Jump to content
When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
  • Current Donation Goals

Funny, you love a rep, until you're told all of the flaws


Guest Vddubgrub

Recommended Posts

Guest Vddubgrub

Just wanted to make a funny observation of my rep collecting behavior. :p

I usually will fall in love with a rep without really knowing the flaws vs. the gen. If no one told me the flaws, I would be happy with the rep But then you are told the flaws or you read a review, then all of a sudden the watch doesnt look as good -_- , just because you know have more knowledge of the flaws. Then I wind up either passing on the watch or buying it because I still like it so much :p

Do you do the same thing?

Sorry for the poor grammar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dont know, i dont realy buy on impulse, but i do wear the older not so good ones less than a newer better watch. But i think we are all like that, new toys and all that! I dont mind most of the flaws, most are so small no one ever notices.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All of them have flaws. I still enjoy them even if they are not 100% accurate. Fact is, they are great looking watches on their own. I'm still wearing some I've had for five years. And, I'm not worried about being called out. These are older models and no one notices the flaws anyway. My friends just appreciate my taste in fine watches,LOL.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A common malady & 1 that afflicts us all. But it is more acute with newbies because there is so much to learn & even professional appraisers do not know it all. I have been collecting for more than 25 years & learn something new almost weekly. Especially, when it comes to companies like Rolex, who have made a science (or is it an art) out of confounding specialists for years.

Can you spot all the differences between these

72_vs_77501.jpg

Or these

GenvsDW.jpg

You can narrow the gap between what you know & what you need to know to make an informed buying decision by researching the gen you are interested in before you even begin your search for that 'perfect' rep.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

most of the time i can live with the minor flaws.

for example- i have a couple of DJ's with the small roman numerals on the dial.

many have 2 #7's @ 7 and 8 o'clock. i never even noticed it myself until

i read about it here. its so small- nobody would see it- so who cares.

also- the real HB BB supposedly has a screw down crown, not the rep. again who

would ever know the difference? i'm so glad i got a great watch for $300 vs

$12k or so for the gen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If no one told me the flaws, I would be happy with the rep But then you are told the flaws or you read a review, then all of a sudden the watch doesnt look as good -_-

Don't give that power to others. I refuse to let others decide for me what I will like, what I won't like, what products I need or don't need. If you like a watch, forget the people who want to tell you why you shouldn't like it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was actually thinking about this the other day. With reps getting better and better, the art of modding them seems to be vanishing. About 2 years back we were introduced to the "Ultimate Planet Ocean". We couldn't believe that a rep could be so good! But, it still had flaws, logo, AR, insert, etc. Dead giveaways if you are familiar with the watch. In the past year, the Graham, Porsche, and Breitling releases have been astounding and leave very little room for any creative modding. The craftsmen that used to be plentiful at RWG are slowly disappearing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I like the look of a watch I will generally take a leap and buy one. I am no purist, but on the whole have been happy with the purchases made, even though I am well aware of most of their flaws. I have 14 in my collection so far, and all get regular outings (all except one that is ;) ).

And, I love tearing them apart to see how they are put together. It's fun trying your hand at modding too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it depends on the watch and the person's own level of 'tollerance'. Personally, I've very tollerant of flaws. As long as dial printing is evenly applied, with correct spellings, I'm not too concerned about anything else. My 104 has many flaws of replication, but, I feel is a nice watch in it's own right. The same with my 187-fantasy watch, the One Eight Something. So many flaws, and flaws which could never be modded to correct, that it can only be considered a fantasy watch. But, one which I still really enjoy wearing. My 029a is the only watch I've worn where a hot girl has grabbed my wrist to actually check it out closer. Equally, it has flaws, but, I can't complain about the result B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest i felt alot better a few years ago when i used 50$ thai street watches. Back then i didnt know anything about reps and was happy!!! Now when i know every difference between my reps and the gens my mind cant just let that go. It needs to be perfect!!!! Scary man its not fun.. and expensive to ;)

Yes i am to broke to spend that money on gens and my hands are not trusted near the inside of a watch. So until i find a guy to mod watches in EU for almost free im doomed. Isint life a [censored] ;p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What bothers me changes as time go's by.

