Watch Brands and Value

[Brian50]

New to this board and rep collecting. Got an IWC Ingy as my first one, and am amazed at the quality.

Got me thinking about watch brands, brands in general. Read a book recently about the whole concept of modern luxury brands.... how brands started out in the 19th century as truly hand made goods, the quality was primary, the name of the maker secondary.

More recently, brands became primarily marketers, sellers of mass produced watches, handbags, etc. with the brand itself more the selling point than the quality of the item.

Now clearly there is a high cost for design, marketing, etc. But to be able to make a rep as good as some of these are, for 1/20th the price of the real thing, indicates the real thing is grossly overpriced for the quality purchased.

No wonder reps are so prevalent now - when it becomes mainly the name on the dial, not the intrinsic value of the watch - copies will be made. At some level, the brands invited this on themselves - when you sell mostly sizzle instead of steak, your steak's gonna get repped.

[user2112]

Not clear on what your question is but what you say brings to mind my wifes shitty Gucci watch. Could've bought a great rep for the cost.

[RLudlowe]

- when you sell mostly sizzle instead of steak, your steak's gonna get repped.

Not all watch brands are just sizzle - Patek makes a fine piece that's beautifully crafted, so does Breguet and JLC.

Their true "luxury line" watches are worth every penny. And bring a LOT of pennies.

(avoid the Breguet Transatlantic XXI, get the rep instead)

[hiker01]

You want bang for the buck? Go for the AP ROOs!!! The GENS are real expensive and so are the REPS, but they are very good, close to the GEN rep! IMHO!

[andreww]

Sure they are over priced when you look only at the end product. What you fail to factor in is the cost of such things as design and brand recognition. These companies spend a ton of money building their image, and these costs must be factored in. The rep makers simply steal the designs as well as the brand recognition. Not really fair to compare the end costs IMO.

[Brian50]

Sure they are over priced when you look only at the end product. What you fail to factor in is the cost of such things as design and brand recognition. These companies spend a ton of money building their image, and these costs must be factored in. The rep makers simply steal the designs as well as the brand recognition. Not really fair to compare the end costs IMO.

Agreed, expenses for design, sales and marketing, administrative, etc are very high.

It's the degree of cost over a good rep that makes me question selling prices for gens.

If you can sell a good copy for US $300 of a watch that retails for $6,000, something's out of wack.

[RLudlowe]

If you can sell a good copy for US $300 of a watch that retails for $6,000, something's out of wack.

Don't forget that about $5,000 of that $6,000 goes to Tiger Woods for wearing the watch on TV!

[lanikai]

I'm not sure you can say that a panerai (as an example) is replicated ... 100.. with their in house movements and our A7750's..

If you view the cyclpos on a genuine article.. anyone will notice that the optical quality of the mag is second to none.. absolutely zero distortion even at a distance of a meter. at least that was my observation once,.. standing outside an AD viewing the Pam's in the display window.

And you are buying the "History" as much as the timpiece.. IMO.. starting with the founder building luxury clocks for the Aristocrats of Italy.

with that said.. a VS1 diamond bought in Tiffany's sells for much more than the same diamond bought at another Jeweler whose store is independantly owned..

So I would say at times you are buying the recognition and if your are spending a sizable chunk of cash.. you are also buying jewelry

as much as a time piece.

but there is a huge difference in the manufacture of a replication and a Breguet. or the casting of a Rolex case vs. a replication..

so I am not sure you can compare the cost of the genuine vs. the replication.. there are too many variables in cost and quality.

I look at it as,... replications are getting very very good .. especially since the makers in China have invested in the equipment to replicate the dials etc.

So althought the replications are very, very good.. it is still.. IMO.. apples and oranges..

A~C

Lani