My 12 years of rep collecting experience

[paneristi_man]

I've been on this forum for some time now, been off for a bit and just recently came back to check. I see lots of new members joining and see similar questions that I have seen years ago. So I thought I just want to pass on some of my insights as a small time collector to the bros here.

 

1. Almost all reps will have issues - get used to it. Problems could range from movement stopping, bracelet breaking, hand stack not aligned, and other cosmetics issues. The only rep that didn't give me any issues was a Rolex all gold which was one I seldom wear. My advice would be to find a good watchmaker who is happy to work with reps.

 

2. Resolving issues - sending problematic watches back to the dealer is bit of pot luck, you could sometimes get lucky and the watch is repaired properly. In my experience, the hit rate is about 50%, so some watches that were sent back came back with the issue not fixed. I think best bet is not to send them back, try to get local repairer or if you could find one in this site.

 

3. Even so called trusted dealers here can be dodgy at time - my experience is that even when you buy Swiss movement, you could actually end up with an Asian / Chinese movement. I have had gotten a watch which I thought I paid more for Swiss but when it was repaired, the watchmaker told me it's just Asian movement. So my advice is don't pay more for fancy movements which is marketing hype, just buy the ones with the Asian movement which is usually $50 cheaper or thereabouts. Then get it serviced and it should last a long time.

 

4. Which is best rep i.e best Sub etc? - the cheeky answer is the Gen one. Unless you are prepared to spend $$ to mod and replace parts, any rep is still just that , a clone. It will not match the gen. Having said that these days there are some very good clones. Think you can find some threads on some good ones. My advice is really to find a rep (style / design) that you like and just get it. If it makes you happy then that's all that matters.

 

5. Learn, and continue learning - this forum is full of experts who can tell you all the intricacies of the various models. This hobby can be addictive, and only way you can become knowledgeable is to keep reading and researching not just in this forum, but other forums too and even on forums about the gen watches. I like to think the members here who has contributed so much knowledge to the community. Well done guys! 

 

Have fun!

[WatchingSG]

Yes just have fun


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[Mattjames84]

thank you, thats great advice..