"Going gen"

[Guest rg21044]

Has anyone here gone through a period of frustration and/or bad experiences with the hobby that have made them feel like liquidating thier collection and investing in one or possibly two nice gen watches? I find myself in that situation now and would like to hear others thoughts on the subject. Thanks.

[icoopernicus]

I have definitely been frustrated lately and have been purchasing and wearing far less reps. I have picked up a few nice gens lately and there really is a huge difference in quality that just can't be matched by the current reps with their less and less attractive prices. I still haven't liquidated my collection of reps though.

[508-Fanatic]

I have three or four good rep's, two neat franken's and plenty of genuine watches. I think there's some innate disappointment with the rep's that will happen but curing them is part of the fun process. My 5513 is literally now all genuine minus mid-case, dial, hands. It's been a lot of fun to build and perfect, and I'm not done yet! I think if you get into franken builds you'll find more pleasure in it.

 

Rep's aren't for everyone, I think they're fun, but they aren't a significant part of my collection. I can't look past some of the flaws.

[Dlf]

Sounds terribly boring

[panerai153]

At one point back around 2001-2002, I got rid of all my reps, and bought only gens for probably 2-3 years. At that time, I had mostly Rolex and Panerai reps. I grew disenchanted because of two reasons, one was a couple of bad experiences with modders who did a crappy job on several Rolex watches. The second and most important was the resistance by buyers to pay for quality modded watches. The community was much smaller then, and folks wanted to but well modded watches at less than the cost of a new I modded watch. Some people were very vocal about paying 1000.00 USD for a modded MBW 1680 with gen insert, crown/ tube crystal bracelet and end links. Also with vintage lume and serviced ETA 2846 movement. This scenario happened a couple of times, and I was so disgusted, I sold all my reps and bought gens.

I believe that if you have the financial resources, you will eventually swing to either gens, or highly modded "super reps" poor quality and constant problems which require modding, service coupled with inaccuracies that are not fixable will eventually wear you down.

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[theflyingdutchman]

Yes! I did! All the little things bugged the hell out me.... twice!

And soon a third time, not yet sure

or

Edited April 1, 2015 by theflyingdutchman

[spazthecat]

Timely post. I was just thinking the same thing. I started collecting reps (and microbrands) with the thought they would satisfy my need to buy gen but at a MUCH lower price. I also have built a number of replicas, an exercise that I found to be way more satisfying than purchasing a complete watch.

But, I still can't get past the desire for the gen versions of the reps I've purchased. The quality of them is darn good for a rep but there still are little imperfections that bug the crap out of me.

So, at this point I'm thinking of selling of all but a couple of my favorites and picking up a gen Tudor Blackbay.

--Andy

[L8terz]

Can't say that I've ever felt that way. I've owned a few Gens over the years and at 33 years old, I still feel a Rep is the best Value.

First of all, I wear all of my watches. No matter the experience or situation. I just feel naked without one. If I've forgotten to put it on before I leave the house, I'll turn around and go back. Even if I just drove 10-15 minutes down the road. It's excessive I know, but it's my passion.

Secondly, I have bashed a few gens, scratched them, broke the crowns off, etc...... I am clumsy with a watch sometimes. I've paid hundreds, if not thousands in repairs on gens.

Thirdly, acquiring a Gen, depending a lot on career movement, either took a few months to save, or trading high priced items like, guns, motorcycles or even a car or two. Living in places like California and Las Vegas enabled me access to a multitude of willing people to buy, sell or trade this way.

The upkeep is a nightmare. First of all finding a competent watch smith. Then dealing with a repair that the manufacturer required original sales documents just to provide the part the watch needed proved to be more of a headache. I'm not one to walk into a boutique and buy retail. All of my gens were acquired in the 2nd hand market as stated above.

So, my take, and what I'm fully comfortable with is, to hell with Gens. Now, I get to spend a few hundred rather than trading a few thousand dollars worth of items and or cash.

And if it breaks, to the garbage you go. More than likely I had it for at least a 3 years and for me, I've never spent more than $300 on a rep anyway. So, $100 a year on a watch to discard, is pinto beans to me.

Besides, I like buying from here. The members. I've come across a few great deals and haven't been disappointed yet. Although, some of you are super, uber passionate that I would ignore most details that would drive the others crazy.

I love watches. Plain and simple. They are works of art. For me, a beautiful rep is more than enough in both a financial standpoint and a sanity stand point.

I understand business and marketing to a degree that is sickening. I have many a fellow colleagues in the accessories industry from Salesmen, account managers, boutique managers and so on.

The manufacturing processes are reasonably similar. For the sake of argument at least, minor differences exist.

It all boils down to, The Name. How much was spent on advertising and marketing, the availability of super precious metals and stones. (Which in itself is a travesty of how that's going on. Think of diamonds) Workforce salaries, and blah blah blah.

It's all about money. In the grand scheme of things, that $10,000 Gen is about 35-65 % markup relative to ACTUAL whole sale cost of materials and processes. Plus, the fact that the piece will never depreciate, because of The Name. Good for them.

