stang Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 A question popped into my head while I was reading the "customs, reps & you" & "horrifying story" threads. The question is: should I admit that my watch is a replica or not if someone asks? Although I had absolutely no intention of pretending my replica was genuine if anyone asked me, I'm now wondering if it's prudent to admit it's a replica. Personally, I don't care if anyone knows it's a replica or not. I'm not trying to fool anyone into believing the watch is genuine and I would NEVER try to sell it as the real thing. I bought it because I like the way it looks and can't find the same styling/features in another (affordable) brand. However, now I'm concerned about volunteering this info upon casual questioning for legal reasons. I don't want my watch confiscated or to be fined simply by admitting I knowingly purchased a replica. Even if the person I tell doesn't care (relative, colleague, friend, acquaintance), they may inadvertently mention this info to someone who does care and will try to do something about it. I'm wondering if the best course of action would be to answer something like: "I believe so" or "it better be...I paid $$$" and then try to avoid having to bring it to a retailer/jeweler if at all possible. I'm starting to think that I should claim I bought it from an out-of-state retailer making it impossible for anyone to check up on the source. (eg. "I picked it up when I was on vacation in Florida this winter. I checked it out and I'm pretty sure it's real ... it has blah/blah/blah, looks exactly like the website's pictures, etc.) Please tell me what you guys (and ladies) think. What have you said when asked and what were the ramifications, if any? I apologize, in advance, if this topic has been beaten to death already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archibald Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 I keep my crack pipe stowed away. But I wear my reps with pride. Dude, relax. When you really think about it, as a percentage of the population of the planet, very few people give a [censored] about you. Even fewer care about your watch. Of the very few who care about your watch. only a tiny fraction would ever be able to tell whether it's fake or not. I guess if you tell them it's fake, they'll have no choice but to believe you, but then again if you said "This is a Patek Sky Moon Tourbillon and can you believe I shelled out twenty three hundred [censored]ing dollars for it?" Most will say, "Wow, that's a lot of money for a watch." Only a tiny of fraction of those who care about your watch and can tell its fake will be Federal Customs Officials or of council to of Rolex, S.A. None of the Federal Customs officials who care about your watch and who can identify it as a replica can do a damn thing about it. The Rolex lawyer will undoubtedly demand you take it off, to which you should in turn demand that he "pucker up, sweetheart." Some folks around here (claim to) blurt out "IT's A FAKE!!!" every time someone tells them, "nice watch," but me I just say, "thanks" which seems to satisfy them (One person, though, in an AD, behind the counter, quite accusingly I might add, said "wow, I haven't seen one of those in a long time," which I took to mean "IT's A FAKE!!!" but I managed to escape without handcuffs) and even if it didn't it's not illegal in any way shape or form to own a rep. But don't take my word for it: The relevent Federal statutes are have been recently cited on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TTK Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 @stang......take a chill pill....and relax.....if someone asks i it''s fake...be honest......'cos the next thing you'll hear is....'can you get me one...just like it"...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stang Posted February 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Thanks guys. Really. All this talk about customs, then talk about not talking about it, accounts of not receiving watches, links to web sites w/ info on counterfeit crackdown attempts, being careful what repair shops to go to, etc., made me a little nervous. I gotta start going to sleep at a normal time..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosanim Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 I would concur what TTK posted. Actually, I have order PAM for friend of mine who likes my PAM rep. He lives in multi million $ house and owns business. He can easily afford gen but he doesn't care. It is fun for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sashwatch Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 well.. if you guys hear my story.. u will be laughing.. where i come from, normally the first impression for spotting a swiss/designer watch.. that is a fake watch... i dont own any gen myself.. because i dont see the point of wearing a gen and the rest of the population automatically assumed that it is a fake.. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 where i come from, normally the first impression for spotting a swiss/designer watch.. that is a fake watch... My brother in Thailand wears his gen Planet Ocean with no fear of being mugged because everyone assumes it's a fake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Around here everyone assumes it is real - provided you are not a broke-ass pimply faced 17-year old. Not to persecute the broke-ass 17-year olds on the forum. Seriously, say whatever you want. Arch is right. Nobody cares, except you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochenbrau Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Say whatever you want, no one really cares. Personally, Ive never been asked whether or not my watches are fake... quite frankly, its rare for someone to even know about luxury watch brands outside Rolex anyway. Next time you are at a party, tell everyone you can buy Panerai at Wal-Mart. Chances are, they will believe you. Ive only called out a fake watch once.... and I was pretty drunk at the time. I dont think I would do it sober. