue what I'm getting into here. Hence the following noobish questions.

1. How good is a good replica? Does good simply mean that the beer-slugging dimwit down the road can't tell it from the real thing, or that it takes professional watchmaker to spot the fake one?

2. How the hell do I know if I'm getting a good one or not without entering deep-study mode for the next few years? It seems some of you folks know enough to start making your own, but quite frankly I don't particularly want to go to such lengths.

3. How long do these things last and remain good timekeepers? A few days? A few weeks? A few months? Years?

4. What do you do when they decide to stop working? I assume you don't toddle off to the nearest watchmaker and ask him/her to have a look at it?

5. Kindly feast your eyes on the specimens below and if possible tell me if they're worth having:

Breguet no.1109 @ Perfect Clones

Breguet no. 884 @ Perfect Clones

Breguet no. 884 @ Pam111

Breguet no. 1109 @ Pam111

I could afford to shell out a bit more, but those are my two favourite watches (apart from some Breguets not seemingly available as replicas) and hence the ones I would prefer to get.

Any opinions and insights you might will be most welcome!

Oh yes, nearly forgot - great forum folks; extremely informative, if slightly daunting for a neophyte like myself.

- Agrippa

To briefly answer your questions/

1. Some of the reps coming out now are so good that even an authorsed dealer would struggle to spot them on close examination let alone on the wrist.

2. Slightly pot luck but the dealers on here are very good and you should have few problems.

3. I have bought about twenty and have only had probems with 2. All the others keep very good time and I have had some for three years or more.

4. Keep the strap and chuck the watch in the bin.

5. Look at the threads for the best out of the box reps for quality. Never bought a Bruget but the Panerai watches are generally very good.

Good luck

Aidan

Try to look on the bright side you seem to be keeping the Chinese economy going single handedly.

Must say I like the look of it even with the flaws but $418! Do our dealers realise there is a credit crunch on. Do people actually pay this sort of money for a rep.

Thanks for the link to that werners site midasmook. I couldn't resist the Luftwaffe ww2 watch and have just ordered one. Bir different to the usual sort of rep looking forward to seeing it.

Thanks for the link to that werners site midasmook. I couldn't resist the Luftwaffe ww2 watch and have just ordered one. Bir different to the usual sort of rep looking forward to seeing it.

I would echo what the others say go along to a good AD with a big range of stock and see what you like. I didn't like the Radoiomir Panerai from the pictures but when I saw the gen at an AD it immediately became my favorite and I ordered one the same day really thrilled with it.

If you like TAGs I can reccomend the TAG Mercedes Benz SLR not for the purists as its quartz but a stunning looking watch with the best strap I have come across on a rep.

I am showing my ignorance here but at does UTC stand for. I can't work out to purpose of it. Like the lof the watch though.

Thanks for your help, I will give it a go with some care and glue.

I can't work out how to change the strap on a Radomir. There seems to be no pin to flick out. How is it done and do you need any special equipment. Thanks for any help with this.

Does anyone know if there are any plans to do a rep from this range. It was mentioned in threads about possible new reps last year but I have not heard anything since. It is such a striking watch I am sure there would be a market for a rep. Not the easiest watch to rep but I reckon it would sell.

Trusty has a Brown faced Tag Mercedes SLR with also has a brown rubber strap if you want to go the whole hog. Its actually quite a good watch for $108.

I was on holiday in Italy last summer, there were loads of fake watch sellers in Pisa the quality of the watches they were selling was unbelieveably bad,absolute junk. The stuff the dealers sell on here is a million times better.

I have had a similar problem with one or two of my reps and on the recommendation of someone on here solved the problem by tapping the back of the watch like you are knocking on a door. If it doesn't work the first time try a few times. Its worked for me with a Panerai and an Omega PO rep and try are both still going strong a year later. Not sure if they were 21j movements but I think you can get problems with the spring being trapped and this has solved it for me both times.

Hope this is of help.

Aidan

Oh come on with all this take the whole mechanism to pieces and use five different types of oil. I simply refuse to believe that if you mange to get the back off and shove a bit of oil on it it won't run better. You are just over complicating things.

Is it worth bothering to service the cheaper reps? I would imagine that it would cost about the same as a new rep.

Is it possible to do very basic servicing yourself. What I mean is really just oiling the mechanism. You can buy the tools and oil on e bay how easy is it to get the back off one of these reps and is it obvious where to put the oil?

If you do find anyone in east London who does it put it on here, I am in Ilford and would use someone cheap and local.

I have a friend who has a curious sexual compulsion to have sex with horses. What would be the most

suitable watch to wear on a third date with a horse at a fairly posh reasturaunt. Are there any definate

no no,s watch wise in these circumstances. Hopefully Ethans guide will cover this fully.

I would buy one, unusual sort of watch that breaks the ice at parties (I go to very tame parties)

You could stuff Osma Bin Laden full of heroin fill both arms with moody Rollies and send him through UK customs with no bother.

Which European country are you in. I have had eight or nine watches shipped from China to the UK and have never had any problems with customs.

Have you looked at the Louis Vuittons an Andrews and Josh's sites. I wouldn't buy a Loius Vuitton mens watch,obviuosly they are for French Gigolos with thin moutaches but they have some very pretty ones in womens styles. I got one for my wife at christmas and she loves it. Worth checking out.

It,s pot luck really. I have seven reps which i have had no problem with but three with problems, a bezel coming off a Rolex, pearl off the bezel of a Planrt Ocean and a screw coming off the winder guard of a Panerai. Yoy just have to accept that the quality control isn't going to be great with watches from China, that said I have had no problems with most of my reps and wear them regularly.

I have the 44m Pam and the 45.5 Planet Ocean and would say the Pam definately looks bigger because of the width of the thing. if you were thinking of getting a 45.5 PO don't be put off by the size it just looks like a slightly big normal watch. The 45.5 PO is my favourite out of about 12 reps absolute beauty.

Don't have a Hublot so can't comment on that.

So it is gay then. I knew it deep down I just needed it confirmed. I won't treat the watch any

different than before, at the end of the day its my watch and I love it just as much as the other

eight. That said I will be wearing a Paneari 111h to football on saturday, I would like to see anyone

call that mother gay.

I was wearing my Orange Planet Ocean the other day when my daughter stunned me by accusing

the watch of being gay. I know it has a bright Orange leather strap but I never knew it was gay. To

top it all I has an Orange Bell and Ross on last night my wife saw it and accused that of being gay too.

My daughter said it was gay in a 1970's way. Are they going to call my Breitling with a blue face and

strap gay too?

Can watches be gay? How have other people on here dealt with this issue. Which is the most

gay watch.

Never had any problem in the UK so far. Maybe the dealers could put something

like "sample toy" on the packet so any potential thief would thing that there is nothing

of any value inside. Possibly on a really expensive order they could actually put the

watches in a toy. I once received a couple of Omegas from Andrew inside a toy piano,

by the way Andrew i am still playing that piano.