What is your biggest complaint about Reps?

[Jawo]

I have purchased 7 reps so far in the last 2 months. After analysing the watches, and reading through various threads, there are certain flaws that bug me more than others. For me, I think the biggest flaw I dislike is the Pearl alignment and quality on reps. I own a few models that have pearls like the PO, Chronomat Evo, SMP Chrono. Just want to know what bugs you guys the most about reps in general.

[yt74]

I would say lume, but since that was not a choice, I went with pearl...

[Jawo]

I would say lume, but since that was not a choice, I went with pearl...

Darn, forgot about lume.

[Pugwash]

I would say 'general quality control' but it's not an option, so I'll go with movement.

[predfan2001]

Here's my problems so far:

1. (Quality) Bought a 42.5mm Omega PO from brand9ave.com. When It arrived, the crystal had a chip on the inside, the bezel insert was scratched and the divers extension would not stay closed. I really disliked this watch. I thought it would have been bigger but it wasn't any bigger than my sub. (thicker yes). I sent it back and asked for a 45.5mm in exchange. They did it and I love it. The worse thing about it is the shallow pearl. I am working on a plan to fix that. I don't mind that the Omega logo has feet. They finally satisfied the deal but it took forever it seemed. Many e-mails and IMs thru their customer support.

2. (Movement/Quality) Bought an Omega GMT with asian movement from Trusty (Andrew). It kept quitting interm. like something was binding in the movement. It finally quit all together. He replaced it and all is well with the second one. BTW, Andrew is the best to deal with. He was so nice, he made me feel bad for complaining. His customer service is second to none. He apoligized for the problems and advised me to steer clear of the asian movements for long term quality (I would advise the same). Normally I do but I wanted this GMT because the asian movement rep. is the probably the best looking one out there.

Other than that I've been really satisfied with the quality of my reps. The way I see it is look at the ETA Omega PO rep. vs. gen. They are both made out of stainless steel. They both have a quality movement (as I have said before, I personally have had better luck out of an ETA than Omegas ETAs). Is being waterproof to 2000 ft and having a modified ETA movement or co-axial bla bla bla worth $3000 retail more than a rep. Not to me.

I really don't worry about water resistance, the wettest my watches get is in the shower and none have leaked yet. Accuracy is usually not an issue if you go with an ETA. You can't beat an ETA (except for gen. Rolex in my opinion).

I have severely damaged a genuine high end watch I was wearing before (that sucks), it gives me peace of mind knowing that I only have a few hundered dollars on my wrist now. Glad I ran into you guys!!!

Edited May 9, 2007 by predfan2001

[elprimerozen]

F..ing movements....swiss or china...all the same...you never know what to expect.Full of surprises

[jfreeman420]

Biggest complaint, is that they are not genuine!!!

Seriously, I have owned too many replica watches to count and I can say I really don't have any complaints. The only problem I have had is with a few movements so that is what i voted for. I buy reps for the novelty, design and value. Lets face it you get what you pay for. If I spend $200 to $300 on a watch (of any kind) and it lasts for a year or more I have gotten my money's worth. Most of my reps have lasted a year or years so I can't complain.

I have also spent $10,000 on a Rolex and sold it six months later. Can't stand to have that much money tied up in one watch too long.

[Lyndonville]

I have purchased 7 reps so far in the last 2 months. After analysing the watches, and reading through various threads, there are certain flaws that bug me more than others. For me, I think the biggest flaw I dislike is the Pearl alignment and quality on reps. I own a few models that have pearls like the PO, Chronomat Evo, SMP Chrono. Just want to know what bugs you guys the most about reps in general.

That Asian 7750 sucks big time. I don't care how great the watch looks, I'd never again buy any watch that had that &#^$%@*&$% movement in it. Total POS.

[poopypants]

update the the poll with an "ALL OF THE ABOVE" choice!

and you will have my answer...

[trunk21]

Movements. Crapshoot, swiss or asain.

Also the finish. Even on Panerai reps, the factories COULD get the cotes de geneve waves right. Oh, and are there NO LASER ENGRAVING MACHINES in the entire region? Stickers???

Guess that's what keep the prices lower, so I shouldn't complain...

@Poopypants!!! Where the hell have you been? Still get a kick out of your avatar!!!

[nxuan]

Each rep has issues here or there. When I buy one, I will check appearance or visual quality against the gen as much as possible. So, I'll be, more or less, content with the decorative part of the rep.

What I can not know from looking at pictures is quality of the movement, which includes crown, buttons, chronograph function, etc.

[b16a2]

I put AR, but also the complete luck of the draw in terms of whether you get a watch with straight markers or wonky ones etc.. I know it's a rep and if I want QC buy a gen, but it would be nice to see consistently made watches.

[Zed]

All of the above !

