A foray into the wilds of China

[freddy333]

He is of the view that the mistakes are a combination of lack of the English language and attention to detail, and a deliberate strategy, to not produce the "perfect" rep. He cited a number of cases where western companies have tried to prosecute, and the Chinese have thrown the cases out on minor technicalities. These guys at the heart of the process, are building in their legal defence from day one! And not berating workers for their mistakes!

I still think there is some type of collusion between the gen makers & Chinese factory bosses that allows them (the Chinese) to continue to make/sell reps as long as they do not produce exact copies, which they can obviously do if they wanted to. Though, from my experience, language issues & lack of attention to detail are also part of the equation.

Very interesting read.

[phaedo]

He believes this country has some very serious social issues brewing in the not too distant future, as the young won't and don't work, and the average employee is too silly(dumb) to care about their job. He cited production workers who start and stop by the clock, regardless of the situation of their task. (He has painters working for him painting small items, who will stop spraying on the bell, even leaving a job 1/2 painted, and when they return, having to clean off, or scrap the job, and start again!)

Offshore

That is interesting to hear, after all the talk of China becoming the next 'big' power. If this is the case, it sounds like the middle aged who have managed to do well are the ones that this type of thing would die with, and a complete implosion of the potential super power.

[letter]

Very interesting Offshore - love the updates - keep 'em coming!

[ChipSlap]

Very informative. This should be pinned when the saga is finished.

[AMK000]

Even their money is being copied.((BTW, he told me last nite that anyone caught counterfeiting money, is executed on the spot...no trials...just dead!)

Now that's justice.

BTW. Nice write up and excellent writing skills Offshore (have ever thought to exploit that professionally ?? )

[offshore]

Now that's justice.

BTW. Nice write up and excellent writing skills Offshore (have ever thought to exploit that professionally ?? )

Yeh, Justice is served!

@AMK, Strangely it has been a secret fantasy, however I would think time has passed me by on that one. I do find some inspiration in the 1st hours after wakeing, but don't think the old brain would work long enough to write anything meaningful, beyond 1 page

O/S

[professor_yaffle1]

Wow, great travelogue!

Waiting for the next installment with baited breath.

I found the biggest problem out there was the interpretation of the truth.......keep your BS sensors on their highest settings

[chronoluvvv]

great stuff, very insightful ... keep 'em coming

[Watchmeister]

Enjoying the "twitter". Keep it coming.

[offshore]

I found the biggest problem out there was the interpretation of the truth.......keep your BS sensors on their highest settings

Couldn't agree more, especially around the rep business, and the markets here!

So on to an update of day 3.

The 1st of my watches arrived (some for me, but most for people here.) UN Maxi limited blue.

Would you believe this is my 1st rep in 5 years! Great looking watch, this one QC'd and WP tested. Not really any cheaper than available here, although the QC & WP is a bonus!

So off for another day in and around the markets.

Today I had the pleasure of being guided by a lovely articulate Chinese lady, who sells in other places, and would like to be a regular here. If her professionalism displayed today counts, she would be a natural. As she has recently made application, she will carry my vote for dealer status!

I was initially taken to the "best" tool shop.

Prices were keen, quality very good, and a staff who were prepared to listen and act.

I was interested in some sets of screwdrivers, but as always, the blades were crap! So I was shown some very good replacement blades. Finally these were fitted to my sets for no difference in price....Wow, how do you generate this sort of action here, can't be my good looks and charm, so a pretty face and smile must have won the day.

Finally, relieved of a couple of k, I moved on to look at sapphire crystals.

Now it needs to be understood, that whilst these merchants know their own products, they have absolutely no idea what they fit! So if you want a single dome 32,5 sapphire, no problems, just don't ask for one for an Omega PO for example! Same applies for the movement people, and seems to be very common.

Whilst I knew what I wanted, after 5 booths and about 2 hours, we gave up.

I was then invited into the "inner sanctum", to view a wholesalers stocks of watch winders and display boxes. Blown away is the only description. Hidden away up a flight of stairs, and around a few corners, was an Aladdins cave of magnificently crafted timber and GRP boxes to suit every known prestige watch brand on the planet, as well as maybe 20 different styles of watch winders. As I had a few UN's coming, I asked to see some of those boxes.

Was shown 2 versions, both beautiful, and with $ equivalent prices around $24, which included inner, outer, and warranty papers and binder, just amazing. I did see exactly the same on the street a little late @$40! Now I happened to get a few snaps there, although I don't think it was allowed! So I will refrain from publishing here now...until I am clear of GZ

Now if you think the action on the street levels, which cater for the retail and some wholesale is fast & furious, I was taken by another guide and shown the rows of sealed offices, on the upper floors, where the "factory chiefs" conduct business. Lots of noise, discussion and bit of shouting, but unfortunately no introductions to the head honchos. Runners were back an forth at an incredible bat, carrying various watches from seemingly vast vaults, to the street vendors. Just a whirlwind of bodies scurrying to and fro. A real eye opener.

We then traipsed back down to street level, to the ongoing noise and tidal wave of people and traffic which just continues to pulse through this whole area.

