Why People Buy Fakes

[Pugwash]

I may be unique here! I buy these watches because they look good and I enjoy having them. I could afford (some) of the originals, and I'm certainly not trying to impress anyone. I'm 76 years old.

I buy them to both impress and fool someone: Myself.

[moxxey]

1. Poor Grasp of Value - Replicas are made to sell by looking like something far more valuable than they are. They

Rubbish. The problem is that, although I'm fairly well paid, I simply can't afford a genuine Panerai - my favourite PAM 1950 is around £6000 in the UK, and I don't have a spare £6000. Besides, I'd rather have 4 x replica PAM 1950s, with different straps, than one original. The other thing is that if I damage or lose one, it's cost me a few hundred pounds, not a few thousand.

I do buy expensive equipment. For instance, B&O kit, which people would regard as way over priced. True, but they reside in my home and are less likely to be damaged or stolen.

Also, the other issue I have is that now the replicas are so good (and fool many dealers), why invest the extra in the genuine model? Apart from you knowing that you've got a genuine model, who else knows? My Swiss PAM 1950s keep superb time, so it's hardly going to perform much better than these models.

[Pugwash]

Rubbish. The problem is that, although I'm fairly well paid, I simply can't afford a genuine Panerai - my favourite PAM 1950 is around £6000 in the UK, and I don't have a spare £6000.

That's exactly what he said.

Replicas are made to look like something more valuable, like a six grand watch, for instance. You can't say "Rubbish" and then agree with him. That's not how it works.

[SWATCHman]

Isolated - Certainly there are no clubs for owners of fakes. No comraderie among fellow owners. No sharing of tips, tricks and performance issues. No assistance with operation, warranty or repair issues. Fake buyers are on their own with nobody to care, nobody to help and nobody to compliment or encourage them--except for the occasional person you might encounter that doesn't know enough about watches to realize you are trying to 'impress' them with a cheap counterfeit.

Man if this guy knew how wrong he is about this. I don't think theres a great many Rolex owners more anal about their watches than most rep collectors. Plus most of them know more about the genunies than the gen owners. The fraction of peple not knowing enough about watches to identify a "cheap" couterfeit is likely to be close to 95% of the population and probably 75% of all gen owners.

His other points are certainly debatable, but the last one is simple stupid.

[thewightstuff]

Come on guys. We all wear fakes because they get us laid.

damn, i was just packing to come to where you live as it never works here until i realised you were kidding

[M5Man]

The whole thing is quite humorous, the reality is that the gen snobs are simply fooling themselves. The BELIEVE that replicas are poor quality. They BELIEVE that they are better people for wearing gens. All in all, they don't have a grasp on the reality of the markets. I lifted this quote from TZ - I imagine that the guy bought a poor quality Navi replica and he's still impressed. Imagine if he got a hold of one that our dealers sell.

"Fake watches Jan 23, 2007 - 12:19 AM Go to next message

Hi everyone,

for the summer, I went to Hong Kong for the first time in my life.. and I was surprised at the amount of fake watches being sold in HK and China... it was literally everywhere.. they had booths setup with watch magazines, and you can just point to what you want to see and they'd bring it out from the back... Im the proud owner of a blue superocean and I kinda got into watches just before leaving for HK. I dont support counterfeit merchandise, but I couldnt resist buying a Breitling Navitimer... it was only $30 canadian... Just wondering how they keep the prices so low... there are some poor quality fake watches in HK, but I looked around till I saw one that was a pretty good quality. PS. I do know that all fake watches are poor quality. I noticed that with almost all fake chronographs, the 3 dials are for date and not a timer... but I mean, still... $30 for an automatic watch is not a bad deal... most people cant tell my watch is a fake, so I usually have to tell them...

I feel bad but I find myself wearing the Navitimer more and leaving the superocean at home. Im only 22 and the superocean was a gift and I treasure it too much to risk getting scratched or anything like that... anyways, wanted to know your opinions on how the price is fairly low considering how much work goes into making an automatic watch, compared to something like a timex..."

The guy is wearing his rep over his gen - and a cheap rep at that. Sounds like a closet rep fan that could be brought over fairly easily. I found myself doing the same thing. I am fortunate in that I can afford some gens - honestly they get less and less wrist time however. It's a battle that will rage for a long time to come.

[Guest chronomat123]

Actually, I think most people who wear fakes do so because they a) they can't afford the genuines or can't justify the cost of genuines. I think for most people wearing fakes off the street, it's option A. For the 1% of replica wearers who actually end up on these forums and appreciate fine watches, I think it's more often option B.

As for collection. I think it is wiser to buy one very expensive genuine watch over 50 replicas. Or even better, a nicely priced genuine and 2 really amazing reps, say... an MBW 1680 and a Davidsen PAM.

[Chronus]

The way I've been lately, I can't be bothered with anything, not going out nothing, so the only one I'll "impress" is myself. Essentially I like the look of it (why else did I get a RXW Plasmir Milgraph instead of another rep chrono?).

I could sell all my watches, reps & gens and get a couple or expensive AP ROO, but i wouldnt feel comfortable walking around the (allegedly rough) neighbourhood that I live and work in with a $10-30k watch strapped to my arm.