cougar1 Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 First time I've read an even partly balanced opinion about reps in a gen forum. Of course the usual screamers come to the fore, but for once nice to see a thread where there is at least some discussion and even a little nod that reps are indeed a valid hobby. Not that anyone cares what they think but however, a few interesting opinions given. Don't think it will catch on though Here Only baffling part for me is how so many so called WIS are good at being outraged but can't spot a fake rolex I found this quote particularly amusing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limestone Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Would have been an interesting read.. But I only get: "The requested topic does not exist" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDG Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 It is so true that we have so much more knowledge on watches then most of the guys on gen forums. My friends with gens thought that a crappy 21j breitling was a gen lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miagi Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 interesting read. and glad to see that it was allowed to be discussed, and that there were some good balanced opinions. not common for a gen forum.. funny how they usually fear us that much. im guessing without the rep foras there would be a lot of fakes on their wrist..bought in good faith on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 This is quite scary Re: 'Replica' watches by theoriginaldigger on Fri Jan 27, 2012 8:08 pm In my opinion the proposition that the fake watch market is perpetuated by self-taught amateur master watchmakers slaving for years to recreate a near perfect homage of some fabled mythical timepiece the precise details of which have been lost in the annuls of time is frankly cobblers. The reality surely is that like the drugs trade, prostitution, human trafficking and all other lucrative criminal activities, all fake goods including watches are in fact profiting the international organised crime syndicates. They don't care where their money comes from, fake Panerai's today, child prostitution tomorrow - oh yes. Digger So tomorrow i will be starting a new business apparently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 It's quite obvious that half the people in the thread are rep forum lurkers. It's also obvious that people who get angry over the existence of replica watches have tied their own self-worth into the perceived worth of their possessions. If I wear a fake Rolex, I am pretending to be as good as you, who have purchased an actual Swiss Rolex. That is what makes them so angry. I'm sad for them. The brand of your man-jewelry does not make you a good person but somehow they are wired to think it does. Very sad. They have been taken completely by an advertisement copy writer .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mills Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Some common sense for once. I liken the rep v's gen argument a little like pirating MP3's v's buying from iTunes or a shop. If I had never pirated certain tracks from artists I would never have bought their full back catalogue. Same goes for reps, I would have never bought a real Panerai until I'd bought a few reps and lived with them for a while. On the comment of rep guys knowing more than gen, this is so damn true. I knew nothing until I started diving into the whole rep scene and the fact that the watch only cost me $250 gave me the confidence to take it to pieces, mess around and make mistakes that didn't cost me a fortune. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 It just makes me laugh how the automatic assumption is that people who own reps either own them to pass them off as gens, or to try and sell them as gens on eBay I've never tried to pass a rep off as a gen, and to be honest, the only time I ever would, would be to such a douche, they would be someone I wouldn't even want want knowing my first name, let alone caring if they thought I was wearing a fake watch To be fair, whoever it was who put the pic up of the MR2-powered Ferrari is right, I would buy one of those (assuming I could drive ) I look at it this way: It tells the real time, that makes it a real watch... So it's a Chinese Made Rolex rather than a Swiss Made Rolex, it's still a Rolex, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Very nice read cougar..TZ-UK is one of the better gen sites Imo. The moderation there Is not so heavy handed...always a good thing. Most of the time I see nothing but Ignorance from the gen folks In reguards to reps...not the case here...not all togeher anyway. Some of those people actually get It...unfortunately most of them dont. As far as the MR2 fake...I'll take mine In yellow. