Let's Talk About Replica Watches...

[Reevolving]



Reev, your friend who tells you that his $300 fake is the equal of the real thing is BSing you. But given that he wears rip-off watches, lying is a part of his daily life. I'm surprised this doesn't occur to you.

Good hypothesis, but wrong in this case.
The guy started out intending to buy a $5000+ watch.
He researched all over the watch forums.
He then took a chance on what was considered the pinnacle of perfect fake producer.
Again, the watch dealers themselves could NOT tell the difference, much to their chagrin.

He would have dropped the $10k on a real one, but he saw absolutely no reason to do so.

He has no reason to lie to me. He told me they are fake.
He could have told me they are real, and I'd be none the wiser.

 

[Newcomer]



Good hypothesis, but wrong in this case.
The guy started out intending to buy a $5000+ watch.
He researched all over the watch forums.
He then took a chance on what was considered the pinnacle of perfect fake producer.
Again, the watch dealers themselves could NOT tell the difference, much to their chagrin.

He would have dropped the $10k on a real one, but he saw absolutely no reason to do so.

He has no reason to lie to me. He told me they are fake.
He could have told me they are real, and I'd be none the wiser.

There is no such thing as a perfect fake producer. If a watch dealer cannot tell the difference between a real Lange and a fake Lange, there is something seriously wrong with that dealer.

 

[Todd6060]

In my opinion buying a replica is the same as buying stolen merchandise.

 

[CDFS]

In my opinion stealing is the same as committing murder.

 

[Reevolving]



There is no such thing as a perfect fake producer. If a watch dealer cannot tell the difference between a real Lange and a fake Lange, there is something seriously wrong with that dealer.

He has a Rolex and Brietling fake.
He also told me owners of the identical watch did not know the difference.

I have a call into him, and am going to clarify all of this.

 

[landshark]

Reevolving, no matter how much you vouch for your friend, it won't strengthen your argument. The fact that a few or even several individuals were unable to discern the authenticity of the item does not mean it is equal to or better than the original nor would it be impossible to tell the difference.

 

[Reevolving]

Ok, I just spoke with my friend, and got the lowdown.
Don't skim b/c there are 2 hilarious anecdotes in here. Enjoy!

As a disclaimer, I wear neither replicas or the real thing.
I could give a damn what anyone on SF does with their money.
I just think it's an interesting and amusing topic, and hopefully, you do to.

First, he is very happy with his watches:
"I still have all of them. They run perfectly. They still look fantastic!
In fact, some even have the same problems as the real ones!"

With his Brietling, the bezel has marks at the 12/3/6/9 corners, and one fell off.
His friend has a real Brietling, whose same markings also fell off.

How did he get into this whole thing?
He had a friend who used to buy replicas to "test drive" a style before dropping $7000 for the real thing (on his credit card)
My friend thought this was a smart insurance policy.
One day, he tried on his friend's admittedly fake Rolex, and he said it felt the same as what he wore at Tourneau.
He said he loved the way it looked. Then it hit him, why buy the real thing, when you can get this for $250.
He says he's not trying to impress anyone, he just loves the way his watches look, and can't see why he'd spend more for the same product.
He has felt all the real ones in the store. He has tried them on. They weigh the same.
To him, there is literally no difference, and that is important to keep in mind.

"The only difference is that one is made in Switzerland, and one is made in Taiwan. I'm not paying $7000 just b/c it's made somewhere else"

Read on....


Funny story about Torneau:
The first time he went in there, shopping for watches, he got bad service.
Sometime later, he was in the store, and he happened to be wearing one of his fakes.
"Holy ****, the service I got at Torneau! That's when I could REALLY check out the others, and REALLY ask questions and compare."

That's when he knew this was the real deal. He held the watches, and they felt exactly the same to him.

He noted that Rolex has hologram on back. The hologram on his fake "is decent"
"I mean, maybe a certified Rolex hologram cop could tell, but whatever......HAHAHHA"

How did he find his replica? He went to a replica watch forum.
A common newcomer question was where to get the best replicas, and not the tin foil junk.
He kept seeing the same guy/site suggested over and over in the top 3.
He decided to try it, noting that $250 is still a lot of money for any watch.

He has 4 replicas, and hasn't bought a new one in years.
One reason: The replica site he used has been gone for a few years.

Limits in choice? You can't get anything brand new, like the latest model.

He doesn't like wearing his Rolex, b/c it's famous for being copied.
People almost assume it's a fake. Or it's the first question they ask.

He wears his Breitling Chronomat as his daily workhorse.
More becuase he just loves the way it looks...
"It's beautiful....It's their flagship"

When he's handed it over to others for inspection, since they're so heavy, no one questions it.
"You'll get 'Ohhhh, wow' just from the weight........HAHAHHA"

He also has a Rolex Daytona Stainless Steel
"They're very hard to get. You'll pay out the ass. There's even a waiting list...HAHAHHA"

Get this, RSS. You want to hear his rationale and conscience?
He says the only scammers are the people in Switzerland.
"I've had mine for years, it keeps time, it's been underwater, it doesnt nick."
Cartier is spending $200 to make the watch....and charging $10,000. **** that ****....
I want to wear a beatuful watch, I'm not gonna pay some scam artist $10,000"

Other select quotes:
"I'm gonna give it to my son, and not gonna tell that fukcer either. HAHAHHAAH"

"I got mine from Taiwan. It's a big industry down there. They've actually invested money into this industry."

