marrickvilleboy Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Long story short and for the old school guys who know me, its been a great run and when I first started back in 2005, all I could think about was getting my next rep! I was obsessed with Omegas - bought my first rep from Paul (ABAY) and it was the Omega SMP 2531.8000 blue dial, then it was the all black 2245 before getting electric blue with steel bezel insert. Over these years, watches have come and gone and today realised that I am starting to get out of the rep world when I went through my collection. I know alot of members here also go through similar transitions and some purely use the rep game to try and then purchase the gen. Others absolutely love the modding side of this hobby. The last rep I sold was a modded BK 16610 submariner and I dont think i'll be looking back... How many of you guys have gone through this process like me? It'll be interesting to see! Anyway, here's my entire collection - only one of these is a rep - can you guess which one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyjynx Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I'll go on a limb and say the rep is Tag Heuer front row, second from right. Clue? It's missing bezel lume pip. On the other hand, it could be one of those two identical SMP in the back row. The one on the right has the bezel lume pip slightly off center and bigger. So I strongly believe it's the rep. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Got to be the Casio, just so many tells Nice collection, congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwatch Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 From logic one of the SMP´s - how does the rep compare to the gen? Would tip on the 007 but it actually looks sharper than the other, lol impossible to tell on that pic. The one watch that looks "strange" is the Tag on the right side as said above. And congrats on the quality, durable and adventure collection, it´s one I could perfectly imagine aiming for, no overly expensive dress-exotics You almost never use but solid, good-looking, long-term sensible choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marrickvilleboy Posted May 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Thanks for the kind comments guys. I have waited and waited for these at a good price and I think it's safe I got most at a bargain. A clue would be those SMPs are both genuine (got the standard one for $500 with box and papers ) .. And not the tag either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraggle42 Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Coca-cola, back left. Don't ask me why, just something about it, and the others, in rep form, never get frankened anywhere near as Rolex's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomhorn Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I'm halfway down your journey .... bought a few reps to get started, and now am occupying myself with building frankens ... next step will probably be gens ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
importr Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Wild guess, the Pepsi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendota Explorer Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I'm going to say the Pepsi GMT. The bezel teeth are too rounded in my opinion, and the crown guards look too narrow and pointed. Am I right? How funny will it be if that's a gen? LOL, I'll feel like a dope. Great collection, by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marrickvilleboy Posted May 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I'm halfway down your journey .... bought a few reps to get started, and now am occupying myself with building frankens ... next step will probably be gens ... Great to hear! I think the next stage is when you realise its expensive to build frankens and end up getting gens like me! Whats in your collection in terms of frankens? I'm going to say the Pepsi GMT. The bezel teeth are too rounded in my opinion, and the crown guards look too narrow and pointed. Am I right? How funny will it be if that's a gen? LOL, I'll feel like a dope. Great collection, by the way. Coca-cola, back left. Don't ask me why, just something about it, and the others, in rep form, never get frankened anywhere near as Rolex's. Nope - the GMT is genuine - its a 16750 from '83...the bezel is indeed quite worn and was told my Rolex that it should be changed when they gave me a quote. The replica is the Tudor Sub! Think its actually one of the nicest pieces around (love the snow flake hands) and was able to pick up a gen dial last year for this build Again, thanks for kind comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cromag Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Ah, so you think the GMT is gen eh. j/k I am kinda in between. Sometimes I don't fell comfortable wearing gen because I don't want to scratch it up. Other times I don't want to wear gen because I don't want to get called out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyjynx Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Thanks for the kind comments guys. I have waited and waited for these at a good price and I think it's safe I got most at a bargain. A clue would be those SMPs are both genuine (got the standard one for $500 with box and papers ) .. And not the tag either! Wait... You got gen SMP with box and paper for $500? Must be a typo or maybe I misunderstood you.... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marrickvilleboy Posted May 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Wait... You got gen SMP with box and paper for $500? Must be a typo or maybe I misunderstood you.... