Reply With QuoteI've bought this one:
In a similar vein to the "Rep" boards post - How do you view buying parts or "Sterile" watches from someone whose main business is making Replicas (or Fakes if you prefer)? Something like a sterile Panny homage or Mil-Sub clone, or the parts to modify something similar.
I've bought this one:
When I worked in NYC I was only a short walk from Canal St the fake capital of NYC. I would browse the fakes and they ranged from I can spot it's a fake from a mile to are you sure it isn't real. I would buy one every once in a while take out my springbar tool and pop off the strap or bracelet and throw the head in the nearest trash bin. I got some very nice straps that way for less than $20.00 USD.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:Originally Posted by Ron Jr
Cheers,
Neil.
I voted 'No' as I'd not buy anything fake whether that's a watch, clothes or anything else!
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Although I'd be tempted to buy one just to do a pictorial of it's demise .. :evil:
/vince ..
i think the only time i would consider a replica or clone would be to see if i could get on with the size eg panny clone, thus i wont spend ££££££ on a propper panny then find i cant get on with the size of it!!!
then the clone would either be used on a demolitions day with a little PE4 :twisted: or stuck on a target at a Range day :twisted:
Yes, and I have done so, but not for parts. I bought unbranded parts for a Panerai 112, and a genuine Unitas 6497 (from Frei & Borel). I ended up selling the whole kit to a friend who had it put together. After a couple of years, we traded watches and I ended up with it. I love the watch, and it makes a great companion to my genuine 118E. The hands on the 112 are blued. I wanted to make certain that, in combination with it being unbranded and having a bare bones movement, that it would never be mistaken for the genuine article. I'm also planning a second one, which will be an unbranded, PVDed, destro. Again, I am taking great care to make certain that it is never mistaken for a genuine Panerai. It is not my intent to fool anyone, pass it off as a real Panerai, or to ever sell them, so I don't worry about it so much. I look at it this way. With some of the replica modifications, I can get a watch that I want that would never be possible otherwise. Some people hate the gold hands on the 1950s from Panerai. With some mods, they have a beautiful 1950 with black hands. I'll have a PVDed destro with titanium crown, lever, and solid case back, with a thick acrylic crystal. Nothing like that exists, and if it did, it would cost the same as a mortgage. Where I have a problem is the "replicas" that have all the branding. To me, a replica is unbranded, a fake is.
Yes i would, i intend to buy one of the davidsen watches
karl
No.
F.T.F.A.
A nono for me.
Daddel.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
No.
.
I have bought and worn replicas ... it is of no issue to me. As it happened, I didn?t wear them
for very long but I have no moral standing in the matter.
These days they just bore me, so you can keep them ... and don't post them on the forum.
john
Costume jewellery. Ouch!!!
If you are to believe some of the industry chat, there are genuine and replica coming out of the same factory.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
I'm not sure how much I believe that. Sure, parts like crowns, or screws, or a sapphire crystal might be made in the same factory. But does Omega, Rolex, or Panerai have cases made in China? With the differences visible (even if they are extremely difficult to spot), I cannot see that they are the same cases made by the same factory. And if they were made in some factory in China, and the factory made extras, then I'd start lobbying every WIS to stop buying Swiss and start buying Chinese and save their hard earned money.
Oho!! aahm about which models the chitchat going on?
Otherwise to avoid any legal beatings - where can I inform myself about this rumour?
Cheerio, Frank
Some Swatch company watches are made in China ... and when a company starts playing with China, how do we know where they stop?
john
Costume jewellery. Ouch!!!
I've fitted genuine parts to 'replica' watches so there is more than just a hint of truth there.
Well, then that just reaffirms my decision to never buy from the Swatch Group again. I'm much more interested in companies which make their own in-house movements now anyway.Some Swatch company watches are made in China ... and when a company starts playing with China, how do we know where they stop?
john
I wonder what will end up happening to the watch industry due to this alliance with China. It seems to me that the Swiss watches have only brought themselves back in the past ten years after trying to join in the quartz craze against Japan. I wonder if the same thing will ultimately happen to them due to Chinese competition.
Two of the three mentioned by Mindbender are reported to have at least case blanks made in China for finishing in Switzerland. This is apparently becoming very common, with at least one other major player buying blanks from China.
We all know that buying a rough case from China and finishing in Switzerland fully meets all criteria for "Swiss Made".
