jnkay Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Was in Manhatten's diamond district on 46th, and my wife was looking at a ring. The jeweler had a blue TT sub that I was admiring, when I noticed the gold on one segment of the clasp was worn out from constantly banging and rubbing the clasp against the corner of the display counter. Intrigued that this happened and wondering how durable the gold on the clasps really is, I inquired. Turns out the jeweler tells me the watch is a rep! He wears the rep in the store because watches gets so banged up against the display counter. The jeweler let me handle it when I expressed my amazement that the watch was a rep., given that it had a flawless blue dial and deep rehaut. Normally those would give up any blue tt rep I've ever seen. (I know from these things, because I have a gen blue tt.) He said he didn't mod the dial; it came that way. The dial was so perfect in every way that I think the dealer puts gen or aftermarket replacement dials in his reps. Interestingly, the jeweler said the best place to get good Rolex reps in NY is right there in the diamond district! You won't find them in a storefront, and you have to ask. The other interesting thing is that when looking at this rep, it never would have occurred to me that it wasn't genuine, given the fact that the owner of a large diamond store and his son were wearing them, and secondarily, the perfect colored/marked dial. Yet upon handling the watch, the pearl was a dog, the bracelet had solid links, and the crown and crown guards weren't particularly accurate. Just goes to show that: 1) if you are a person who could credibly wear a $6,000+ watch, it never occurs to other people who would credibly wear such a watch, that your watch might not be authentic; 2) this was a very different rep. than you can get from any of our dealers; 3) Reps are pervasive, even among the authentic jewelers of midtown Manhatten 4) Most of the reps we get thru this forum are good enough to fool almost all of the people almost all of the time; and 4) It is our own awareness that we are wearing reps, and our knowledge of their inaccuracies that often drives our level of satisfaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbchubb Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 This is soooo true.. Whenever I follow the heated discussions on rep flaws and how easy this or that rep could be identified as a fake I think the same thing: If you are the kind of guy/gal who looks like they could afford to wear a gen and you wear your rep with selfconfidence, nobody, not even an AD will suspect your watch is a fake as the level of acuracy of most of the good quality reps that are sold these days is just amazing. If your 18 or 20 or get out of your rusty subcompact, that's a different story...as the picture just doesn't feel right. (Notwithstanding a couple of 20 something dot com millionaires... ) I've been addicted to watches for more than 30 years and I have quite an extensive collection. I never pass the window of a dealer without looking, I buy watch magazines and collect catalogues. I sometimes change my watch several times a day. Although I consider myself to be a watchoholic, I had never heard or read the word "rehaut" before stumbling upon my first Rep Forum early this year. Before I absorbed all the information available on these Forums, I probably could not have spottet the watch that I am wearing today (TTK's Noobmariner) as being a fake and that is me, a watch-fan for most of my life... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 I sometimes change my watch several times a day. A DAY? do you work at home? or do you carry your watch box to the office Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionsandtigers Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 just to chime in, the whole "looking like they can afford it" thing is kinda crap. I am COVERED in tattoos, full sleeves, long hair, look like a bum, lol, and i have plenty of money. its a common misconception, but not so much here in nyc anymore. alot of my friends who have money look like they live on the street, and they have a boatload more then these dealers, trust me. not particularly on the subject of this post, but i just thought i would chime in, seeing how the lines of wealth these days are thining........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbchubb Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 A DAY? do you work at home? or do you carry your watch box to the office Believe it or not... I sometimes carry a second watch in my bag to the office.... I do often change my watch in the evening.. (other than that, I'm a nice guy though ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbchubb Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 just to chime in, the whole "looking like they can afford it" thing is kinda crap. I personally don't believe in judging books by their cover and I don't in my small little world, but it is still a concept deeply rooted in people's minds. So while I agree that it's crap, I do not think it's over yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 I personally don't believe in judging books by their cover and I don't in my small little world, but it is still a concept deeply rooted in people's minds. So while I agree that it's crap, I do not think it's over yet... That's just the problem though. You can judge a book by its cover. People dress a certain way precisely because they want to be judged in a particular way. Honestly, someone who gets loads of tattoos doesn't do so thinking "Damn, I'd best make sure I can cover them up as I don't want people to think I'm a hard nut" and people who wear Armani don't buy suits because they're more comfortable than slacks. We, us forum members, are amongst the pinnacle of judge-me-by-my-cover as we buy replicas. ps. It's got nothing to do with wealth, by the way ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waxon Waxoff Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Really good points in the original post. In my mind, reps are close enough where I'm not going to purchase any second-hand gen watches over the internet. If I need someone to point out flaws to me on pictures that take up my entire screen, I'm never going to be able to figure it out in the real world. There seems to be an element of paranoia on these rep boards. I'm not buying reps to try to pass them off as real. I'm not trying to impress anyone. 