Do you tell people at work that you are wearing reps?

[SportsterRider]

My friends and family know that I own replica's. But I don't volunteer that information at work, and rarely am I asked about my watch(s) at work. On the rare occasion that a co-worker does notice my watch, I've never been asked "is that a replica" and again, I don't volunteer it. So the few that HAVE noticed believe they are real. Hell, the last time anyone from work noticed my watch was a couple days ago. My buddy noticed my 111h and simply commented "nice watch". Before that was about 4 years ago when one of the consultants I was working with noticed my TT Datejust. He was also wearing one (that I believe was genuine) and simply commented that he thought it was sharp and how long did I own it. Again, not a situation where I felt compelled to say "it's a replica".

When you wear replica's of watches that you can likely afford, you don't get called out for it (at least, I don't). When I was in my late teens/early 20's, I was asked all the time about my SS Datejust replica. I imagine that was due to the fact that in reality, there was no way I could afford a real one. Today it's different. The reps I own are in line with what I could afford to buy if I chose to. It's been many many years since someone asked me "is that a replica".

SR

[rag9fx]

Like Section 8 i don't volunteer information... but if am asked about it i tend to get a little sheepish and admit it ... When i was working back in New York i was photocopying and the most unexpected person - one of our senior senior account managers- spotted a newly acquired FM casablanca i was sporting ... ( we're a Fashion P.R./ advertising company- i guess it was bound to happen) - He looked at me and said ' Did you get a bonus or somthing' i wasn't quite sure what he was reffering to but then i noticed he was looking at my watch i automaticly told him that it was a 'copy' ... He was quite impressed with the quality of it and gave me kudos for taste ... ( this was a canal street rep btw)... but most of the time the only people that notice are my immediate family ...

other times i just delude myself into thinking i own more gens then i do... until i put on a gen... then the game is up for me .

[eddhead]

No, they don't.

I have one that looks just like that, but she doesn't care about watches. Whenever I talk to he about them she rolls her eyes and yawns. she has more important things to think about and besides, I think my g/f is a bad influence on her.

My experience in the office is simiar to those who wrote that most people do not ask. In fact, NOBODY asks me if the watch I am wearing is gen or not. If they did, I would would probably tell them the truth.

[crystalcranium]

No, they don't.

Hey, how did my Beansiecat wind up in France??

Do I tell?????....If they ask I say "What makes you think it's a fake?" After they answer, I usually say "yes...but this isn't your typical Tijuana street vendor replica...it's a high end, swiss movement, very rare high fidelity copy.' That usually sets the hook!

[FxrAndy]

With out a doubt I always reveal that my watch is a rep and usually way before anyone asks, you get a lot of interest when people see the quality of these reps, however you will get a lot of embarassment should someone call you first.

Ken

Absolutely, and especially on the quality front, most just think what they find for $20 is all a rep can be.

[jfreeman420]

I thought I was the only one who talked to my cat. Glad to see I'm not alone. I do get some funny looks when I talk to the squirrels outside my office though.

[TeeJay]

My friends and family know that I own replica's. But I don't volunteer that information at work, and rarely am I asked about my watch(s) at work. On the rare occasion that a co-worker does notice my watch, I've never been asked "is that a replica" and again, I don't volunteer it. So the few that HAVE noticed believe they are real. Hell, the last time anyone from work noticed my watch was a couple days ago. My buddy noticed my 111h and simply commented "nice watch". Before that was about 4 years ago when one of the consultants I was working with noticed my TT Datejust. He was also wearing one (that I believe was genuine) and simply commented that he thought it was sharp and how long did I own it. Again, not a situation where I felt compelled to say "it's a replica".

When you wear replica's of watches that you can likely afford, you don't get called out for it (at least, I don't). When I was in my late teens/early 20's, I was asked all the time about my SS Datejust replica. I imagine that was due to the fact that in reality, there was no way I could afford a real one. Today it's different. The reps I own are in line with what I could afford to buy if I chose to. It's been many many years since someone asked me "is that a replica".

SR

I'd agree with that. The only watch that's been called out was my Submariner, and that was just a snooty proprietor making a lucky guess, as the watch has passed as genuine with an experienced watchsmith (until he removed the back) Fact of the matter is, at 28, with shoulder-length blonde hair, a beard, and a pretty casual dress-code, I don't look like the kind of person that would be able to afford a gen Submariner. If I were to put on a suit, cut my hair and shave my beard, then I probably could pull one off, but only with people who didn't know me personally. If I choose to look Corporate Smart, then I look the part, but, as I don't work in an office, then I've been able to be more 'relaxed' about my appearance (Not scruffy though, I cannot STAND scruffy filthy people, shuffling around like hobos...) I think having put the watch on, first a NATO, and now a distressed leather strap, the watch does not look 'box fresh', and anyone who cared to notice would likely believe it was something inherited, or picked up as 'watch only', and thrown on a cheap strap. When I get my SMP through (and my 45mm PO) then those would look entirely plausible to my lifestyle and appearance, and the Submariner will be relegated to 'dress duty'. I'll give it about five years, and then I'll be able to plausibly wear it as an everyday watch

To answer the topic, if someone was to ask if the watch was genuine, I would say it was a rep. If someone wants to make other assumptions, then that's up to them

[kasigi]

Nobody at work has ever asked, they all assume they're gens *shrug*

[rek001]

My co-workers have never asked me about my watches, sigh. They just don't notice.