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
I had thought that those rules were being/had been revised. Again, this just makes me want to not buy from the "genuine" manufacturers who do this dishonestly.
How long before the Chinese do in watches what they have already started to do in e.g. audiophile hi-fi components?
Not so long ago Chinese activity in this field was limited to cheap manufacturing for established Western brands. In the last few years though we've started to see Chinese outfits building and marketing their own products with design and production values comparable to their Western competitors - but at significantly lower prices.
Bring it on I say...
The Swatch Group want to raise the value of the Swiss input to 60%. Easy for them to achieve even if they buy case blanks from China.I had thought that those rules were being/had been revised. Again, this just makes me want to not buy from the "genuine" manufacturers.
Case blank: $10
Swiss finishing: $50
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/01/29/ ... .surfaces/
Well, clones are one thing. What I was getting at more was original Chinese design (which they are more than capable of in the audio field and I would guess also in watches...).http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/01/29/ ... .surfaces/
I wouldn't be surprised if Breitling did it too, judging by the quality of recent Breitling reps.... But it's just a guess so no repeating it and spreading unfounded rumours.
Well, at least we know that Eddie's watches made by Fricker are done in Deutschland.
yes me too, :) craigYes i would, i intend to buy one of the davidsen watches
karl
:shock: :wink:
I've bought a fake (Submariner, imaginatively enough) just to see if it would suit. I'd probably do the same again if contemplating buying a similarly priced watch as there's nothing to beat wearing a watch (or its facsimile) for a week or two to see if you and it will get on.
I wouldn't wear one in an attempt to pass it off as real, although it may be worth noting that the fake Rolex still works perfectly two years down the line, keeps about +5 per day (when wound) and has coped with scuba diving off Corsica without any trouble.
I have extremely mixed views about both the fake issue (intellectual property, r&d costs etc) and the often mad price of Swiss watches (out-sourced manufacturing, generic movements encased in heads that don't really seem worth X thousand). Luckily, with the sorts of watches I'm into (other than the Sub) fakes aren't that big an issue so it's not a decision I have to make - I don't think I've seen a fake 60s or 70s Heuer or a fake Seiko (the latter for fairly obvious reasons).
With regard to the other thread about replica boards, I'm a member and have learned quite a bit from the threads on some of them about movements - there are a few very skilled / determined people on some of them.
Does a Chinese blank cost that much?Case blank: $10
Swiss finishing: $50
Well I was only guessing.
Seriously though, I have no problem with any company buying blanks and finishing them in Switzerland, Germany or wherever. What I do have a problem with however, is when they claim "100% Swiss Made".
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
IMO, they weasel out of it by saying "Swiss Made" and omitting the '100%'Well I was only guessing.
Seriously though, I have no problem with any company buying blanks and finishing them in Switzerland, Germany or wherever. What I do have a problem with however, is when they claim "100% Swiss Made".
Eddie
Those few watches that have the Geneva seal are more likely to be close to 100%
If the China case blank did cost less that the quoted 10/50 ratio (83.3% Swiss made), the Swiss percentage would increase, so it is always to their advantage. 5/50 ratio results in 90.9% Swiss made.
Besides, accountants will generally perform cost analyses that produce the required result.
If we're talking about fakes i.e. watches made to imitate and badged as something they're no, then I would vote "no".
A friend recently brought me this back from a holiday abroad. It's a good copy, relatively accurate, full size, and seems well made, but I've never worn it outside the house because I know it's not really a B&R 01-94.
Rich
I've seen fake Seikos, Citizen and even Poljot on Canal St. I wouldn't count any modern brand out.
Probably not those brands, but you might be surprised at the quality of the best these days.I'm not sure how much I believe that. Sure, parts like crowns, or screws, or a sapphire crystal might be made in the same factory. But does Omega, Rolex, or Panerai have cases made in China? With the differences visible (even if they are extremely difficult to spot), I cannot see that they are the same cases made by the same factory. And if they were made in some factory in China, and the factory made extras, then I'd start lobbying every WIS to stop buying Swiss and start buying Chinese and save their hard earned money.
Ming
Given the trade I work in I am limited as to the time I can wear a decent watch. So, I would much prefer to wear a decent watch in my free time as opposed to a replica. As far as at work I need something that is legible bright and non-conductive.
Yes absolutely, I want one of Eddie's Blancpain vintage 50 Fathoms copies.
And badly!
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