Will the Olympics affect rep quality

[mars08]

Just wondering. Although I'm new to this pass-time, it seems like there's been a lot of complaints about quality in the forums. I don't know if this is usual or if product quality has slipped. Thoughts?

[freddy333]

Just wondering. Although I'm new to this pass-time, it seems like there's been a lot of complaints about quality in the forums. I don't know if this is usual or if product quality has slipped. Thoughts?

Hi & welcome. Most of the recent moaning about quality (often well deserved) is not so much about overall rep product quality (which has always been mediocre at best), but about the movement quality inside 1 rep in particular

[lanikai]

No we are just compulsive whiners with nothing better to do and no cable flat screen... and when wives and GF's get on our case we come here for relief..

but seriously... most of the people doing the most whining never purchase any timepieces... they are mainly here for "balance".. (of the forms personalities that is..)

[KB]

It's not a question of quality that should be the concern, it's more a question of shipping....yes that is getting harder everyday.

Ken

[Guest carlsbadrolex]

Freddy, that pic is AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!

Dont listen to any of these guys, I [censored] and moan because I like to hear my own voice. Which translates in to, "I like to read the crap I write!"

There is a HUGE difference between QUALITY and QUALITY CONTROL.

The watches today are vastly better than those from only a year ago. The quality control even seems to be SLIGHTLY better. If you made a list of the great watches that have been released in the last 12 months... you would be pretty shocked. THEN take in to consideration the cost of these watches... Then you wont be so impressed.

But I will gladly pay (and so will many people here) what I consider a fair price for a nice watch. And this is proven by the fact I have bought WAY MORE watches this year than any year previously.

[supermanx]

The watches today are vastly better than those from only a year ago.

I don't know if I would agree with that 100%, its just the excellent reps weren't talked about as super and didn't have a $300 premium over the regular reps even 2 years ago. IWC GST, Navitimers, could be had for under $250 and were great reps that suffer the same qc issues we see today (date alignment, font issues, ect).

There's alot a hype over some of the models and while some are better, I don't think they justify an automatic $300 premium... seconds @12 roo is close to $600 with shipping, 2 years ago that would buy you an ETA Chrono and while I understand the ETA movements are getting scarce, the asian movement should not make up the cost differance. You can't tell me that the movement @12 is $250 more then the current ap rep you can pick up from the dealers for $300.

[Guest carlsbadrolex]

You can't tell me that the movement @12 is $250 more then the current ap rep you can pick up from the dealers for $300.

YES I CAN.

Here is the way I look at it... SOMEONE has to pay for the engineering, tooling, machining and production of the parts necessary to basically take a movement that was meant to do one thing and make it do something completely different. These makers arent taking parts off of a shelf and slapping them on a movement and calling it a day. (at least not on the sec at 12 ROO). Take a look at the pics of this movement, some thought went in to that watch. And what other watch is that movement going to be used on? How many sec at 12 chronographs are out there???

If they sell 500 of these watches and you attribute $250 to each movement for the moving of the second subdial (which I dont think is accurate...) they will cover the cost of all the research, tooling, machining and manufacturing. But too much less than the $250 premium, and I dont think they would.

PLUS, the entire case was redesigned. They DIDNT just slap the new movement in the old case! The new case is VASTLY better than the $300 ones.

I think MOST still fail to realize that we [censored] about the cost of a $600 watch when it is replicating a $20-$40k watch. I think the people who should be shitting purple twinkies are those people who buy the gen! What the hell are they REALLY getting for their money besides the ability to say they have the real thing!

To compare, I once paid $6k for a custom built turbo system for a Honda Civic. WHY??? When there was another available for half that... Because I wanted something different. And the price I paid included the research, tooling and manufacture of what I wanted. My only downfall was that I lived in California and the first time I got pulled over, I had the car impounded because the system was not CARB approved.

I dont think we take in to consideration the cost of R&D when we try to "guess" the cost of manufacturing. And the simple fact is EVERYTHING in China is costing more to manufacture this year. 75% of the merchandise that I sell is manufactured and imported from China. I negotiate directly with the factory, and bring this stuff in by the container... My costs have risen 32% so far in 2008.

Just some food for thought.

[jmt]

YES I CAN.

