AllergyDoc Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 (edited) Most of us arrived here with minds polluted by scam sites and scam "review" sites: all peddlers of lies and deception. In an effort to help cleanse the noobs' minds of this filth, I propose the following 10 common and devious lies and misconceptions about replica watches, and the business of manufacturing and selling replica watches. Lie #1: The best replica watches are made in Switzerland, followed closely by Italy. -- This is the biggest lie of all. All replica watches are made somewhere in Asia, mostly China. Saying that replicas are made in Switzerland or Italy is a lie intended to extract more money from the ignorant. Lie #2: Replica watches are graded according to quality. C (or whatever) is the lowest and AAA+++ (or whatever) is the highest. -- Who decides what is "C" and what is "A"? The "International Replica Watch Governing Board"? Pure nonsense designed, again, to get more of your dollars. Lie #3: The movements in "Swiss made" replicas are identical to the genuine watch movements. 27 jewel movements are the best. -- (See Lie #1 for "Swiss made".) Far from the truth. Very few replica watch movements come from anywhere but China and any watchman can immediately tell it's not "genuine." There are no Asian 27 jewels movements in replica watches; only 25, 21, or 17. (A few newer replicas may use an ETA 7753, a 27-jewel movement.) Lie #4: The best replicas are 99% true to the genuine and will even fool an Authorized Dealer (AD). -- Not true. While some may be close (picking a number is impossible) to the genuine, all replicas are flawed. Do you really think you can spend $200 or less and get a watch that's 99% identical to a $4,000-20,000 watch? As for fooling ADs, maybe. Common clerks are easily fooled, but seasoned ADs, upon close inspection, will know it's a replica. Lie #5: The gold on "Swiss grade" replicas is much higher than on other replicas. The crown, bezel, and mid links are solid gold and the full-gold replicas are 5-wrapped (or 6-wrapped, or whatever). -- While a few models have been shown to have solid gold mid links (Rolex replicas), the rest of the watch is gold plated or double or triple wrapped gold. ("Search" for threads on how this is done.) Lie #6: The best Rolex replicas are made with 904L grade steel. -- Big fat lie. Good replicas are made with 316L quality steel. Rolex is one of the few companies that use 904L steel. While it costs 3 times as much as 316L . Replicas are not made with 440 steel, either. Lie #7: Buying a replica watch is risky, but not if you use sellers from "Replica Review" sites. -- What most people don't know is the "review" sites are owned and operated by the people who run the sites they recommend--it's very incestuous. These "review" sites are clever and it's easy to get taken in by their lies. Lie #8: You can tell you're getting a good watch after a thorough examination of the web site. -- Please. If you think everything displayed on the web is true, you deserve to be fleeced. Scam sites lie about everything, from the quality of their goods to their pledge to make sure every customer is happy. Many even post pictures of genuine watches, (Look for pictures where the watch hands are set at "10:10." Pictures of genuine watches seen in advertisements are always set to "10:10.") but send you junk. Lie #9: Picking a good seller will always result in getting a good watch, one I won't have trouble with. -- We wish. Quality control in replica watch factories is hit-and-miss, but mostly shoddy. One batch may be great while the next produces watches that are DOA. (Remember, making replica watches is illegal, even in China. Replica watch "factories" are usually small operations that can be easily moved or hidden from prying authorities.) What is true, though, is a good dealer will want to protect his/her reputation and will fix whatever is wrong. Lie #10: Paying by COD is the best way to get the cheapest price. Plus, I can examine my watch before paying the courier to make sure I get what I paid for. -- A really dumb thing to do and a huge red flag that you're dealing with a true scammer. They want cash because they know you'll scream foul to your credit card company the moment you see the junk you just paid $1,000 for. One final point. Remember, replica watches are counterfeit goods. While it is not illegal to purchase or possess replica watches in most countries, it is illegal to sell them. Keep this in mind when using PayPal or communicating with credit card companies. Edited January 20, 2008 by AllergyDoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegendofSpeed Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 -- (See Lie #1 for "Swiss made".) Far from the truth. Very few replica watch movements come from anywhere but China and any watchman can immediately tell it's not genuine. There are no 27 jewels movements in replica watches; only 25, 21, or 17. This is not true.... there are 7753 powered replicas (like my 188) and it is 27 jewels.... You will not see an Asian 27 jewel movement for sure though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Lie #3: The movements in "Swiss made" replicas are identical to the genuine watch movements. 27 jewel movements are the best. -- (See Lie #1 for "Swiss made".) Far from the truth. Very few replica watch movements come from anywhere but China and any watchman can immediately tell it's not genuine. There are no 27 jewels movements in replica watches; only 25, 21, or 17. Lie #6: The best Rolex replicas are made with 904L grade steel. -- Big fat lie. Good replicas are made with 316L quality steel. Rolex is the only company that uses 904L steel and it costs 3 times as much as 316L (one reason why they are so expensive). Replicas are not made with 440 steel, either. Agree with most all you say. Except for lie #3, a clarification. Many (majority?) of Swiss movements are mostly Chinese made at this point as well. That ones that are not probably have a very large percentage of Chinese sourced ebauches. It would probably be better to call anything with ETA on it as "Swiss assembled" these days. Lie #6, while true, I disagree with the statement that the use of 904L steel is "one reason why they are so expensive." Three times the $2.00 (generous) worth of steel in a 316L constructed watch is a very expensive $6.00. Rolex would like for you to believe that is the reason they charge an obscene amount for their watches. The 904L steel has different qualities