ammandel Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 This might be a little off topic, but I just thought I'd share: When I first visited this forum I was actually more of a fan of Breitling. I had no passion or interest in Rolex's at all and thought they were old fashioned and conjoured up ideas of big rich businessmen in awfully non-aesthetic gold unappreciated timepieces. However the members of this forum's enthusiasm for the brand and appreciation for the Rolex engineering precision that has actually ended up engrossing me into liking them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmarin.72 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Well said b16. The main thing for all of the newcomers is to understand first that there is no such thing as a "PERFECT REPLICA" no AD,no watchsmith and no one who really is into the rep hobby will ever be fooled by a replica watch. If our goal is to fool an AD then we are way off the track. The way i see it,99% of the averege guy out there is not able to distinguish the difference between a gen and a rep Rolex,let along a Breit or a Graham!!! Also only a small percentage actually pays any attention at all to the watch someone is wearing. So if our goal is to impress someone or to fool an AD then i am sorry to inform all of the newer members out there that this is not going to happen. Just take pleasure of the piece you have purchased,wear it well and in good health and try to learn about the watch you are wearing.Learn its history,learn how it works,learn how to make it look closer to a gen but mostly dont fool yourselves that you are actually wearing a gen Rolex or whaterver. Wear the watch but dont allow not even for a sec for it to wear you. Thanks guys for reading my expressed opinion,i hope you repect it as i respect yours. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribal Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 This might be a little off topic, but I just thought I'd share: When I first visited this forum I was actually more of a fan of Breitling. I had no passion or interest in Rolex's at all and thought they were old fashioned and conjoured up ideas of big rich businessmen in awfully non-aesthetic gold unappreciated timepieces. However the members of this forum's enthusiasm for the brand and appreciation for the Rolex engineering precision that has actually ended up engrossing me into liking them! That was the same for me for Breitling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think we should probably have a probation period for the noobs. When someone registers....give them access to limited sections.....where they can read etc. This can be time bound....rather than how many posts....say...first 2-3 days....access only to noob section. So.....who has the best Sub? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmarin.72 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 So.....who has the best Sub? I do!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammandel Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think we should probably have a probation period for the noobs. When someone registers....give them access to limited sections.....where they can read etc. This can be time bound....rather than how many posts....say...first 2-3 days....access only to noob section. So.....who has the best Sub? To me the whole idea of restriction creates separation and discourages the whole premise of 'sharing' ? I realise you are proud of this forum and the membership and community, but how would you expect to inspire or awaken people to the hobby by restricting them? If you started a sport, and they restricted your movement and actions in the game stopping you from experiencing it fully, how inclined would you be to return to that sport? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribal Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 To me the whole idea of restriction creates separation and discourages the whole premise of 'sharing' ? I realise you are proud of this forum and the membership and community, but how would you expect to inspire or awaken people to the hobby by restricting them? If you started a sport, and they restricted your movement and actions in the game stopping you from experiencing it fully, how inclined would you be to return to that sport? Totally agreed restriction is not what we want..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 To me the whole idea of restriction creates separation and discourages the whole premise of 'sharing' ? I realise you are proud of this forum and the membership and community, but how would you expect to inspire or awaken people to the hobby by restricting them? If you started a sport, and they restricted your movement and actions in the game stopping you from experiencing it fully, how inclined would you be to return to that sport? Mate....am all for sharing.....in-fact...get a few PMs every other day asking for info on watches/dealers etc....which are duly replied to. My idea here was to let new members get a feel of this place.....get to know the rwg etiquettes...the do's and don't (e.g. don't file a PP claim ) etc. It's more like a learner's license for the first couple of days....where one can come upto speed with some basic info and then jump right into the deep-end. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b16a2 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) Very well said! Thank you, and with an Avatar like that Shundi, many members will be motivated to stick around for many more years to come I can't say it better.... Sorry english is not my native Language.... Well seeing though English is my native language I have no excuses, but Tribal your grasp of the English language is very good. When I come to the board and there are so many mainland European members who can speak a vast array of languages I feel ashamed that I can only speak English ! It is my new years resolution to get a basic grasp of other languages Well said b16. The main thing for all of the newcomers is to understand first that there is no such thing as a "PERFECT REPLICA" no AD,no watchsmith and no one who really is into the rep hobby will ever be fooled by a replica watch............ Thanks guys for reading my expressed opinion,i hope you repect it as i respect yours. John John, with this attitude I think you will enjoy your stay here, and the rep collecting hobby in general. It is very scary how accurate replicas have become though. For example, I would be very surprised if even a WIS could pick out a rep Swiss SOSF from the genuine (if they're not a part of a rep community) but in general you are correct, passing a rep as a gen can be a dangerous game to play. I think the other thing that really is great about when a new member interacts and sticks around is that they learn much more about watches than if they were to join a genuine forum (in general). Because we know about the little flaws in the reps, we also know when a gen is a gen......rep WIS's are very anal (picky and precise) Edited January 6, 2009 by b16a2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmarin.72 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think the other thing that really is great about when a new member interacts and sticks around is that they learn much more about watches than if they were to join a genuine forum (in general). Because we know about the little flaws in the reps, we also know when a gen is a gen......rep WIS's are very anal (picky and precise) @b16a2 I couldnt agree more.I am a member in some of the so called genwatch forums and it is quite impresive the fact that all those ppl who are into gen watches have not the slightest idea on how to spot a difference between a rep and a gen watch. Absolutely shocking.But i think it is due to the fact that in most of those forums ppl aren't allowed to talk about reps,just like it is a contagious disease or just because the others might think low of them.So much for the free expression of thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey7 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think that all n00by's (includeing me. Awwww, Hell, ESPECIALLY me.) should be express mailed a packet containing several glossy color cataloges and a number of the more popular Reps to try on so that they can feel the quality, and see the difference. Also, n00by's should be taken out to dinner on a semi-regular basis by a "senior" member (I've got my eye on YOU, Shundi. How do you feel about Pad Thai?) so that they can ask questions "face to face". I'll be eagerly awaiting my packet. Please include at least one Rep from every major brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think that all n00by's (includeing me. Awwww, Hell, ESPECIALLY me.) should be express mailed a packet containing several glossy color cataloges and a number of the more popular Reps to try on so that they can feel the quality, and see the difference. Also, n00by's should be taken out to dinner on a semi-regular basis by a "senior" member (I've got my eye on YOU, Shundi. How do you feel about Pad Thai?) so that they can ask questions "face to face". I'll be eagerly awaiting my packet. Please include at least one Rep from every major brand. Sure mate....Oh...and the noob joining fee just got pegged @ $2000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey7 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Done! But it's NOT retroactive. Starting now, all n00bs must pay $2500 to join, but I made it under the wire. Now where's my damn packet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephane Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I know, this gets annoying pretty quickly. But you have to put yourself in their shoes. It can be very overwhelming the first time... I am a fresh member as I only discovered these forums a couple of years ago. And I fully agree with Corgi. I do agree with Tribal and others too though, search and read prior to shoot 25 question is more friendly. BUT... 1. The internet is not different from the world; many different personalities and education levels. 2. Allthoug RWG have marvellous threads and special features to help a new coming member, most of them do not even read them...because they don't find them instantly. Impatience is certainly a sign of the times . Maybe we should find a way to make the basics more accessible/visible 3. Many new members, just like regular members, are not native english speaking persons. This is also a reality. I sincerely wish we as a community continue to welcome new members in a friendly manner. If they come here to buy ONE watch and go, fine. This is not the spirit of RWG at all though. But among new members, let's keep in mind we could find a bunch of future great contributing members who might at a point teach us some stuff too. Cheers Stephane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbchubb Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I just went to the front door to look this up: "We have 16,950 registered members" ...the