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougar1 Posted January 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Yep maxman, tz-uk is not over moderated, and open discussion is allowed to a certain extent,....that is until the self proclaimed mods come in an start the whole 'fakes are for fake people' rubbish. Thankfully the forum has a few normal watch fans Just to follow on from above: ....Overall I wouldn't call it a tide turn but I do believe that more and more watch enthusiasts are looking or have already looked towards reps and see them differently than they would have say a 5 or 6 years ago. The old arguments about rep 'crap' vs precision Swiss craftsmanship are becoming undone when even the blind can see that the Swiss watch industry has been milking the 'precision craftsmanship' slogan for years now. Added to that, we know that reps these days are not quite what they used to be and this is filtering through to those watch fans who might not have taken notice a few years ago. Lots of people on gen forums are more than a little appalled these days by the 15%+ per annum increases on Swiss brands across the board and they have literally been completely priced out of brands that they might have loved just a few years ago. Of course there will always be the brand fanatics that can't abide reps regardless of how good they are in a side by side comparison to their pride and joy. It would wound them to admit they might have over-spent. It's the one's as seen from FxrAndy's quote above who liken the whole rep world to child trafficking or paedophilia are the very disturbing sort, god only knows where that such acidic hatred comes from, I can only assume that they may have been seriously ripped off in the past, even then it's a little over the top, imo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I believe that acidic post is sarcasm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff g Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Good thread, thanks. If the Gen WIS forum members are sick of the rep/gen controversory..imagine how we must feel around this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upland Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Not to mucho rep collectors, who don't own poquito gens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougar1 Posted January 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I believe that acidic post is sarcasm. I would hope so, there are plenty of anti rep brigade lunatics like that though. I actually thought that thread would've continued with a bit more input and useful argument but not so, it seemed to wane off, I guess many who would have valid argument don't get involved because eventually these type of discussions only go one way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gotohavearolexnow Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 In my case I love watches and rolex and omega etc etc make the best looking watches , yet I cannot afford genuine watches very often even though I have a few tissot genuine watches the dearest costing £975 , I do try and buy the best available reps though I buy he watches because I like them not because I try to how them as genuine I think it depends on what sort of person you are . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougar1 Posted January 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 (edited) I agree, I love watch designs, I've never been a 'brand' fan, even when I buy clothes I go out of my way to try to avoid logo'd stuff...or at the very least minimize them, it's much more subtle and discreet and less gaudy infact. I never get the argument from some on gen watch forums about, homages and sterile 'replicas' being the only way as an alternative to reps to satisfy the need for a particular design. To me, there are some good hommages but with many there is just something odd about the designs, sterile dials look flat and drab to me, it's nothing to do with the missing logo, it's just more that they lack balance and just don't look right. Also many hommages just don't capture the aesthetics of the gen close enough to be worth buying, they can be too big, or have some stupid design feature that throws the whole watch off balance. That ruins the design that you originally fell in love it. Reps are fantastic. If I really really want and love the gen I'd buy after a test run with the rep, but there are many watches I really like, but I don't love enough to part with 4 figures for. That's my 2c anyway . Edited January 29, 2012 by cougar1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman_Fred Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 When I read these kind of comments made by people, who are essentially not too different from us "fake watch geeks", it occurs to me that they are missing the point. The majority of us are as passionate about owning a Rolex, Panerai, Omega etc, (albeit a replica), as those who are fortunate to be able to afford the "real thing". I actually feel more "fortunate" than them in many respects! In my time of collecting reps, I have owned probably 50+ replicas of some of the most expensive and desirable watches out there - I wonder how many gens they have been fortunate enough to own ! I have NEVER tried to pass off a rep as a gen and having "tried out" a particular rep which I have subsequently fallen in love with, I have gone out and bought the gen of the same. These gen geeks ought to realise that there are many rep owners who also own genuine watches and therefore possess the knowledge and understanding to be able to appreciate a Rolex, Panerai or Omega for what it is, even if it is a "copy" of the original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gotohavearolexnow Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I agree to that if I could afford the genuine overpriced rolex I would buy them but they are so overpriced I doubt I will ever own another I did have a non date submariner for many years