Here is the way I look at it... SOMEONE has to pay for the engineering, tooling, machining and production of the parts necessary to basically take a movement that was meant to do one thing and make it do something completely different. These makers arent taking parts off of a shelf and slapping them on a movement and calling it a day. (at least not on the sec at 12 ROO). Take a look at the pics of this movement, some thought went in to that watch. And what other watch is that movement going to be used on? How many sec at 12 chronographs are out there???

If they sell 500 of these watches and you attribute $250 to each movement for the moving of the second subdial (which I dont think is accurate...) they will cover the cost of all the research, tooling, machining and manufacturing. But too much less than the $250 premium, and I dont think they would.

PLUS, the entire case was redesigned. They DIDNT just slap the new movement in the old case! The new case is VASTLY better than the $300 ones.

I think MOST still fail to realize that we [censored] about the cost of a $600 watch when it is replicating a $20-$40k watch. I think the people who should be shitting purple twinkies are those people who buy the gen! What the hell are they REALLY getting for their money besides the ability to say they have the real thing!

To compare, I once paid $6k for a custom built turbo system for a Honda Civic. WHY??? When there was another available for half that... Because I wanted something different. And the price I paid included the research, tooling and manufacture of what I wanted. My only downfall was that I lived in California and the first time I got pulled over, I had the car impounded because the system was not CARB approved.

I dont think we take in to consideration the cost of R&D when we try to "guess" the cost of manufacturing. And the simple fact is EVERYTHING in China is costing more to manufacture this year. 75% of the merchandise that I sell is manufactured and imported from China. I negotiate directly with the factory, and bring this stuff in by the container... My costs have risen 32% so far in 2008.

Just some food for thought.

$6k extra on a Civic?????? I am not sure a civic even goes for 6k????

[Guest carlsbadrolex]

$6k extra on a Civic?????? I am not sure a civic even goes for 6k????

You dont even want to know... TRUST ME! That was a phase that I will NEVER understand! Buy a POS, throw money at it like there is no end to it, play with it for a few months and sell it for 30% of what you put in to it.

It was right after this car that I first heard the term "It was like putting perfume on a pig!"

But then again, its kinda like what we do here.

[fakemaster]

The movment issues are spanning several models at this point.

[iceberg1127]

the biggest issue I have is the fact that you used to be able to and most likely still can purchase a rep with a gen swiss val 7750 for like 750... and you know it will never break down. if the asian movent's had a better track record, no one would complain, but my self included HAVE speant close to 300 just on repairs for 7750 reps on 4 seperate occasions, most of them breitlings, and a daytona. I could have bought a nice seiko. just my 2 cents

[Dani]

YES I CAN.

Here is the way I look at it... SOMEONE has to pay for the engineering, tooling, machining and production of the parts necessary to basically take a movement that was meant to do one thing and make it do something completely different. These makers arent taking parts off of a shelf and slapping them on a movement and calling it a day. (at least not on the sec at 12 ROO). Take a look at the pics of this movement, some thought went in to that watch. And what other watch is that movement going to be used on? How many sec at 12 chronographs are out there???

If they sell 500 of these watches and you attribute $250 to each movement for the moving of the second subdial (which I dont think is accurate...) they will cover the cost of all the research, tooling, machining and manufacturing. But too much less than the $250 premium, and I dont think they would.

PLUS, the entire case was redesigned. They DIDNT just slap the new movement in the old case! The new case is VASTLY better than the $300 ones.

I think MOST still fail to realize that we [censored] about the cost of a $600 watch when it is replicating a $20-$40k watch. I think the people who should be shitting purple twinkies are those people who buy the gen! What the hell are they REALLY getting for their money besides the ability to say they have the real thing!

To compare, I once paid $6k for a custom built turbo system for a Honda Civic. WHY??? When there was another available for half that... Because I wanted something different. And the price I paid included the research, tooling and manufacture of what I wanted. My only downfall was that I lived in California and the first time I got pulled over, I had the car impounded because the system was not CARB approved.

I dont think we take in to consideration the cost of R&D when we try to "guess" the cost of manufacturing. And the simple fact is EVERYTHING in China is costing more to manufacture this year. 75% of the merchandise that I sell is manufactured and imported from China. I negotiate directly with the factory, and bring this stuff in by the container... My costs have risen 32% so far in 2008.

Just some food for thought.

I agree 100%

well said