It depends on the watch like say the SMP chrono , bezel alignment could be done so easily at the factory , no AR coating and the HE valve is off ...

I also like chronos and have more than 20 , I wish there was a better selection between Swiss & Asian when it comes to chronos but most are the Asian version ...

Zed

[brook0]

Movement, would be nice if they kept time!

[Guest pma45]

My biggest pet peeves are the crown tube and stem. Screwing the crown down and breaking the tube off or striping the threads really sucks.

Now Asian 7750. No matter how much you paid or who is selling it they all have that same limp noodle stem. It says trouble down the road ,the way it wobbles around within the tube and the light movement of the hands when setting the time.

Edited May 9, 2007 by pma45

[crystalcranium]

Lack of QC on assembly. Some of these watches are amazing high fidelity copies of the real thing but when a hand falls off or a chrono pusher button unscrews itself and falls into the wall to wall carpet never to be seen again, it's not such a 1-1 reproduction anymore.

[b16a2]

All of the above !

It depends on the watch like say the SMP chrono , bezel alignment could be done so easily at the factory , no AR coating and the HE valve is off ...

I also like chronos and have more than 20 , I wish there was a better selection between Swiss & Asian when it comes to chronos but most are the Asian version ...

Zed

Zed don't worry about the AR and HE Valve on the SMP chrono they are both correct for that model. The chrono version (gen) has the HE Valve smack on the 10 o'clock marker, and there is no AR either, apart from the bezel and the screws instead of pins in the bracelet you have a stunning and very accurate watch

[eddhead]

It probably depends on the rep. After seeing some of the finer modificatons on watches from Messers Gladraider and Jetsons, I have come to realize that for me subs and seadwellers are most improved when you change the insert, crystal, and in some cases, the dial. All the stuff about crown guards, rehaut, etc.. those are nice to haves, but a nice domed crystal and aftermarket or gen insert on a vintage rollie makes an incredible difference. So for those watches it is the crystal the dial and the insert.

For the PAMS I just think it is the overall fit and finish. I have what I consider to be a nice 029 with a 2892 movement.. I really liked that watch until I walked into a Panarai boutique and checked out some gens. I cannot really explain the difference... just a sginficantly better feel and finish I guess. It has been tough for me to wear my 029 since. And believe me, it is a nice watch and is more accurate than my gen rollie.

In terms of movements, I have had no problems with the ETA's. I have 2 watches with Asian movements. My noob runs like a champ, my SMP GMT ... not so good. I can only think it is a crapshoot with the Asians

I have no issues whatsoever with my 4th and 6th gen PO's . I love those watches.

[vric]

I can live with every flaw you said, except Reliability of Movement... a $300-$600 watch that die in 2 weeks is just... unacceptable.. All the rest I accept that.

Edited May 9, 2007 by vric

[Richard Tracy]

QC, depending upon the models... seems mostly R*lex with crooked markers..

Have very few problems with time keeping and movements with over 100 watches

80% + Asian.

However my biggest complaint,... is that I can't afford to buy as many as I want ...

[Chronus]

QC, depending upon the models... seems mostly R*lex with crooked markers..

Have very few problems with time keeping and movements with over 100 watches

80% + Asian.

However my biggest complaint,... is that I can't afford to buy as many as I want ...

IWC Aquatimer had crooked markers too

[Chronus]

Here's my problems so far:

Other than that I've been really satisfied with the quality of my reps. The way I see it is look at the ETA Omega PO rep. vs. gen. They are both made out of stainless steel. They both have a quality movement (as I have said before, I personally have had better luck out of an ETA than Omegas ETAs). Is being waterproof to 2000 ft and having a modified ETA movement or co-axial bla bla bla worth $3000 retail more than a rep. Not to me.

I really don't worry about water resistance, the wettest my watches get is in the shower and none have leaked yet.

The price difference is from the facts that Omega came up with the watch design, R&D, the better more accurate movement licensing, the advertising so that people want this watch, quality control, water resistance, warranty, box, better straps, better quality materials, etc. The rep makers are piggybacking off this popularity without all these overheads.

Accuracy is usually not an issue if you go with an ETA. You can't beat an ETA (except for gen. Rolex in my opinion).

You're forgetting movements like in the AP, the true GMT movements found in R**** and Om***, the new PAM in-house movement, the king of movements, El Primero, Pateks etc etc. There are quite a lot of quality movements out there

[puttputt]

For me, the biggest detriment is easily the poor strap quality. The watches themselves are amazingly high-quality replicas, but to put them on a cheap plastic-looking strap just takes away their beauty. I have replaced the strap on all of my replicas, and its worth the money. It really does make a difference.

[Bizkit]

Quality control and dealers who drop ship..........

[GhostfaceZX]

I wish there were 100% accurate (except movement of course) reps. Every model has some kind of flaw.