Reps as Gifts?

[tankster]

I'm curious how folks gift reps. Do you tell the recipient it's a rep? If not, isn't there huge potential for embarrassment if the rep dies or the recipient is called out for wearing a rep? If you DO let on, how is the news taken? Who would you feel comfortable admitting "inside the tent" about the replica world?

Bonus question - does your spouse/SO know you're wearing a rep?

Ahh, angst in gift-giving season.....

[bricky]

Reps as gifts are definitely a no-go for me. They simply aren't what they might seem to be, and that makes them pretty bad gifts IMO.

[Slartibartfast]

Of course my better half knows they are reps.....I tell her! Then she is happy to take them at face value (yes them, she has more than one!)

Enjoy giving reps, but be open about it!

[supermoves]

I am not sure if I would gift a rep. There are certain friends (who are quite happy) who know they will never be able to afford a $10k watch...I would buy/gift a rep. to one of them...and I would tell them its a replica. I also have friends who can or will someday soon be able to afford the gen. if they want it...I would not give them a replica.

I only have one replica and several gens....my wife knows which is the replica and we have talked about why I would get a replica of that specific watch (especiialy since we can afford the gen.)

Thats my 2 cents!

[bricky]

Enjoy giving reps, but be open about it!

Of course you gotta be open about it. I for example never lied about the fact that I wore reps.

But wearing them and giving them away are different things for me.

[Victoria]

I'm curious how folks gift reps. Do you tell the recipient it's a rep? If not, isn't there huge potential for embarrassment if the rep dies or the recipient is called out for wearing a rep?

HUGE HUGE embarrassment factor if you give someone a rep watch without telling them it's not real, especially if someone tells them, "oh that's a fake" or they have it serviced at an AD etc. Wow.

If you DO let on, how is the news taken? Who would you feel comfortable admitting "inside the tent" about the replica world?

For me, family and certain friends. From what I've gathered, there are guys here whose co-workers know they have reps (FxrAndy, e.g.). I think that's awesome, but it depends on the situation and person.

Bonus question - does your spouse/SO know you're wearing a rep?

No offence, but that would really be sleazy if one's own spouse didn't know. If they find out, the first thing a woman particularly will think is, what other secrets has he been keeping from me. You chaps don't want to open that Pandora's Box...

Ahh, angst in gift-giving season.....

You saw my Rollie Tux-Dial I posted in the Wristies? Early Christmas present from my mum to me. Very cool.

But I would never give anyone outside my most intimate circle a rep watch, even if they were comfortable with it.

[freddy333]

For the right person (someone who knows about (and is cool with) your rep-collecting hobby), I do not see a problem with giving a rep as a gift. But you will definitely damage your karma (and lose alot of face) if you fail to make clear that it is a rep.

As a matter of fact, I have an old Daytona rep (that I never wore) that I am giving to a lady friend as one of 3 non-watch gifts for Xmas. It is nicely made, but one of those old models with subdials that functioned as calendars instead of timers & the pushers controlled the setting of the month & date registers. But it keeps good time & will work as a really great piece of bling jewelry for a woman who does not care about watches or watch technology. But I will make it clear that the watch is a rep (not that she would care either way).

[TeeJay]

I'm curious how folks gift reps. Do you tell the recipient it's a rep? If not, isn't there huge potential for embarrassment if the rep dies or the recipient is called out for wearing a rep? If you DO let on, how is the news taken? Who would you feel comfortable admitting "inside the tent" about the replica world?

I've given several reps to friends and family members this year as gifts, and they all knew that they were reps because I told them so. None of them are watch enthusiasts, so they just appreciated them as 'watches'. As for who would I let 'in the tent', that doesn't really apply, for the reason that none of them are watch enthusiasts, so none of them would want to start a collection and need contact details. The closest I have come, was forwarding StrapCulture's website address to a friend I gave a 111h to.

Bonus question - does your spouse/SO know you're wearing a rep?

Of course. As Victoria mentioned, someone would have to be pretty sleazy to try and convince an SO they were wearing gens rather than reps, and, as mentioned, said discovery could have some potentially disastrous consequences. Honesty is the best policy, folks

[Corgi]

Definitely not a watch. The quality is so atrocious these days I could never subject a friend to that kind of torture... maybe as a gag secret santa thing... MAYBE if it was a good friend... of course I would tell them.

A rep cartier pen, stainless steel, however, I would consider doing that. Once again I would tell the person. But I wouldn't say "this is a counterfeit cartier" I would say this is an "accurate homage replicating one of the most expensive pens in the world" and who wouldn't want an homage? Everybody wants that... nobody wants a counterfeit though!