Taking abuse? No, likely not. Keeping time? That depends on the movement. If one is made with an NH35 or 9015 movement, they will keep time on par reasonably well with luxury brands - something like a DG movement, not so much.

Not every premium watch is COSC certified, many are, but all aren't. I have Seiko watches that perform at near COSC standards and they are cheap as hell. I've also seen reps with ETA and Selitta movements and some with manual Lemania movements. Rep does not necessarily equate to cheap or poor quality, while some do others are a niche with certain watch enthusiasts who revel at getting as close to the real thing in looks and performance as possible. There is even a term for these watches which are of such close resemblance and performance... NWBIG or Not Worth Buying in Genuine. I never agreed with this term because if you like a watch that much, it is always worth buying in genuine if you can swing it - not so much as a financial decision but for the increased satisfaction that comes from owning the real deal.

My view on reps has evolved over time. At one point I didn't care at all. Now I don't care what decision people make for themselves, but I hate seeing people ripped off by fakes that are so good that the AD's watchsmith can have trouble telling. I don't have a lot of sympathy for the genuine manufacturers even when I acknowledge that it is wrong to steal their designs. Most people buying reps will not ever buy the real thing, so the manufacturer is not losing money, and Rolex is selling everything they make. Hell they might actually sell more of their entry level watches because of fakes. Imagine the guy who loves the Submariner but could never fathom dropping $9k - either because he can't afford it or doesn't see the value in it. Overtime he falls in love with the design but knows his rep is a rep and says to himself you can have the real thing and you deserve it, and buys the gen. Rolex may have never gotten the sale if there wasn't that entry point into collecting offered by the rep. Let's not even get into artificial scarcity. While again this does not excuse the act of repping designs, it helps explain why there is a market.

I used to laugh at the Omega/Swatch collaboration, and I still have zero desire to own one. I own several real Omegas and love them. I do however know people who bought a Moonswatch and ended up buying a real Omega because they got a little taste and wanted more. For many, I think reps are the same way. If you ever venture over to reddit to see what people are selling, one of the biggest reasons they are selling their rep is they are putting together funds to buy the genuine. $10k is a huge investment for most people and just putting a watch on your wrist for 10 minutes at the AD isn't enough for a lot of people to buy into that purchase. Sure, you could purchase a homage like an Invicta or a Steinhart and get a sense of what it would be like. But there is something about looking down and seeing the "Rolex" or "Omega" or "Patek" on the dial that elevates the watch emotionally and can be enough to push them to make that purchase of a genuine.

To each their own, but I understand why folks buy them and for some it is a fake flex, for others it is research, for others it is part of their evolution in the hobby, and for some it is a way to deceive and defraud others. You can understand some of those reasons while absolutely denouncing the others. Regardless of the reason, it is wrong on some level, some are just more nefarious than others.

I'm sitting here with my genuine Omega Moonwatch on my wrist, something I wanted for decades. Finally bit the bullet and purchased one used on Chrono24. They never made a decent fake of the watch because the movement is unique and wasn't worth replicating and any movement swapped in on the copies resulted in subdial spacing that was glaringly obvious! I wouldn't care about what someone thought about me wearing a rep, the reason I never bought a Moonwatch rep is I would know when looking down at it that the aesthetics were way off and what appealed to me about that watch was (1) its history and (2) what to me was perfect symmetry. Without the symmetry it didn't work for me. Had there been a good copy out there I would have worn it while savuing up for the genuine. The genuine was always the goal, and I admit, maybe obtaining it was a little sweeter without having the stepping stone of a rep because there was no incremental increase in satisfaction - it all came at once. Not going to lie, I probably would have rocked a rep if there was a good one until it reached the point I could grab the genuine.

If only ARFCOM had a dedicated watch technical subforum.

I’ve always bought from Steinhart directly online. Even had warranty work done by them with no issues.  Gave my sub homage to my little brother when I got my Rolex sub.

