reps passing for Gens

[gridlock1983]

This has probably been done and done time after time but I'm curious to see if anybody has ever taken a Rep into an AD or someone thats meant to know their stuff and had their watch passed for a gen.

Reason I ask is one of my friends had a rep PAM and he took it to a Jewellers near to us that is meant to be someone who knows his stuff, by this I mean not an F HINDS or Ernest Jones etc.

The guy looked over it and said these panerai are amazing and sell like hot cakes. If i stocked second hand watches I'd offer you a couple of grand for it.

I stood back and thought what the hell?

Has this happened to any of you guys? If so, with what watches

[dadog13]

LESSON NUMBER 1 : DO NOT EVER SHOW YOUR REP IN AN AD!

this thema was discussed many times...and there are many stories like the ones you wanna hear...do a search....they all start with : I walked into an AD with my rep on the wrist....

Edited July 4, 2007 by dadog13

[crystalcranium]

Naughty...naughty!!!

The act of walking into an AD and flaunting a rep is not admired here.

Wearing one into an AD and it being noticed is a thrill...but you risk embarassment and shining a spotlight on our ilegal hobby.

[gran]

This is a difficult subject.....a real dilema.....each situation is special.....wearing a replica of the lesser known brands in such an environment is probably the safer way to go....Wearing a replica ROLEX reequires nerves of steel...

[HighDef]

IMO,,most of our high end reps will pass at a glance until scrutinized by a trained eye even in an AD. The problem is when members give the trained eye a chance to scrutinize the rep by sitting thier arm on top of glass display and let a trained stare at it for so long..

[geo1nah2a]

It depends on the AD. Some have WIS employees that know as much as we do. Others have nice ladies that apart from reading the dial know little about watch collecting. If you wear your watch under the cuff and don't go flashing it around, it will be more believable too. No, selling it for second hand, I think not: they will open it and there the story ends (even if they can't tell with a loupe looking at the dial)

Since you mentioned panerai, in some of the more classic watch shops, this is a brand they might not be carrying, but for sure they heard the whole trend and sales figures. Hence the comment of your watchmaker. It was either that, or he was very smart not to call out a potential client.

[gran]

.....nice ladies that apart from reading the dial know little about watch collecting..........

ladies

[HauteHippie]

I wear my reps almost everyday. And so when I go into ADs, one rep or another is usually on my wrist. Do I have any concerns about wearing them to ADs? None at all. But do I flaunt them? Never. I usually just take compliments and go about my business. No big deal.

[ubiquitous]

Never any concerns with this pair

[b16a2]

As CC says. If I am wearing a rep, I don't avoid the AD's like the plague. I do make sure that they don't get it from my wrist, or get a really good look at it. We have reps, they have gens. Flaunting a rep in the gen world is a big no no.

[Raijor]

I have never had a comment from anybody on my reps so I do not know if they pass. I did have an Invicta Yachtmaster in all gold that got a couple of women to grab my wrist to see what kind of watch it was. Another commented on my nice Rolex thinking the Invicta was a gold Yacht-Master. I guess from a distance almost anything can pass as the real thing. Just don't feel the need to go to AD with a rep. Who really gains anything by doing that? Cheers

[scooter]

For the longest time one of my co-workers always wore a Submariner, that he got for a good price, from a "friend". He always tried to get me to go out and get a new watch since I just wore a simple Hamilton. He always said that his friend could get me great deals, like 1/2 price from an AD. So after a meeting one day, we decided to go to the mall because he had alot of scratches and wanted to get them taken care of.

We were in the store and he was talking to the lady at the counter while I was browsing their goods. She then took the watch to another person for further inspection. After a brief conference, she came back over and gave him the watch. I don't know what she said to him but he was [censored]. The whole ride home he was just mumbling something about his F'n "friend" that sold him the watch

[elprimerozen]

My AD is Joshua........so no problems!!!!

[arty909]

I was at an antique show and saw a vintage Tudor Submariner and asked the guy how much it cost. He told me $1400, and I thought for a second and told him I would take a walk around and come back if I wanted it. He said 'OK, and what is that you're wearing?' It was my first rep- a RLX Red Sub purchased several years ago on Ioffer, before I discovered these forums. I took it off and handed it to him. I'll never forget this: he looked at it, looked back at me with wide eyes, reached into his pocket for his jewelers loupe, looked it over thoroughly then back at me while reaching into his other pocket, and pulling out a huge roll of Ben Franklins and said 'name your price.' I was not even considering a deceitful transaction, so I told him it wasn't for sale. He offerred 3k, and I felt it was time to come clean, telling him it was not authentic. He shook my hand, smiled and thanked me for being honest, and said it was the best he'd ever seen. Gen goes for 8-10K + right now. Guess this experience is what started my passion for this highly addictive hobby. Picture attached...

[yodaddynukka]

never go into an AD with a rep... unless of course its a ferrari 008 with gen strap lol j/k

[Antonio]

I walk into Tourneau with my reps, but don't flaunt them. Most of the people behind the counter, since it's at a mall, know less than I do. I always get into good conversations with them and fondle a few gens. Favorite was a GP Tourby, used, for $56k. I educated the woman showing it to me about tourbillon movements, she let me play with some of the beautiful new & used gens. I keep my watch either on or put it in my pocket as I try on other watches.