than 316L steel, largely due to the inclusion of copper in the alloy mixture. But it has no significant advantage other than better resistance to acidic environments. Since we are not in the habit of dropping our watches in vats of sulfuric acid--big deal! It is slightly more difficult to work with but it is all done by automated machine these days, so again who cares? Rolex's are so expensive because people will pay that much for them. No other reason. -T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornerstone Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Agree with most all you say. Except for lie #3, a clarification. Many (majority?) of Swiss movements are mostly Chinese made at this point as well. That ones that are not probably have a very large percentage of Chinese sourced ebauches. It would probably be better to call anything with ETA on it as "Swiss assembled" these days. Lie #6, while true, I disagree with the statement that the use of 904L steel is "one reason why they are so expensive." Three times the $2.00 (generous) worth of steel in a 316L constructed watch is a very expensive $6.00. Rolex would like for you to believe that is the reason they charge an obscene amount for their watches. The 904L steel has different qualities than 316L steel, largely due to the inclusion of copper in the alloy mixture. But it has no significant advantage other than better resistance to acidic environments. Since we are not in the habit of dropping our watches in vats of sulfuric acid--big deal! It is slightly more difficult to work with but it is all done by automated machine these days, so again who cares? Rolex's are so expensive because people will pay that much for them. No other reason. -T Totally agree with that. The Rolex steel is a marketing angle - nothing but pure and utter Hublonium.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 I heard that the actual cost to Rolex to build a stainless steel submariner is just under $500usa for parts, materials and labour etc. Then they turn around and sell them all day long for $5000 haha must be nice to make that kind of profit! dizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raijor Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 This is a great thread - I had to post this because we do not have a quick rating any longer and I really feel this is a great read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suchecracks Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Hey AllergyDoc: Are you Richard Brown? Otherwise you should mark "your" "Lies" as quotation from here: http://www.replicawatchreport.com/articles...ca-watches.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornerstone Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Hey AllergyDoc: Are you Richard Brown? Otherwise you should mark "your" "Lies" as quotation from here: http://www.replicawatchreport.com/articles...ca-watches.html Err - Replica Watch Report took it off AllergyDoc. Did you even read the top of the article you linked to? Like the bit where he attributes it to AllergyDoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suchecracks Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Err - Replica Watch Report took it off AllergyDoc. Did you even read the top of the article you linked to? Like the bit where he attributes it to AllergyDoc Obviously not thoroughly enough...Mea culpa! AllergyDoc: sorry for that -and Thanks for the Top 10 :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllergyDoc Posted January 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Thanks for this clarification. I've edited the list. This is not true.... there are 7753 powered replicas (like my 188) and it is 27 jewels.... You will not see an Asian 27 jewel movement for sure though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllergyDoc Posted January 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Obviously not thoroughly enough...Mea culpa! AllergyDoc: sorry for that -and Thanks for the Top 10 :-) No problem. I had to ask someone who Richard Brown was when I found my list on his site. I don't have a problem with him using it. Hopefully it will save a few noobs from getting scammed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllergyDoc Posted January 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Agree with most all you say. Except for lie #3, a clarification. Many (majority?) of Swiss movements are mostly Chinese made at this point as well. That ones that are not probably have a very large percentage of Chinese sourced ebauches. It would probably be better to call anything with ETA on it as "Swiss assembled" these days. Lie #6, while true, I disagree with the statement that the use of 904L steel is "one reason why they are so expensive." Three times the $2.00 (generous) worth of steel in a 316L constructed watch is a very expensive $6.00. Rolex would like for you to believe that is the reason they charge an obscene amount for their watches. The 904L steel has different qualities than 316L steel, largely due to the inclusion of copper in the alloy mixture. But it has no significant advantage other than better resistance to acidic environments. Since we are not in the habit of dropping our watches in vats of sulfuric acid--big deal! It is slightly more difficult to work with but it is all done by automated machine these days, so again who cares? Rolex's are so expensive because people will pay that much for them. No other reason. -T Not a fan of Rolex, eh? You're probably right, so I edited that phrase out. I've thought about explaining why it's not necessary for replicas, or any watch for that matter, to use 904L steel, but I want to keep the list as short as possible. If it gets too long people won't read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Not a fan of Rolex, eh? You're probably right, so I edited that phrase out. I've thought about explaining why it's not necessary for replicas, or any watch for that matter, to use 904L steel, but I want to keep the list as short as possible. If it gets too long people won't read it. Rolex's are nice watches; not very cutting edge but nice nonetheless. With other options available today, I would never pay that much for one however. I know some pretty special watches available in the $5K range. -T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corgi Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Lie #5: The gold on "Swiss grade" replicas is much higher than on other replicas. The crown, bezel, and mid links are solid gold and the full-gold replicas are 5-wrapped (or 6-wrapped, or whatever). -- While a few models have been shown to have solid gold mid links (Rolex replicas), the rest of the watch is gold plated or double or triple wrapped gold. ("Search" for threads on how this is done.) Correct, but there is another "myth" around this - that solid 18K gold (as advertised) midlinks are 100% that... which they aren't. At best the majority of materials used is 10K solid gold with 18K plate over top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4GTR Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Sup Doc? Nice to see that you are over here. Just as good a post as it was when I read it originally on RWG(1?