That's why I like my two fakes. Fun stories from Afghanistan, not to pass them off as real. One of them did fall apart pretty quickly within like 6 months of daily use. One of them lasted for years and I legit wore it to a lot of events because it was a very nice looking watch and went with most of my nice outfits I had at the time. Plus it was a fun icebreaker or conversation piece.

They're on my memento shelf with some other cool items/gifts I got over the years of traveling/working for OIF/OEF.

I love GD watch threads, especially Rolex.

This, gentleman, is why you buy genuine Rolex.
That picture is awesome, but I didn't include it in my reply in case you your mind about posting that pic..

I don’t even care about that.  Sellers of anything have been trying to deceive buyers for thousands of years.  It’s up to the buyer to ascertain if they are getting the real deal.  

Real estate agents have that down to a science.

I bought direct a few years ago. As I recall it was a pretty simple process. Shipping didn't take nearly as long as I expected. I got one of the 39mm submariner style watches, and actually find that I like this size a lot more than my friend's 10 year old Rolex Submariner which seemed noticeably larger.

I went with an aluminum bezel because I like the look, and don't mind the look of "used" things. But if you don't want tons of scratches on the watch, definitely go for the ceramic bezel.

They are available on FB Market place.

Yeah that's cool, had I seen one when I was there I would have absolutely bought one as well. Cool keepsake.

Agreed, but my point is that you're a scumbag if you're trying to rip people off. If you're up front about what you have then cool.

Or maybe they truly enjoy looking at it for themselves but simply couldn't afford the price of a real one.  Not everyone who owns a fake is trying to play clout.  Sure some are, but others are not.

I bet there are folks in this thread that own prints b/c they cannot afford an original.

By most accounts, these new fakes are legitimately nice watches.  I don't own a fake watch and recently sold my real Omega and stepped down to several cheaper watches (Citizen, Tag quartz, Orient), but I can see why people might want one.  To each their own.

I use to want a fake Rolex in a real bad way.  Then I thought about it.  Nope. That’s not me. I’ll stick with my Seiko Turtles.

I don’t like counterfeits and steer away from homages as well. I could see myself wearing something ironic, however.

A friend of mine owns a Rolex Hulk, which I saw and immediately desired. However, this was during the peak of the Covid-related Rolex craze, and these watches were selling for over $20,000 and were very difficult to acquire. During my research, I came across replicas, and the more I delved into it, the more curious I became about their quality. I ended up purchasing a Clean factory Hulk as a test. Firstly, to see if I still enjoyed wearing a watch on my wrist, as it had been several years since I last wore one, and secondly, to assess how closely they resembled the original.

It turns out they are remarkably similar, so much so that to all but a few discerning individuals, they are indistinguishable when worn. Around the same time, I discovered lab-created diamonds. After watching documentaries on the diamond industry's complexities, I questioned why anyone would pay ten times the price for something that is nearly impossible to differentiate between real and "fake."

In any case, I decided I liked the watch but not enough to shell out $20,000 for it. The replica is well-made, though the functionality isn't quite as smooth as the authentic version, which is the main giveaway. However, this is something you wouldn't notice unless you're comparing them side by side. The Hulk is one of the most common replicas, so whenever I see someone wearing one, I can't help but wonder if it's genuine or a replica. Perhaps that was the tipping point for me—if I can't distinguish it at a glance, and neither can most others, why pay so much more?

Let’s be honest and apply logic.

That’s exactly why the vast majority do it.(I am speaking of fakes)  No assumption needed.

I would rather wear a cheap Timex than a fake anything.

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Tudor

One of my built watches has a Seiko logo on it so I guess I'm a big faker too. People always ask me "WOW is that a real Seiko" and I'm like "stop talking to me you fucking poor" little do they know it is in fact not a real Seiko.

If someone is buying it for looks, yeah a fake looks the same.

If you are buying it for durability there is a difference.
Same for look a like helmets, body armor, climbing rope, etc.

