Djole Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 First of all I would like to say hello to all active members since this is my first post here. I bought my first replica (Tag/Heuer Carrera) a month ago and didn't really know anything about the replica "scene". I was a bit mislead by the seller who made me believe it had a swiss movement and also a bit overcharged (325 euro). I just wanted to buy a new watch and i liked this design so wanted to see what's it like. When i first held it in my hand i immediately bought it. Few days later i started reading about these watches and found this great forum where I spent a lot of time reading on the movements, modifications, history, reviews etc... and it got me very interested in the technique and watchmaking. I told every one who asked about the watch that it is a replica but people are still impressed how well it is made. I see this like a new hobby now and have already a list of what I am going to get next to start a small collection. The guy who wrote this article should come here and spend some time on reading the reviews and all the interesting posts to get a bit more educated. Another thing is that i see a discussion about the reasons of buying a replica, everybody has his own reasons and we shouldn't generalize. Personally i don't aim to impress anyone but i can imagine if some people do. Like someone said before, nobody is going to notice anyway unless they are a watch person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Welcome Djole. Sounds to me like your off to a very good start. It's nice to see you have a open mind. Good luck Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggie Harrison Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hey all. Just joined rwg today b/c i'm looking for a good place to buy an inexpensive rep of good quality, but that's beside the point. I find this article pretty funny. It's kind of like when you get into an argument with someone over something you know quite a bit about, and they don't know what they're talking about and won't admit defeat. You get to watch their ignorant argument get ripped apart and they look like a fool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Reggie. I know the first order of business is getting a nice rep watch. I know it was for me. Durring the process is when you discover there is so much more here.. Good to have ya Reggie,good luck Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemonvr6 Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 To say the members here are pretending to be something that there not is trully a sad statement. In essence this is what you are implying. No implication at all- that's exactly what I said and most everyone here knows it's true, whether they care to admit it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 No implication at all- that's exactly what I said and most everyone here knows it's true, whether they care to admit it or not. Different opinions for different folks. Glad to see you have the pulse on the entire membership...somebody should. Hope you got the problems sorted out on your rep Chanel J12 from a couple years back...and got rep parts to fix your gen J12 from the membership here who are posing and being something other than helpful watch nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 No implication at all- that's exactly what I said and most everyone here knows it's true, whether they care to admit it or not. Well Lemon you got me there. So you found us out. No fooling you lemon man. Im getting the feeling your a kid messing with there parents computer. Thats it is't it le mone? I will not try to get through to a child, waste of time. Run along sunny Jim. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnEnglish Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 I've seen some posts here about people saying the want the second at "3" and other similiar posts. What does this mean? Do the chrono and other features on these replica watches not work?Bump for an answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Bump for an answer. I'm not sure which post you are talking about specifically. It's a bit off topic for this thread as it's not mentioned here...but in general (and in the spirit of this fine wannebe-posing membership helping out those in need), they are referring to the wish for a particular movement. It's usually a secs@6 movement that's wanted. This means the running seconds is located at the 6-o-clock subdial like on a modern Daytona, some IWC Portos, etc...a lot of watches have this configuration. The issue is that the rep movement (modified A7750) that has running secs@6 uses a few gears running "dry" metal-on-metal on a plate. Due to this bad design (not using "jewelled" gears which essentially act as bearings for the gears), the extra work on the engine causes premature wear and premature death of the movement. Look for Francisco's review of the "new and improved" running secs@6 as well as The Zigmeister's review of this movement : The Zigmeister's Secs@6 Francisco's New and Improved Seconds at 6 Review Francisco's Seconds at 12 Review Secs@3 usually refers to a tri-compax layout with subdials @ 3-6-9 instead of the usual 6-9-12...and in this case like the Breitling Montbrillant Legende, to get this layout and the date moved from the usual 3-o-clock position to the 6-o-clock position requires a plate and some gears, and means the datewheel appears sunken in the window. This modification is to mimic the rare and significantly more expensive 7753 movement. Hopefully this is what you're looking for. There's lots more on movements to be found linked in my Noob Guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Thanks Toad. Not to shabby for a phoney wanabee Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnEnglish Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Hopefully this is what you're looking for. There's lots more on movements to be found linked in my Noob Guide.Yes, thanks, that's what I was wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasosn Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 There's a lot of these around but that's the first one I've seen written by someone who doesn't have a clue what they are talking about. Ken Yeah, I saw this before. Most of the bullets are more than a little innacurate or unfair that is for sure... Totally agree!These guys don't have a clue and their mind is DEFINITELY stuck on the glue...They most probably discovered a rep from the 60s in their backyard and wrote this article Haven't they heard (or did they do it deliberately?) that quality of some reps is far superior than that of some gens???? I forgive them as they know nothing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrbama Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 When I read through the initial post, the first thing I thought was "wow, some people really feel a serious need to protect their self created image of superiority". Now I know that's a bit harsh but, someone like the individual that wrote this probably had a look at rep, noticed it was almost indiscernible from the original, and immediately felt threatened or felt like they had to defend their purchase. Now, I can only speak for myself, but I have a feeling there are a bunch of folks on this board