Has The Replica Community Grown Too Large?

[Chronus]

how can there be so many people would want pickle flavored potato chips.

I love pickled onion monster munch!

[Chronus]

That was kind of my point. THe High end replica market is new, and it has grown enormously in it's infancy. LOL, a chart! Everybody in the world doesn't have to own a rep to make an impact, even if it was every 1 in 100 it would still make a dent. People will be more willing to the wearing of high end replica's rather then a cheap novelty canal street replica's. Will a company such as Rolex continue to do business? Yes, people will always buy a gen, but we will soon approach a point that the market will be flooded with high quality reps. Will a prospective buyer be willing to shell out the cash for something that is not so exclusive anymore? This is kina like a good [censored] house or drug spot! When too many people find out it disappears!

That's when you justify the costs and design and build the watch in such a way it is difficult to replicate easily. A simple example is the original that the Panerai PAM127 and RXW Marina Militare are based on.

The PAM127 is not exact and has a more mass-produceed case which is easy to replicate. Difficult ones could be titanium and gold models (more expensive to manufacture), as well as different movements such as the new Panerai movement.

The more complex a watch is, the harder it will be to replicate. If one was hand-made, it may be even tougher to make.

[robertk]

I remember this exact conversation going on about 1 1/2 years ago. Doom and Gloom. Reps getting too good. Too many people buying them.

Wrong! we're still here.

1 people generally buy one and that's it.

2 The only place they can find them (high quality) is on the net and most people don't trust buying on the net from someone they never heard of.

3 if 100,000 people buy a rep on the internet it won't make a dent in the watch world.

4 how many people buy numerous reps? Mostly, only the few thousand on these boards.

Worry, worry, worry!

........and BTW, look at all the rep bags, etc. that EVERYBODY buys. Hasn't put a crimp in that business either.

[TiberiousT]

You're right, there are too many of us. You should leave.

Ditto.

As far as China slamming the door shut; well there is always Vietnam and possibly N. Korea.

Hell maybe Cuba gets its act togother once Fidel is gone.

[TiberiousT]

........and BTW, look at all the rep bags, etc. that EVERYBODY buys. Hasn't put a crimp in that business either.

On that tangent. Almost the entire rwg,rwi,and trc community is male. Why don't our dealers sell wallets for men? We need to score a gift for the womyn in our lives from time to time but we need more than watches straps, and pens in our modern lives!

[Finepics]

People will always desire affordable copies of expensive, luxury items. People will be even more drawn to higher quality copies of expensive luxury items-- and someone will always pop up to meet that demand.

A separate, related question is whether the replica boards have become too popular, with too many boards and too many short term visitors who dilute the community and clarity of discussions. I have nothing against newbies -- I like to think of myself as a perpetual newbie. But I also value the continuity and experience that extended participation provides. At times these aspects of the rep community become a bit harder to find.

This is the most appropriate answer here - it's the rep board community that has grown to large. The longer term members amongst us are now having to repeat ourselves over and over to provide answers to the newer members who do not do as thorough a job of researching this as they should. I get fed up of answering the same questions again and again.

Most of us know that a fake is a fake. It is made as cheaply as possible to maximise the profits for the makers. The makers may very occasionally listen to our gripes and maybe change a small detail or two in subsequent versions of a given model (but only in the case where sales of that model have significantly dwindled). The makers are not in the least bit interested in us the customer so long as we buy the damn things. If we want accuracy and aftersales service then buy the gen. The only good thing is that our trusted dealers here do at least care about us and will give us good customer service.

[SWATCHman]

Looking at the overall population growth, this time is probably the golden age of high end replicas. In the years to come people will most likely be more concerned with issues like food, survival and warfare for the increasingly depleted oil supplies. This will probably take time out of analyising flaws in Rolex reps.

So all the members glorifying the good old times will soon be mouning dying rep boards and infrequent posts.

Edited August 26, 2006 by SWATCHman

[Watchmeister]

Where there is a will there is a way. If consumers demand and are willing to pay for better reps the manufacturers will make it. We are already seeing reps which are put out in more limited quantities than the gens. I am with Finepics that the makers will get away with whatever they can to maximize their profit. Our dealers serve as an invaluable resource for us whether simply acting as middleman providing customer support or sponsoring limited runs of differentiated product.

