dieselpower Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I had a thought and it lead to me posing this question for discussion. I have a couple of nice gens (Speedy Professional and 1953 semi bubble back Rollie) and also 8 various reps. I can honestly say that I get more satisfaction from wearing a decent rep that gets admiration than wearing a gen piece. Maybe it is something to do with kidding people (although I always say a rep is a rep) or the fact that people are amazed that such good copies even exist. I don't know but the sense of satisfaction is marvellous. You don't get that with a gen, just go to the AD or used watch trader and buy one - it's almost too easy, know what I mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephane Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I second that. Gen are not bringing more satisfaction at all. It's such a great fun to mod a rep and fix the various tech issues (at least it should be fun, Diesel ) At the end, when your rep is almost 100% what you wanted it to be, you "deserve" to wear it. Buy a gen at ADs or Traders, you're right: so easy Cheers Stephane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victoria Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I had a thought and it lead to me posing this question for discussion. Not being a modder-rep owner like Stephane and others, or wanting to be (wonder why), I am not into the idea of making a watch your own, unless you mean trying on different straps. So the answer is -- I like the availability of reps, the ease of owning any watch I could ever want which has been repped. But do I prefer reps to gens? No. If I had the money, I'd buy a gen 90% of the time, as I said in another thread. Will link this thread to Anton's in my poll post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Glad you agree! As for the mod process it's all part of the game. Can you imagine how I will fell when my 1665 is done properly with gen parts etc? A man can not experience true happiness unless he has felt truly sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratedzeus Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Depends. I also see some watches as something that I want to keep for a long time. What do you think...you will keep a HUblot RG Ceramic bezel for 15 years? You will give your noobmariner to your son when he is 18? Do you want to get married with a Fake DJ? Reps are fun to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephane Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Glad you agree! As for the mod process it's all part of the game. Can you imagine how I will fell when my 1665 is done properly with gen parts etc? A man can not experience true happiness unless he has felt truly sad. Well said Diesel! Absolutely. And, yes, I can imagine how you will feel with your 1665 and I'm very happy in anticipation for you... @V: If I was rich, I would buy the rep, have it modded and buy the gen too. For every Rolex I like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkdk Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 im with you guys. had a gold daytona, and it was just soo f.... boring. Easy to wear, and people gave such good service everywhere. But just plain boring. Sold it and bought some more nice reps. Now im actually considering getting a gen ap 15300, because i love the mbk so much. Then again, im not sure there is a point, since i love my mbk so much:-). Too bad a gen nautilus is out of my price range:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rower Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have a gen Sub from 1987 and tend to not wear it on a daily basis so that I keep it nice. I wear and enjoy my good reps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victoria Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Depends. I also see some watches as something that I want to keep for a long time. What do you think...you will keep a HUblot RG Ceramic bezel for 15 years? You will give your noobmariner to your son when he is 18? Do you want to get married with a Fake DJ? You know, on Repgeeks there is a chap who wears a rep to Church on Sunday. I haven't had the courage! Although I pretty much know the Lord knows I buy reps. I think this thread will pretty much break down to whomever likes to mod their watches, and those who don't. Mostly vintage rep Rolex owners fall into the category of "I prefer reps to gens", because I've seen some AWESOME Frankenprojects out there. Same for Paneristi members. But how can you mod an HBB? Reps are fun to me. Me too! Love 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 If I were rich enough to buy as many gens as I needed/wanted, I'd give away all my reps and buy a lot of gens. If I had 12-24 really nice gens, I honestly don't think I'd ever consider looking at reps again. Much like people who have never really been poor don't understand how important money is, I've learned more through replicas than I ever would have through buying gens, but if I could afford nothing but gens, why would I go back to replicas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 If you win the lottery could I put myself first in the 'give away list' please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsons Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I enjoy both. I mainly collect gens with a vintage flavor (ditto for clones) and the hunt for some of these has been very educational and in some cases, not at all easy. The reps that I have are on the rare side or crammed with difficult to OEM source parts. On both counts, the bigger the PIA it is to obtain or build, the more I enjoy the watch. I seriously doubt I would enjoy a watch that was simply purchased with a CC at an AD. That would be boring indeed and just too darn easy to do. