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What Watch Would You Wear To China?


dabom

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Okay - here's an interesting question: what watch would you wear to the land of fakes - China? Since fakes are made there, I am assuming that there's heaps around. So what would you wear to avoid looking like you just bought a fake?

Does anyone have any experience in China - what do the locals wear? If they wear fakes, how good are they?

Would you wear a gen, to avoid looking like you're wearing a fake?

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I will be going to China next week. I will be wearing my Omega SMP 300m Pro GMT.

The huge bulk of reps for sale in China are low-end reps. The ratio is literally several thousands of "Canal Street" quality to one high-end replica.

Most of the sellers have never even seen the sort of reps that we enjoy.

Last year when I was there, whenever I showed a watch seller my Pam 039, in order to indicate the quality that I was looking for, I got the Cantonese equivalent of "Don't pull my leg, Sunshine - that's an original". :D

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do not wear a genuine watch in asia. ask thomasng why!

Sorry, Slay... I should have said that I will be wearing my replica SMP 300m GMT when I go to China.

I don't own any genuines... except for a Vostok Attache. I thought the Vostok was a big watch until I discovered Panerai - now it seems inconsequential.

Edited by Highflyingclive
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Listen to me.

DO NOT WEAR ANYTHING that looks really close to a genuine. You do not want criminals mistaking them for genuines. People are accustomed to seeing the POS fake tourbillon watches around, or Luminor Urinas, and that's pretty much it. If you don't mind getting mugged, that's not the point,. These people are ruthless, they may hurt/kill you even before you have a chance to hand everything over. Just wear a cheap Seiko or a Timex. There, done. I wear a Seiko diver when I make my trip to China. If you are planning to go to Hong Kong, please do not wear replica watches either. HK is a city that is full of WIS, and you're waiting for someone to call you out sooner or later.

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I wear a Seiko diver when I make my trip to China.

I wore my Seiko Diver to MBK in Bangkok today and I took the opportunity to buy some spring bars and a strap and my brother, wearing his genuine Planet Ocean took it off and pointed to the spring bars as we didn't know the Thai word, and she didn't even blink. When she noticed my Seiko, she said it was a very nice watch.

She assumed his Gen was a Rep as everyone here wears reps, and he says that happens a lot and he prefers it as he'll never get mugged for a rep. :D

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Listen to me.

DO NOT WEAR ANYTHING that looks really close to a genuine. You do not want criminals mistaking them for genuines. People are accustomed to seeing the POS fake tourbillon watches around, or Luminor Urinas, and that's pretty much it. If you don't mind getting mugged, that's not the point,. These people are ruthless, they may hurt/kill you even before you have a chance to hand everything over. Just wear a cheap Seiko or a Timex. There, done. I wear a Seiko diver when I make my trip to China. If you are planning to go to Hong Kong, please do not wear replica watches either. HK is a city that is full of WIS, and you're waiting for someone to call you out sooner or later.

thanks for the info! Anywhere else in the world you wouldn't wear a gen?

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I'd wear something like this:

126121-20327.gif

swiss made but wont get you your throat cut by some [censored]!

Btw. I recently saw a report an TV, that in neaple (I dont remember 100% if it was neaple, but i'm pretty sure) they hand you over watches which look close to the swatch, because many ppl got their genuine watches stolen over there. Happens A LOT over there! they keep your gen in the safe at the hotel and hand you over the plastik watch!

edit: Do not wear a gen in all 3rd world countries (epsecialy not in africa or dafur!), not even in 2nd world countries or in bad neighborhoods of 1st world countries!

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How about Stockholm in Sweden?

The part of London I'm in is also probably not the place to wear a nice watch, unless you look like me and wear soccer jerseys all the time with combats and trainers - no one would even believe if I could afford it or not and assume a rep! :Jumpy:

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Wearing good watches in Europe is fine IMO, Sweden should be safe. Just keep them out of some neghbourhoods of Paris, London, etc.

In general, don't wear nice watches when in places like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc., etc. However, flaunting your wealth is perfectly all right in places like Singapore, Japan and most of Hong Kong, just don't get stuck in Mong Kok with a genuine watch!

A lot of this stuff is pretty much a no-brainer. Just think, you're in a country where the gen value of the watch equals 5 years salary. Of course, you'll be a target of robbers, if you want to pass it off as real.

In Toronto, I don't wear a watch to begin with, in some areas of downtown (Yonge from Wellesley to Dundas), and anything east of that.

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I still remember news in Hong Kong where a guy was wearing a gold

rolex president, have a arm hanging out a window of a mercedes.