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfreeman420 Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 I heard that the actual cost to Rolex to build a stainless steel submariner is just under $500usa for parts, materials and labour etc. Then they turn around and sell them all day long for $5000 haha must be nice to make that kind of profit! There is really nothing out of line with that kind of markup. Most products on the market have a larger markup than that. I used to buy espresso machines for $390 and sell them for $3,000 all day long. The average plastic toy sold at Wal-Mart costs about $.14 to manufacture in China and retails for $14.99. Don't forget all the research and development as well as marketing costs. Even with a 1,000 percent markup a company like Rolex is very happy to net a profit of 10% to 12%. @Allergydoc: You forgot one big lie-"the diamonds are all high quality swarovski crystals or moissanite" You and I both know that isn't true with all the bling we have...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellomen Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Lie #1: The best replica watches are made in Switzerland, followed closely by Italy. -- This is the biggest lie of all. All replica watches are made somewhere in Asia, mostly China. Saying that replicas are made in Switzerland or Italy is a lie intended to extract more money from the ignorant. Sorry mate but i haven't heard of swiss made or italian made replicas in a few years, but i'm long enough around to know that the first (and also my first) Panerai replica where from Italy and the chinese (back than the Taiwanese) bought these very replicas to get them replicated. Lie #4: The best replicas are 99% true to the genuine and will even fool an Authorized Dealer (AD). -- Not true. While some may be close (picking a number is impossible) to the genuine, all replicas are flawed. Do you really think you can spend $200 or less and get a watch that's 99% identical to a $4,000-20,000 watch? As for fooling ADs, maybe. Common clerks are easily fooled, but seasoned ADs, upon close inspection, will know it's a replica. euh... YEAH... you can! To be more precise... common clerks don't even know the brands you're wearing unless it's Rolex or Breitling or something they sell themselfs... and even upon close inspection (ok... without opening the caseback) they really do not know.... ok after a few mods the catch ratio is even better Lie #7: Buying a replica watch is risky, but not if you use sellers from "Replica Review" sites. -- What most people don't know is the "review" sites are owned and operated by the people who run the sites they recommend--it's very incestuous. These "review" sites are clever and it's easy to get taken in by their lies. Mmmmmm i seriously hope you're not talking about this website... but there are some so-called review website who say they advise you to buy a swiss made replica , cat. AAA+++ and made from real 904L steel for only $899,- Stay away from those websites! I had to make some remarks but i really like your post.. good to see info like this be put together like a newbie-guide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuiceMaker Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 I heard that the actual cost to Rolex to build a stainless steel submariner is just under $500usa for parts, materials and labour etc. Then they turn around and sell them all day long for $5000 haha must be nice to make that kind of profit! dizz I too read it somewhere that Rolex & other luxury watch manufacturers mark-up their profit above 1000%... but I think it's called for... they spend so much money & time on R&D... it's just like the luxury car manufacturers... another point I think is that they need to distinguish themselves away from the other mediocre watch manufacturers... & the PRICE tag is probably the best way to do that... many people believe that high price = high quality... for me, I had no idea what made Paneria so expensive at first... PAMs seemed like an ordinary watch... but when I found out that they build their own in-house mevements, which they do their own R&D, then I realised that the high price tag is justified for, just like Rolex... one of the things that's amazing about the PAMs is their Luminor 1950 model with power reserve of 8 days... now that's 5 stars in my books!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllergyDoc Posted January 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 @Allergydoc: You forgot one big lie-"the diamonds are all high quality swarovski crystals or moissanite" You and I both know that isn't true with all the bling we have...... Not moissante? Say it ain't so! I demand a refund! THESE were supposed to be moissanite. Looking back on when I ordered this watch from Bestswiss, the guy have laughed his head off after hanging up the phone. After sucking up the lies on their site, I told him I wanted the model with the moissanite diamonds and new MOP dial. This cost me $1,050. I have to admit, though, it's one damn nice watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archibald Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 I heard that the actual cost to Rolex to build a stainless steel submariner is just under $500usa for parts, materials and labour etc. Then they turn around and sell them all day long for $5000 haha must be nice to make that kind of profit! dizz If they made that kind of profit Richemont stock would be outpacing google by 10000%. Don't forget, to sell that watch w/ an MSRP of $5500, Rolex has to probably buy $1500 per piece worth of advertising in every major magazine in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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