is it maybe time to ...

[ironmarshal]

Nothing is quite like the gen, but as By-Tor says, you can't just live with one or two watches. If I owned gen's of all the watches I really wanted I'd have no money left over for anything else. So, what's a member to do:

1) Buy the gens of the watches that are truly special to you...the one's you are really drawn to. Then fill out the rest of your collection of reps. Both will be special, but for different reasons.

2) Sell me your 42mm PO!!!!

[Tribal]

Laz,

I could have quoted almost every comment but that would be a bit long, isn't it ?

So, I choose BT because he (among others ) knows some more about my personal behaviour in our little world.

I also agree 100% with what he says.

I started with an extreme addiction, wanting all the Subs rep (16610) available, then all the Rolex, then all the watches that I "kinda liked".

I discovered that most of the other brands I never wore them...thus sold them all almost.

I realised that "Quality over quantity " was the way to go and started to approach the real thing as close as possible with some wonderful member's help.

And, then, I bought my first gen, the 16600, my second one, 16570 and thought "Wow, that is really much better than our reps" and started to loose interest in reps while keeping a true interest in RWG...

The first GTG was organized (at my place, what a stress guys, even worse than my first [censored]!).

I met you and some very nice fellows.

A second GTG was held a month ago or so and saw you for the second time, together with the others of course and some new faces too.

I can't wait for the next one and see you all again!

Today two members wanted to buy Ubi's Snowflake dial and hands on my behalf, guessing I wasn't in front of my computer. And Ubi sold it to me indeed.

Reading the facts here above, leads me to tell you:

- I know how you feel getting a first genuine Rolex but please, chill out, step back and don't buy a second one now.

You might regret it.

I will try to sell my second one because my dream was to own one finaly and that a rep of the 16570 would be good enough for me.

- I still remember how exited I was, how I pretended to myself "wow that 16600 is so much better than the rep"

Here is how I feel after 7 months: ok, well it's a genuine but would I prefer a genuine 16600 or the 1665 Trilogy I build with my blood and MM skills

[Star69]

listen to Stephane

but selling you complete collection and starting a new one is also

fun ! i did this a few times already

Frank

[omni]

Lazarini:

We were all newbie rep. collectors once, and it seems we all go through the same manifestations of the hobby, (initial excitement-passion-disappointments-reflections-settledowntime). Stepping back and figuring if you can see the "forest for the trees" from time-to-time is a natural progression. As we see for some like ubi, the hobby is much different in reasoning than for those that don't mod their watches. With the better replications and increase in price, it does get harder to justify rep. collecting when the super-reps are approaching good genuine price ranges. But its a hobby like any other, everyone has a different justification meter, and for some its not a waste of money/time, rather its money/time well spent for the pleasure it brings.

I don't think any of us here still on the rep. forums who have switched to gens. even consider leaving the forum. Its the exchange of information, keeping up with the latest, (since rep. collectors seem to have more horological knowledge than genuine buyers), and the great communities that you don't want to part with. Feels good to impart some accumulated knowledge to people just coming up in the hobby even though you no longer are in it. We have to owe some due to the replicas as they allow a lot of people to finally transition to genuines through the appreciation. And never say never to reps. because you will always eat your words in the end. There will always be that one watch that you've just got to try out sooner or later.

[By-Tor]

One thing that's cool about reps is the resale value. The percentage that you get back from your watch is about the same (or even more) as in the gen scene. Rolex is an exception, but most luxury watches depreciate very quickly... and we're talking THOUSANDS of Euros/Dollars here.

You can always get $200 for your (good and accurate) $300 rep in the resale. The loss is only $100. That's peanuts for any grown up who goes to work. Here in Europe you can't even buy a tank full of gas with that money. It makes "rotating" the collection very easy and rather cheap. Being a bit adventurous and impulsive in your buying is easy too.

PS: Imagine buying the gen AP Roo... and after a few weeks you realized that it wasn't the right watch for you anyway.

[Stephane]

... And never say never to reps. because you will always eat your words in the end. There will always be that one watch that you've just got to try out sooner or later.

I love the rest of what you posted too but this one sentence is so true that is sounds like a summary for our hobby.

[lazarini]

WOW my dear friends, members of the general forum, mod. team.

I have just returned home from buying my ticket for tomorrows trip to Budapest and read ure replies ...

I must say that i never anticipated so many replies with so many hart spoken words of wisdom and camaraderie i salute u all for that my hat of to u gents

I guess all of us come at some point to this stage and start thinking about pulling the plug for at least some time ...

