Watchconomy?

[cougaree]

I know the title is not a valid word, but it sounds pretty good. After being around for some time and these are something I've learned/need to improve on. I would like to post these points for our fellow friends. These are solely my personal opinion, so it's ok if you don't agree.

1. Knowing what you want. This will save you $$ ultimately. There is no point having a bunch of rep watches that you are just ok with. Especially rarely someone can recover the original price when selling watch used. In this case, you'd better off save you $$ get a gen or better made rep of your dream. I've noticed people tend to buy $200 - $300 watches, impulsively (including me), but if you can save that money (if the urge is hard to resist, transfer the cost of the watch from your bank account to your PP account... pretending the money has already spent every time you want to buy), then you will be surprised how much you can save in a short time. Once you have the $$, go reward yourself with a gen or a super franken one! This appies to straps too. With the $$ you saved, you can jump on the hot deals when you see one.

2. Having a long term strategy/plan/goal. Do you want to buy this watch because it's best out of box or easy to modify/takes gen parts? In some cases, you can find both qualities on one watch, but sometimes you can't. Does the watch accepts Swiss ETA movements or just Asian movements only? Standard automatic movement is a lot cheaper to service down the road than a chronograph one. It's better buying a Asian ETA clone movement than a Swiss ETA when you order a watch in my opinion. This is because you can alway install a gen Swiss one later that you know it's a new Swiss movement. Add the watch service fee to the total of the watch purchase. It's better to have your new rep watch serviced asap when you get it then you will be good for a long time.

3. Research. If possible, always check fellow forum members posts and reviews before ordering the watch. This will more likely help you to find the right one. Especially there are so many variations out there. Check with the reputable dealers before they ship the watch. Returning is time consuming and increases shipping risk, thus it's always good to know what you are getting and not to return anything. In many cases, after you have done your research, you may realize you won't like it as much. Also in many cases, you will know when to jump on a deal right away, when to wait until the price drops.

4. Buying an used rep from fellow forum members is better than from the dealer in my opinion. You may get a better deal, quality checked, short shipping time and reduced custom risk if the watch is in the country already. The watch service cost is a sunk cost, and it's rarely added to the sale price, so as the straps sometimes. Just make sure ask good questions before purchase, and buying from members with a lot of posts.

5. Knowing when to modify a watch. Sometimes modding is desirable, but sometimes it's not, you'd better off with a better version of the same watch. You will have to make sure the watch you are modding is the one you want to keep for a long time. Otherwise, you will lose a lot of $$ that you can save for a better watch!

6. If you have to sell a watch. Make sure you understand and accept the $$ you are going to lose realistically. Sell your piece quickly so you can move on with your life.

7. Watch collecting is never an investment! Especially in the rep world.

[cougaree]

I know these are common sense principles, but it's hard to practice them consistently (I know I do). If you have something else to add, please feel free. Thanks for reading!

[deniz21]

thanks for writing

wise words

lucky as i am, i dont have the money to buy watches blind

i made 3 rep purchases so far, and i am happy with them, cause of the fact that i researchd a lot of the watch i want to buy.. but the most important point for me are...do i realy want this watch? is it my style? do the watch gets wristtime and can i wear it???

if all facts say yes i buy if not.. i wait for the next one that i think i want it so bad

so all the best

deniz

[Katerchen]

@cougaree

Nice try summing "watchconomy" thoughts up in some

kind of "guideline"...

Have to admit that most of the points where very familiar

thoughts of myself when buying/planing rep/gen items!!

Nice one!

And btw "knowing what you want" is something that will

get yourself VERY close to your goals in life everytime

Cheers

George

[deniz21]

but again someting that i want to say.... some of us, buying watches.... not for them to wear, they buy them to review them for us

thank you for this, everyone who did this and everyone who will do this in future

thank you very much.. i think without that many of us (of course me including) are lost here, and would never buy the right watch the one that makes us happy

[cougaree]

Points taken! Thanks guys!

