The Single Most Important Factor In The Believability Of A Rep...

[halley]

On my side, I'm still studying, making soooo few money a year, but I have absolutly no debt, no credit card whatsoever, and bought a 2.850€ watch earlier this year that is about 5 time the price of my GF car.

I can afford a gen 116520 or 16520 and probably go that route in a few years...Because I don't have lot of charges and spend very few, I'm well dressed but never hide behind expensive brand names (more watch money) but always look for fabrics instead (suits always 100% quality whool and nicely tailored, silk ties always, tailored shirts...), only thing I spend are shoes but they mean a lot for people like it's been said above (so their social function is comparable to watches) - I wear almost every day a suit so a nice watch is not out of place with the way I look in the street.

Funny thing is now I don't even have a car, owned an Alfa romeo GTV V6, demanded 8.000€ in 3 years of ownership for only 10.000km, this is the expensive [censored]. Driving at max 3.000km/year, I 'd rather spend that money on watches, makes a nice gen every year, and walk and use public transport.

The most expensive looking rep I have is my vintage 6265 and it needs a connaisseur to be called out and to know its value.

Other than that I stick with only 2.000-7.000 watches that I could afford, but I certainly couldn't afford 8x7.000, lol !! but all those watches in a scatolla del tempo box look real anytime

Finally I'll add that a guy who leaves next to my mother's wears the unsexiest short I've seen, with those white sport socks up to half calf and a poor watch...but then again parks the carrera GT he owns among others to enter his Enzo inside what you call a 3000m² house, has a company that makes several Million Euros a years but he isn't looking he is up to those standards! Apparence yes, but anybody can appear anyone he wants.

[jkerouac]

I'd like to take issue with one other point that Eye Surgeon makes. He argues that the people here knowingly buy crap movemetns and could get better real watches for similar to what we pay for reps.

The second half of that argument is probably valid, but I don't agree with the first part. First off, reps in the $100 range are probably equal in quality to similarly priced real watches-- with the caveat that the genuines are more likely to sport quartz movements, which most members here avoid for the most part.

When you get into mid-priced to higher=priced reps with ETA or Venus/Lemania movements, many people here have extremely high standards and have studied these movements scrupulously (based on dissections by experts like The Zigmeister) before making their purchases. Quality control may not be inconsistent in rep factories in regard to cleanliness, lubrication, and adjustment, but I have a high degree of confidence in the long-term reliability of the movements in my better reps. If necessary, one service should take care of these inconistencies. And personally, I don't know think you can say that you would get the same quality in a $200-$300 genuine with a manual or automatic movement. In a gen Omega or Rollie certainly, but then you've already spent more than for two or three quality reps.

[ridnwind]

I just bring my a copy of my resume, home equity, and brokerage portfolio with me in case I get "called out" so I can present and defend my upper social status when I wear my DRSD.

[XRT]

I'm talking about your purchasing power matching your personal property. The guy at the Taco Bell drive through can carry himself as high as he wants, that MBW Sub is not convincing.

When I was in high school and college I took all different kinds of jobs (janitor at our neighborhood hardware store-did this for 2 yrs, vacuum boy at the local car wash- I was the only manual labor worker there who spoke English...did this for 2 yrs, package delivery driver, bagger at a grocery store-lasted one shift, summer camp counselor, construction, etc...)

That guy at the local Taco Bell could have been me or any number of kids I grew up with.

You can't judge a book by its cover. I grew up in a neighborhood that was full of well-to-do families and kids with trust funds (unfortunately not mine) or very generous parents. Despite our comfortable homes, a bunch of us worked for extra cash. I saved my money and paid for a 3 month trip around Europe when I graduated high-school...I could have bought two genuine 1680 Subs (had I even known what that was at that time.) Your job or your 6-year old BMW (mine is 5.5-years old now) doesn't say everything about you.

[sevomd]

Its all about perception. It doesn't matter that Mark Cuban who looks like the avg Joe next door is in fact a billionaire. If no one knew him and he was walking around with a $100K watch, the majority of people would think it was a fake. That is what eye surgeon is trying to say. I'm sure there are people in this world who are very well off, but dress down and vice versa, but people's perception will be different depending on what kind of persona you give off.

Eddy

[ncbuckeye3]

I've never had a pair of shoes that I am really comfortable in. I even bought Gucci and Prada shoes as they are supposed to be good, but still always the same old story.

I'm seeing the foot health people at the hospital I work at, on the recommendation of the doctor after I'd had a couple of ankle injuries playing soccer last summer in Vienna. Not from tackles but from hidden potholes in the ground!

I prefer to wear dark unmarked sneakers to work nowadays. I have a pair of black leather Adidas "Stan Smith" that look like shoes but have the comfort of sneakers.

Not sneakers, but I find Blundstones to be very comfortable. If you haven't heard of them, they are Australian. They have recently started showing up at a lot of places here in the US, but I order mine online from Paradise Footwear. I love these things. I am on my feet a lot at retail places (Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Home Depot) with my job and these are great.

[shultz]

People pulling up to the restaurant in a 6 year old 325 but wearing a rep that is worth more than their car, it's just not believable. People that live with their parents, I mean come on, I would just assume their sub is fake even if it's MBW or whatever.