Gens are fascinating. Absolute unimaginable to think of every detail that went into a piece from conception to birth. Without question, impeccable materials of the highest quality. Designs such as the Tourbillon that boggle the mind.

Gens have a following just as loyal as the Reps do. If / When Reps become rarer and more expensive, or harder to come by, I'll then reevaluate my love of Reps and might swing into Gens as also a way of investment.

Furthermore, YES!!! Please liquidate your collections. May you find piece of mind in which ever side you choose to stay or venture off to.

The End.

Edited April 1, 2015 by L8terz

[wariactivePH]

I owned some of gen Pams (005, 312, 305) and a green Milgauss in my lifetime. I have sold all because of financial priorities and now im into biking and stuff. Im very new to the Rep World but the moment I saw the Reps being sold these days, I was really surprised about the quality. Its like buying a better watch than TWC, technomarine or the likes in price range. I think it all depends on the user. I feel comfy wearing Reps. I really dont mind. And with the looks and quality of rep nowadays, i feel like im wearing the real thing.

Edited April 1, 2015 by wariactivePH

[seafoam]

_{I go back and forth.  As mentioned above part of this hobby of collection reps is having to make those adjustments or mods to make the watch up to snuff or to your liking.  To some, that's part of the fun.  To others, it's just a hassle.  It's a very subjective hobby.  I have limited myself now to either franken builds I build myself (do to poor craftsmanship of modders.  They have so much volume, they rush projects.  Or they just don't care) or gens...}

[dbane883]

I only have an interest if there is a gen movement involved.  

 

I have a sea of ETA movements that are cluttering up my parts bin.   The rotor of a 50 year old cal 1520 movement is buttery smooth compared to noisy 2836/2824's.   Plus gen parts just plain fit.   If you've ever worked with a modified 2836 GMT you will know what I mean.  

 

So only all gen or high-end franken/genensteins for me.

[seafoam]

One other turn off with buying reps for me, and this may sound weird, but is the sheer volume of rep production.  The cartels put up new releases 2 to 4 times a week and at least 2 new watches each time.  It's kind of disgusting!   I know I'm "the pot calling the kettle black" but geeze!  It's a big FU*K YOU to all the genuine makers.  The folks that we all respect so much...  I could go on with this age old philosophical rep debate but I digress...

[Fracture]

All the time. At this point I only have rep variations (color/size) of some gens that I own because owning a gen twice gets costly. Except for one rep Rolex but I don't really wear it. I don't know, reps got me into the watch hobby but once you have a gen on your wrist... It does change your feelings towards reps.

[droptopman]

Good topic, and I am similar to other posters.  I go back and forth.  

 

Only been here for a short time but went through a lot of watches.  Found out I do not care for OTB reps much which kind of defeats the purpose--as in cost savings.  So now really only interested in franken builds, I really enjoy that process and the results.  I know one thing; the knowledge, connections and friendships I have made here are invaluable.  Even if I go back to gens I have connections now to get them serviced by a WS guru at a reasonable and fair price and do not have to get gouged by Rolex.  My last gen had some issues and Rolex wanted 3500 to fix a 6500 watch.

 

I also found a passion for vintage watches here that I did not have before.  So some of the models I really like I cannot afford to get the gen, so doing a high end fraken build allows me to still acquire such pieces.  For example a 6538.  It seems a progression as each build seems to get closer to genuine, so that would lead me to think at some point soon I will buy another gen.    

I also found that doing some franken builds does not make sense to me.  Since a nice gen is within my budget and easily accessible it makes more sense to buy the gen than spend 1/2 -2/3 of the price of a gen on a build.  Of course I learned that lesson too late as I already built one.  So at this point, I would guess I will continue to do builds that I cannot afford or acquire the gen equivalent and on other pieces where the gen makes more sense I will go that direction.   

[Ezio]

Good topic, and I am similar to other posters. I go back and forth.

Only been here for a short time but went through a lot of watches. Found out I do not care for OTB reps much which kind of defeats the purpose--as in cost savings. So now really only interested in franken builds, I really enjoy that process and the results. I know one thing; the knowledge, connections and friendships I have made here are invaluable. Even if I go back to gens I have connections now to get them serviced by a WS guru at a reasonable and fair price and do not have to get gouged by Rolex. My last gen had some issues and Rolex wanted 3500 to fix a 6500 watch.

I also found a passion for vintage watches here that I did not have before. So some of the models I really like I cannot afford to get the gen, so doing a high end fraken build allows me to still acquire such pieces. For example a 6538. It seems a progression as each build seems to get closer to genuine, so that would lead me to think at some point soon I will buy another gen.

I also found that doing some franken builds does not make sense to me. Since a nice gen is within my budget and easily accessible it makes more sense to buy the gen than spend 1/2 -2/3 of the price of a gen on a build. Of course I learned that lesson too late as I already built one. So at this point, I would guess I will continue to do builds that I cannot afford or acquire the gen equivalent and on other pieces where the gen makes more sense I will go that direction.

Well Said and pretty much my own situation

[Mike on a bike]

Well like most have had tons of reps most gone, still have a few but mostly buy gens now. I can not mod or fix so have to have all work done and not happy w/ out of the box in 90% of cases so again gen the way to go.