that have a similar take on reps and the hobby of collecting them as me. I'm a group manager at a fortune 500 company and make a decent living, I'm not rich or anything close to it, but I could afford one or two genuine watches if I chose to do so. But here is the thing, a few years ago I went looking for a gen watch. I started looking around the high end shops in my area and saw so many that I wanted, that I was paralyzed by the decision of which one to buy. A few weeks down the road, just by happenstance (I think I googled something about a movement) I came across a rep board and found a few dealers. Next thing you know I have a nice variety of three reps, made a down payment on a new car and paid a years worth of car insurance, all with the money I set aside for a gen watch. Long story short, for me it boils down to style, variety and value. Style is a big one for me, there just aren't that many $100 or $200 watches that have the same feel and style as the premium watch makers. I also like having a bunch of different watches to wear every week and when I evaluate it $5,000 for a single watch just isn't worth it to me, it is for some people, but not me. It is so nice to have the standard sub for work, a PAM or two for when I'm feeling a little bold and a Graham for when I'm feeling ridiculous and a few others just for the hell of it. All of these together put me out 1/8 of the price of the gen, to me they make a great value for the watch. If someone asks, I tell them my watch is fake, usually they follow with two questions. #1. How much did it cost and #2 where can they get one. Kind of funny how that works out. One guy I work with was thrilled when I turned him on to the boards; he is an avid gen collector and says that the info. he gets from this board is better and more accurate than the info. he get from the gen sites. That and when he's considering a new purchase, he buys the closest rep available and wrist tests it for a month or two before jumping into the big dollar purchase. Ultimately I can understand the initial post and it's goal - to drive people away from buying reps - but, really there are so many reasons that people here are into reps, that the generalizations are so inaccurate and unfair that they're barely worth reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Ultimately I can understand the initial post and it's goal - to drive people away from buying reps - but, really there are so many reasons that people here are into reps, that the generalizations are so inaccurate and unfair that they're barely worth reading. Nicely detailed post. Please don't think I wrote the list BTW...I just copied it from another site. I like my reps obviously...for many and all reasons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dani Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 No implication at all- that's exactly what I said and most everyone here knows it's true, whether they care to admit it or not. So i pretend to be something i em not by having a replica`pam 28 or 24?why if i dont feel the gen is worth the $$? What if i have gens in the range of 15k$ also?i em still a pretender?a wannabe? or em i just a smart person that see the value in some and no value in other watches? You see i aiiiint paying 20k$ for a regular eta based steel watch. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 So i pretend to be something i em not by having a replica`pam 28 or 24?why if i dont feel the gen is worth the $$? I just figure all my hair and teeth are real... and I haven't been pierced by a bull either...so all that's real too. That's all that matters. Generalizations are a funny thing. It's just as inaccurate to say rep buyers are wannabes as going on the opposite end of things and saying gen buyers are the only ones who really have a passion for watches. I'm like you...I like the designs of a lot of gen houses...but feel it silly to pay the money for something that is powered by nothing more than a rhodium plated, engraved variant of an engine made by a Swiss owned company manufactured in Hong Kong/China (i.e. ETA). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrbama Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 (edited) Nicely detailed post. Please don't think I wrote the list BTW...I just copied it from another site. I like my reps obviously...for many and all reasons! Thanks - and I do realize that you pulled that from another site - I'm just phrased it incorrectly when I referenced your copying the post. BTW - thanks for all the great links, I have actually been away from the scene for a couple of years and just looked down at my wrist the other day and thought it was time for some new wristwear, so here I am. Your links have been a great guide for me to get refamiliarized with whats going on and has helped me get caught up on things! Edited February 5, 2009 by jcrbama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 I have actually been away from the scene for a couple of years and just looked down at my wrist the other day and thought it was time for some new wristwear, so here I am. A lot has changed over the past few years...for the better in most cases. The crop of new watches from the past year or so have been incredible in quality (unfortunately in price in some cases too) - complicated reps done very nicely. If you like big watches...you'll be like a kid in a candy store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrbama Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 A lot has changed over the past few years...for the better in most cases. The crop of new watches from the past year or so have been incredible in quality (unfortunately in price in some cases too) - complicated reps done very nicely. If you like big watches...you'll be like a kid in a candy store. Tell me about it! My new list of possible purchases is certainly longer than makes any good sense to be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmayfair Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 First post here on the board, so I thought I'd chime in as far as the whole "people buy reps to impress" argument going on. I got into watches as a kid; I think something about the precision of watches, especially those with purely mechanical movements, appealed to my obsessive nature. When I graduated college, my dad got me a gen Submariner because diving is one of my hobbies, and I've loved that watch since. Reps appeal to me because many well-made ones, such as those by a lot of the collectors here, have finishes nearly equal to those of gens. I'm currently waiting for the WM9 SD rep, and have even purchased a gen 3135 movement for it. All told, my total cost after some restoration labor on my part, will be a little less than $2K, for a watch that sells gen at over $4-5K. I don't consider it presumption. I consider it to be frugality, and the joy having fashioned something while pursuing a hobby that I love. Is this typical of the average person that buys a rep from a fly-by-night vendor in Hong Kong? No. Do I believe this typical of a good portion of the contributing membership on this forum, and many others in the rep community. Absolutely, and the persistence of this forum is all the proof I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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