Your watch is a fake!

[Mills]

The only time I've been called out by somebody about wearing a fake, I had on a gen Pam with an in house movement so the guy looked like a fool in front of everyone.

As everyone else has said, its all about context. If you dress well, you'll never get called out on the newer factory works of art.

[marblegranite]

I haven't been called out yet, but then again my very first rep only arrived a few days ago. When I was out to dinner this Saturday a friend of mine asked "is that a Cartier" and since I was in a table with 15 people I just replied, "Yeah, I've wanted it for a long time". I didn't have the courage to say it was a rep in front of so many people I didn't know.

[DeeKa]

When wearing a gen 2003 ExII on a white Nato a friend of mine said once "if i wouldn't know you and the kind of watches you wear, for me this watch could be a $20 discounter one".

That's why I like the ExII, the people don't recognise it as Rolex.

Same for the ExI...

Dee

[stillincontrol]

Is it a fake

No its a watch

Well let me see i have a 150 movement, 200 case, 30 crown, 50 dial, 35 hands, 200 bracelet and still they say a caiso is better because " it's real" you no what i mean. LZ

[lhooq]

Finally, the "It's a Rolex, it must be fake" is so statistically inaccurate that comment just shows ignorance IMHO. Rolex produces around 700,000 watches a year, and there are roughly 40,000 members of the Rep Community. About 1 in 6 Rolex's in the wild is probably fake. A betting man would bet on Gen.

Yeah, but how many Rolex rep wearers are part of the community?

[Jkay]

My sister-in-law asked me point blank over the holiday table. Of course she is so maladjusted that no man (or woman) will have her and she's 45.

I was wearing my DSSD and said I would never drop 9 grand on a stainless steel watch. I think that was the right move, since my in-laws are famously cheap, and he asked to see it, in a good way.

[cjeffers58]

Had a girl at work say " nice Rolex" is it fake?

My response.. " nice [censored]" are they fake? Put an end to that real quick.

[Ronin]

Yeah, but how many Rolex rep wearers are part of the community?

Even if you double it, or factor every person who visits China were to buy a Rolex Rep, I still would say 1 in 4 or 25% would be a REP. That may skew by location and within age groups.

Just like "Medical Student Syndrome", lets not get "It must be a rep/fake syndrome".

[kramerica2]

For me, it really depends on the situation and the person asking.

For example, once, I was wearing my first rep, A cheap PO from Narikka, for a business meeting. After the meeting, a guy I only met at that meeting and was wearing an Omega SMP, rudely shouts at me (while everyone are still listening) - "Are you wearing a fake watch?"

I was very surprised, but decided to take the risk. I took the watch off my wrist, handed it to him and said - "It's a very nice gen, check it out for yourself.." He was too shocked to even really check the watch. He apologized, agreed it was a nice gen, and gave me the watch back shamefully.

The watch has many flaws, and I really took a risk, but it paid out...

Since them, I only wear gens or very good reps for meetings.

[opti]

Never been called out, but have been honest about it to people who have asked. I got complimented by what I found out to be another watch nut, I was honmest and said its a rep, he just laughed and said never admit it!, it looks great! was a great guy that just loved watches wasn't judgmental about it. I was wearing an IWC bigpilot, 15 grand watch, and in my line of work and age, its not very convincing for someone who knows how much they cost.

[khanage]

My first rep was a Rolex Explorer. It cost me £35 ($55...I know!) and I still love it. For the money, NOTHING comes close. I usedto get a cheapo "fashion"watch for Xmas, something quartz that dies the day after the guarantee runs out ,but not any more.

For me it's down to this....With a rep you get a helluva lot of watch for your money.

And if people do call you out (twice, once with my GEN Cartier Tank and once with the rep Explorer) do what I did...look them in the eye and say,with a slight hint of disdain "Oh, PLEASE!"

Both people looked suitably chastised....but the one I bluffed really made me smile!

[ExtraExtra]

Rolex, it s a fake line is too common and people comfortable with you will call it out....even if they dont know what the hell they are talking about.