[gran]

Getting one or two holy-grail type frankens would probably be better than buying 20-30 other replica agreed...and it seems the numbers of Frankens being offered for sale are now growing exponentially

Problem is that it seems there is no perfect single one watch that will do it for me .....presently I have only 20 replicas sitting around...well actually two of them are in Germany being cared for

But I hope and pray I can one of these days settle on a set of 4-5 (replica)watches that I think are beautiful enough and be happy with those...but collecting watches seem to be addictive

Now my attention has turend to what straps and deployants can give the little extra to the watch so mony flying there too

[leowyatt]

Thanks for the interesting post. I'm going to tread slowly into the rep world and I think I'll only ever have 3-4 reps otherwise I'd have enough trouble trying to decide which to wear

[DemonSlayer]

Cougaree and others, brilliant post! I very much needed to read that as I was going off the rails in terms of rep purchases not that long ago. I'll definitely take on board what you and others have said here, its really good advice for someone like me

[TeeJay]

Awesome post, I agree entirely with those points, and that's a great suggestion on how to put cash aside for when a good deal presents itself

[maxman]

I agree with some of your suggestions/Ideas but not all of them. The reason Is that we are not all In the same boat. What I mean by that for example Is, some of us would rather purchase new watches, never know how the watch you are buying was treated, not really. If there Is something wrong with that watch, chanches are you will not get a new one In return. Some people rather not soak a lot of money Into a rep. If they going to spend a $1000 or so they might want to consider a nice gen, say a Hamilton for example. Most $300.00 reps that are serviced are going to be about as good as a rep can be. Maybe not as accurate but certainly as dependable. I agree that sometimes we need to Install gen parts on are reps, especially crowns/tubes etc. I do agree that purchasing the best out of the box rep Is probably a good Idea, thats what I try to do. I would rather have one really nice rep than say 3-4 cheep ones. Im not saying cheep reps cant be good (Hi TeeJay ) all Im saying Is that I perfer the better movements and better reps and better movements usally go hand and hand. I guess the bottom line for me Is, one should buy what makes them happy. RWG Is a deverse community, not everyone likes or wants the same thing. The "passion" for this Horological genere Is are common ground, as It should be. Thanks for your thread. Mike

[cougaree]

Points taken. Thanks guys!

Because we are so diverse, it makes our forum much more fun!

[TeeJay]

I agree with some of your suggestions/Ideas but not all of them. The reason Is that we are not all In the same boat. What I mean by that for example Is, some of us would rather purchase new watches, never know how the watch you are buying was treated, not really. If there Is something wrong with that watch, chanches are you will not get a new one In return. Some people rather not soak a lot of money Into a rep. If they going to spend a $1000 or so they might want to consider a nice gen, say a Hamilton for example. Most $300.00 reps that are serviced are going to be about as good as a rep can be. Maybe not as accurate but certainly as dependable. I agree that sometimes we need to Install gen parts on are reps, especially crowns/tubes etc. I do agree that purchasing the best out of the box rep Is probably a good Idea, thats what I try to do. I would rather have one really nice rep than say 3-4 cheep ones. Im not saying cheep reps cant be good (Hi TeeJay ) all Im saying Is that I perfer the better movements and better reps and better movements usally go hand and hand. I guess the bottom line for me Is, one should buy what makes them happy. RWG Is a deverse community, not everyone likes or wants the same thing. The "passion" for this Horological genere Is are common ground, as It should be. Thanks for your thread. Mike

All the time an a21j can be adjusted to +0.2 seconds per day, with nothing more technical than a pair of rubber gloves, a screwdriver, and a constant time source (pc, radio-controlled clock etc) I'm not convinced that more expensive movements are actually worth the extra money. Sure, the more expensive movements might be serviceable, but a21js are replaceable, several times over, for the cost of a single movement servicing, to me, that simply makes more economic sense... As you say, it's a diverse community, but it's the passion for watches which brings us all together, at the end of the day, irrespective of the costs, they're all 'just watches'

[maxman]

All the time an a21j can be adjusted to +0.2 seconds per day, with nothing more technical than a pair of rubber gloves, a screwdriver, and a constant time source (pc, radio-controlled clock etc) I'm not convinced that more expensive movements are actually worth the extra money. Sure, the more expensive movements might be serviceable, but a21js are replaceable, several times over, for the cost of a single movement servicing, to me, that simply makes more economic sense... As you say, it's a diverse community, but it's the passion for watches which brings us all together, at the end of the day, irrespective of the costs, they're all 'just watches'

Points well taken my friend

[maxman]

Points taken. Thanks guys!

