What do you do in this case?

[FxrAndy]

Na i tell them all too, even when they are not!

[Pix]

9 times out of 10 it is becase you are wearing a rolex, it is the only name that alot of the public know when it comes to prestege watches, if it was an IWC or panerai, or god forbid a Patec they would not even recognize the name, but what is the first question you hear when you wear a rolex!

That was indeed the 1 and only time I was asked. I wore St

[DemonSlayer]

I have to agree with Pugwash here, no matter how much we try to deny it, we ARE wearing fakes, theres no getting around it. I don't care if its a $30 Canal St sub or a MBW sub, they're both fakes, no one should try to kid themselves that their mbw rolex are real, or their DSN pams are real, they're not..

As many have pointed out here, there are all sorts of ways to get around it without telling a lie as such. Stick to confessing they're fake, or getting around it.

[Pix]

IMO everyone can answer the way he feels.

Everyone has his own reasons for wearing reps, and honesty is not always the main reason nor the usual behaviour.

Even if I belong to those who get around (that means I don't like to say straight it's a fake), I think one can also pass the watch for the gen... if he feels it and if it brings him some satisfaction.

Otherwise, why would some of us always look for the perfect ultimate super 1:1 thing, make mods and all : for fun ? Sure. But surely because they don't want to be called out... i.e. they want to behave and do as if their watch was genuine. That's a fact.

[FxrAndy]

That is true, i like the fact that if people look at the watch i am wearing and think wow he can afford that! but if asked i will alway say it is a rep. My local car dealers have all the sales staff wearing rollys, i dont think they are all real but they notice watches and assess in alot of cases if you can afford x y z car. I am off to test a maserarti now bye.

[littleme]

I always tell people if they ask.I have no problems admitting that it's a rep and generally I find people are more impressed with the quality than if it was a gen,then they want to talk about where I get them.

[TeeJay]

That was indeed the 1 and only time I was asked. I wore St

[b16a2]

I never offer the information, but if someone asks me whether it is real or not then I am straight with them. For me I sometimes find that people are more fascinated that it is a replica rather than a genuine.

'it's a replica'

'haha very funny, nice watch'

'no honestly it is a replica'

'wow, didn't realise they made them this well...' and the conversation goes from there

Having said that, it all depends on the situation, if someone with a cruddy rep called me out, and was the smart [censored] type, I may reply with something along the lines of, well yes it is a replica, but as you're so obviously wearing a genuine, why would I spend x amount for such a bad quality product!

He thinks he's fooled me, but I know what a complete @rse he is

[fat.tail.event]

That is true, i like the fact that if people look at the watch i am wearing and think wow he can afford that! but if asked i will alway say it is a rep. My local car dealers have all the sales staff wearing rollys, i dont think they are all real but they notice watches and assess in alot of cases if you can afford x y z car. I am off to test a maserarti now bye.

I like the BSD (big swingin' d*ck) approach as well...something like.... "Yeah, I picked this thing up in Hong Kong while I was securing financing for my latest venture capital deal..."

Or maybe the People Helpin' People approach..."There was this skinny guy in Shanghai who looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks selling these. For the price of a bowl of rice, I figured why not help him out..."

[Watchmeister]

BY the way, they are not reps. They are "homage" pieces. Seriously, I can't imagine anyone ever asking. I suspect that if they are asking you ain't looking the part.

[mezzanine]

This is one of the classic discussions. I think that there are some ways around this type of thing. For example, most people only know about Rolex. I don't think there is any way to realistically distinguish most of the modern rollies from their replica counterparts in quick and reliable way. That means that if you're wearing a modern rolex, not only are you more likely to be called on it because it's a rolex, but there aren't any real aesthetic differences that would either prove or disprove it's authenticity to the average person.

Someone mentioned the vintage rollies, and I believe that there's more ambiguity with those, as they're not as commonly seen and are distinctive in styling to the moderns. Since they accept genuine parts, you can build up a nearly genuine watch around an aftermarket case and movement. If someone were to call me out on one of my vintage rollies, then the burden is on them to offer some sort of reasoning.

If you have the confidence to be able to put the pressure back on them, in terms of getting them to elaborate and contradict themselves, you can deal with those types of exchanges without necessarily even addressing the autheticity of the watch. Chances are, if the person points out something visible, that 'visible' part is genuine. So there's a bit of a grey area...

I know some people would just say "a rep is a rep" and that the frankens are just dressed up reps. In principle, the watch is officially a rep. In reality, it isn't. If there's nothing that can be seen or identified as being inauthentic, then it's not fake. Reality is much more subjective than the black/white that this question seems to want to make it out to be.

[archibald]

Bottom line: If you stay out of AD's and don't buy reps you couldn't or wouldn't plausibly own, you'll never get called out. If I ever do get called out my question will be "why do you think it's fake?" And believe me, they better know their [censored].

[vric]

I ask them why they think it is and confest if the reason is good.

Most of the time they say something stupid like: "It's a rep, the second hand isn't even moving" while looking at one of my chrono

[Raijor]

I feel that question is too forward and does not deserve to be answered. My wife can ask that, my children can ask that and my closest friends can ask that and I will answer them truthfully. But that is my approach to life. I have my team and then there is everybody else.

That kind of question is very similar to "How much money do you make? or "Is it paid for?". I do not believe that the whole world has the right to my life information. When did casual acquaintances become our judges? I have not been asked that question about a rep but if I were I would simply ignore the question and the person. I mean why bother let anybody put you in a position of explaining or defending your life choices? It is your life and if it makes you happy to wear a rep get on with it and enjoy yourself.