[TeeJay]

The closest I've come to being 'called out', was while wearing my EuroFakes 16610 (Still the best quality Sub I've bought, but still a rip off on the price ) I was in a bar with some of wifey's co-workers, so not really people I knew, but equally not total strangers, and one guy (younger than me) first said that I was wearing a nice watch, and when I then showed it to him (at this point, I hadn't found the forum) he then asked if it was real or not (because it was a Rolex) and I explained that it was a rep, but he was still impressed, and said he'd ask his parents to get him one for his 21st (rep, not gen) He wasn't trying to call me out at all, simply trying to get information on a potential purchase For a while, I was uncomfortable weaing Rolex at under 30 years old, but having hit that mark, I now don't have an issue wearing them, and while I would happily tell someone that I was wearing a rep, no one quesions what I wear at all (mostly because the people I see most don't really know anything about watches) Ironically, I feel more self-conscious wearing my latest 16610 (budget a21j and only being worn for it's test period, before going back to the 1655) than I feel wearing the 1655, which if gen, would be worth considerably more I find this mindset helps: It's YOUR watch, it is supposed to be on YOUR wrist Don't let the watch 'wear you', and only the most attention-seeking douchebags would think of calling you out

[mbjoer]

People who don't know me would never assume that I wear fakes. I am simply too old and they do not know that I will wear another one thenext day.

People who do know me would never assume that I wear Gens. They know that I am collecting like mad, and they do not know the few Gens I do have.

It is interesting how people react in general. Most of my freinds are pretty horrified that I wear reps, but secretly a few have asked me to source one for them.

[TeeJay]

I think the real issues at stake, are not so much the watches themselves, but the media-forced stigma towards 'counterfeit goods', and the mentality of douchebag's who can ony succeed by trying to bring others down. Sure, there is a sliding scale of quality, but it depends at what point a person is, and wants to be, on that scale. For example, some people are happy to stick a poster of the Mona Lisa on their wall. Others might want something on a canvas, other still, might want a painted reproduction. No one is going to believe that the poster is the original, but likewise, that might still give someone pleasure to look at, and only a real fucknut would try taking a poster into an art gallery and trying to sell it as the original Like the budget 16610 I have just acquired, given that it has Maxi dial and hands (would make a great LV ) and the leaves of the bracelet are stamped STEBLHOX, there's no way I could try and sell it as a gen. But, I don't want to try and sell it as a gen... I want to modify it into something else (which still wouldn't pass as gen) It makes me laugh at how the gen forum snoots slag off rep owners as if every rep owner is out to sell on their reps to some unsuspecting schmoe, rather than, like the guy with the Mona Lisa poster on the wall, simply enjoying for what they are Equally, that painted reproduction is still a work of art in its own right, and even more a test of skill that the original, because while Maestro Leonardo simply painted as he always had, the forger has to not only recreate the image, but over-ride their own painting habits by imitating the brushwork of someone else, so the result is by no means something which deserves to be belittled by being called 'a fake'

[freddy333]

I get called out all the time, which is why I always carry a gun (& move alot)

[cougar1]

I honestly couldn't care less about being called out, most of the time if I am, I will say a rep is a gen and a gen is a rep....that usually confuses them. Honestly most people don't care enough about watches to have any interest, if you are wearing a rolex rep and dressed in 'chav' clothing then you are probably asking for it. I have a few friends who are semi into watches, and they get the whole rep thing and have even bought a few they were so impressed with the quality.

I do have one 'friend' well he is more a friend of a friend and one day a couple of years ago at a party he drunkenly tried to shiit on me and the rep game and 'Chinese' crap watches in a lame attention seeking attempt. I drew attention to his pride and joy Armani watch and told him that my piece of crap Chinese watch is much better made than his Chinese made Armani piece of crap bling fashion watch...that shut him up.

[iceberg1459]

lame

[TeeJay]

I honestly couldn't care less about being called out, most of the time if I am, I will say a rep is a gen and a gen is a rep....that usually confuses them. Honestly most people don't care enough about watches to have any interest, if you are wearing a rolex rep and dressed in 'chav' clothing then you are probably asking for it. I have a few friends who are semi into watches, and they get the whole rep thing and have even bought a few they were so impressed with the quality.

I do have one 'friend' well he is more a friend of a friend and one day a couple of years ago at a party he drunkenly tried to shiit on me and the rep game and 'Chinese' crap watches in a lame attention seeking attempt. I drew attention to his pride and joy Armani watch and told him that my piece of crap Chinese watch is much better made than his Chinese made Armani piece of crap bling fashion watch...that shut him up.