On Tuesday evenings I attend a ukulele class (a lot of fun) and the teacher brings her kids, a boy aged 4 and a girl, 6, her husband works nights.

Lately the kids have noticed my watches, and every week now they ask to see my watch and allow them to paw my beautiful pristine reps with their dirty, sticky little paws.

They always want to see what watch I'm wearing, bless their observant little hearts.

Speaking of cats, one day I was cleaning something in the living room and I noticed my cat Lucy staring at the wall and then trying catch something on the wall. Then I realized she was chasing and trying to catch the sun's reflection glinting off the watch I was wearing. Now we play this game all the time.

[Leifhaus]

I am awaiting a Rxlx SD in the mail, any day now. I'm a little apprehensive about wearing that one to work even though nobody has noticed my orange 42 PO rep. The drummer in my band thought the PO was a swatch, he hadn't ever heard of omega!

However, a sub/sd is quite different, maybe I'm being paranoid. The only person I've seen at work wearing a sub was the vice president. If I was single I could certainly buy a gen SD, but I have 3 kids and everyone knows that and my salary with three kids don't match that watch. So I'll have to tell people it's a rep, but they probably won't ask or notice, but maybe they'll just quietly take stock and think that I'm either wearing the most obvious rep or don't spend my money wisely seeing that I have three kids. I'm probably making too much about it. The biggest problem is letting on to my wife that I acquired another watch.

I did show one co-worker the new orange po and he was quite impressed. Hell, my father passed recently and I inherited his '76 datejust, so maybe I'll just say the SD is inherited as well.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o236/ze...23/IMG_1152.jpg

[jkerouac]

I don't volunteer it, anymore than I would if I had had a hair transplant or [if I were a woman] a breast implant.

By and large, if asked I about a watch I would say that it is a rep, but I wouldn't broadcast that fact because my company is sensitive to issues of copyrights, patents, and counterfeiting.

If somebody absolutely thinks counterfeits are wrong, then you've just lost their respect. So why volunteer the information? I wouldn't deny that I wear reps, but I wouldn't go around announcing it either -- no Rolex, no bling, just nice solid and attractive watches.

[Tim]

No, they don't.

Cute cat. I have one that looks just like it except he's got a belly from lying around too much.

Odell (a.k.a. Kitten) got himself in trouble just the other day. We keep having to chase him away from pushing on the window screens. We end up getting tired of it all and just crack the windows open a little to prevent him from pushing out all the screens with his fat a$$. So he goes to a window upstairs on the second floor and squeezes his fat cat a$$ through the 5 inch crack in the window, and somehow in the process pops the screen out and he apparently followed the screen out the window. There were claws mark on the window sill and down the side of the house. This was before I got up in the morning mind you--when the twittering birds are especially active and driving Kitten nuts. I get up and go downstairs to get coffee and he is sitting on the other side of the glass back door looking in and peeping (he doesn't meow, but instead peeps) with a dumb a$$ look on his face. He was unharmed (surprisingly--it's two stories) and we figure that his butt took the brunt of the fall.

-T

[Tim]

My co-workers have never asked me about my watches, sigh. They just don't notice.

My experience is that the number of people initially noticing any watch one wears is directly related to the overall attractiveness of the wearer. Ugly people never get anything noticed about them on first glance. No one ever notices what I wear but everyone notices what my partner wears. (Though when they find out that I am the one buying all the watches I do get noticed a bit {lot} more! *snicker*) I share your disappointment. And beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. And money DOES make one more attractive!!

I'd be curious to see how many old goats are on this board.....

-T

[premiumdesigners]

i have one gen Pam and 5 reps, no one can tell lol

[oakland]

I made the BIG MISTAKE of telling my brother who I work with about my growing rep collection. He was so impressed, he blabbed to everyone. Picture someone holding up your arm saying "Check out this watch, can you believe it's a fake?!" Now, not only can I not hide it, but people think my gens are fake too!

I can't tell you how annoying it is when a co workers, friends, family members ask me if my Ulysee Nardin Maxi Diver, or my gen seamaster pro is a rep. Then again, I would buy the UN rep if they made a good one...