I refuse to own any electric watch, they always need a battery at some point but the accuracy is better. Went thru a few Seiko mechanical dive watches also.
My Rolex sub has been on my arm for a few decades and still going.

Real Seikos don’t cost much either

This is the correct answer.
I bought what my level of personal success would allow over the years.

College?  Casio.
First real job? Nicer Casio.

Established older gentleman?  Whatever I wanted...

thatsthejoke.jpg

I like the Seiko marked (usually) homages. For example, I love my RWatchco Magnum PI GMT. But you'd have to be a genuine retard to think it's a real Rolex.

Attached File

I like Tudor..

Tudor is what Rolex used to be. A nice tool watch for enthusiasts.

This.

I've got 2 fakes; one is a super clone GMT that does OK, but needed a watch guy locally to fix it up to get it running.

The other is a green sub that loses 15 minutes randomly.  Meh.


I much prefer my Seiko and Omega for not worrying about them.  I'll pick up a real sub in the spring around bonus time to scratch the itch and likely that'll be the end of my lux watch interest.

Are you asking my opinion?  That would be that we all should try to live within our means and realize we can't have it all.

Here is the thing. You said the ugly truth without meaning to. Its a fucking investment to these chuckle fucks. My man put your money in a stock market and over several decades you WILL make more money than your coin bro beanie baby.
If a watch is your investment you shouldnt be wearing it. Make up your mind, is it something that you will wear and willing to break and or lose or is it an investment that you will buy put away and never wear?

Do you think some boat shoe wearing hampton resident would want to be mistaken for a bitcoin bro or a drug dealer?

If someone wated durability they would be buying a quartz watch.

Rolex would still be Tudor but Rolex basically reinvented technology and materials and manufacturing method for the sake of being hard to counterfeit.

I’ve got a Rolex and would feel silly wearing a fake one.

You could buy a real one that will go up in value. Why pay $1000 a fake that is essentially worthless and will probably fog the first time it gets wet? For the same money, you could buy a Hamilton or Seiko and not live in shame.

Because you are are drug dealer and the crowds that you are trying to impress are fellow morons with the emotional intelligence quotient of a teenager?

Well fuk.

There are Facebook paid ads for them and when you report them Facebook doesn't give two shits.

I like these because of the irony. It's a fake Rolex with a Seiko movement, so the dial isn't even false advertising.  

I've been considering building one myself, but the parts would cost more than these are being sold for.

Do geese avoid mirrors?

I know a few guys that travel with the fake ones and keep the real ones at home and non-travel. There are very good ones out there that the average person could not tell the difference.

So I'm involved a bit in some online modding communities and this same "fake" discussion comes up all the time. Some folks think it's incredibly distasteful to have a Seiko logo on a watch that isn't a "real" Seiko because you're trying to show off...I'm like...It's Seiko man, literally nobody is ever impressed that you can afford a Seiko. The only reason I have a mod with the Seiko logo on it is because I couldn't find the dial I wanted without it.
I just thought it was funny that the same discussion happens over $300 watches as they do with $30,000 watches.

If you already have the tools it's cheaper, but most people don't of course. The best thing about building is you can get exactly what you want.

I have three steinharts I bought direct. I was surprised I could order a watch from Germany on Sunday and have it on my porch by Wednesday. Different time zones definitely worked in it's favor though.

Non watch people have no idea. I've had several people assume my auto was a Rolex because "I heard only rolexes have a sweeping second hand"

I'd wear a homage watch, but not a fake. Thats some sketchy shit.

Don't do it in certain European nations, mere possession is against the law. They will likely be seized at customs and there may be fines.

I've never been a watch guy.  I had a pac-man watch in the 80's.

When my grandfather died I got his Omega watches.  A guy at a local family owned jewelry store shit his pants and told me all but one of them is a Bond watch.  According to him, one is the holy grail of Bond watches, and is worth the price of a house.  The only one I like is the cheapest one and only worth a few hundred dollars. He called it a tuning fork watch and it takes a battery.