High-End Watch Knock-offs

[fusherino]

i dont think you can compare replicas to the real thing online. i mean aside from the issue of how they feel in your hand, sites could just be pasting pics of real watches and selling something else.

 

[yfyf]

Incidentally, if it's a replica, I'd rather they just brand it "replica" than Patek Philipe. It would make for an interesting conversation piece

 

[orthofrancis]

Many of the replicas are damn good knock offs - even down to the exact weight of the original watch. Problems with the Chinese made automatics, is that they typically don't have anywhere close to a 40 hour reserve (so I've been told)

Another option if buying used, is to go with a lesser name watch (e.g. Sinn, Guinand, etc), to avoid the knock offs, and "Frankenwatch" effect. Although I just checked and saw a site with fake Sinns listed - sigh.

 

[beasty]

Originally Posted by bigbris1

I was shocked after I happened upon Chinatown & saw an amazing assortment of watches, many of which made their debut to me on the watch Appreciation thread. How are you guys authenticating your timepieces? I mean, I Googled "knockoff Panarai" for instance, & came across a site that boasts 99% accurate copies!

So I decided to do a further inspection. Any of you who know Canal St. NYC know what I'm about to say: There are a few shops that have manufacturer catalogs & will let you thumb through the books & choose a watch, then bring it out for you! I instantly thought about how many of the IWCs & Panerais I've admired on this forum may be counterfeit.

This instantly took me back to my disdain for Movado & Tag Hauer due to the massive amounts of knockoffs the plagued the city many years ago. I remember contacting Rolex about 15 years ago & inquiring about the knockoffs to which I was met with, "they're making them so close these days, we will have to actually open the case & inspect the movement". :shocked:

Among the brands I inspected were:

Omega Seamaster
Emporio Armani
Chopard
IWC
Panerai
Glaschutte
A. Lange Sohne
Ferrari
Patek Philippe
U-Boat

What are your thoughts?

If you are shocked by what you see in Chinatown, wait till you go to China or even Korea and see whole shopping complexes dedicated to fakes.

I have seen a high quality fake China watch and compared to the real thing. You can tell discernible differences in the logo used on the bezel, the knob thingy etc. But those are just minor things which the Chinese can improve on.

So if you really want those branded watches, never buy on the net and always bring to the manufacturer to check its authenticity.

BTW armani watches do not belong in the class you mentioned above. Neither do Omega Seamaster.

 

[beasty]

Originally Posted by fusherino

i dont think you can compare replicas to the real thing online. i mean aside from the issue of how they feel in your hand, sites could just be pasting pics of real watches and selling something else.

Nope. The fakes are pretty damn real etc the AAA fakes.

 

[fusherino]

i mean what is stopping someone from showing a picture of the real watch and selling you something that isnt such a high quality fake? i mean they are selling fake watches after all.

Originally Posted by beasty

Nope. The fakes are pretty damn real etc the AAA fakes.

 

[beasty]

Originally Posted by fusherino

i mean what is stopping someone from showing a picture of the real watch and selling you something that isnt such a high quality fake? i mean they are selling fake watches after all.

I dont know? Honour among thieves?

Anyway you got a point. Many of these websites selling fake clothes do not say they are selling fakes until you look at the selection and prices and think these cannot be real.
Thats why I advocate not buying these items online. If you do, good luck getting a refund. And anyway, buying a Patek rose gold perpetual calendar tourbillion minute repeater which can vibrate to give the missus a good time for USD 50? Hey, you should know that **** is fake anyway.

But in those fake shops in China and Korea I mentioned, these shops will tell you their wares are fake and not like they got 10 Pateks from an estate sale or Vacheron is doing a secret let go of their stock etc etc.

 

[Steven Aver]

Originally Posted by zenith

A Seiko is a fine watch. IMO, it's akin to a Kenmore appliance at Sears. They make a very fine refrigerator. However, there is still a market for Sub Zero's.

My two Partners wear Seiko. I simply prefer the additional elegance and craftmanship of a Swiss watch.

I would not spend $4,500 for a Rolex, but I have no problem paying over twice that for IWC. Instead of a Submariner, I would wear a Speedy or Seamaster from Omega.