[Zola]

At this rate everyone will own a Rolex (Polex) eventually. I feel this takes away from the charm of the original article.

Are you serious?

And in this smaller & more intamate Replica watch Community will you be president?

[Zola]

On the other side of the coin, the increased growth has hurt the community in that several dealers no longer offer Paypal.

Is this true or am I oversimplifying the situation?

I hear you Linder but I feel the real problem is not newbs but PayPal themselves! They are incompetent money grabbing morons! I once had some guy try and scam me out of $2000 when his fraudulent payment was reversed they froze MY account for 3 weeks!!!! WTF!!!!! Buyers get all the protection and the sellers are treated like dirt. If someone puts in a complaint the money is immediately taken from the seller without any attempt to find out whether the complaint is valid When it's good PayPal is very convenient but when it goes bad it really sucks. I wish there was a viable alternative, anyone use Moneybookers???

[Zola]

The longer term members amongst us are now having to repeat ourselves over and over to provide answers to the newer members who do not do as thorough a job of researching this as they should. I get fed up of answering the same questions again and again.

With great power comes great responsibility

[watchski]

I really do doubt the growth of rep owners to keep pace with the growth of the population in general..

In otherwords sure more and more people a buying reps, but not only are they a minute fraction of the people out there, the population growth at this stage is far to big for the rep factories to keep up with.

Ken

Is it just me or is kenberg the smartest human alive. Everytime he is posting something, it's highly intelligent. I will stop reading his posts because i feel inferior...

[ratchpot]

The High-end replica community has grown exponentially in the past few years.

I think your argument falls down here...

[Pugwash]

I wish there was a viable alternative, anyone use Moneybookers???

Me. I'm planning on moving as much of my rep-buying business away from paypal as possible.

[watchski]

Me. I'm planning on moving as much of my rep-buying business away from paypal as possible.

Do they snag the money??

[Gerco]

Me. I'm planning on moving as much of my rep-buying business away from paypal as possible.

I'll keep paypal, but opened also an account on moneybookers....

[kanerich]

I feel the end is imminent. The High-end replica community has grown exponentially in the past few years. We have our hobbyists, and we have the others who are just looking for a cheap rolex. The rapid growth of this community is not necessarily a good thing. At this rate everyone will own a Rolex (Polex) eventually. I feel this takes away from the charm of the original article. Our beloved Rolex, Panerai and Breitlings will not be so special anymore. I honestly wish we could have a smaller more private community then this. What do others think? Any insight comments?

I remember you as the guy whose first post was July, talking about how you bought a gen. Your first post on a replica site was how you bought a gen and how you thought buying reps was a bad idea. So excuse me if I question your intentions when you bemoan how good reps take away from the specialness of the gens. Maybe just a little buyer's remorse for you?

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...62&hl=faker

In any case, many of us -- not just you -- own gens and reps and can deal with the awesome dilemma. Let me let you in on a little secret -- if you are a emotionally balanced person who has more going on in life than stroking your Rolex purchased on credit and hissing "my precioussssssss" alone in the dark, you don't give a rat's ass that people own fakes. That's because it doesn't matter two shits what other people pretend. You own life, education, job, loved ones and bankroll are all real and if people who are merely pretending to be owners of a few thousand dollar watch can by that single act significantly encroach on your status and lifestyle, that's because you are one of those posers. In which case you shouldn't get too bent out of shape for being mistaken for one of them.

Besides, not to point out the painfully obvious but if some Chinese dudes can make a 99% perfect Rolex for $150, maybe the problem is not that those watches are making the Rolex seem less special, it's that Rolex needs to make their watches more special for the prices they charge.

Edited August 26, 2006 by kanerich

[Edge]

........it's that Rolex needs to make their watches more special for the prices they charge.

Ah ha! There is the sound of someone hitting the nail smack bang right on the head.

[Faker]

I remember you as the guy whose first post was July, talking about how you bought a gen. Your first post on a replica site was how you bought a gen and how you thought buying reps was a bad idea. So excuse me if I question your intentions when you bemoan how good reps take away from the specialness of the gens. Maybe just a little buyer's remorse for you?