Today I gained an even better picture of the magnitude of what is here. You have an area of probably 1 km x 3/4 km, with 4-5 stories and a rabbit warren of floors, sub floors and basements. There are thousands of people within this area! Millions of watches, straps crystals, tools..if it is part of, or wraps, packs or services a watch, it's here.

Exhausted, hot and tired, we jumped a cab and headed back for a well earned drink and meal.

Later this afternoon, i was chatting with a guy who is commissioning a range of watches, and had just returned from the markets. He was elated that he had managed to negotiate MOQ on some dials, from 250 to 100, allowing a smaller run, less outlay and risk.

Tomorrow I hope to meet with some strap wholesalers, and see some samples of a range of custom straps which are being run. Also still on the agenda, is an inside look at a "factory", although the goal posts for this intro continue to move.

Have a few other items still on the shopping list, and few orders to collect, so time now to rest the weary bones!

Lights out on day 3.

Offshore

[TeeJay]

It sounds absolutely fantastic

[valerian]

Offshore, this is an absolutely fantastic insight for me! Thanks very much for taking the time and write all this down. It's a strange world over there...

Val.

[freddy333]

Thanks for the great travelogue, Offshore. Too bad pics are not (officially) allowed. Looking forward to seeing what you got once you are back on home soil.

[P_Diddy]

interesting reading your story.

Have you got any pics to ferment the imagination?

[silverspeed]

Great thread...it reads like a well written good book

Can't wait till the next chapter...

[lanikai]

Great Read OS !!!

I am looking forward to the next episode each day.. in my minds eye you make it real..

thank you

and cheers to your adventure..

L

[modelizer]

Very entertaining read. Can not wait for the next episode!

[Slartibartfast]

Great read offshore! What an experience you are having. I wish one day that I too could walk those streets and see those sights myself.

Look forward to your next installment.

[ubiquitous]

I absolutely love posts like this! Really quite a lot of fun trying to imagine what it must be like there. Somehow, in my mind I can't help but picture a sort of dystopian kind of city scape... Like Blad Runner or something.

And I can't even begin to fathom the amount of watches you must be exposed to. Must be overwhelming to say the least.

Looking forward to the next chapter...

[bluerex]

Great thread, Alan. Looking forward to the rest of the story

[zzipy]

Awesome. Makes me want to dust off my American Tourister and go. Hey, thats an idea. Lets get an expidition organized og a dozen or so members here!!

[MasterOfPuppets]

u can really make a movie out of this, or even a mini-series!!

great read, cant wait for some pics

[Ronin]

Thanks for sharing... This is a great travelogue.

[offshore]

Firstly, I will add some pics on my return home, later this week.

No great photographic skills here, and photos must be done surreptiously, which further complicates things. If you pull out camera in the stall areas, they all duck or run or put a paper over their face. Soon someone is screaming No No No! So it's not easy.

And so to day 4.

Just back from breakfast. When I got to the cafe, I noted the small cooking area for the eggs, was set up but unmanned. When I inquired, was told the cook had not turned up for work. It appeared to be the centre of much chat amongst the MANY wait staff. I gathered that he would be sacked, and that his work area would be left set up as an embarrasment to him for not appearing. Westerners would remove all the ingredients, and just make it appear that there was no eggs/cooking today! Just different cultures.

At breakfast today were 2 African guys.I have seen them around the last day or so. Now these 2 gents are REAL Africans, colored the other side of midnight, and with VERY African features.

They are the source of intense scrutiny and amazement for the Chinese, who just stop in their tracks, and stare as these guys walk by!

Now I have noticed a few stares myself, Westerner, 6-2", 18 stone, grey hair & beard...but nothing like the absolute fixation the locals have on these 2 guys.

So once again, off to the markets, let's see what surprises today brings!

O/S

[Demsey]

This is fun.

Much better than Clive's Kowloon/Guangzhou account; whorologist at large shacking up with two or three nubile concubines at a throw, stumbling around punch drunk without bail.

Say Alan, if you should run into that stiver, hit him up for the fifty he owes me, then kick him in the nuts. No, scratch that, just slip a few counterfeit RMB on him and follow not too far behind with camera. Those are the vacation shots I'd like to see. TIA

Stay safe, thanks for sharing!

<edit> It just occurs, the sheer magnitude of this industry through Alan's account here makes the Western interest in squelching the counterfeit trade seem pretty futile if not flat out impossible. That decision would have to come from within, not by outside diplomatic appeal or sanction. I haven't made a study of Asian culture, but from what I gathered first hand in Hong Kong and Thailand; they do not appreciate being told how to run things by dog faced farang. I'm sure the official stance of the Department of Commerce is against the trade, but locally? What are these tens upon tens, upon tens of thousands of people involved to do if they shut down the rep trade? Move on down the road to work in the booming tissue paper and bamboo fan industry?

TTK used to warn the time was nigh for 'replica'. Get them while you can. Hmmmmm, I really don't see, outside a social/political revolution, that it's going anywhere soon. That other revolution in China; the capitalist one, seems to be the rule of the day.