Had a band resized on one watch by a local dealer, he didn't deal in that brand. His eyes lit up, he asked if it was real (an AP RO), I admitted it wasn't. He admitted he'd never seen one in real life, I assured him it was really close.

But I'd never walk into a knowledgeable AD with that dealer's brand of watch on, unless it was a gen.

[georgegrasser]

I was at an antique show and saw a vintage Tudor Submariner and asked the guy how much it cost. He told me $1400, and I thought for a second and told him I would take a walk around and come back if I wanted it. He said 'OK, and what is that you're wearing?' It was my first rep- a RLX Red Sub purchased several years ago on Ioffer, before I discovered these forums. I took it off and handed it to him. I'll never forget this: he looked at it, looked back at me with wide eyes, reached into his pocket for his jewelers loupe, looked it over thoroughly then back at me while reaching into his other pocket, and pulling out a huge roll of Ben Franklins and said 'name your price.' I was not even considering a deceitful transaction, so I told him it wasn't for sale. He offerred 3k, and I felt it was time to come clean, telling him it was not authentic. He shook my hand, smiled and thanked me for being honest, and said it was the best he'd ever seen. Gen goes for 8-10K + right now. Guess this experience is what started my passion for this highly addictive hobby. Picture attached...

Honesty works both ways. He tried to steal your watch for 3K! You should have nailed the bastard!. Honesty does not pay.

[deepsea]

Honesty works both ways. He tried to steal your watch for 3K! You should have nailed the bastard!. Honesty does not pay.

one word; Karma

If you nail someone, that nailing will return to you in some other way in the future.

my .02

Edited July 21, 2007 by deepsea

[Stephane]

If you nail someone, that nailing will return to you in some other way in the future.

That is true.

Honesty always pays.

At least always did for me.

Cheers

Stephane

[CY0811]

Have taken many reps into the AD....TW Rolex...GT...Pam 196..no problem...but only one came of my wrist. Cermamic Bezel BB....he had just sold one and picked mine up and was trying get me to trade it in and get something else...had NO clue it was a rep...its that good.

[lfovco]

Today I was at an AD (that does not sell Panerai) wearing my 1950 Flyback. As I was trying on BR-03 I put the 1950 down and the sales guy picked up asked if this is one of the older models (he did don't know anything about Panerais obviously), turned it around, shook the watch and looked at the movement spinning while commenting what a cool looking watch it is and saying I should definitely pick up a Black Carbon BR-03 since I already have such a great looking SS Panerai.

I think I would not let a Panerai AD handle any of the PAM reps, but most dealers don't know [censored] about brands they don't carry at their store unless they are really into watches and that's a small % I guess.

Same thing at Westime in LA (not the Beverly Hills one), couple ladies working there were completely clueless about watches and brands except saying things like: this is a nice watch, it looks good on you (hahahahaha), when I asked her a quesion about movements she opened her eyes wide and all she cold say is that watches look nice. One of them I even overheard telling a customer they don't carry Omega at this location. Where about 15 feet away from her there is.. a huge display of Omega watches. I could barely stop myself from laughing.

[yellomen]

I wear replicas... at least most of the time. Also when i go to an AD. Years and years ago i was wearing a modern MBW Submariner (first 2004 series without lugholes... raving on the forums about the watch at that time was huge!) to Harrods when i wanted to try on several watches.

At that time i thought this to be an incredibly good rep... so good an AD couldn't tell the difference. Years later we know much better of course, but the guy helping me at Harrods was the best. He didn't mention anything about the rep Sub... he helped me trying on several 15k watches and in his enthousiasme even some limited edition Frack Muller's of around 25k

Last time i was at Harrods i was wearing my Ingenieur... we talked about watches, i looked at the Ingenieur chrono and in the end he came up with the normal Ingenieur. I told him i already have that watch and point at my own at the counter and the guys says "oeps... i never look at a customer's watch". A day later i was offered a fairly good price for the rep Ingenieur at New Bond Street, which i of course declined.

The real danger is not at the AD... the real danger for our community is when some people start showing reps on Timezone! I hope at AD's they know how good reps are and they do not accidently buy one for too much money! The community on timezone is where the danger is when a huge picture of a watch is shown and the flaws will be spotted. That's where the connections to the manufacterer are and where action against our community will be started...

[FasTTaP]

Very true, posting rep on Timezone is an absolute no-no.

[bkatbamna]

Yes, someone over there showed a picture of the rep Hublot BB to the CEO of the company on the timezone forum. Needless to say he got lawyers involved.

[archibald]

All reps pass as gen to 99.9% of the worlds population. The other.01% of the population you're not fooling even if you think you are. People try to pass reps as gens to my watchsmith, of all people, and guess what? He plays along. Why risk embarrassing a paying customer? See all of the I-fooled-the-AD posts in this thread? I'd bet any of my reps that more than half of the AD foolers...weren't.