Has anyone intentionally purchased a fake watch?

Has anyone intentionally purchased a fake watch?

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tertius

6,838 posts

229 months

Friday 5th October 2012
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Gizmoish said:
Dempsey1971 said:
Blackpuddin said:
This is the aspect that interests me. How do Messrs Steinhart and Seiko get away with what I would have thought was a clear case of 'passing off'? They've put their own brand names on there, but in every other respect they are pretty much mirror copies of the Rolex.
In the motor industry there was a lot of hopping up and down when Chinese car companies turned out homages/replicas/whatever you want to call them of Rolls-Royces, Jaguars etc. Unlike these Steinhart and Seiko watches, those 'copies' were in no way exact, but there was still a lot of outrage. In the music biz you only have to prove a vague connection, a chord sequence here or there, to win your case against a copycat song producer. Why is the watch business different?
Because, and this is all hush hush you understand, the High end manufacturers probably wouldn't sell as many watches if people didn't try out a copy / homage first rather than blow 5k on a watch you may not like 'on your wrist' after 2 months.

I know a few people who have bought reps to try out the look and size and 'eareability' of the brand before commiting what is for them a large chunk of money. Without this oppurtunity, they wouldn't have blown the cash.
Well, it's an interesting theory... certainly more applicable to the Steinhart-type watches than the chinese 'pure fakes'.
I must say I find that very hard to believe.

I certainly don't know but I suspect it is that:

a) except for a few very unusual/easily identifiable features watch design is essentially in the public domain and therefore un-copyright-able; and

b) the watches are sufficiently different that you couldn't claim it was in fact a copy

I mean just look at the number of watches from supposedly high-end makers that are extraordinarily similar - e.g. Breitling SuperOcean and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

Blackpuddin

16,410 posts

204 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
This is my point though, the points of difference seem to be set at a microscopically small level for watches but not for other items (cars, handbags, posh scents etc). Maybe it's all down to the level of expectation among buyers. Whatever, it's odd.

Gizmoish

18,150 posts

208 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
Blackpuddin said:
This is my point though, the points of difference seem to be set at a microscopically small level for watches but not for other items (cars, handbags, posh scents etc). Maybe it's all down to the level of expectation among buyers. Whatever, it's odd.
There are only so many ways you can make a circular-faced watch on a metal strap look different though. (The Panerai and various Hublots probably being the outliers).

Music has all of 20Hz - 20kHz to play with, and infinite variations of pattern therein.

Blackpuddin

16,410 posts

204 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
Gizmoish said:
There are only so many ways you can make a circular-faced watch on a metal strap look different though. (The Panerai and various Hublots probably being the outliers).

Music has all of 20Hz - 20kHz to play with, and infinite variations of pattern therein.
You could change the shape of the hour markers, the hands - seems to me that Steinhart in particular is making very little effort to differentiate its watch from the Submariner. That's a polite way of putting it smile I've got no problem with it myself, I'm just a bit puzzled as to why Rolex seems equally unconcerned. Especially when they seem to be so concerned about Asian copies.

Blackpuddin

16,410 posts

204 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
Harking back to the 'try before you buy' idea mentioned earlier, what if (say) Steinhart was (for example) connected in some way to Rolex. Covertly adding an 'economy' rung to the bottom of the Rolex ladder, through Steinhart, would be quite a clever way of scooping up customers at that lower price point - with the possibility of them moving up into full Rolex ownership later. It would be a neat solution for Rolex, given that people will always be looking for Rolex-alikes at affordable prices.

whoami

13,151 posts

239 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
Blackpuddin said:
Harking back to the 'try before you buy' idea mentioned earlier, what if (say) Steinhart was (for example) connected in some way to Rolex. Covertly adding an 'economy' rung to the bottom of the Rolex ladder, through Steinhart, would be quite a clever way of scooping up customers at that lower price point - with the possibility of them moving up into full Rolex ownership later. It would be a neat solution for Rolex, given that people will always be looking for Rolex-alikes at affordable prices.
That was the original purpose of Tudor.

johnbaz

505 posts

177 months

Friday 5th October 2012
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whoami said:
You bought watches and don't wear them?
Err, I have a few that I don't wear either laugh


About half of the collection..



I've actually been conned with a watch, I bought it at a carbootsale and is supposed to be G-SHOCK, it was quickly confirmed on a G-SHOCK forum to be a fakeweeping





I didn't realise that G-shocks didn't have winding crowns banghead



John smile

whoami

13,151 posts

239 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
johnbaz said:
whoami said:
You bought watches and don't wear them?
Err, I have a few that I don't wear either laugh
Ah yes, but for entirely different reasons..smile

johnbaz

505 posts

177 months

Friday 5th October 2012
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whoami said:
Ah yes, but for entirely different reasons..smile
Ahhh, Right cool


John smile

Blackpuddin

16,410 posts

204 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
quotequote all
whoami said:
Blackpuddin said:
Harking back to the 'try before you buy' idea mentioned earlier, what if (say) Steinhart was (for example) connected in some way to Rolex. Covertly adding an 'economy' rung to the bottom of the Rolex ladder, through Steinhart, would be quite a clever way of scooping up customers at that lower price point - with the possibility of them moving up into full Rolex ownership later. It would be a neat solution for Rolex, given that people will always be looking for Rolex-alikes at affordable prices.
That was the original purpose of Tudor.
Not exactly a bargain option smile but launching another covert range in the £400-£500 bracket would make some business sense. Maybe Steinhart and Rolex have already come to some sort of licensing agreement where Rolex doesn't pursue them in exchange for a fee. Again, it would be a win situation for Rolex, they'd be getting paid to allow Steinhart to groom potential future custom for them.

Zigster

1,636 posts

143 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
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That Steinhart is quite staggeringly close to the look of a green Submariner. I really fancy a green Sub but can't justify spending £5-6k at the moment as I've blown quite a bit on watches over the last couple of years. I also worry that it might date quite a bit - I might regret a green bezel in a few years. But at £350 for the Steinhart ... I'm really tempted. smile

I did buy a fake Rolex in the 80s - one of those things where you're in Spain and you spend £20 on something from a man on the beach with a bag of the things. It was awful quality and got thrown away pretty quickly and I've never been tempted with a fake since. But that Steinhart has confused me biggrin - it's not a fake, but neither is it really the genuine article. Hmmm ...