AD-proof modded SMP

[kanerich]

As far as I am familiar with the law on such things, and common sense in general, in the Western World (as well as most other countries), it's NOT AT ALL illegal to own any replica or fake item.

It is only illegal to produce or sell such items, because you are gaining profit by abusing a brand name (you don't own the brand, don't have rights to use it, you potentially take away their profits and so forth).

Imagine that owning a fake item would be illegal, girls wearing fake Louis Vuitton handbags and wallets would get arrested by the cops all the time

To be sure, in a country with a democratic system, it's not allowed for an Authentic Dealer to confiscate anything. You're not breaking the law, and if you were, he isn't a law enforcer, so the worst that can happen is getting insulted and thrown out

First of all, in some countries including Singapore and Italy (and I'm pretty sure also France, etc.) it IS illegal to merely own reps. This has been covered on this forum numerous times.

Secondly, fine, in your particular country it isn't illegal to own reps, just to traffic in them. But do you really want to get into an argument over it, get insulted, publicly humiliated and thrown out? Why is that your idea of a good time? Also, some dealers think they do have the right to confiscate reps because THEY'RE ignorant of the law. Others will try to bluff you because they know the public knowledge of the law is low. It's just not worth it.

It isn't illegal to run a website that that doesn't sell reps, just discuss them, and yet here we are, getting scrutinized with our trade and dealer sections shut down. And we've still got people arguing technicalities, and not even correctly.

[Guest TTK]

You can't fix stupid......!

[jens]

It isn't illegal to run a website that that doesn't sell reps, just discuss them, and yet here we are, getting scrutinized with our trade and dealer sections shut down. And we've still got people arguing technicalities, and not even correctly.

Correct. With the current (political and thereby the press) focus on the rep industry in general in the western world (at least in EU), you really have to live in a vacum to have missed out what's going on wrt to the activities carried out to by EU and it's member states to stop fake items of all kinds to enter the internal market.

On the other hand, there's still a lot of people arguing with confidence that the earth is flat.

[Polynomial]

... Then I told him that the dial and hands were gen.

Don't see the big achievement here, they spotted the bracelet as fake, but if dial and hands are gen, they wouldn't be left with much to spot no?

[cjeffers58]

Maybe it's assholes like this that are causing our current problems on this and other boards... Listen up peckerhead, if you want to act like a tardo then you deserve all the flaming you get... What a [censored]in schmuk.

Did you happen to tell them about this forum as well?

[RWG Technical]

I don't know how many times we have to have posts like this for members to realize it's not a good idea to go into an AD.

Why anyone would do this, is beyond my understanding, but then again, I dont' understand why people post reps on the gen sites...and bring more unwanted attention to our hobby...

RG

[Zed]

I'll stick up for Corgi ,

Up here ( Canada ) most of the people working in a jewelry store are minimum wage earners and basically know nothing about the things they are selling , it's just a job ..

Now show it to the watch smith or a jeweler and that would be a different story ..

Also most big dealers here are in a mall so that makes a difference , walk into a Rolex or Omega dealer that has their own store on the street with a rep and that would be a different story too ...

Now show a sales women diamonds and she would find the smallest flaw but with 'mens' watches not much to worry about here ..

Most people here when they think of reps or fake watches think of those cheap tin crap jobs they sell on the street for 5 bucks and are easily fooled by the high quality of reps we have , just stay clear of the jeweler and his security camera Corgs

Zed

[TeeJay]

