Replicas... The path to... Gen?!

[ubiquitous]

Hey gang,

Thought this would be kind of fun to see. I'm curious to know... How many of you ended up buying a rep watch, only to fall in love with it so much that you ended up buying the gen?

My list of purchased gens as a result of the rep is short... So short in fact that there are 0 watches on it

I've built a number of frankens of the gen pieces that I wanted; upon completion and wearing, I discovered that I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the gen nearly as much as I thought I would. So, money saved in that regard I suppose The only exception for me is that I would absolutely consider buying a gen IWC 3717-01; though now that I have some key components on their way soon, maybe that one will be taken off the list as well.

For example... I'm fairly certain that I probably wouldn't buy a gen 16520 now:

I probably wouldn't buy a gen 9411:

I know for certain I wouldn't buy a gen Planet Ocean:

But one of these? Maybe yes...

I believe that reps are oft times the pathway to buying gens. How many of you are going to support my theory?

[Mercury]

Well, considering I am college student and can't shell out thousands for gen, my list is at 0 as well. I buy reps few and far between, only the most accurate ones, so to me, they are good enough for now. Most of the gens I want have failed as reps, such as the Daytona (movement issues) and the Speedmaster Pro (subdial issues).

[Stephane]

Very interrestin thread Ubi.

I for one started to collect as many reps as possible because...I like watches and those I bought I really liked them.

Then, after some time, I realised they were "off" and needed to make them closer to their genuine mothers.

Finally I realised I was only wearing some of them and started to sell almost all my reps, kept frankens and got 3 or 4 genuine Rolex.

I will agree with you saying :

Would I buy a gen Tudor again? NO

Did I like it though? YES

Would I buy a gen PO? Maybe, probably yes! (ooops, we disagree!)

Will I continue to buy genuine subs: yes

And I'll add: would I buy a gen Ingy? NO

Would I buy a gen Daytona (Zenith, white face)? YES...

For me there is no doubts: replicas are the path to genuine.

All the best,

Stephane

[seymur]

My situation is bit diffrent I'm just started not buying rep but only gens!! I dont want lie myself knowing it is example Rolex but it is just replica made in asia... I want to feel inside myself proud being wearing gen ..

Edited September 14, 2009 by seymur

[Nanuq]

Great topic! I'd have to agree about the Planet Ocean, I gave both of mine away. Now I'm down to one rep, and that's only so I have something to beat to friggin' DEATH. The rest are all gens and I'm happy as a clam at high tide.

[specialvat]

My first rep was a fantasy Breitling with year month and day display, that led me into buying a Gen Evo when I got a bit of bonus from work a few years later. My rep EOD is leading me into Gen AP territory but most prob a Safari, and not for a couple of years (new kitchen needed). I think it does follow reps lead to Gens if the right opportunity arises.

[ubiquitous]

Don't get me wrong, fellas... I love my frankens a lot. My Daytonas hold a special place in my heart, and the Tudor is equally as special because of the significance it holds with it's twin that resides in Honolulu The PO is a great watch as well; a lot of fun and looks/wears great.

However... I wouldn't buy gens of these watches, but not because they're not worthy; rather, I wouldn't buy their gen counterparts because I more or less have experienced the gen feeling anyways With as much gen content as my projects have had poured into them, I've sort of satisfied the desire for those pieces.

But that 3717 has always remained elusive... Perhaps my mind will change on that in a few weeks...

[TeeJay]

I think the closest I'd ever get to a gen (other than anything I might receive as a gift) would be a franken. I've got into building watches too much to take satisfaction from something purchased 'as stock', without any kind of modification involved. For me, reps have shown me that I don't have to spend obscene amounts of money to get a nice watch

[lanikai]

Reps have definitely taken me down the path to the genuine article ... I never thought spending money on a genuine would be gratifying.. but after wearing the reps.. I evolved into wanting the real deal..

they have been more toward the vintage line..

I am totally satisfied with my modded 1655.. (not like I can afford the real deal) but because it is such a good modded 1655 I "feel" the satisfaction..

Such is the feeling from my Ubifranken Tudor Snowflake.. .. can't get anymore real than that !

I am quite satisfied at the moment with my collection of frankens... but who knows when the itch will start again..