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Indeed I did movement was not running and dial had some water damage though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I can certainly appreciate where you are and where you are going. The very same thing happened to me, although in the reverse cycle. I have been fooling around with watches since right out of college, way, way back, probably before a lot of the guys here were born. Over the years, I had quite a lot of genuine watches, mostly Rolex, although, never more than one or two at a time. Around the early to mid 1990's, I sort of got disenchanted with Rolex as there were so many really bad replicas hitting the market, mostly quartz reps of the Datejust and Day/Date. I started shifting over to other brands, what were around here, very obscure brands, like IWC, Chronoswiss, UN, Oris, etc.. This went on for a few years, and while trawling the internet, I came across a couple of replica sites. These were the typical scam sites that have their own "forum". fortunately for me, I found the old TRC, which was a great forum, much like this one. I started buying reps and was pretty active for several years.At that stage of the rep evolution, the reps were not nearly as good as those are today, and to make them "believable" almost every one had to be modded I had a couple of bad experiences trying to sell modded reps. as most folks back then were not willing to pay 800-1000 USD for a modded rep, especially considering the base rep new was around 250-350 USD.I got rid of every rep I owned, and kept the gens, which got me down to about 6-7 watches. I got really involved in vintage Dive watches, at one time I had 6 Doxas, a Spiro technique and several Seikos. I continued to visit the rep sites though and after 3-4 years of just gens, the rep bug bit again. I sold off most of the vintage divers, they were just too difficult to find parts for, and replaced them with reps. I'm not sure how many folks are as cyclic as I am when it comes to hobbies, but my interest waxes and wanes with all of them. Probably watches have been more of a constant over the years, just the cycles between reps and gens. Right now I have 18 reps and 14 genuine. I probably need to sell at least half of them!! At one time I decided that I would keep my watches to 10 max, but the problem always is what do you sell? I like most all of them. One advantage of owning genuine watches, especially if you buy right and get good solid brands, for the most part, you can get most if not all of your money back if you decide to sell them. Lots more sales venues, and if you are planning to leave things to your kids, I would chose a genuine over a rep any day to pass along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike on a bike Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Indeed I did movement was not running and dial had some water damage though! Ah! A fixer upper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike on a bike Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Do not know where I am now still have my vintage 60-70,s manual winds just visited the box in the closet. Reps well 8-10 floating around I think more most likely ,gens 10-12 brand new in the box another 12 or so in various watch boxes and display case. I really like them all have a vintage Vietnam era military on the way , a Gen and just got in a Tudor Carlo rep. Lord knows which way next week will go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yawn Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 I'm cleaning my watch box now, slightly modded models had already been sold, leave around 10 highly modded frankens and rests are gen. I'm thinking get another gen and I will probably stop buying watches for couple years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirotenshi Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 I'm cleaning my watch box now, slightly modded models had already been sold, leave around 10 highly modded frankens and rests are gen. I'm thinking get another gen and I will probably stop buying watches for couple years. Stop kidding yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 My journey through watchdom has been a lot like panerai153's. The problem (as I see it) is I sold all the good stuff too soon and kept all the junk...at least that's the way it seems now. As for replicas, I still have quite a few put away but usually wear a quartz watch of some sort or a Frankenstein 5512 or 5513. I seldom wear an outright replica (call me a watchsnob). I guess you could say I have a collection of nos replicas...'Paul/Abay' submariners, Exp II, GMT II, no date Exp, a few 36mm AK, a couple Exp II and SD from River, a dozen F520117 'Noobmariners'. 2 or 3 overgrown Daytonas ( oversize cases/20mm bracelets) with Sea Gull ST19 etc. I recently ran across a swisseta GMT II with a loose dial marker that has been in my 'fixit box' since November 2004 (I put notes on them). I have a big fixit box. Also have 3 nos 'WLD' no date swisseta submariners from 1999 that I got when WLD was on TRC before he went south. Anyone remember Watchloverdavid aka "Your friend, David." "Friend" Ha! He burned my azz. I kept a few pretty good genuine odds and ends like UG Polerouter, Zodiac Sea Wolf etc and a box of solid gold vintage watches. I thought about selling the gold watches for scrap but I just could not do it. Out of them all, the only one I scrapped was a rectangular Japan market 18k Citizen quartz watch with doa movement and no parts available. I have a couple gold rolex watches and there is not much gold in a genuine rolex case but if gold gets high enough, I will scrap them justforthehellofit. but not any of the USA made watches. Bulovas had the heaviest solid gold cases I have seen but they had some lightweights too as the snap back case for the 1953 round automatic I worked on a couple weeks ago only weighed 10 grams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Man, some of those names really bring back memories. The old TRC , I remember watchloverDavid, there were some real characters back then, sort of the Wild Wild West of replica collecting. I remember trying my best to buy a 1665 from "Maria" of MBW fame, never could get into the inner circle, but then along came "George"and "watchmaster" " who could source MBW's, and I was off to the races. That time frame was my first experience with reps, not counting a Rolex rep I bought back in the early 1980's from a magazine ad!! Reps have come a long way since then, only negative has been the movement toward Asian clones rather than ETA Swiss movements which were plentiful and pretty cheap back before Swatch choked off the supply. Still needed to have then serviced as they were bulk buy movements, but once serviced, you were good to go for a long time. Now, the rep manufacturers are making some beautiful reps, but unfortunately, some of the compromised movements, like the APROO sec @ 12 and the Rolex Daytonas sec@6 are probably not the best for the long haul.Hard to beat a good serviced ETA 2824,2836 or 7750 for durability and dependability. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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