Own a gen or gens, 1st business meeting gens only?

[Gil]

If you own a gen, or gen watches, do you wear the gen watches to your first meeting with a potential business associate/client? i only wear my gen watches to the first meeting with a potenital new business associate or client as I do not want a rep to distract from why we are meeting. There are times when I want to just "screw it" and wear whatever i feel like wearing that day, but in the end I always think, "why take the chance when I own so many nice gen watches?" Anyone else have these feelings?

[CY0811]

Some members have Gen Swiss watches other do not...personally Id go gen or with a rep that is 98% accurate.....BCE with V3 date wheel is a watch I would trust at a meeting for instance.

[Shundi]

I generally wear gens to work...that's just me though.

[deltatahoe]

i'm 100% with you gil. i think first business meetings (or just about all business meetings for that matter), first dates, and pretty much all special occasions deserve genuine watches. like you said, why have some nice gens if you aren't going to wear them?

deltatahoe

[abat]

I generally wear gens to work...that's just me though.

Me too, gens for work and reps everywhere else.

[RobbieG]

I don't think it makes a difference. If you have confidence in yourself the watch is secondary assuming it is a fairly accurate rep. Look at it this way, if you are wearing an essentially 1:1 rep and a new guy you meet knows it is a fake, you just made a new rep-freindly friend. No body else will know or probably even notice that you have a watch on at all or what it is.

Just food for thought, and that coming from a guy who's collection has been principally high end gens for some time now. But I would still not give a second thought about the rep or gen debate with a new client. I think a lot of it comes from your collection philosophy. If I own a rep I am going to have the confidence to wear it anywhere . Otherwise I'm probably not going to own it. Like I always say, a nice watch is a nice watch - rep or gen. Certainly all of the known best quality reps from each brand represented here with our dealers will fall into the "too nice to be a fake" category in the eyes of 99% of people you run into. Don't forget, most people still think reps are only the bad canal street Rolex watches they can spot across a room. Many of them don't even know you can buy a 1:1 Breitling BCE for example. There is no way any one except a WIS and a rep WIS at that who would spot a fake Ultimate BCE. Just no way...

[Watchmeister]

I always intend to where a gen to a first meeting and then forget. More importantly, I think long and hard about who I am meeting with and make sure I am not wearing a $20k watch (rep of course ) to meet someone who is wearin a Timex and actually knows what you are wearing is more than he can ever afford. Then again I am not married to Jane Hathaway claiming I am best friends with the Pope. But I also definitely subscribe to Robbie's theory that if it is not good enough for you not to worry than I don't want to own it. And I have to say RWG and all the wonderful reviews done by our membership have saved me thousands.

[Gabus]

I own a couple gen Rolexes and a couple reps. I wear whatever I feel like wearing with no thought about it. In my business high end watches are the norm and almost no one ever comments on what a person is wearing. If for some reason the watch was more then casually mentioned I would readily admit that's it's a rep. and even be proud of how good a rep it is!

[tomhorn]

More importantly, I think long and hard about who I am meeting with and make sure I am not wearing a $20k watch (rep of course ) to meet someone who is wearin a Timex and actually knows what you are wearing is more than he can ever afford.

I always make the watch fit the occassion also, and it's not about rep vs gen all the time. Assuming the rep is of good quality, then there is no reason not to wear it unless it doesn't fit the situation. For example, one of my investors wears a gen IWC BP. I would never show up to a meeting with him wearing my rep of the same. However, I have worn my new Ebel rep because it would not be an unexpected timepiece at my level of income (which he knows) and it's quite accurate. I also wear my gen TAG's and Omega SMP to meetings with him.

If I own a rep I am going to have the confidence to wear it anywhere . Otherwise I'm probably not going to own it.

Exactly. This is why I have not purchased the Vacheron Malte Chronograph, which is easily my favorite rep in terms of looks, despite having had several opportunities to purchase excellent examples. At this point in my life, I can not carry off a $40,000 watch, so I'd really have no place I would feel comfortable enough to wear it.

[DrTime]

I agree with those who said be aware of who you are meeting with and their feelings. I frequently deal with high net worth individuals in my job. One of them drives a Honda and look like he buys everything from Wal-Mart. But I know that his worth in in the 100's of millions. Just an old time, self made guy. I know he would lose respect for me if he thought I paid $20k for a watch. I have others I deal with that are into looking more flashy for lack of a better term and I would not hesitate to wear some high end reps with, they will respect that more than if I wore a Seiko, their attitude is more like "what the heck, man, we are doing an $80 mil project and you are sporting Levi's and a Seiko?!"

So my advice is know your audience.

[TeeJay]

I think it's a case of what's appropriate for the occasion, rather than the salaries of the people involved. I feel it is like Robbie said, it is a matter of confidence and being comfortable with what one is wearing. Indeed, the majority of people won't notice a watch at all, let alone what it is, or, given the quality of watches we wear, suspect them to be reps I wear what I'm comfortable with. If someone else has a problem with it, it's their problem, not mine