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have a gen Sub from 1987 and tend to not wear it on a daily basis so that I keep it nice. I wear and enjoy my good reps. rower, what happened to the original Tritium dial? Perhaps the photo is of a newer model as the Luminova dial is not a rlx service replacement. Nice Sub! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris5264 Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 There actually are a few times I prefer reps to gens. 1) When I hit or bump my watch into a wall 2) when my daughter decides to see how far she can pitch one of my watches 3) when a kid throws up on you 4) When I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rower Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I enjoy both. I mainly collect gens with a vintage flavor (ditto for clones) and the hunt for some of these has been very educational and in some cases, not at all easy. The reps that I have are on the rare side or crammed with difficult to OEM source parts. On both counts, the bigger the PIA it is to obtain or build, the more I enjoy the watch. I seriously doubt I would enjoy a watch that was simply purchased with a CC at an AD. That would be boring indeed and just too darn easy to do. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rower, what happened to the original Tritium dial? Perhaps the photo is of a newer model as the Luminova dial is not a rlx service replacement. Nice Sub! Good catch on the dial. A few years ago, before I really got into collecting, the Tritium stopped glowing. I went into the AD and asked for them to "make it glow again". Really stupid on my part as they replaced my T dial with the one shown. It is a rlx service replacement. Love the glow , but miss my T-dial. The watch was from my wife back in 87 so it has alot of sentimental value to me. The AD gave me all off the replacement parts except the dial. I have a vintage bezel insert with pearl and the T hands...maybe a MBW someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archibald Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 As a cheapskate, I'm always looking at the price/quality ratio. 9 times out 10 reps come out on top when you look at things that way. But there are a handful of gens that you can say with a traight face are worth spending 4 or 5 grand on--JLC's & the manufacture-powered Chopards ,for example. I'd have no qualms about buying one of those every time I could dig up the cash, but my 2 favorite watches--Panerai and Muller--I'd never touch in gen form unless I found one way under market value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddhead Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 If I were rich enough to buy as many gens as I needed/wanted, I'd give away all my reps and buy a lot of gens. If I had 12-24 really nice gens, I honestly don't think I'd ever consider looking at reps again. Much like people who have never really been poor don't understand how important money is, I've learned more through replicas than I ever would have through buying gens, but if I could afford nothing but gens, why would I go back to replicas? Best reply yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportsterRider Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 If I were rich enough to buy as many gens as I needed/wanted, I'd give away all my reps and buy a lot of gens. If I had 12-24 really nice gens, I honestly don't think I'd ever consider looking at reps again. Much like people who have never really been poor don't understand how important money is, I've learned more through replicas than I ever would have through buying gens, but if I could afford nothing but gens, why would I go back to replicas? +1 There seems to be two types of replica owner: The folks that buy replica's because buying gens is simply out of the financial equation, and people who like to sort of create their own stuff (a kind of tinkerers gene). Part of the enjoyment with replica collecting is that 'search' for the perfect piece. You get a kind of high waiting for that delivery and you get hooked on that anticipation. Will it meet my expectations? Will it match the photo's? Is it truly 1:1, or will I have to make it that way. Some replica collectors go even further and buy a watch with the intent of taking it apart and sort of creating their own personal version of said watch. Whether it's a strap(s) change, modifying crown guards, attempting to fit genuine parts just to see if it can be done, etc, etc, etc. For people like this, owning a genuine is simply far too boring as it's already perfect. I'm like you insofar as if I had the disposable cash, I'd never look at a replica and would buy the genuine article of the watch, or watches, that I fancy. Why bother with a copy that, no matter how good, will never truly be 100% exact? I've had the good fortune of owning a few genuine watches over the years (a pair of SMP's, and a Datejust). I've had to part with all of them due to finance's, otherwise I'd still own them and never bothered with a replica of one. To me, a copy/replica/counterfeit is never as good as the real thing and I will always go genuine when I can afford to. In cases where I can't, there's some darn fine reps to choose from that I CAN afford! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Gens, reps, what's the real difference? They're just watches. But the rep watch community is much more fascinating than the gen one. More drama, more controversy, more shady characters, etc. The gen community is just as boring as any "politically correct" family TV show. The rep community is The Sopranos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Eleven Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I own reps as well as gens, but always prefer reps on my wrist. The reason being that I do not have to worry about losing my reps. And do not have to worry about banging my reps on doors. Though sometimes, I wish the quality of reps could be more consistent, I still love reps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I'm lucky to be in position where I could afford a reasonable collection of genuines if I wanted them. But I'm unlikely to actually buy one again, the reason? I brought a genuine Rolex GMT Master a while back (second hand thankfully). Every-time I looked at the thing on my wrist it made me feel like a sucker for blowing so much money on something so stupidly overpriced due only to its brand name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jawo Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 If I love a rep enough, I would splurge for a gen in an instant. I was very close to purchasing a 111J when I was on holidays in Cozumel. $3900 was the price. I actually think about it almost every day. So sad. The only thing that held me back was the fact that the 111 still remains as one of the most repped PAM's. I wanted a 127 and would willingly spend the 10K for it. He actually had one in the safe but would not sell it. He said that it was on hold for a very big customer. Looked all over during the cruise and it is nowhere to be found. Most of the Panerai the AD's had were base models that I didn't care much for. The reps all say that IWC and Panerai still remains as the most popular watches. I agree about the techy thing in regards to modding the watch. It puts a lot of fun into rep collecting. Always striving for perfection. So I think we are perfectionists. I saw a RG Portugese at a big watch store for 29K in a fully encased single display worthy of the Hope Diamond. My wife bought a 15K yellow diamond ring so the Manager did not mind letting me put it on (where was the bloody camera when you needed it?). It was the only non-female thing that brought me to orgasm. My wife wanted me to buy something for myself, but 29k was out of reach and would have allowed me to buy a nice luxury car instead. I did not see anything else that I was so passionate about to spend the money on. That is the beauty of a rep. You can kinda like it and spend a couple hundred on it and feel really good. Spending 5-10k on a gen? You better love it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumpy Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 (edited) well..i just got out the abacus and did a little figurin. i suppose evidence says i like reps better. cause i have enough invested in my rep collection to have purchased at least a gen sub...or a nice omega and a decent breitling. i imagine many of you are in the same situation. one good rep purchased a month (300 0r so smackers) pretty much equals the monthly payment on a high end gen bought on credit. someday...when all my reps break...and i finally know what gen ill be happy wearing every day.....then i suppose ill go legit edit: after reading this through........ the extent of my sickness hits me like a slap in the face....damn you rwg/rwi Edited October 18, 2007 by lumpy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4GTR Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 (edited) The most surprising thing to me is not how close the reps are to the gens, but how close the gens are to the reps. There's just nothing there, no extra sparkle, no additional feature that makes a gen worth the gross % it is marked up. They are audaciously priced, which at times leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I do not think I could be 100% happy with either choice. I have always said, I am much happier owning reps knowing I have at least one gen. Edited October 18, 2007 by P4GTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Who prefers reps to gens? I dooo Primarily for economic reasons, ie my opinions on consumerism and brand-name worship, but alsop because they do allow people to have a more varied collection, and to try marques which would normally be financially prohibited... On the issue would I ever replace my reps with gens? That would be a resounding never. All my collection (bar two watches) all have some kind of sentimental value (ie received as gift/bought with inheritance etc) which a gen replacement would simply not have. In a sense, that watch would be a 'replica' of the original watch which I owned. With regards buying new gens, then my opinion is still one of economy and value for money. I simply don't think such brandnames deserve to command such high prices, and, even if I had a huge lotto win, I think I would still have the same ethos of only paying what a product is worth. It's often said that the richest people are often the most tight with their money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viennawatch Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I'll buy a gen first and then let you all know how I feel! Regards, VW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.