A~C

L

[kronos twin]

I think that there are a few watches that make people want to invest in a gen, and some don't. It's different for everyone. For me, I would like to own a Lange, because a) there aren't good reps made for them, and they were the first company to do fair labor practices for their employees. Put that together with their beautifully decorated movements, and that makes me want a gen. But if I had a very good rep, especially from a company that overprices their product (Panerai), then I would never need the gen.

[seymur]

Totally agree with you... My Respect.

I think that there are a few watches that make people want to invest in a gen, and some don't. It's different for everyone. For me, I would like to own a Lange, because a) there aren't good reps made for them, and they were the first company to do fair labor practices for their employees. Put that together with their beautifully decorated movements, and that makes me want a gen. But if I had a very good rep, especially from a company that overprices their product (Panerai), then I would never need the gen.

[Pre V]

I must admit that I have crossed over to the genuines-realm, and having to come back to community where there's so much more learning curves to be had.

Tudor Snowflakes being the exception, for me.

Will I ever fork out obscene less mention copious amounts for a Prevendome? I doubt it. PreV Projects are fun and I have been loving every bit of the process.

Rolex Sport Models, especially Vintages like 5508, I will continue to hunt down those tritium-laden glittering dials as passion builds up progressively through phases, akin to the lunar phases of a moon.

Collectively, the ratio of reps : gens will prevail, and will continue to keep those pieces for my next generations, be it a good rep or an out of box genuine.

[Ronin]

For me, it has become a path to Gens, but not necessarily same rep model to same gen model.

Actually I reserve gen purchasing for modern watches that are not rep'd well, or have complications or water proofing that I need to work-- like the Navitimer, 14060, and White Face Exp II, GMTs, etc.

I will continue to have reps/frankens of the hard to get/find vintage models like the Tudor, 653x, 1665, etc.

Also, I prefer reps as a try before you buy. A perfect example for me was the Steelfish and Blacksteel. I like having these reps, but based on how they wear I would not get the Gen, and might even part with these soon. Then there is Panerai. Since most people never heard of Panerai, I will probably continue to wear these as reps. IMHO, the 6497 based watches or other common ETA 28xx based watches get hard to justify paying the $5000ish price for.

[casanile]

Good question...

I'm enough in love with at least one of my franken rep to stay with it, and not buy the gen.

But it is a frankenised one.

I can't stay with a standard rep.

There are two ways to live with reps, for any reason whatsoever...

90% of rep owners: They can happilly live with their rep, without even thinking about improving it.

And us: Kind of crazy guys who discovered a Hobby:

Chasing the best 1.1 rep, gen dials, bezels, crowns, hands, drill lugs, mod CG's... Everything...

That's called fun.

I own gens and one day I'll buy too a gen Apollo 11 speedy.

But untill I get a new passion: I'll stay with my friend Frankestein.

[Pugwash]

I would buy a Sub, even after having owned (or perhaps because of having owned) reps. I would buy an IWC (insert every decent model here) and I would buy an Omega (one down so far). Breitling, yes, I would ... in fact, any decent rep, if I could afford it, I'd buy a gen, even a Panerai. In fact, Mrs Pugwash reckons if I were to spend a few grand on a watch, it should be a Panerai.

However, If I ever get to Ubi's Frankenskill level, I may reconsider. That, on the other hand, will take a while.

[tomhorn]

My last gen purchase was in a way caused by a rep purchase.

I bought the Accutron I reviewed recently to be a donor for an ETA 7750 swap to my 3717. Liked it so much I am keeping it intact and will find another way to upgrade the IWC ...

Not sure that I will end up buying the gen version of one of my reps, but buying a few reps and participating on this and other watch forums has given me a great appreciation for watches, movements and the skills necessary to build them. I'm sure I will continue to buy both gens and reps, and no doubt will build a franken or two along the way.

[FxrAndy]

I did with the INGY

i did the oporsite with the AT i bought the wife a gen and then i bought the rep for my self.

[NORing]

To me it's not about gens or reps. Like I've said in other threads, I generally love watches for the mechcanical movements and the general look of them. I would buy more gens, and I probably could afford it if they gave me more than our usual ETA's can give us. Ofcourse there are more complicated watches and movements out there, but they're simply not my cup of tea in most cases. I'm 26 years old and do not want to sport a dressy watch for say; a broker, when I work with oil in the north sea.