Because we are so diverse, it makes our forum much more fun!

absolutely

[TeeJay]

Points well taken my friend

Just trying to put the other side across I mean, sure, if a21j movements weren't regulateable, then indeed, the 'swiss' movements would command the price difference. When I got my first Sub, that had a Swiss movement (confirmed by two sources) but it ran at +45 seconds a day, and at the time, I had no idea how to correct that timing. To be fair, most of the reps I buy with a21js come running at about +15 (give or take), I just like to tweak them as close to +/-0 as possible so I don't have to worry about adjusting the time on a daily basis, and think it's nice that they have that potential for reliability. Of course, if someone swaps their watches on a daily basis, and sets them each time they put them on, then that level of accuracy really isn't necessary, but if the watch is going to be worn day in, day out, I think it's good to have it running as accurately as possible

[maxman]

Just trying to put the other side across I mean, sure, if a21j movements weren't regulateable, then indeed, the 'swiss' movements would command the price difference. When I got my first Sub, that had a Swiss movement (confirmed by two sources) but it ran at +45 seconds a day, and at the time, I had no idea how to correct that timing. To be fair, most of the reps I buy with a21js come running at about +15 (give or take), I just like to tweak them as close to +/-0 as possible so I don't have to worry about adjusting the time on a daily basis, and think it's nice that they have that potential for reliability. Of course, if someone swaps their watches on a daily basis, and sets them each time they put them on, then that level of accuracy really isn't necessary, but if the watch is going to be worn day in, day out, I think it's good to have it running as accurately as possible

I could not agree more Teejay, I dont often wear a watch more than two days In a row, almost any watch can keep desent time for 48hrs. But If you wear a watch for several days at a time,then accurate time keeping Is much more Important. The 23j movement In my UN Is probabbly my best time keeper over a several day period. It's a great little movement that I can have regulated when necessary.

[TeeJay]

I could not agree more Teejay, I dont often wear a watch more than two days In a row, almost any watch can keep desent time for 48hrs. But If you wear a watch for several days at a time,then accurate time keeping Is much more Important. The 23j movement In my UN Is probabbly my best time keeper over a several day period. It's a great little movement that I can have regulated when necessary.

You're quite right, over a 48 hour period, anything upto about +30 a day is tolerable (I wouldn't say ideal or acceptable, but certainly tolerable) without seriously impeding time-keeping, but indeed, it's when the watch is worn day in day out, that the timing needs to be a bit more precise Is the 23j one you can regulate yourself, or does it require a trip to the watchsmith? I took my 6200 in to my local watchsmith a while back, for advice on the 'stalling second hand' and he said that he no longer worked on Asian movements, because of parts issues, but also because economically, it's more viable to just replace an Asian movement than service or repair one Not that I'd actually leave a watch with him anymore, it took him over a month from the date of completing the work, to return a Sub to me (I knew by when the datewheel had stopped, and the date I picked it up ) and it took him well over 6 months just to service the movement in my 127 Of course, that didn't stop me going in to pick his brains over the issue

[maxman]

Thats a good question about the regulator TeeJay. I will have to take It to my watch guy and hear what he has to say. The movement shows the + - for the timing but Im still not that comfortable as to just jump In and start regulating the movement myself. I will let you know what I find out again good question. Mike

[TeeJay]

Thats a good question about the regulator TeeJay. I will have to take It to my watch guy and hear what he has to say. The movement shows the + - for the timing but Im still not that comfortable as to just jump In and start regulating the movement myself. I will let you know what I find out again good question. Mike

If you're not 100% comfortable with the procedure, it's definitely best left to a professional, I've killed a few movements trying to regulate them, before I learned what I was doing... That said, there is a real satisfaction with being able to do things like that for myself, and knowing that I've then accomplished a task

[dluddy]

Great post and very valid points. Thanks for taking the time to post your philosophy

[maxman]

Great post and very valid points. Thanks for taking the time to post your philosophy

Thank you dluddy

[cougaree]

You are welcome, dluddy!