90+% of the world at large could give two shits about what my watch is anyway. I'm buying them because of the way they look. I'm never going to buy a real 6263, but I love the look, and with a rep I get to have that look on my wrist. Oh, and regarding the context issue. I bought my gen Datejust when I was mainly getting around on a bicycle about 15 years ago. So the reality is you never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbchubb Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 That's just the problem though. You can judge a book by its cover. People dress a certain way precisely because they want to be judged in a particular way. Honestly, someone who gets loads of tattoos doesn't do so thinking "Damn, I'd best make sure I can cover them up as I don't want people to think I'm a hard nut" and people who wear Armani don't buy suits because they're more comfortable than slacks. We, us forum members, are amongst the pinnacle of judge-me-by-my-cover as we buy replicas. ps. It's got nothing to do with wealth, by the way ... Well...the question here is...do you get the real picture if you make a judgement based on what someone WANTS you to see? Not everyone with body painting is an active member of the hells angels and certainly not everyone in Armani is a distinguished gentlemen. We all wear masks for various reasons and the truth may be very different from the visible picture... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OiRogers Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 Well...the question here is...do you get the real picture if you make a judgement based on what someone WANTS you to see? Not everyone with body painting is an active member of the hells angels and certainly not everyone in Armani is a distinguished gentlemen. We all wear masks for various reasons and the truth may be very different from the visible picture... And some of us have both the various Tattoos and the nice suits.... I am related to a Hells Angel member, but I, myself am much more law abiding. As long as the tattoos stay off the hands, neck, and face... Suits can easily cover tattoos when situations require. I think Tattoos are actually a larger addiction to me than watches... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craytonic Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 (edited) You have any luck with the diamond? I was there looking for around a 1 carat stone for a pendant to give my girlfriend... everyone but 2 stores showed the most worthless, crappy stones for such a high price... really hit and miss. I think I may give it another go next weekend. Edited October 25, 2006 by Craytonic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchlover321 Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 just to chime in, the whole "looking like they can afford it" thing is kinda crap. I am COVERED in tattoos, full sleeves, long hair, look like a bum, lol, and i have plenty of money. its a common misconception, but not so much here in nyc anymore. alot of my friends who have money look like they live on the street, and they have a boatload more then these dealers, trust me. not particularly on the subject of this post, but i just thought i would chime in, seeing how the lines of wealth these days are thining........ Can't agree more. looking rich and being rich is 2 different things. I know a friend of a friend who parades around in a leased SLK but couldn't even afford a decent apartment... also the threads he wears man... whoaaa... fancy... this guy has debts all over the place maintaining his lifestyle.. To each his own I guess.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Not everyone with body painting is an active member of the hells angels and certainly not everyone in Armani is a distinguished gentlemen. We all wear masks for various reasons and the truth may be very different from the visible picture... Yes, but people chose the masks to wear. It's obvious they want to be prejudged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbchubb Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Yes, but people chose the masks to wear. It's obvious they want to be prejudged. It would be nice if we all were at liberty to chose our mask... not in my experience though... you play a part to satisfy a real or concieved demand...for the perfect husband or wife...the perfect friend...the perfect co-worker... the perfect salesman...whatever. Some of us more... some of us less. Whoever does no participate in this game at all...is a true independent and enlightened individual - en route to Nirvana and followed closely by my envy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnkay Posted October 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 You have any luck with the diamond? I was there looking for around a 1 carat stone for a pendant to give my girlfriend... everyone but 2 stores showed the most worthless, crappy stones for such a high price... really hit and miss. I think I may give it another go next weekend. Well, sort of. We did find something nice, at a price we could live with, but we wanted to look some more, then never made it back to that store.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swdivad Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Yes, but people chose the masks to wear. It's obvious they want to be prejudged. Mask?? What mask Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottie333 Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 Excellent!!! LOL :-) You made my day with that pic. Sums it up nicely!!!! Neither a borrower or a lender be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddhead Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 That's just the problem though. You can judge a book by its cover. People dress a certain way precisely because they want to be judged in a particular way. Honestly, someone who gets loads of tattoos doesn't do so thinking "Damn, I'd best make sure I can cover them up as I don't want people to think I'm a hard nut" and people who wear Armani don't buy suits because they're more comfortable than slacks. We, us forum members, are amongst the pinnacle of judge-me-by-my-cover as we buy replicas. ps. It's got nothing to do with wealth, by the way ... I agree that people make a concious decision with respect to thier appearance because it reflects something about themselves... it goes to self-image your appearance is all about how you view yourself, and that in turn is how others tend to view you. However, L and T is right in the respect that in NYC you can't really judge someone's demographics on the basis of how they dress, how long their hair is, etc... the city is just too diverse for that. It is one of the things I really love about living here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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