I guess on principle you are right. But I am pulling up to the restaurant in a 23 year old Mercedes although I am owning more than twenty gen watches

Edited June 11, 2006 by shultz

[Chronus]

Not sneakers, but I find Blundstones to be very comfortable. If you haven't heard of them, they are Australian. They have recently started showing up at a lot of places here in the US, but I order mine online from Paradise Footwear. I love these things. I am on my feet a lot at retail places (Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Home Depot) with my job and these are great.

Thanks for the link.

I guess I always wore sneakers (or trainers as we say in the UK) also because I was a basketball player and would play anytime anyplace. Since some injuries I haven't played basketball much... it's more soccer now, which improves as my fitness and speed comes back, though I only scored 3 times yesterday and hit the post 3 times I don't think the opposition goalkeeper liked getting smacked in the face so many times with my shots

Edited June 11, 2006 by Chronus

[XRT]

It doesn't matter that Mark Cuban who looks like the avg Joe next door is in fact a billionaire. If no one knew him and he was walking around with a $100K watch, the majority of people would think it was a fake.

That isn't true in Los Angeles where casual (or even 'shlumpy'...Yiddish for messy or unkempt) attire is commonplace among the nouveau riche. Walk down the streets of Beverly Hills on a Sunday morning through the farmers market and see what I mean (torn jeans, wrinkled and untucked shirts, sneakers and Rolexes and Cartiers abound...)

[Markus]

It must be awful to be poor.

I'm only poor as regards monetary value. I'm rich beyond my wildest dreams as regards my wife and my beautiful children.

[jens]

I'm only poor as regards monetary value. I'm rich beyond my wildest dreams as regards my wife and my beautiful children.

Wow, what do you think other people think about you ? Can they see it? Do you worry a lot about it ?

[gdaddy]

I haven't been into the rep hobby for very long, now, but I have enjoyed the ones I have bought. Last week, I was a guest at a golf tournament at a pretty exclusive country club in the town with the highest per capita income in the state. Having worn my rep Brietling for the first couple of days of the tournament, for the awards dinner, I decided to wear my genuine Corum Admiral's Cup, for no particular reason.

While having drinks and chatting with many of the members, including one who is on Forbes' wealthiest list, I paid a lot of attention to the watches being worn. Fifteen years ago, at least three of four would have had on Rolex Day/Dates. Saturday, I saw one well-worn Day Date, one TT Datejust and a beautiful gold Longines. But most interesting of all, was that probably 60% of the men weren't wearing watches at all. They are saying that they will just use the time displays on the ubiquitous cell phones. The TT Datejust was worn by the richest guy in the club...a name anyone in the US would recognize. (Last name anyway)

As luck would have it, I was at a table with the guy with the Day Date who, as it turned out, was a serious collector. He asked if he could look at the Corum. He didn't collect Corum and I don't know if he would have recognized a rep or not, but I was happy I had worn the real thing. Then he tells me that he had bought his son a Panerai for Christmas and that he had noticed my playing partner's Panerai...a rep that I had given him. I spent the rest of the night keeping between him and my partner to avoid his asking to see the Panerai.

Net of all the occasional drama, there were very few expensive watches. Many more on the women than the men. And everyone of these people could have afforded a gold Rolex and, in fact, might have had one in the drawer at home.

And the "collector" had a broker who located watches for him. He had been buying and selling for about 10-15 years and at this time, had about five watches, mostly Patek. He knew his watches and was impressed that I knew as much as I did...almost all of which info I've gotten from this and a couple of the other rep sites.

It was fun.

[pizzanooo]

My next rep is likely going to be the PAM 147 from Joshua, i.e. the most unaccurate and (to me) most beautiful watch ever.

Most heartly agree with you on this one, just a nice piece. To hell what others think, Its what I like.

Edited June 12, 2006 by pizzanooo

[thedoctor]

I agree completely with the eye.surgeon. I don't think anyone would ever question any of my watches b/c they know what I do. They are quiet shocked when I tell them that they are reps, partly b/c I could afford a gen (but not 10 gens like my reps), and partly b/c these eta reps are so damn good.

[hookoo]

Obviously pride, shame, social status, career status, upward mobility professionally and socially, economic determinism and duping delight all have a role to play in why those who dare choose reps.

My reason? Chicks. Chicks love expensive watches. Makes my job a lot easier.

J/K folks...

Curious about something here.

Perhaps it's the class of ladies I know. But, I have found them only familiar with the Rolex Presidential type of watch. Do you need to tell them it's an expensive watch or do they say " hey, nice PAM"?

[infinitime]

true, but how many of us that really going to spend $5,000 plus for a Panerai Fiddy? or $10,000 plus for a frank muller?

[dcrooz]

Curious about something here.

Perhaps it's the class of ladies I know. But, I have found them only familiar with the Rolex Presidential type of watch. Do you need to tell them it's an expensive watch or do they say " hey, nice PAM"?

I'm glad to say that the majority of people have never heard of PAM's, which for me is great as I'm not a very flashy guy - I think if you want girls to think you're loaded that's more Rolex territory. Although a PAM will get noticed, they won't have a clue how much it costs...