[Polynomial]

You Americans are lucky, every time I go to US people notice my watch, not so in UK...here only time my coworkers would give crap about my watch would be when they need to ask me the time (in case their mobile run out of betteries)...few times I would get a comment "cool watch", usually when wearing a Seiko...

[rag9fx]

i am pretty happy that my wristcandy gets unnoticed more often then not - it just makes me feel uncomfortable talking about watches with non-enthusiasts - dont know why ... just the way i am i suppose ... My most commented watches have been my RD gold square, MBW 1680, and my 5517 ... the RD normally gets complimented by my friends random girls and men of questionable sexuality at bars and also by my dentist the rolexes unfortunately mostly get noticed on the tube ... thats kind of the last place i want my watches to get noticed and commented on audibly by strangers. My gens never get commented on ... the exception of a 1935 Visible & co rose gold watch which i 'handed down' to my mother last christmas ... go figure

[Corgi]

I always answer misleading so as to not reveal it is a rep, but not directly admit it as genuine.

[Bizkit]

Sure do..especially since a few other folks wear them as well....

[thewightstuff]

My experience is that the number of people initially noticing any watch one wears is directly related to the overall attractiveness of the wearer. Ugly people never get anything noticed about them on first glance. No one ever notices what I wear but everyone notices what my partner wears. (Though when they find out that I am the one buying all the watches I do get noticed a bit {lot} more! *snicker*) I share your disappointment. And beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. And money DOES make one more attractive!!

I'd be curious to see how many old goats are on this board.....

-T

my own thoughts are that the opposite holds true and that ugly people are more likely to have their watch noticed as people quickly scan for any other reason to interact with them. it follows that dress, shoes and wrist would follow if appearance in terms of both physical and facial werent strong enough.

psychologists would back me up im sure given its basic rules of social interaction and relations to alpha dominance.

needless to say no one has ever noticed my watch and i dont even need to wear shoes

actually my experience is that most people dont really care about watches at all in the tiniest piece let alone on other peoples wrists much to my perpetual frustration. any interaction they have had has often been limited to choosing one for themselves or close relation when needed and it begins and ends with this until a requirement for a replacement appears. i collect sneakers and spend my life looking at peoples feet while no one else even carries a remote interest save for the very odd occasion you meet another.

while the benefit of the internet in providing areas for minority interest to collectively interact is huge, it also has a draw back in that it provides a disproportionate realisation of the size or impact of the interest in the wider global community or in the "real world" so to speak.

watches are no different and pale against things like sports or cars with a far wider reaching appeal within society unfortunately.

wouldnt it be great if bars were full of people debating the merits of panerai and the modern brand versus its historical context though any such event would be highly anomolous to say the least.

sadly theres not even relief in watch dealers where even the staff arent interested in anything other than getting through the day in most cases. i want to buy a submariner......great. do you want to see my 5512.......no, zzzzzzz

Edited May 10, 2007 by thewightstuff

[predfan2001]

I don't have a job.

I tell my cats though.

Now that you mention it, my Rat Terrier gives me a funny look when I wear a rep.

Edited May 11, 2007 by predfan2001

[deltatahoe]

actually my experience is that most people dont really care about watches at all [...] much to my perpetual frustration.

i couldn't agree more. i've found the only people who notice watches are others with nice watches (and occasionally fashion-conscious girls). was on a plane waiting to get off recently and noticed a pilot with a breitling emergency. i was wearing my iwc pilot's watch (3717) and he DEFINITELY noticed it. it's fun to have people actually notice your watch.

deltatahoe

[Jawo]

I think this has lots to do with the environment you are in and the people you associate with. I work in an environment where people wear Armani and Boss suits. They follow fashion quite closely and immediately notice a new fashion ensemble immediately. They say, "man that is a nice watch". "How much?" Where did you get it? They are not enthusiasts enough to know the subtle flaws reps have like bezel alignment or wrong recessed date fonts, but know the name and can respect the look and quality. I have never had anyone at work ask me if my watches are real or reps, so I don't outright say that I am wearing a rep. They think I am nuts to spend so much money on watches. When they ask me how much, I just tell them that some like this one goes for around $5000 on Ebay. They don't question any further. I have a guy at work here that has a gen Navtimer Bentley. He took my Navtimer World GMT with gen strap, and said it was a really nice watch and liked the color. He never noticed the lack of the AR or date font imperfections. I think it is just in our individual intricacies that make us so picky about our reps. The only time I have ever been called on a rep is an old Sub I got in NY Canal 5 years ago. I bet 7 out of 10 people that saw the watch asked if it was real. I had no problem telling them it was a rep.

[oakland]

Now that you mention it, my Rat Terrier gives me a funny look when I wear a rep.

I think I just [censored] in my pants laughing so hard!