To wear or not to wear

[TeeJay]

LOL

It's pretty funny when you think about it, isn't it

On the contrary by wearing such a piece on land that is, would boast the wearer ego tremendously

True, sadly, to the untrained observer, such a piece may come across as over-compensation for other shortcomings

That aside, in the material world that we live in, watches are just another item for show and not for telling time joining other expensive toys/lifestyle the rich are accustom to, for the heck of it that's the very purpose why these establishment exist the first place.

Sadly, you're absolutely spot on correct quite right there

[TeeJay]

One thing that I have always wondered about these discussions is that even us WIS visualize Rolex synonymous to money and wealth.

A preowned Rolex costs 2K to 6K (the most popular modern stainless models). I mean, if you're interested in watches and you're a working adult, a few K's isn't a lot of money. Most of us average guys make that much every month.

People "invest" 30K on a silly car and nobody raises an eyelid... and people invest a lot of money to their hobbies. But when you're wearing a $4K Rolex suddenly you must be a rich man. Why the hell is that?

I could understand if we're talking about Patek, JLC or Breguet here... but it's only a lowly modern steel Rolex... not a real high end piece. The rarities and vintages are a different matter of course.

You're absolutely correct, I think the problem, is the R-Word. It's success is also it's undoing. The name is almost universally recognized, but, it is also universally linked to replication, so to the uninitiated, Rolex either = Super Rich, or, it = Fake, with no middle-ground, due to the misconception that Rolex watches are 'the best of the best' in terms of 'expensive watches' (which is of course totally false, but, it is the public perception of the brand... Another aspect which I think people forget, is how long an item can potentially last. For example, a pair of designer frames for eye-glasses can cost a lot of money, but, given the average 12 month lifespan of a pair (after that, it really is worth having the prescription checked, and possibly altered) when the cost is broken down to how much it costs on a daily basis, it is probably still cheaper than buying daily disposable contact lenses, and much less than people might spend on other vices like cigarettes, coffee or alcohol on a daily/weekly basis. Given that there are vintage Subs still in existence from the 50s, it's reasonable to expect a modern Sub to be equally functional in 50 years time, and, if a young man was to buy a Sub in his early twenties (such as a friend of mine who is a Royal Navy submariner) in theory, he need never buy another watch in his lifetime. When viewed from that perspective, the cost of the watch breaks down very reasonably. Of course, without corporate greed, that retail price could still be considerably cheaper (and that's where Reps come in

[TeeJay]

I respect your opinion but from my older university days i think you value different sets of product attributes when searching for a product. You associate with the brand but don't want to pay the price as you don't perceive quality and value for money. That is fair enough and you are probably satisfying your basic needs (maslow= safety, physiological while still achieving your esteem needs)...

Also was in no way twisting your words to support my case, simply stating the facts as you present them. To some 7 grand is not that much for a watch that will last 10 or 20 years and still have value at the end of that period. Gens hold their value and in some cases appreciate, a rep is still a rep no matter how "super" it is.

Don't take me the wrong way but i have enjoyed reps and don't hold any grudges towards people who wear them.

I would certainly say that is close to defining my opinion on gen watches (or for that matter, any branded product, which also has an acceptable generic equivalent)

To touch on the point you make about watches holding their value, for the most part, yes, I would absolutely agree with you, however, there are exceptions where reps can have a value along the line of gens: Movie props. Keifer Sutherland wore a rep Sub in the first series of 24. If that was to go up for auction, I could see it getting a considerable price. The same with the rep Daytona Uma Thurman held in Kill Bill Vol II. I only say this, as when OJ Simpson's creditors tried to call in his debts and seized his Rolex, it turned out to be a rep. People were offering to buy said rep for what would be gen price, simply because it was OJ Simpson's watch...

[Toadtorrent]

As an interesting update, I was reading an architectural review of a house down the street from me and it reminded me of the funny lines that people draw on when things like reps or "fakes" are acceptable or not to be displayed in public. In the article, the owner of a rather stunningly designed modernist house in an extremely nice part of a moderately large cosmopolitan city (more than others, not as much as some ) had in his house replica Le Corbusier chairs that looked fantastic to the overall look of the house.

We see this countless times. How many houses have Arts and Crafts furniture using the designs of Stickley and others, or Tiffany inspired lamps, or even prints and posters decorating hallways and walls and people don't think twice about looking down on them for having replicas proudly displayed and used in daily life? Lighthing fixtures found in most people's houses are often cheaper copies of well known designs (or at least heavily "homaged" designs. Have you ever seen a non-Herman Miller Aeron chair in an office anywhere?

It just so happens that a lot of these products don't have brand labels emblazoned on them so are by nature "sterile", but a print is a reproduction, unless you bought the original work of art, or vintage poster or what not.

It's something to consider before calling people out for being "wannabe's", posers, or whatever. Everyday life is filled with hypocries...accept it and enjoy whatever decisions you make. Don't take things too seriously...you'll give yourself a heart attack.