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b16a2 Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 I was in a bar the other night. I bumped into an old friend who works in a jewellers. He noticed my rep, and asked if it was real. I said it was a replica. More often than not people think Im ljoking when I say its a replica, they are getting that accurate now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shultzie Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 These days with Rolex it seems people just assume they are fake. The comments aren't whether they are gen or rep, but how good or bad the rep is! on the flip side I receive compliments on my Pams all the time, not because they are Panerai, but just because people like the look. Most never even heard of the brand. In those cases - what would be the point of saying its a rep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonio Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 I recently bought an AP Royal Oak rep. Took it to a local watch dealer (not AP AD) to have the band resized. He looked at it and asked if it was real. I admitted it wasn't, he admitted he'd never seen a gen one (but knew what it was), and told me I saved $20 on the band resize (only $10, I guess that's the "rep" discount there). I guage whether I will admit the fact that I'm wearing a rep based on the situation and person. Sometimes just by not offering the information, people will believe it is real. I don't go out of my way either way. Mostly I just enjoy the fine timepiece I'm wearing, I'm far more concerned with it than anyone else is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportsterRider Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 I never admit that my reps are reps, but I haven't been asked "hey, is that genuine" before. So it's not like I'm going to volunteer the information. Very rarely does anyone even notice what's on my wrist anyway. But the few times that they do, I let 'em believe it's a gen. Otherwise, what's the point of owning a rep? There are lots of quality watches at the ~$250 dollar price range that aren't replica's. So if it's a matter of trying to find something of quality at this price bracket, there is plenty to choose from that aren't replica's. But I also don't own replica's of timepieces that I will never be able to afford. Most of the reps I own are relatively modest and a couple of the reps I have, I've owned the gen before as well. In other words, I own replica's of watches that would match my means. My fiance' and I were at a jewelers this past weekend to get a ring of hers sized. While they were working on the ring, I looked at some of the watches they had in the case. Now, this isn't an AD for Rolex, but they had a number of them in the case (pre-owned). I had my LV rep on at the time and was looking at the Daytona they had in the case. When he saw my LV, he was quick to comment on how nice it was and asked if I wanted to try the Daytona on. I don't know about the rest of you, but I was and wouldn't be in any hurry to announce that my LV was a rep! If he was being polite and knew that it was a rep, great. But it's also possible that he believed it was a gen. In that case, why would I want to announce that it wasn't? Among the VERY few people I know that buy/collect replica's, it's a different story. In those instances, it's fun to discuss what we've acquired recently whether it's a rep or a gen. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dak244 Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 but then again if you said "This is a Patek Sky Moon Tourbillon and can you believe I shelled out twenty three hundred [censored]ing dollars for it?" Most will say, "Wow, that's a lot of money for a watch." What I want to know is where I can get a Patek Sky Moon for only $2,300, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephane Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 I keep my crack pipe stowed away. But I wear my reps with pride. Dude, relax. When you really think about it, as a percentage of the population of the planet, very few people give a [censored] about you. Even fewer care about your watch. Of the very few who care about your watch. only a tiny fraction would ever be able to tell whether it's fake or not. I guess if you tell them it's fake, they'll have no choice but to believe you, but then again if you said "This is a Patek Sky Moon Tourbillon and can you believe I shelled out twenty three hundred [censored]ing dollars for it?" Most will say, "Wow, that's a lot of money for a watch." Only a tiny of fraction of those who care about your watch and can tell its fake will be Federal Customs Officials or of council to of Rolex, S.A. None of the Federal Customs officials who care about your watch and who can identify it as a replica can do a damn thing about it. The Rolex lawyer will undoubtedly demand you take it off, to which you should in turn demand that he "pucker up, sweetheart." Some folks around here (claim to) blurt out "IT's A FAKE!!!" every time someone tells them, "nice watch," but me I just say, "thanks" which seems to satisfy them (One person, though, in an AD, behind the counter, quite accusingly I might add, said "wow, I haven't seen one of those in a long time," which I took to mean "IT's A FAKE!!!" but I managed to escape without handcuffs) and even if it didn't it's not illegal in any way shape or form to own a rep. But don't take my word for it: The relevent Federal statutes are have been recently cited on this forum. I also see some (few) people saying "oh what a nice watch you are wearing" and that is it. Why would someone care about me or my watch, I agree Archibald. How it is in real life: no one really cares about the other, anyway. 