[Ztech]

Personally, I think that those who "call out" others as to the authenticity of their watches, or anything else for that matter, feel the need to police everyone else because they are either 1.) the few that paid out huge sums of money for their gen and don't like the idea of posers who didn't pay what they did or 2.) they can't afford one so they don't want others to own one either, gen or rep.

[iceberg1459]

its all about other factors what makes your watch rep or gen, and sry but average joe is too dumb to waste any time, if any1 asks "hmm nice watch, rolex? real?" i just ignore or say yes...

[Nightstroker]

YOU MUST LIE!!!!

I think that is rule #7 of replica collecting....

Heres how I handle it....someone says to me...."Hey thats a nice Rolex....but is it real or fake?"....

I respond by saying....."Ya its real....but im having second thoughts about having bought it because everytime someone sees it they ask me if its real or not."

This will shut up the average jakol who has not the common knowledge to understand that he is being rude....

I called out a guy yesterday who was wearing a rep panerai....but I did not do it in front of anyone....and I was very cool about it....he said...."Ahhhh....our little secret then...."

I noticed that his PAMs power reserve was all the way down....lol

NS

[Tom Hawkes]

I know Kung Pow.. If someone dares to speak to me about my watch.. well the problem will be taken care of!!!!!!!!!!!11111111

[chronology1066]

I tell most its a rep and in most cases they are amazed ( and a bit annoyed that its that good). I met up with some of the Paneristis in London back last year with another member here and wore my real 111 but took the reps along to show them. They were amazed to say the least, all but one got called out after a long time but the 188 and the 28A fooled them all.

[Ev_]

With my first rep I've just been telling people that it's a rep. After all, I got it because I like the looks of it, not because I want people to think I've spent (or can afford to spend) a small fortune on a watch.

It's fun to let them admire the watch for 15 seconds or so before confessing, though. As others have said, the reaction you get is priceless. People seem genuinely impressed that a replica can look so good - and that you've managed to acquire said replica. In fact, they're probably more impressed than they would be if you were simply wearing an expensive watch that you'd just walked into a jewellers and bought!

Here's another question, though. What about if you're not being called out, but your watch just catches someone's eye and they say, "Ooh. That's a nice watch. What is it?"

Do you say, "It's an XYZ," or do you say, "It's an XYZ replica"?

[FxrAndy]

I tell most its a rep and in most cases they are amazed ( and a bit annoyed that its that good). I met up with some of the Paneristis in London back last year with another member here and wore my real 111 but took the reps along to show them. They were amazed to say the least, all but one got called out after a long time but the 188 and the 28A fooled them all.

I know that there are members of that group that come here too but i would not think it so wise to be telling them all and showing them all how good they can be, after all there are a lot of rep haters there i would assume.

[TeeJay]

Here's another question, though. What about if you're not being called out, but your watch just catches someone's eye and they say, "Ooh. That's a nice watch. What is it?"

Do you say, "It's an XYZ," or do you say, "It's an XYZ replica"?

Depends on the situation really, for me, at least, and specifically, on what the person asks. If it was literally a passing comment of "Nice watch, what is it?" with something like a PAM, which people genuinely don't recognize anyway, I'd likely just say "It's a Panerai..." and keep walking. However, if it was an actual conversation, or they knew the brand and asked if it was genuine, then I would immediately explain that it's a replica. Personally, I don't think that people should have to tag 'replica' before any brandname, just because someone pays them a compliment about their watch, as it's more information than the person needs. For example, someone says "Nice tie..." There's no need to say "Thanks, I bought it from XYZ shop..." If the watch is nice enough to merrit a comment, it deserves a little privacy

[Edit to add]

The attitude's a bit like on 'networking' sites, where guys email the hot women asking "Do you take anal?" and expect an answer, just because they've asked the question. Just because a question has been asked, it doesn't automatically merit a response. Also, it really does depend on if someone is asking out of interest, or just trying to call someone out in public to try and make themselves look better. To inadequates who behave like that, the easiest way to defuse them, is to be totally honest. "Yes, it's a replica. So what?" Whatever they then say, all one need to reply is "What does it matter to you? Why do you care?" That puts it back onto them to explain why they're acting like a jerk, without actually lying or justifying the watch.

[jfreeman420]

Unless it's a Rolex most people don't even know to if they make a fake Panerai. I've gotten more questions like this:

"Nice watch. What brand is it?" "It's a Vacheron Constantin" "Wow it looks expensive". If anyone I run into is educated enough to know a Vacheron, or Panerai I will most certainly start a nice replica conversation.

There is one guy I run into in the hallway of my office I chat with every now and then. He has a bunch of fake Breitlings and FM's etc. He brags about how his son or someone brought them back from a trip or he bought them on teh street, etc. He also seems proud to know about the "swiss replica" sites where you can get a submariner with solid gold for $1,500. I just say to him "I would never pay that much for a knock off". Maybe some day I'll turn him on to this place

[cc]

i tell everyone i married my RICH wife and she spoils me with everything i want in return for my big dong........................................end of converation.

[chad]

Of course I am not talking about obvious fake-reps, which even look like a piece of crap. Let's think of DSN's 111H, which is a modded, without usual flaws, but still has it's own issues.

Interesting to hear your thoughts on that.

Best!