reality is, the more people gather anywhere, the more chance for bumping into all kind of different people including impatient or unfriendly ones. Even if twenty new members use the search button, you will only notice the one noob who's first post is the infamous WHO HAS THE BEST SUB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey7 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 If I can be serious for a moment (which even I'M not entirely sure about, I'd say chances are 60% to 40% against), I agree that it sucks to do all of the work involved in researching the various models and investigating a dealer one can trust and working up a rapor with others here only to see a n00by "1 poster" jump in asking what to buy and where and from whom? After all of your hard work, why should they reap the benefit of your carefully collected info without any effort on their parts? As a n00by myself I can see both sides of the issue. It's true that a great deal of new "members" here are just looking for one specific Rep, either for a gift, or for themselves. There is an INCREDIBLE amount of info to familiarize yourself with. All of the acronyms and abbreviations make it even harder to grasp, particularly for someone who's first language is not English. For someone that is just trying to find a reputable dealer to purchase from so that they're not scammed out of hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars, the idea of having to spend a few days/weeks on this board trying to hash everything out is difficult. The fact of the matter is that SOME nooby's (like me ) come here to look for one specific thing and then become hooked by reading all of the posts about the various beautiful watches. Others have no interest in becoming part of the community and just want to get the answer to one or two questions. The NICE thing about these second brand of n00by's is that they are realatively easily dealt with, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, they support this little crack addiction that the rest of us suffer from. For every "one post" n00by that takes someones recommendation and purchases from a board sponsored dealer, that's another $300-$500 that goes toward keeping that dealer in business and bringing new products to the board. Don't look at it as doing a favor for the n00by, look at it as doing a HUGE favor for your favorite dealer. The Dealers need the business, the n00by needs the merchandise, we need the dealers, it's a perfectly beautiful symbiotic relationship. As I said, SOME of the n00bs will become entranced by all of the pretty shiny's and stick around for a while, and the others will pay money toward keeping this wonderful hobby alive. If you think about it, it's "Win/Win" for everyone! I have spoken! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Good Post Spidey, shows well both sieds of the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dani Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I used 6months of research before buying my first replica, so why can't others use 20mins? No reason for being a noob this days, maybe in days here or post count but thats it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieG Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I have complained about the selfishness lately and I think the generation "me" combined with the increasing need for instant gratification in society is to blame. But nonetheless it is nice to read both sides but one thing is for certain, any noob that doesn't figure out what a resource this place is both on rep topic, gen topic, and even off topic is missing out. But most of all missing out on meeting a lot of amazing people. If I ever got to the point where I was completely bored with watches (yeah like that will ever happen, but if it did...) I would still not spend one second less here than I do now. I look at it this way, if every once and a while we get a noob like Spidey who figures it out good for us. It isn't like everyone is going to become old school to use Lani's term. I suppose if they were we might have a population problem. I mean, what are there - maybe fifty of us that are sort of "well known" and always around and pretty much all know each other? Out of a total population of what is the membership up to now? Oh well, not everyone is going to really get this place and be part of the crew. Their loss. No our gain though as it is always nice to get to know someone new and get new perspectives. And all in all I think the pace is fine. The universe is unfolding as it should is what Carlos Castaneda might say... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.t. Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Me as a noob was so happy to find a board like this, that I would not have dared to ask such silly questions about AAA+++ Swiss Reps. I think many noobs like me found all those rip off pages, when they where start googeling rep watches. If one was be happy with those pages, or even was silly enough to order at these sites, there would have been no need to search on and find the RWG forum. I, for my part, knew that there has to be something like the RWG and that the rip off sites can't be all there is. And after I found the RWG I was just so overwelmed by the tons of knowlege... so I stared reading... and still am. So I guess all I can do is to thank all of you for writting great articles and teaching the noobs. Cheerio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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