[Oyster]

One good thing about preowned steel sports Rolexes is that they don't depreciate much at all (if you find a good deal). Unlike many other luxury items the actual cost of longtime ownership isn't bad at all.

But the best reps are excellent watches and I think people don't give them enough respect. I have 3 $2k - $6k gens and my ETA Breitling Steelfish replica feels every bit as good as them. It has excellent finish and details.

People put the reps down because they think that Chinese can't make a good product. They absolutely can (if they just put some QC and effort in it). Other reason gen owners tend to act "snobbishly" towards reps is that they somehow want to justify their super expensive gen purchase to themselves. It's just human nature... I just admit it doesn't make any sense. They're toys.

Same thing when people are buying $70K Mercedes off-road vehicles... because the road to their summer cottage is so bumpy. Blah blah blah, etc.

I think Ubi nailed it perfectly. They're just watches and almost no one will ever notice them anyway. Just enjoy them all... I know I do.

[TJGladeRaider]

Now to answer the OP's post.

I wear reps for very good reason. After buying dozens of gen watches over the past 10 years, I got disgusted by the fact that MOST of them are nothing more than polished ETA movements inside and under well-designed cases and dials. Most of the reps I buy are indistinguishable from the gen. Especially when I'm in the company of 99.9% of the real world who don't know the first thing about watches- gen or rep. Most importantly, they fool ME.

Furthermore, there's service. I have a gen sea-dweller and I've had it for 8 years or so. Recently, the 12 o'clock marker fell off. That's right- fell off- for no good reason. Guess what? I have to send it to Rolex to get fixed. Guess what? It's not covered by warranty. Guess what? They'll insist on doing a complete service on it- replace gaskets, stem, crown, tube and pressure test it. Guess what else? It's going to cost 3 times as much as the best available sea-dweller rep today. Is it worth it? Maybe.

In my opinion, if you're going to walk around suggesting to people that your reps are anything but reps, you're a real loser in the purest sense of the word. I suspect that most of the people on this and other rep forums are doing anything but that.

My other issue was that I was buying gens that I "had to have" and wearing them for a few hours once a month. I'm not made of money and can't afford to be doing that while having all the watches I want.

I really liked this post - I thought it captured my thoughts pretty well, especially the parts I quoted.

I love the vintage Rollies, and I think I may have one of the best collections around - two or more each of all the MBWs from back when they were at their best. The irony is, I could have bought the gens back when they sold them in the Navy Exchange for less than I have in these "Ziggied" reps. Frankly I think these are better watches in many ways than the gens - an ETA movement isn't junk, the qwik set date is a great convenience, and they glow like a torch.

The prior comment by someone about it being stupid to buy cars was unfortunate . . . I doubt that they thought that thru. I understand the depreciation issue, and I understand tax consequences - it most certainly is not stupid to buy cars outright. STOOPID is saddling oneself with a payment they cannot be sure they will always be able to afford, or entering into a finance agreement with an unreasonable interest rate.

The bottom line is, I have been a diver for almost forty years. I own all the coolest toys (Scarab, Vette, Harley), my career path takes me to fascinating places, as does my social life (ever attend a formal Single Malt Scotch Society event in a kilt?), so these vintage Rollies "fit" me perfectly.

Bill

[TJGladeRaider]

One other thing -- while nobody is likely to ever "call me out," I shall share with you the perfect answer:

"I dunno, I took it off a dead guy."

Considering the activities and associates of my younger days, that is rather believable.

Bill

[spinedoc]

I'm a noob to reps.... I'll bring info from what I know. I am a pen fanatic. I have thousand... heck, i could buy at least two or three new submariners and daytonas for what I have in just Montblanc limited editions. Here is the problem. Above 2k...they live on my desk. 1k and under, I'll carry and use... But, the ones I'll use daily...the $500 and under used purchases, ones I have rehabilitated myself... ah, these are what I love. BECAUSE a scratch...ok...character.

apply this to reps.... get a watch, use it. if I had a 10k watch, i would not be able to watch it, wear it to work on my bike 20 miles a day... just couldn't. I can afford any of this. I've worked my rear end off .... but the thought of having a watch that i can use that is "typical" of my colleagues, but I can play with my kid with while wearing it...that is piece of mind.

my own plug, always looking for friends, aids, people to make mods for me....

let me know your thoughts.

[ubiquitous]

"I dunno, I took it off a dead guy."

Classic! And for you Bill, quite fitting...

[tenacious_b]

I wear mine everywhere. All my friends know they're reps, and most collect reps as well. Outside of my friends, I couldn't be bothered to give a **** what anyone else thinks when they look at my wrist. I wear them because I like them. I have noticed people treating me differently; at car dealerships, electronics stores, nice restaurants, etc. it usually garners preferential treatment, where as in some situations, when pricing is variable, I have had it stuck to me, I assume, because people make assumptions about me based on what I am wearing. I probably wouldn't look right rocking anything that was more than $5k, but I don't let that stop me, because again, I don't care. Anybody that is anything to me already knows, and most of everyone else wouldn't even know the difference between an AP and a high end Timex.