99% of people we know do not even know what a Rolex looks like, in details (and for sure do not know that Officine Panerai is a watch and not a Farmacy) When it comes to reps, I showed a sub rep to my official jeweller once. I was a regular customer of him and bought a gen Bretiling, bought pearls for my wife (hopefully gen), had a diamond ring cleaned (he said oh it's an old one, looking at it as a piece of [censored], it was my mother fiance diamond ring, hoping I would put 10k in a new one). His only comment about he sub rep I showed him for 53 seconds without saying it was fake or gen: "you can see it's fake because the second hand is not as smooth as a gen". Idiot: it was a 28.800 Eta. For the rest (dial, crown, crown guard, ...) he didn't even say anything. So what I state here is that we all have fun dealing with reps...and it must stay a funny hobby. The hobby beign collecting nice watches, with great movements (including asians) and giving some times better timeing than any gen would. Cheers Stephane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b16a2 Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 His only comment about he sub rep I showed him for 53 seconds without saying it was fake or gen: "you can see it's fake because the second hand is not as smooth as a gen". I had a friend look at my 4th gen PO. I didnt offer any info about it, he said it was a fake due to the sweep not being as smooth as the gen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sashwatch Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 My brother in Thailand wears his gen Planet Ocean with no fear of being mugged because everyone assumes it's a fake. honestly with the quality of rep watch today.. i dont see a point in getting genuine anyway.. infact i have never own a genuine watch except for a cheap tag heuer QUARTZ forumla 1 watch which i bought it for about $500.. and again, nobody take notices.. haha so even if i wear a full bling genuine rolex and walk in the street in the middle of the night, i wont get mug because of the watch.. you get mug for the CASH in your wallet.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b16a2 Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 (edited) honestly with the quality of rep watch today.. i dont see a point in getting genuine anyway.. I was thinking this only yesterday. I would really like a genuine PO, but the Ultimate PO looks so close, I can't justify paying the 'x' amount more for it. The movement is good, so that won't pack in, they can be serviced etc.... I think the only type of genuine I would buy would be one that can't be or is unlikely to be replicated - e.g. Breitling Aerospace Avantage Edited February 13, 2007 by b16a2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 What I want to know is where I can get a Patek Sky Moon for only $2,300, LOL! That's the point. If you tell people a Sky/Moon costs $2300, they will believe you. If you say a Rolex costs $1000 or $10000, they'll believe you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 His only comment about he sub rep I showed him for 53 seconds without saying it was fake or gen: "you can see it's fake because the second hand is not as smooth as a gen". Idiot: it was a 28.800 Eta. A Sub's movement is smoother than an ETA 2836. He's no idiot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovepanerai Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 A Sub's movement is smoother than an ETA 2836. He's no idiot. you have a good point here: not all 28.800bph movements are equal in terms of how smooth they run - a lot depends on how accurate the gears are manufactured, etc; and yes Rolex makes some of the best movements out there - reliable, accurate, smooth - such a shame that I jut can't get myself to like the design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pubus Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 i always say its fake as nobody could possibly believe that 23yr old student could afford a watch that cost x times more than his car but i love watches, cant afford gens, reps are only way to make dreams come true, so frankly i see no point in lying to ppl about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shultzie Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 but i love watches, cant afford gens, reps are only way to make dreams come true Can I get an "Amen"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justaguy88 Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 i always say its fake as nobody could possibly believe that 23yr old student could afford a watch that cost x times more than his car but i love watches, cant afford gens, reps are only way to make dreams come true, so frankly i see no point in lying to ppl about it That's why I dont buy daytonas and fiddys. I stick to the omegas and ocassional pam for now. They're much more believable -- not that I'm trying to decieve, I just think that they're more fitting for our age. (I'm 23 as well.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pubus Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Can I get an "Amen"? Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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