Best replica or franken to genuine price ratio?

[gran]

Most find that paying 10% of the price of the genuine is a acceptable price for a great replica or a great franken

1. So what accurate replica is the best price ratio/percentage compared to the genuine in your opinion?

My candidate would be the VC Malte Chronographe as it pretty good replica...replica price about $270

Price for genuine is about $20.000 in best case

Price of replica is about 1,4% of genuine

What is your best example????

[Ronin]

Almost anything Patek.... 6 figures down to 3...

[deniz21]

i would say hbb ice bang or the big king all black... the ice bang costs here in germany 11000 euro and the pretty good all ceramic rep you can get for 650usd so i think thats a pretty good deal

[Guest Sql_pl]

When we talk frankens then it is 16520 I think. Gens got pretty high and when you are done you get a watch VERY close to gen article.

[plaifender]

Maybe an AP Montoya Rose Gold.. Genuine $100,000.. replica $500... materials... exactly the same

[gran]

So we got On the list:

HBB ICE Bang .....are we talking replica with real diamonds?

AP Montoya Rose Gold....Real gold price?

PATEK...but which on is the best ratio buy? and is great PP replica really less than 1% of genuine?

ROLEX 16520....what is a conservative ratio estimate on this one and is the replica great?

VC...the one I listed

Any others we should mention?

[ubiquitous]

In general, I try to stay around 30% of gen for builds. If I can meet that target, I'm happy But if I go over, it's not critical either...

[gran]

In general, I try to stay around 30% of gen for builds. If I can meet that target, I'm happy But if I go over, it's not critical either...

Either you are rich..not married...enjoying your hobby to the fulest...or just plain crazy or all of the above

BTW love your timepieces

Gunnar

[ubiquitous]

Rich? No (I wish!)

Married? Yes (with a lovely wife who is very supporting of my hobby)

Enjoying the hobby to it's fullest? I try

Crazy? I think that oft times it's a requisite to be in this hobby (or a masochist)

Usually, I'm right on target of 30%-ish, but that's going off of current pre-owned market of gen in most cases (since I usually build the vintage stuff)... For the 16520 Daytonas, if I can build one within $4500.00, I consider that good; anything below is great. For the Tudor Monet Carlo, I'm currently at $4600.00, which is well below 30% of the $19k that the 703x starts at current market prices. My worst ratio was when I built my Planet Ocean for $1100.00 (gens can be had pre-owned at $1700.00).

It's kinda ridiculous, and a lot of folks don't understand why I do what I do. It's not so much the money per se, but the enjoyment that I get from building the pieces that I've always wanted. By now, for what I've got into the hobby in aggregate over the past 6 years, I could have bought some really nice gens, but in the big picture, no matter what hobby I'd be in I'd be throwing money away, cause that's what hobbies do. If I were still modding cars, I'd be sinking money into a depreciating asset that could be destroyed at any given moment while driving (and with the kinds of drivers out on the road, that's a very likely possibility). So, when it comes to fun money, I try not to stress whether things are a great deal, or a good deal, whether it makes sense or not, etc. I leave that worrying to my actual investments where returns really do matter. For watch building, I'm just here to have a good time, and maybe end up with something nice to wear on the wrist

[gran]

I'm just here to have a good time, and maybe end up with something nice to wear on the wrist

I must admit I am very impressed with you ubi ......but I have just not reached your advanced stage of horological fanaticism (yet)..

Happy Timekeeping

Gunnar

[jtiis]

Of late, I've slimmed down the number of watches I own but gotten just a few that are either Frankens or just very nice quality pieces. On this talk of rep cost vs. gen cost I know theres been some talk about how reasonable it is (or isn't) to spend 1/2 - 1/4th the price of a gen for a rep. A lot of folk seem to feel if you pay 1/3 the cost then you should have gone for the gen. I guess I'm in the minority on this one.

If I pay $800 for a rep and the gen is $2400 I'd never consider the gen a better watch for me (not even if the USED gen price were 2400). That's because I'd never pay 2400 for ANY watch. I would pay 800. And, if my 800 will get me a nice Franken of the $2400 watch I would never have otherwise (that has long term reliability in its build)....or, a very good quality but less satisfying gen worth only 800... I think the rep though expensive is still a good buy.

To put is in shorter form, after I pay 800 for a rep - the extra 1600 I'd have to have paid for a gen looks all the better in my pocket and a Franken all the more enjoyable.

Them's my $800 worth.

[freddy333]

So, when it comes to fun money, I try not to stress whether things are a great deal, or a good deal, whether it makes sense or not, etc.

Ditto.

There are 2 kinds of watch collectors/hobbyists or whatever term you prefer - those who buy a watch when the deal is right & those who get the best deal they can on the watch they want. The former group tends to spend most of their time waiting for the right deal to come along, while the latter group (I count myself among them) tends to spend most of their time enjoying their watches (& rationalizing their spending habits to bank managers, wives, friends, etc).

For me, when it comes to watches, at least in the past couple of years, price has tended to be a secondary consideration while my focus is centered on my mark. Certainly, I try not to overpay (& I generally only construct frankens that cost 1/10th-ish the price of the gen), but I will if I have to in order to get what I want. This is especially true in the case of gen Rolex parts. Year after year, I continue to find that today's insanely high price looks like a bargain in 12 months time.

[Watchmeister]

I subscribe to the Ubi approach. But remember he is typically talking about gen dial, hands, movement, etc. So we are talking about apples and oranges. The highest I have ever gone is 50% but in those cases they are 100% gen except for maybe a case back. But those watches are usually for keeps and a substitute for gen.

[Guest Carl]

I have to agree with a couple of the previous posters that I am looking for a one/tenth cost ratio as to the cost of the rep to the gen.

I usually get it and probably any good shopper can. For a VC or Patek, it's easy to get well beyond that.

Carl

[mjmj]

Of late, I've slimmed down the number of watches I own but gotten just a few that are either Frankens or just very nice quality pieces. On this talk of rep cost vs. gen cost I know theres been some talk about how reasonable it is (or isn't) to spend 1/2 - 1/4th the price of a gen for a rep. A lot of folk seem to feel if you pay 1/3 the cost then you should have gone for the gen. I guess I'm in the minority on this one.

If I pay $800 for a rep and the gen is $2400 I'd never consider the gen a better watch for me (not even if the USED gen price were 2400). That's because I'd never pay 2400 for ANY watch. I would pay 800. And, if my 800 will get me a nice Franken of the $2400 watch I would never have otherwise (that has long term reliability in its build)....or, a very good quality but less satisfying gen worth only 800... I think the rep though expensive is still a good buy.

To put is in shorter form, after I pay 800 for a rep - the extra 1600 I'd have to have paid for a gen looks all the better in my pocket and a Franken all the more enjoyable.

Them's my $800 worth.

I concur!