Some watches flaws bother me more than others with the same flaw. For example, I'm not very anal about my Panerai. Got a strapculture strap.. the watch looks awesome to me. Superluminova, is over-rated. My gen TAG doesn't glow like some of these pictures have you believe.. Very bright for 30 seconds. Wow. :rolleyes:

It's amazing the "eye" we develop hanging around in this circle. For timepieces in general. All those Fossil, Guess, Kenneth Cole level of watches digust me now. And if it ticks or beeps, forget about it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm quite the perfectionist, but when it comes to replicas, as long as I know about the flaws, I don't mind them. If it was an exact copy, it wouldn't be as much fun. I enjoy learning the differences between the reps and the gens, and the quest to perfect the rep through modding. Most of these reps would fool 99% of people out of the box anyway, no matter how bad they are, but that doesn't stop the strive for perfection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 029a is the only watch I've worn where a hot girl has grabbed my wrist to actually check it out closer.

Interesting comment, TJ. Reminded me of an incident that occurred a couple of weeks while I was wearing this

pp510720261.jpg

A woman I was out with recently (she knows I have a collection of gen watches) grabbed my wrist to check the time. After a quick glance & release of my arm, she suddently did a double-take, grabbed my arm again & twisted it back to check the watch out. Then she looked at me, looked back at the watch & gave me a very 'dirty' (as in contemptuous, not sexual) look as she released my arm. She is definitely not someone with any real knowledge of watches & since she knows I collect gens I assumed she was offended by the Patek name (she is very liberal, politically, so may have thought I should have donated $15k to Darfur instead of buying another expensive watch) or thought I was trying to show off. I have not seen or heard from her since. :g:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it looks good, it is good, to paraphrase Duke Ellington.

Do you buy it to please yourself or is it just to cover a feeling of insecurity which is amplified by someone else pointing out it's (your) imperfection?

Or the unjustified fear that someone might call you "out"?

As phoband says, it's a zen thing for some of us.

Relax and enjoy the rep thing.

Carl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Faulty, flawed or not I tend to look at what the rep has to offer me.

My personal wants:

Robust movement, great design and great build quality.

This leaves me looking at gens or QC'd and fairly simple reps.

Nothing better for me than forgetting the watch is on my wrist and getting out into the wider world and enjoying it.

That said I had a great time with our aesthetically perfect (functionally poor) reps but I guess my priorities have changed.

If I'm honest I've moved over to gens but I still love 'our' reps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Vddubgrub
Until you achieve Rep Zen

Enjoy the watches for what they are, not what they represent.

what does that mean? Enjoy the watch for what it is, not because it has a brand name or because its close or far from another watch that is considered "real"

This is a great outlook that I really agree with. I usually pick a rep because I fall in love with the design and not because of how close it is to the gen. So far I have DSN unbranded PAM, BKmariner, PAM 253 and I am thinking of getting a omega SMP.

My favorite is the DSN right now for its beauty and it doesnt need a brand name on it! :D

100739022.jpg

100739026.jpg

100939193.jpg

100939236.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I assumed she was offended by the Patek name (she is very liberal, politically, so may have thought I should have donated $15k to Darfur instead of buying another expensive watch) or thought I was trying to show off. I have not seen or heard from her since. :g:

Call her up, tell her the watch is a replica, and explain that this is your way of "sticking it to the man."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting comment, TJ. Reminded me of an incident that occurred a couple of weeks while I was wearing this

pp510720261.jpg

A woman I was out with recently (she knows I have a collection of gen watches) grabbed my wrist to check the time. After a quick glance & release of my arm, she suddently did a double-take, grabbed my arm again & twisted it back to check the watch out. Then she looked at me, looked back at the watch & gave me a very 'dirty' (as in contemptuous, not sexual) look as she released my arm. She is definitely not someone with any real knowledge of watches & since she knows I collect gens I assumed she was offended by the Patek name (she is very liberal, politically, so may have thought I should have donated $15k to Darfur instead of buying another expensive watch) or thought I was trying to show off. I have not seen or heard from her since. :g:

If that's all it took to get rid of a lib, Pateks are all I'd wear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is quite fortunate for me that my circle of acquaintances' knowledge of watches is limited. But even if someone were to point out inaccuracies in my rep, it wouldn't mean anything to me. I bought the rep because it was inexpensive compared to the gen of course, but also because it looked good. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...
Please Sign In or Sign Up