He stopped at the traffic light. a guy came up and chop off his arm

and ran off with the arm and watch....

my friend had a real rolex with diamonds. he was followed by two guys

out of a restaurant....for 3 blocks. ( that was last year )

better wear a seiko or citizen,,,,....or something cheap and decent

if u are on a holiday.

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I still remember news in Hong Kong where a guy was wearing a gold

rolex president, have a arm hanging out a window of a mercedes.

He stopped at the traffic light. a guy came up and chop off his arm

and ran off with the arm and watch....

my friend had a real rolex with diamonds. he was followed by two guys

out of a restaurant....for 3 blocks. ( that was last year )

better wear a seiko or citizen,,,,....or something cheap and decent

if u are on a holiday.

That has happened in Macao from what I know. Few incidents of people's hands being chopped off for Rolexes.

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China............wear what you like

Few will appreciate quality (rep or real)

Locals buy watches on an 'is it beautiful?' basis

You wont even find any rep dealers with what could remotely be described as product knowledge!

If you want your watch to be noticed, try something extreme..... my huge Tauchmeister did the trick a couple of trips back.

As for bad guys...........

same same everywhere,

give off the aura of a sheep..... they'll come and shear you :black_eye:

give off the aura of a rabid wolf.... they'll go look for a sheep :g:

(btw dont forget in China they're 4foot midgets and terrified of authority)

:thumbsupsmileyanim:

.

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Okay - here's an interesting question: what watch would you wear to the land of fakes - China? Since fakes are made there, I am assuming that there's heaps around. So what would you wear to avoid looking like you just bought a fake?

Does anyone have any experience in China - what do the locals wear? If they wear fakes, how good are they?

Would you wear a gen, to avoid looking like you're wearing a fake?

Something cheap and quartz. Trying to impress people in a foreign country, especially a still-developing one, is pure silliness unless you're there specifically there to meet with clients or something. A tourist or student with a fancy watch might as well put a sign around his neck that says "hey, I'm a foreigner who thinks he's a big shot, please rip me off." A fake fancy watch . . . that's just dumb. You're begging to get shook down for money you don't even have.

However, you might pack a Rolex if it is likely that a rich Chinese friend will show you the Shanghai nightlife. Just make sure it's a damn good one, and that you're not stuck with the tab at the end of the night.

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it's not that i want to show-off, but if I have a nice gen, I want to enjoy it on vacation - I don't want to be a slave to my watch, I want to enjoy it! Having said that, I'm not going to be flaunting it in public.

Are those people saying it's unsafe to wear gens in China speaking from a bad experience, or based on hear-say?

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it's not that i want to show-off, but if I have a nice gen, I want to enjoy it on vacation - I don't want to be a slave to my watch, I want to enjoy it! Having said that, I'm not going to be flaunting it in public.

Are those people saying it's unsafe to wear gens in China speaking from a bad experience, or based on hear-say?

To spell it out.......

Ive travelled the Far East extensively

Often openly wearing trinkets (and watches) of obvious value and in some of the more feared haunts

without problem

As I have elsewhere on the planet

China in my opinion is one of the least agressive places I have been

BUT.......... Its not the watch, the place, or the circumstance in these situations....... its YOU...

a fool can be mugged in Mayfair, a savvy can traverse the ghettos of Rio without problem.

Only you can decide, but the fact that youre asking is perhaps of itself the answer.

.

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To spell it out.......

Ive travelled the Far East extensively

Often openly wearing trinkets (and watches) of obvious value and in some of the more feared haunts

without problem

As I have elsewhere on the planet

China in my opinion is one of the least agressive places I have been

BUT.......... Its not the watch, the place, or the circumstance in these situations....... its YOU...

a fool can be mugged in Mayfair, a savvy can traverse the ghettos of Rio without problem.

Only you can decide, but the fact that youre asking is perhaps of itself the answer.

.

I agree. I've never felt threatened in China. Just being a westerner gives the impression of wealth (with or without the watch).

I wear my gen ExpII, Sub LV, Montblanc or Broadarrow here. If I go out drinking I wear my rep Sub LV or ExpII :) They might not strong arm you for the watch but if you're drunk and they can slip it off you they will.

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I wear my gen ExpII, Sub LV, Montblanc or Broadarrow here. If I go out drinking I wear my rep Sub LV or ExpII :) They might not strong arm you for the watch but if you're drunk and they can slip it off you they will.

that's interesting that you buy reps of the gens you have. if i had a gen version, i wouldn't be able to stand wearing the rep version since I obviously appreciate the gen enough to buy it. I only buy reps of watches I'm trying out, or never intend to buy gens of.

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