:tu:

[Craig88]

My good friends know I have reps. I don't spend $300 to tell others that compliment my watch that it is a fake.

[Ronin]

...

I was very surprised, but decided to take the risk. I took the watch off my wrist, handed it to him and said - "It's a very nice gen, check it out for yourself.." He was too shocked to even really check the watch. He apologized, agreed it was a nice gen, and gave me the watch back shamefully.

Word of caution, using the terms "Gen" and "Rep(lica)" are pretty unique to our little group of deviants.

A non-forum, simple watch owner, would probably be more inclined to speak the words: Real, Genuine Article, Real Thing -vs- Gen (slang). And in the real world Replica often is simply Fake or Counterfeit.

If someone tried to bluff using Gen or Rep, I would be suspect.

[Nanuq]

Here's an old story from awhile back... repeated just for fun. This happened on one of those harbor tours out of Seward, Alaska. This is what reps are for!

I was with my brother Dave on one of those glacier cruises where the boat takes you right up to the face of a glacier and toots the horn so the thing calves off big chunks of ice and scares the hell out of the tourists.

I was wearing a newer model Sea Dweller from Andrew, and we were all up on top of the boat, there were lots of tourists milling around in gore-tex and down parkas. I had already noticed a few times that the watch would leak and fog up, and I hate that. So I nudged Dave and whispered "watch this".

I held my arm up to ostentatiously check the time, and Rolex Stainless Steel glistened and glittered in the sun like God's Own Bling. I then sucked in my breath in alarm and said "IT STOPPED! Look, this thing stopped again!" and showed it Dave. He clucked his tongue, shook his head, and said something about "as expensive as that thing was, you'd think it would work!" and I agreed loudly.

A couple of heads turned toward us.

So I shook my wrist a few times, and held it up to my ear. Shaking my head in disgust, I took it off and waved my hand around wildly to "wind it" and got lots more people glancing at me nervously. Then I unscrewed the crown and wound it up madly with exaggerated motions, elbows flying, and listened again. "It's STILL dead!!!" I said to Dave, and I could see him suppressing a laugh.

More people looked, so I tapped it a couple times on the railing, and held it to my ear again. DING DING DINGGGG!! Dave was dying by now, trying not to laugh. When I tapped the railing the metal pipe sort of rang a little, and more people looked.

I listened to the watch again and said "This bloody piece of @#!*$%" and hit it harder on the railing. Dave was biting his lip and people were starting to stare. I held it up to my ear again and said loudly "YOU MISERABLE LOUSY CHEAP ROLEX!!!" and I turned and bashed it really really hard on the railing 5 or 6 times, WHANG WHANG WHANG WHANG!!! and the pipe was ringing and people were stepping back.

Everyone was staring, and I held it up to my ear for a moment, the pipe was still ringing, and I shouted "YOU LOUSY PIECE OF SWISS CRAP!!!!" and I drew my arm back, big pause for effect, and threw that watch as far as I could out into the ocean.

It made a really nice high arc, glittering in the sun, and landed with a nice big splash. Dave was nearly wetting himself, tears were rolling down his cheeks, and I stormed down the steps to the lower deck as people parted and let me through, their mouths gaping in astonishment.

It was glorious.

[asf]

So that's one of your techniques to

Vintagizing I see.

[Adeodatus]

I think I just wet myself. It is glorious, Nanuq! :notworthy:

[opti]

I was recently talking to a guy who WANTED a rep, didnt know muc about watches thou, so I educated him. The fact is, I would rather buy raps because they are actually great value for what you get, forget the name thats on it for a second. They are constructed and engineered like the gens, but minus the strict quality control, so your getting a lot of bang for buck. The friend had an armani watch, said it cost 600 bucks, I supressed a laugh, said that thing would have cost about 20 bucks max to make, its just a case with an electric motor in it. Really made me realise that by cutting out the middleman (retail) we are getting great value. I dont think I will ever buy an off the shelf watch again unless it is really specialised or gen of my rep, last off the shelf I got was a polar watch because of the heart rate monitor.

TLDR, for the money we spend, I would much rather the reps we get than what gen you can get at the same price.

Edited March 20, 2012 by opti