but when I saw how good the replicas were I had to go and did buy me five real good watches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportsterRider Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I think the real reason gen 'snobs' get all worked up over reps is simple; they lose that 'exclusivity' more and more as replica's get better and better. A true WIS isn't offended by a replica. Look at The Zigmeister; if anyone can be qualified as a WIS, it's him. And yet he'll work on one with as much care and professionalism as he would any other timepiece. I just think for a large portion of gen buyers, the thought of their not-on-everyone's-wrist timepiece all of a sudden becoming more common (at least in appearance) because of the rep industry, just annoys them to no end. The proof is in the pudding as they say. There are FAR more knowledgeable folks here than on any gen forum I belong to. People here are into timepieces more than the image the timepiece projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Although briefly mentioned, it was glossed over. I wish someone with an account over there would chime in with: "Replica Guys are responsible for flagging down the majority of scammers selling fake/reps on eBay", we know every detail so well and are thus qualified to perform this "Public Service". There IS "Honor amongst RepWIS's" The fake people stuff is laughable. I personally own MORE GENS then most of the Gen Fourm guys who maybe get their one grail Omega/Rolex/etc. But, I also own REPS. So by that logic, what the fsck am I? 1/2 Fake. I do love the car analogies. If I rolled into a Porsche Club event in a Beck Spyder, I would be welcomed. If I showed up at a Rolex GTG with a 6542 Franken, I would be burned at the stake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman_Fred Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Although briefly mentioned, it was glossed over. I wish someone with an account over there would chime in with: "Replica Guys are responsible for flagging down the majority of scammers selling fake/reps on eBay", we know every detail so well and are thus qualified to perform this "Public Service". There IS "Honor amongst RepWIS's" I totally agree, if there is one thing I have learned since I found RWG is how to spot a fake watch !! A few years ago now, I got ripped off with a (don't laugh - please !) brass Omega Seamaster !!! It looked OK until the shiny (chrome?) top layer started wear off and the brass started to show through. No wonder it felt heavy! To the untrained eye, you just can't tell from some of the photos on Ebay, some of which are deliberately out of focus... I have bought a number of gens from Ebay and I have got some good deals because I now know what to look for. I have also reported some terrible fake, (and I call them "Fake" as they were so bad), "Omegas" on Ebay. I do this because I don't want any other poor sap to buy another chrome plated brass Seamaster for £100, like I did ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougar1 Posted January 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 (edited) Yep good points about the rep community flagging more scam watches on ebay than any of these uptight anti rep clowns could even comprehend. This has been discussed before and pointed out aswell, Here is another interesting thread....takes a while to get going and is long and it gets more heated but still some good arguments before it descends into the bowels of hell Here.... Read it if you want to kill an hour! Edited January 29, 2012 by cougar1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I got as far as page 15 before I couldn't stand it anymore... Reading that makes me remember exactly why I would never buy a gen, and would never want to attend a gen GTG, as it would mean hanging out with self-righteous sanctimonious douchebags. One of those guys pissed me off so much, it made me want to pistol-whip him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougar1 Posted January 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Yeah, it's hard going, the thing that amazes me is the average joe on the street doesn't give a crap what these guys are wearing or how much it cost. The irony is that these rep haters have more in common ...i.e. an interest in watches, with the 'enemy' than they do with the 99% of the couldn't care less, sub $200 watch wearing planet. Yet they can't see it, or refuse to. Bloody silly really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Yeah, it's hard going, the thing that amazes me is the average joe on the street doesn't give a crap what these guys are wearing or how much it cost. The irony is that these rep haters have more in common ...i.e. an interest in watches, with the 'enemy' than they do with the 99% of the couldn't care less, sub $200 watch wearing planet. Yet they can't see it, or refuse to. Bloody silly really! It is stupid, but I think it's because their such elitists, that they put so much stock (regardless of what they'll admit to on forum) in how their watches defines them as 'Men of Taste', that having that rug pulled out from under them (either through someone wearing a rep which looks as good as what they are wearing, or by hearing how little their watches are really worth ) that it's such a huge blow to their 'NumberOneism' that it automatically puts them on the defensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.