[Prsist]

Has anyone here gone through a period of frustration and/or bad experiences with the hobby that have made them feel like liquidating thier collection and investing in one or possibly two nice gen watches? I find myself in that situation now and would like to hear others thoughts on the subject. Thanks.

I'm in the same boat. I haven't found watchsmith i trust to send my watch to. Granted I haven't looked on the forum in awhile but I remember the many horror stories about watches sent out and this and that happening. I'm lucky I found a local watchsmith who will work on reps as long as they have a swiss movt. I brought my SeaDweller in and he calls the next day letting me know it ain't swiss. He tinkered and got me going but it has left a bad taste in my mouth. This was this week. I pulled up my receipt (Dec, 2012) just to make sure I paid for a swiss movt and sure enough I did.

 

I know it is part and parcel of the game but the older I get I am becoming a grumpy but and less tolerant to the imperfections. I recently acquired a vintage diver and am getting into vintage pieces. With all that said I have a 21j Exp. II that is over 5 years old and in tip top shape. I have the mindset "I'll pay good money for something because I take care of my things and they will last forever". It just doesn't work with reps for me. I think I am going towards gens and looking at reps for what they are...disposable toys. Buy a 21j and when it goes, it goes. I might even start tinkering since I have always wanted to be able to fix my timepieces.

[Nanuq]

I've gone gen and the one watchsmith I trusted my pieces to retired. Ziggy.

[Ishmael]

I've been on the brink of selling the lot more times than I can count. Trouble is the only gen I would do it for would require selling a heck of a lot more than just my watch collection. So instead, I sold most of 'em, and set out to find some really rare reps. Did that for a bit, and now I find myself with another full watch box 

 

Oh well. I tried

[dvn]

No more Reps for me and right now I have four GENs (3 Rolexes and 1 IWC 3714) in my rotation and I am pretty happy with them.

[pick_br]

seem to hit a brick wall with reps right now, I've scaled down the collection to about 12, and even scouring the dealer sites there's nothing "doing it" for me right now. Dipping my toe in the homage builds to see if it can satisfy the craving... Who knows??? I suppose it's just a little itch that needs a good scratch

[GenTLe]

Maybe I am too fresh in this hobby (ehi PBR, I didn't know you was part of these lands too!) but for now there are 3 reasons not letting me go gen

1. I am not too anal with details: I like well done reps, so the wrong pusher space of my vintage Daytona annoys me as like sunken dates in other chronos, but definitively I don't give a F. if the characters on the dial is 1.02mm bold intead of 1.00

2. 30 reps vs 1 or 2 gen? I prefer the variety...

3. I can't see the gen value for money, at least for the luxury ones: I would feel a total c_nt spending my hardly earned money to enrich some big corporation like Swatch group or Rolex to get a product which real value should be not more than 3x a Gerlach piece. Especially considering that I already worked for a multinational uber luxury goldsmith brand and I know how some of those son of a B. treat people...

At the same time when a rep watch starts to show problems it is frustrating, and if this happens for 2 or 3 pieces together it is so frustrating that the "go gen" blinks. At least for 1 or 2 days

[Irishcain]

I prefer the variety actually. I own a few gens, but dealing with all the ones that come into the shop, I seem to get a regular "refreshment". Besides, I feel that reps and gens are both works of art in their own right.

[pick_br]

Maybe I am too fresh in this hobby (ehi PBR, I didn't know you was part of these lands too!) but for now there are 3 reasons not letting me go gen

1. I am not too anal with details: I like well done reps, so the wrong pusher space of my vintage Daytona annoys me as like sunken dates in other chronos, but definitively I don't give a F. if the characters on the dial is 1.02mm bold intead of 1.00

2. 30 reps vs 1 or 2 gen? I prefer the variety...

3. I can't see the gen value for money, at least for the luxury ones: I would feel a total c_nt spending my hardly earned money to enrich some big corporation like Swatch group or Rolex to get a product which real value should be not more than 3x a Gerlach piece. Especially considering that I already worked for a multinational uber luxury goldsmith brand and I know how some of those son of a B. treat people...

At the same time when a rep watch starts to show problems it is frustrating, and if this happens for 2 or 3 pieces together it is so frustrating that the "go gen" blinks. At least for 1 or 2 days

Hi GenTle, yes I get here on occasion,

I'm with you totally on the whole gen-Vs-rep thing, I enjoy the variety of owning many watches whilst the cost of a gen would restrict me, and I'm a big lover of the "cheapies" but I like unusual too. M2M purchases on the forums are where I like to go, especially when something a little different pops up, I'm not a fixer-upper either, I can cobble together a 6497 or a molly 3602 build but that's where I stop really, so I don't snap up those broken watches either. I guess it's my age

[Beachcomber]

Well, I have gone Gen. I just picked up a nice 5513 from a fellow forum member and can't wait for it to arrive. I have found out (again) that the rep Sub, for me doesn't cut it. I can always find something that's just not 100% right, and I find myself lacking that Gen feel. I am sure it's psychological, at least that's what my therapist would say.

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