FYI Kenmore is a rebadged whirlpool.

 

[suited]

Want a sure fire way of telling if a watch is real, look at the person wearing it. This will work 90% of the time.

 

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by suited

Want a sure fire way of telling if a watch is real, look at the person wearing it. This will work 90% of the time.

I agree. I've had this discussion several times before. However, this is where you queue the "I know X multi-millionaire who drives a ****** pickup truck to his oil fields and his clothes cost $5 yet he's wearing a $100k Patek".

 

[bigbris1]

Originally Posted by suited

Want a sure fire way of telling if a watch is real, look at the person wearing it. This will work 90% of the time.

Not necessarily true in this instance because watches fall into the heirloom category & some may not have purchased the watch themselves per se.

Also, some people put value on items differently; one man may never see the value in spending more than $50 on a pair of shoes, but will risk going into foreclosure over his entertainment system whereas the next man sees spending $1K on a pair of shoes as an investment but has a crappy Aiwa in his media room..

 

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by bigbris1

Not necessarily true in this instance because watches fall into the heirloom category & some may not have purchased the watch themselves per se.

Also, some people put value on items differently; one man may never see the value in spending more than $50 on a pair of shoes, but will risk going into foreclosure over his entertainment system whereas the next man sees spending $1K on a pair of shoes as an investment but has a crappy Aiwa in his media room..

He said 90% of the time and he would tend to be correct IMO. It obviously isn't going to be exactly 90% but I'm sure you get his point.

If you pull up to the gas station and the guy pumping your gas has a Vacheron Constantin on, there may be a chance he inherited it, there may be a chance he saved 30 years to buy it, maybe he saved the life of a millionaire and it was a gift, maybe he lives in his car and just loves watches, maybe he's a millionaire and likes to "slum it" for fun. My opinion (for right or wrong) would be that it isn't real.

Compare that with seeing the same watch on the wrist of someone in a traditionally higher-income job. I'd be much more inclined to accept that the watch is real.

 

[KBW]

Originally Posted by suited

Want a sure fire way of telling if a watch is real, look at the person wearing it. This will work 90% of the time.

This doesn't work whatsoever. I have a good friend who is a professional motorcross rider and he has several high end watches and all of them are 100% real. If you look at him 99% of the time he is wearing a shirt and jacket with a huge label on them given to him free by a sponsor. He does not look like the person to be wearing a Big Pilot (he has the platinum that is over 20K) or a Rolex Kermit. I went with him to the AD both times when he bought those so I know they are authentic. I know several other people in college who had a Submariner or a Omega of some sort that you would think were fake by looking at the people using your logic but they received as hs graduation presents.

I have had several people I don't know see me in public and say that my watches are fake and I never waste my time responding to them.

My brother in law actually got into buying his first real sub by having a fake one and loving it and picking up the real thing after his fake one broke (he had an AA fake).

 

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by KBW

This doesn't work whatsoever. I have a good friend who is a professional motorcross rider and he has several high end watches and all of them are 100% real. If you look at him 99% of the time he is wearing a shirt and jacket with a huge label on them given to him free by a sponsor. He does not look like the person to be wearing a Big Pilot (he has the platinum that is over 20K) or a Rolex Kermit. I went with him to the AD both times when he bought those so I know they are authentic. I know several other people in college who had a Submariner or a Omega of some sort that you would think were fake by looking at the people using your logic but they received as hs graduation presents.

I have had several people I don't know see me in public and say that my watches are fake and I never waste my time responding to them.

My brother in law actually got into buying his first real sub by having a fake one and loving it and picking up the real thing after his fake one broke (he had an AA fake).

Originally Posted by Jumbie

I agree. I've had this discussion several times before. However, this is where you queue the "I know X multi-millionaire who drives a ****** pickup truck to his oil fields and his clothes cost $5 yet he's wearing a $100k Patek".

..

 

[fcuknu]

yea, I have some ridiculous watches that I could never afford being that I am only 21. They came from my grandfather, and everybody questions me about them. I had a watch guy come into where I work and he commented me on one of the watches saying how he could have sworn it was real. I commented to him that it was, and he said then why the **** are you working here?