I like the new Panerai watches, and will probably buy a gen of them. I think when someone says they're overpriced, they've probably never worked in retails. What someone pays for a product does not reflect the general worth. What about art; cars, houses and those (in my opinion) stupid bikes they make on the OC show on Discovery Channel. They probably would't last half way across the states.

I had my own Hifi store for 3 years, who decides what sounds good? YOU DO! You decide what you like and want to spend your money on, and you decide what actually is money well spent.

To answer your question Ubi. I will probably buy more gens based on my indtroduction to reps. However, if I didn't know the reps were this good I would probably have bougth the gens a long time ago.

Love your watch, gen or rep and wear them well!

[By-Tor]

Well. 3 so far:

Rep Seamaster Bond -> gen

Rep Aquaracer chrono -> gen

Rep 16710 GMT Master II -> gen

Next is probably the Steelfish (if I find a good deal).

I would never buy a gen Sub because unlike the fantastic 3185 (which no rep can ever duplicate), the basic 3135 movement isn't anything special. It's a robust, great movement of course but functionally it's just like basic ETA. And besides, the WM9 rep is too good... at least for someone who isn't overly obsessive. However, that same argument could be used with the SFSO, but it's only a $1.4 watch preowned.

And as much as I love the classic Sub SFSO is my favorite diver watch. It's just so perfect in every way.

To answer the question: Yes... reps have been a "gate drug" to gens. But unlike what happens to most people... after buying gens I started to appreciate the reps even more. The best ones are fine watches and wearing rep or gen... doesn't make any difference to me.

[deltatahoe]

when i started collecting reps, i didn't own a single genuine watch. now i own....errr...more than one

however for me, in every case except one, i chose my genuines in part because these a decent replica did not exist for that watch and in all likelihood, a decent replica would not exist in the future for any number of reasons...

deltatahoe

[deltatahoe]

after buying gens I started to appreciate the reps even more. The best ones are fine watches and wearing rep or gen... doesn't make any difference to me.

wise words by-tor; i couldn't agree more in this regard

deltatahoe

[freddy333]

At 1 time, I wanted, eventually, to own 1 or 2 of my grail watches. However, worried that my tastes might change &/or I would lose interest after acquiring them, I deferred. But now that I have constructed frankens (most gen-powered) of not just 1 or 2 of my grails, but all of them, I have discovered 2 truisms -

1. I will likely always love & appreciate these unique timepieces
   
2. My frankens (each costing less than 1/20 the price of the gens by constructing them myself) provide enough of the look & feel that I can no longer justify purchasing the gens
   

[Pugwash]

To answer the question: Yes... reps have been a "gate drug" to gens. But unlike what happens to most people... after buying gens I started to appreciate the reps even more. The best ones are fine watches and wearing rep or gen... doesn't make any difference to me.

Before I studied the art, a watch to me was just like a watch. After I learned the art, a watch was no longer a watch. Now that I've understood the art, a watch is just like a watch.

(apologies to Bruce Lee)

[TeeJay]

[*]My frankens (each costing less than 1/20 the price of the gens by constructing them myself) provide enough of the look & feel that I can no longer justify purchasing the gens

Even though I don't use gen parts, I would say that comes close to summing up my feelings on the subject Sure, it might not 'be real', it might not be accurate (to a specific model), but the satisfaction of knowing that I built it to be that way, and being able to achieve the goal of the project, outweighs any kind of regret/shame/etc that it's not a gen or containing gen parts, and the friends who have seen my vintage sub, have always been genuinely interested by it

[fitch]

interesting question! i think that most of us who stay a little longer on the board are big-watch enthousiasts and I like both gens and reps but it's hard to compare the two (gens require no modding ) and yet the feeling i have when wearing them can be (almost) the same... the gens i own are not well repped (i've tried ) and the real deal is just that much more enjoyable... the reps are usually not well enough out of the box and they require some modding (or a lot of modding..) but when it's near completion i find that i'm often very happy with the results. i have changed my collection rather a lot in the past 10 years; it has become smaller in qty and i have become much more critical. at this moment i'm very comfortable with the gens i have, i don't really have anything to add at this point (although i could name a few if i would have the budget). most fun at the moment is getting some reps to make the collection complete (for now... )