I will sleep on this and see how it goes ... one way or the other im here to stay as Stephane and others pointed out its more about the community and friends then watches

And i for one have a lot of good good friends here !

Laz

PS LordRasta ... u can calm her down looks like i aint going nowhere

[capice]

no matter what you do bro....don't leave, the GTG wouldn't be the same without you....

[freddy333]

I began with gens, added some reps & then found that frankens (watches containing a mix of gen & aftermarket parts) combine the best of both worlds - they cost alot less than the gen, but provide nearly the same appearance & tactile experience. And like Ubi & others have said, there is something special in doing it yourself that cannot be matched by laying down a credit card & walking out with a watch. Not that there is anything at all wrong with that -- I have done it & it is a great feeling to be able to afford a nice watch. But doing it yourself, especially when the work results in a beautiful (working) timepiece that you can show off to friends & take pride in, is priceless. And there is no reason your collection cannot consist of both gens & reps (or frankens). In my case (no pun intended), I have a mixture of reasonably priced gens & reps/frankens of those pieces that are way beyond my means (or willingness to pay). For those of us who love high end watches, I think that is the best way to go.

[Dani]

I em here biggest reason for me keeping buying reps and i buy reps mostly for fun.

Reps are reps..

I have gens but as many rep owners agree on when getting a gen its hard to wear a rep..

But i em always truthful when people ask about my watch and i never try to or act a certain way to pass a rep as gen..

I think that is a problem many have they try pass their reps as gen to fit into a circle.

Cheers

[pbe2410@wanadooadsl.net]

HI laz, we met some time ago, since then I have go several Gen (three pams, two Rolex, one Swordfish and somthing else) I found them out there but never found people like on TRC or replic.as (spanish forum) so here I am, Now I have probably more gen than reps but won

[Watchmeister]

Here is my answer - it doesn't matter which way you go. Whether you sell all your reps and go with gens only, buy more reps or even sell everything and conclude you only want to wear Swatches (okay that may be overdoing it - ) the most important thing is continuing the shared experience with other members. Anyone who has been doing this for a few years has been through all the phases. Changing it up keeps it fresh. I will say that if you go the selling the rep route think long and hard before selling the ones with a good amount of sweat equity into them. As a number of folks have pointed out it is far easier to replace a gen than a highly modded rep (assuming you didn't piss away the money in the first place ).

And the other question I would ask if you do go the all gen route is why another Rolex? If you are really looking for one other gen try a different brand. Just go secondhand so you can resell it at a similar price if you get bored of it.

[Crimson Vanguard]

Hi all ... and thx for the replies let me put my thoughts out there ...

Personally i have joined the boards to find myself a decent replica watch ... and not a canal street reps that i had bought in the past ... my rep history is well documented in the link in my signature feel free to take a peak

Laz

Heh... its funny cuz my boss took me out to lunch a few months ago... I noticed he was wearing a rolex datejust and i flipped! "Oh my god, you have a rolex!!?" "yup." "Thats incredible... how much did it cost?" "It was 7,000 dollars." "Really?" "yup, but i got it for 100 bucks... then the guy closed his trenchcoat and walked away." *smiles*

Not a good fake tho, gold fading badly, the printing on the dial is spotty all over, and it has quartz movement.

[lazarini]

CV ...

since u look like a new bloke on the block this has nothing to do and believe me nothing at all with pretending about wearing a gen watch ... many people know me in person from this boards and can vouch that this is for sure not the reason case for me ... not that i need to explain that ... but there i said it

I love watches in general. RWG just steeped me up to a better quality watch replication that i was used to in the past ... i have never represented my watch as a gen if it was not that ... yea sure ill not wave my hand and say look at my piece but if someone will ask strait question abut the authenticity of the piece i wear at that given moment ... i always come clean.

reason is i deal with people in certain places wearing gens all the time 99% of them cant tell difference between a noobmariner and the real deal ... but there is always that 1% that i cant ignore ... so just dont gamble with that

Laz

[iceberg1459]

why overthinking

rep is rep

gen is gen

watch is watch

you all freaks...

amen

[fakemaster]

You can't escape.

[KB]

Sold my gen Rolex watches save two and used the money for a first class family vacation to Disney World for 10 days. Got way more enjoyment out of the trip than the watches I sold ever gave me. Nothing wrong with buying gens and at the same time having reps. You can have both and enjoy each for what it is. I go through periods where I only wear my gen Datejusts and then periods when I only wear a rep.... just thinking out loud.