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...62&hl=faker

In any case, many of us -- not just you -- own gens and reps and can deal with the awesome dilemma. Let me let you in on a little secret -- if you are a emotionally balanced person who has more going on in life than stroking your Rolex purchased on credit and hissing "my precioussssssss" alone in the dark, you don't give a rat's ass that people own fakes. That's because it doesn't matter two shits what other people pretend. You own life, education, job, loved ones and bankroll are all real and if people who are merely pretending to be owners of a few thousand dollar watch can by that single act significantly encroach on your status and lifestyle, that's because you are one of those posers. In which case you shouldn't get too bent out of shape for being mistaken for one of them.

Besides, not to point out the painfully obvious but if some Chinese dudes can make a 99% perfect Rolex for $150, maybe the problem is not that those watches are making the Rolex seem less special, it's that Rolex needs to make their watches more special for the prices they charge.

A lot of people are very jumpy on these forums!!!!!! Well sir, dont you put words in my mouth "how you thought buying reps was a bad idea." I own genuines and I own reps, I bought my last rep 2 weeks ago. I will continue to buy reps until this scene collapses, and it will. All I am guilty of is starting a discussion in a "discussion forum." For the most part the thread has been going well until a couple of E-tough guys had to intervene. Now on to my original post... I am pretty sure that this will not last too much longer. Rolex and all other major luxury watch makers have a lot to be scared about and I do not believe they will sit idly and let the raping of their industry continue.

Edited August 26, 2006 by Faker

[kanerich]

A lot of people are very jumpy on these forums!!!!!! Well sir, dont you put words in my mouth "how you thought buying reps was a bad idea." I own genuines and I own reps, I bought my last rep 2 weeks ago. I will continue to buy reps until this scene collapses, and it will. All I am guilty of is starting a discussion in a "discussion forum." For the most part the thread has been going well until a couple of E-tough guys had to intervene. Now on to my original post... I am pretty sure that this will not last too much longer. Rolex and all other major luxury watch makers have a lot to be scared about and I do not believe they will sit idly and let the raping of their industry continue.

Here's what you said, verbatim:

"I just bought my first genuine Rolex! I think I am already turning! Thoughts of reps being bad are already flooding my brain! OH NO, NO TURNING BACK, HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

But then it is my fault for expecting someone who calls himself Faker to own up to what he says.

[Pugwash]

Here's what you said, verbatim:

"I just bought my first genuine Rolex! I think I am already turning! Thoughts of reps being bad are already flooding my brain! OH NO, NO TURNING BACK, HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I can tell you're a lawyer: you take a silly, supposed-to-be-funny-but-not-really comment like that and hang someone over it.

[kanerich]

I can tell you're a lawyer: you take a silly, supposed-to-be-funny-but-not-really comment like that and hang someone over it.

In fairness, I could just as well be a journalist for Fox News by your criterion.

I can't help it if people want to package their vacuity in neat little sound bites. I wish everybody would make my job so easy.

[ubiquitous]

Here's what you said, verbatim:

"I just bought my first genuine Rolex! I think I am already turning! Thoughts of reps being bad are already flooding my brain! OH NO, NO TURNING BACK, HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

But then it is my fault for expecting someone who calls himself Faker to own up to what he says.

Classic! I love it!!

[Pugwash]

I can't help it if people want to package their vacuity in neat little sound bites. I wish everybody would make my job so easy.

[Watchmeister]

I will continue to buy reps until this scene collapses, and it will. Now on to my original post... I am pretty sure that this will not last too much longer. Rolex and all other major luxury watch makers have a lot to be scared about and I do not believe they will sit idly and let the raping of their industry continue.

IMHO, you have it backwards. The rep industry isn't coming to an end. It is only beginning. Manufacturers are only now finding that there is a market where they can make more money selling high end reps rather than their own low end brand names. Reps have been around for as long as there have been expensive branded goods. As ETA starts to choke off production the Chinese manufacturers are stepping up to the plate. The new tourbillons are a great example. Even if China ever sucessfully shuts down production of reps in its country there are 200 others.