"I've had this 5 years. I've gotten more use of this than ANY peice of jewelry I've ever owned. I love this thing"


Are you bored of it?
"No. Not bored of it. Not even close. I LOVE this watch. It's beautiful"


"I've worn the real one.....you can not tell the difference."

"I brought it to Torneau to get some links removed.
All I got was "Nice watch, sir" and "Yes, sir, right away sir! HAHAHHA!
They did it for free, hoping I'll drop another $7 grand on some ******* watch"

"I challenge any store clerk to tell the difference, maybe if you were a replica cop, but no one else can tell....I really don't think they could ever tell."

"Instead of buying 1 and bankrupting yourself for 7k, just buy 20 replicas and have the greatest watch collection ever."

"They're such dicks.."

A young client once had same Breitling Chronomat as my friend.
He was genuinely shocked. He started quizzing HIM.
How did YOU pay for that? With a check? (No, credit card....)
"5 grand for a ******* peice of jewerlry that I got for $250???
I was just shocked that someone could do that"

 

[Mute]

Sorry, but a fake watch is a rip-off of the original makers time, sweat and money. If you truly appreciate the aesthetic of an item, buying a fake representation is not appreciation. I would rather wear a Timex than a fake watch.

 

[jd2010]

OP, you continually posting about some defiant dork friend who doesn't understand quality or the fact that people who understand watches can tell the difference makes you kind of a dope.

You're not getting it.

I was a member at one of these replica watch forums. No one was dumb enough to think their watch was perfect. As an example, these Rolex Daytonas you talk about, 99.9% of them the chronograph at 6 o clock will not work. This is due to the ****** asian movements not being able to craft functionality. Breitlings the quarter hour bezel tabs are way off on replicas. Submariners, the crown is off and the moulding on the bezel by the stem is not shaped right. Omega Constellations, some of them show "IV" instead of the proper "IIII"... etc etc etc

There are things that people can easily notice and pick out fakes.


But on a more general note, RSS's dispute has nothing to do with quality, he is simply stating that trademark infringement is wrong (agree), and passing off replicas as authentic watches makes you a scumbag (meh, maybe). And you have yet to present a logical argument to refute this.

PS - This "friend" of yours sounds like a complete ruh-tard cretin.

 

[pkiula]

We get to the discussion about trademark and fair use, only because this entire conversation is predicated on OP's thinking that fakes look almost like the real thing to most people.

The reality is, no they don't.

The info about quality of fakes that was furnished in this thread is completely inaccurate and even dangerously misleading. Fakes are nowhere near their real counterparts in looks, and most people can in fact tell the difference.

This moots the entire discussion about moral issues and all. Forget trademarks, you're wearing crap and it shows.

 

[Godot]

Amusing story. The Goldman's sued OJ Simpson over his gold Rolex. Upon examination, Simpson was allowed to keep his watch as it turned out to be a $200 fake and not worth the court's time. Who'd have thought that a man who murdered his ex wife & her friend would stoop to wearing a fake watch?

 

[bhall41]



Sorry, but a fake watch is a rip-off of the original makers time, sweat and money. If you truly appreciate the aesthetic of an item, buying a fake representation is not appreciation. I would rather wear a Timex than a fake watch.

+1

I can tolerate a 'homage' (e.g. watches made by Mk II) but a replica is completely tacky and almost certainly illegal.

 

[Zeppelin]

To each his own I guess. Some just don't want to get it I found this quote quite amusing: Instead of buying one real deal just buy 20 replicas, and you'll have the best watch collection evah. Yeah, but what is the point in having a FAKE watch collection...? I'd rather have one genuine one to be proud of...

 

[kulata]



We get to the discussion about trademark and fair use, only because this entire conversation is predicated on OP's thinking that fakes look almost like the real thing to most people.

The reality is, no they don't.

The info about quality of fakes that was furnished in this thread is completely inaccurate and even dangerously misleading. Fakes are nowhere near their real counterparts in looks, and most people can in fact tell the difference.

This moots the entire discussion about moral issues and all. Forget trademarks, you're wearing crap and it shows.

Apparently, the CEO of hublot could not spot a fake piece from the real deal and employees of my local tourneau keep telling me how hard it has gotten of late to spot fakes without having to inspect the movement especially with ETA based watches and franken fakes with mish mash of genuine parts. I am afraid the OP is correct, fakes have gotten scarily accurate with very minor tells that would never be spotted on the wrist.

 

[MikeDT]

This threak is starting to sound like a broken record.