I'd say it's that's pretty similar here in the UK, and to the assistants, (for the most part) it's just a job, and the majority of their product knowledge is only what their managers have chosen to tell them. It's like the assistant in the AD who had to have the LE Casino Royale 45 PO pointed out to her. Totally sweet girl, couldn't've been more accomodating by offering my fiance and I coffees etc. Couldn't've been more helpfull in picking up a few other watches I might have also liked, but, when it came down to it, simply didn't know a thing about the products, which I blame on the management, not her. In the store where the snooty proprietor called out my watch, his assistant didn't know if it was rep or not, he just made a lucky guess. The result is I will never set foot in the jewellers again. Not because I was embarassed, because I wasn't, but because his attitude stank. When I first tried on the LE PO, it was in a more local AD, and at the time, I was wearing my 2531.80 Project watch (when it was still on it's original shitty bracelet) so, I took it off before I went in, as there was no point in allowing it to be seen. I'm pretty tempted to go in that store again and ask what kind of price they want for a 20mm Planet Ocean strap and buckle, and see if they can do it any cheaper than Ofrei.com. Will I be wearing my Planet Ocean when I go in? Most likely. However, I'll either be wearing a jacket, or I'll close my cuff over it. I wouldn't go to the effort to take it off before going in, I'd just make damn sure to keep it covered, so any view they do get would be a quick glimpse and mentally ignored. When I went into the jeweller/watchmakers who's repaired my Submariner before to ask how much it would be to have a dial installed, I couldn't speak to them (they weren't there) but the assistant asked why I wanted it installed, asking "Is it a newer dial?" (The dial on the project watch looks about 50 years old thanks to the burned lumes) so I just replied "A more accurate dial" and took the watch back from her. I think it's just a case of exercising discretion, and a little common sense. There is nothing to be gained by wearing a rep into an AD with the intention of flashing it under their nose, other than petty 'one-upmanship'. If you feel a dealer is looking down their nose at you, so be it. If you weren't actually going to buy from them what does it matter? If you were going to buy from them, let them know you'll be taking your business elsewhere, and why. That will get a much better change in attitude than 'flashing the cash'.

[phaedo]

In all honesty my thought is without the jeweller actually taking a watch from you to inspect it closer, with the quality we have these days, it would be almost impossible to actually spot a rep from a genuine - even one who knows what they are doing. They simply are not going to get close enough to your wrist to see that, for example, the 'swiss made' is in slightly the wrong place on the rolex you have on (for instance). And where I am, like the guys from Canada pointed out, most people are working there as a job, as sales assistants. I had a look at Longines a few months ago, and the assistant said she was pretty sure the movement would be quartz not automatic because of the price - it was one of the cheaper ones, and yes she was right. But given it was ticking and not sweeping, that should have been something basic she should have known - not just taking a guess based on price. And this store was the only one in the mall that stocked Omega. I am not saying go and flaunt your reps in front of the AD's, but I doubt there would be more than 5 AD's here who have heard of the brand 'Panerai'. They would mostly say 'that's quite a big watch you have' or something equally as idiotic.

[crick0234]

HMPH!

i say it's ok to wear your rep into an AD. Most will be glancing it from a good 1 foot or more, and not enough time to really look at that watch anyways. I have my gen PO on and most sales peeps just glance at it, notice i have an omega on, and start wanting to sell me things. I can walk into an AD with my Rollie rep and no one woudl suspect unless i give it to them and let them hand inspect it. Heck, i've mistakened casio watches at 3 foot glances as rollies need new glasses

BUT FOR CRIPES sake! don't tell the AD what you're wearing is a rep!

[kanerich]

Just to be clear, I don't think this is about whether you should wear a rep into an AD, period. I don't think I or anyone else is categorically saying members should refrain from ducking into the local Tourneau or Ben Bridges to kill some time while the wife is buying shoes. But keep it half under a sleeve, smile and say "I'm just looking" instead of sticking your rep under the saleman's nose and saying "how you like this beyotch, BAM!!!, the Chinese are going to put you out of business with this [censored] hoo hoo!" Why is that hard?

Also, I hear this all the time, that it's OK to tweak AD salesmen because they're ignorant anyway. But then isn't it just pointless then? If people who work in AD's don't know much about the watches they sell and don't really care, then what is the point of messing with them, except to thrill over having successfully pretended to be several thousand dollars richer than you actually are (or more perversely since a lot of members of the board are quite successful), or having successfully pretended to be as capable of spending money as you actually are? Are people really that petty and insecure?

[scoobs1971]

To clearify my story: I didn't go the AD with the purpose of showing off my rep. I only went in to see a new watch and didn't see a problem with wearing a rep under my sleeve. But then I wasn't thinking when I asked to try the new watch on and consequently had to take off my rep.

So this guy started complimenting me about the SMP and I - stupid, stupid, stupid - admitted it was a rep. If he hadn't say anything about it I wouldn't have told him it was a rep.

Afterwards I was so surprised about their reaction that I posted this thread....

So what did I really learn from it? NEVER TAKE OFF A REP AT THE AD AND NEVER EVER TELL THEM IT'S A REP.

It's in our best interest to keep our hobby underground by keeping a low profile.

Let this thread be educational to new members who in their enthusiasm think they should do the same as I did....