I like this it kind of sums up the way I think too, I would prefer not to have expensive gens if the money could be put to better use on my family.

That said it has been pointed out already that it really doesn't matter which way you go Laz Rep/Gen are still watches, what matters is that you remain an active member and an important part of our community.

Ken

[jnkay]

I grew up with Rolexes (my dad's a gen collector) and I know what you mean. Gen is gen, and in some weird way they're definitely worth the extra $4K... even though their actual production cost is probably a few hundreds... they're still better in small details which are so important for us.

You might love that one and only gen watch (for now), but after a while you'll realize that you simply can't live with just 1 or 2 watches (if you're a real watch nut). I know I couldn't. That's why reps are so cool (and cheap).

2 watches? Get real man! A real watch dork needs to own at least 10 watches. Many of our longtime forum members own lots of great gens. Step back all you want... but after the initial excitement of your first expensive gen is over, you'll be back. Mark these words.

PS: It took Stephane a week or two to come back... now he's building more reps than ever, like a man possessed.

ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY my sentiment. After purchasing my 3rd gen rolex, I swore off reps. That was a year ago, and here I am again, after just buying 2 GMT IIc's. And I'm tempted by the Super Sea Dweller. Having some gens is reassuring, but doesn't mean you won't want more watches. Would I rather have a gen GMT? Yes, no question. The knowledge that it is totally reliable, is easily (if not inexpensively) repairable and has all the fine finish details and QC measures makes a huge difference. The feel and finish differences of the gen vs. a submariner or daytona rep are major. But the gens are several thousand $$, and I can't support my watch addiction with all gens! So reps will stay a part of my life, maybe coming and going with time, but still a valued part of my collection.

[RobbieG]

Yup. My gen collection has really grown recently due to some changes in my professional life but I still love it here. I happen to agree that gens give me something I can't get from reps. It is an intangibile quality. Swiss watches are made with care and love and those details never happen in China. It isn't about accuracy. Like I always say, a nice watch is a nice watch, rep or gen, but BT is right, the difference is there. The real question is really whether the individual can justify the cost or not and that decision is really not a financial one. I know guys that think gens are overpriced and no matter how much extra money they have they wouldn't buy a gen if a near perfect rep is available. I'm kinda the other way. If I'm looking for an emotional response I will spend my last dollar on the gen no matter if there is a great rep or not.

The most knowledgable watch nuts like Bytor and my other friends are what keep me coming back. I'm down to three reps now and I don't have any plans to buy more right now but I will I'm sure. There is always something. Like right now I am getting bitten by the homage PAM bug and I want to build up a fleet of those with different cases, movements, and different colored dials and lume. You won't find that anywhere but the rep world even though I guess they are not reps. Even if I can afford more gens now than when I first came here I still learn the most about what I like in a watch for cheap by buying reps and modding them, etc. I find that in doing this i see what really moves me and if I feel the need to go the extra step I get the gen. I can honestly say I figured out what I did and didn't like about nearly every design from either buying are just being here and reading. It is silly to just buy a lot of gen watches until you really know you are going to love them.

Take it from me. Reps=learning and if you are really serious about watches you will always be here. Plus, I am living proof that you don't have to buy a lot of reps to give and take a lot to and from this forum.

[marsupilami]

my first watch was a genuine submariner date in 1990.

in 2002 I came across reps.

now I

[vmena]

If you have the real deal, sale the rep... and buy another one

[Leifhaus]

Best of both worlds

[JohnG]

With a gen it's like paying to shoot the exact one you want on some safari guided hunt. It may be $1000 it may be $10,000, but you get exactly what you want, but there is nothing creative or special about it.

My feeling EXACTLY.

[youpmelone]

Laz, i went on a hunt for the perfect rep.

So i bought a gen, and then some.. but "I STILL WANT THE PERFECT REP"

I want an RWG piece, which has been owned or worked on by the most experienced and knowledgeable RWG member. (RLX duhh.. )

Then i want their names on the inside instead of gelena shitinerand.. Would be a cool thing to crown a perfect rep.

If only I could as easily mail stuff around as most of you guys...

I want the perfect rep! That is why i keep reading.

(The IIc is very very close imho. except for the movement being a POS.)

The perfect rep is the holey grail, and it will never come..

Still chasing it is a blast..