Repairing a replica watch
Discussion
About 7 years ago on a family holiday to Turkey I spotted a very nice replica of a Breitling from the Bentley (Tourbillon) range. On closure inspection it was very nice and on face value a good likeness. My grand father noticed my fondness to the watch, and low and behold returned to the shop a purchased it for me as a Christmas present. I've worn it for 7 years now and it has never missed a beat, the automatic mechanism has always wound the watch until yesterday when I noticed the time had stopped. Sadly my grandfather passed away 4 years ago and the watch means a lot to me.
I know its a fake but I love the watch and it means a lot to me.
Now is it worth having the piece repaired?? Would the internals be made of chocolate and not even worth the cost of repair. I think something has come loose as a small nut like object was in the face of the watch but has now logges itself in the tourlbillon movement.
Shoot me down if it you like but I'm only really after advice
I know its a fake but I love the watch and it means a lot to me.
Now is it worth having the piece repaired?? Would the internals be made of chocolate and not even worth the cost of repair. I think something has come loose as a small nut like object was in the face of the watch but has now logges itself in the tourlbillon movement.
Shoot me down if it you like but I'm only really after advice
Contradictory moment alert
I'm normally against fakes/replicas but I have a similar thing I keep as it was a present from my parents on my 30th. The saying it's the thought that counts really rings true for me in this case.
As for the internals. Pass. If it means something to you I'd pop into your local watch dealer and ask the question. I'd suggest not sending it directly to Breitling UK in this case though.
I'm normally against fakes/replicas but I have a similar thing I keep as it was a present from my parents on my 30th. The saying it's the thought that counts really rings true for me in this case.
As for the internals. Pass. If it means something to you I'd pop into your local watch dealer and ask the question. I'd suggest not sending it directly to Breitling UK in this case though.
I bought a homage of a WWII German pilots watch in order to check I really liked the size and style before I dropped a larger amount on a known branded version of the same. After a while the main spring snapped and so I had a local repairer I know have a look at it. He was very complimentary of the movement and it was obviously a familiar design to him and a new spring was easily sourced. While he had it he serviced it and now it's running superbly, It's a big hand wind pocket watch movement and I love to watch it and listen to the now smooth beat.
The point of my waffle is that you might find a local independent watchmaker who's more than happy to repair it and your watch probably has a common bought in movement that has available parts.
The point of my waffle is that you might find a local independent watchmaker who's more than happy to repair it and your watch probably has a common bought in movement that has available parts.
NeMiSiS said:
Breitling for Bentley did make a Tourbillon, your fake watch is not a Toubillon though, more a hole cut in the face to show the escapement.
They break for a reason, yours is a special one as it lasted longer than the flight home.
Well I never, all this time and there's me thinking it was a real tourbillon swirling away They break for a reason, yours is a special one as it lasted longer than the flight home.
Try user Variomatic on here. I recall from previous discussions that he is happy to work on replicas/fakes. I haven't used his services myself but people have praised his work highly.
NeMiSiS said:
[...] your fake watch is not a Toubillon though, more a hole cut in the face to show the escapement.
They break for a reason, yours is a special one as it lasted longer than the flight home.
You can't say that with 100% certainty now thanks to those cunning Chinese Seagulls and their proper tourbillon movements (including dual axis!) That said, I've never seen one in a watch under about £500, so it's pretty unlikely in this case They break for a reason, yours is a special one as it lasted longer than the flight home.
Reliability also varies greatly depending on which of the many Chinese companies made the movement. Their designs tend to be sound (mostly borrowed from the Swiss) but quality control varied wildly depending on the maker from sneeze-and-it-dies to pretty reliable (certainly as good as the old Ruskie movements that are still running in lots of Sekondas after 30 years).
Oh, and despite the rumours, watch repairers have absolutely no power whatsoever to confiscate or destroy fakes. We don't get special powers (well, not since the 1600s or so when the Guild could destroy substandard work) and it would be theft and / or criminal damage just the same as if anyone else took or damaged your belongings
NeMiSiS said:
Breitling for Bentley did make a Tourbillon, your fake watch is not a Toubillon though, more a hole cut in the face to show the escapement.
They break for a reason, yours is a special one as it lasted longer than the flight home.
I have a couple of Homage watches, both are several years onld, both are worn frequently, both are reliable and have not brokenThey break for a reason, yours is a special one as it lasted longer than the flight home.
Variomatic said:
You can't say that with 100% certainty now thanks to those cunning Chinese Seagulls and their proper tourbillon movements (including dual axis!) That said, I've never seen one in a watch under about £500, so it's pretty unlikely in this case
Reliability also varies greatly depending on which of the many Chinese companies made the movement. Their designs tend to be sound (mostly borrowed from the Swiss) but quality control varied wildly depending on the maker from sneeze-and-it-dies to pretty reliable (certainly as good as the old Ruskie movements that are still running in lots of Sekondas after 30 years).
Oh, and despite the rumours, watch repairers have absolutely no power whatsoever to confiscate or destroy fakes. We don't get special powers (well, not since the 1600s or so when the Guild could destroy substandard work) and it would be theft and / or criminal damage just the same as if anyone else took or damaged your belongings
I you happy to work on replicas Vario? If so I have an old Rolex Daytona homage I will send you.Reliability also varies greatly depending on which of the many Chinese companies made the movement. Their designs tend to be sound (mostly borrowed from the Swiss) but quality control varied wildly depending on the maker from sneeze-and-it-dies to pretty reliable (certainly as good as the old Ruskie movements that are still running in lots of Sekondas after 30 years).
Oh, and despite the rumours, watch repairers have absolutely no power whatsoever to confiscate or destroy fakes. We don't get special powers (well, not since the 1600s or so when the Guild could destroy substandard work) and it would be theft and / or criminal damage just the same as if anyone else took or damaged your belongings
If it's a watch I'll work on it, provided no-one's trying to pretend it's real. Lots of fakes / replicas / homages have sentimental atachment (as in the OPs case). In fact, that's the usual reason that they're willing to pay for a repair that will probably cost more than a replacement.
There's no law against owning copies, only selling them, and if Rolex et al want to chase spurious civil claims then they have far more expensive lawyers than I do, so they can fill their boots
Of course, there's the argument about "supporting organised crime" but, honestly, the organised criminals are unlikely to be wasting their time flogging cheap knock-offs for a couple of quid profit a time. Same goes for any alleged links to terrorism / climate change / re-election of Obama or Global Nuclear War
In any case, if those links were true then, by repairing an existing one I'm preventing the sale of a replacement, so I'm really just doing my civic duty in crushing World Evil
There's no law against owning copies, only selling them, and if Rolex et al want to chase spurious civil claims then they have far more expensive lawyers than I do, so they can fill their boots
Of course, there's the argument about "supporting organised crime" but, honestly, the organised criminals are unlikely to be wasting their time flogging cheap knock-offs for a couple of quid profit a time. Same goes for any alleged links to terrorism / climate change / re-election of Obama or Global Nuclear War
In any case, if those links were true then, by repairing an existing one I'm preventing the sale of a replacement, so I'm really just doing my civic duty in crushing World Evil
Variomatic said:
If it's a watch I'll work on it, provided no-one's trying to pretend it's real. Lots of fakes / replicas / homages have sentimental atachment (as in the OPs case). In fact, that's the usual reason that they're willing to pay for a repair that will probably cost more than a replacement.
There's no law against owning copies, only selling them, and if Rolex et al want to chase spurious civil claims then they have far more expensive lawyers than I do, so they can fill their boots
Of course, there's the argument about "supporting organised crime" but, honestly, the organised criminals are unlikely to be wasting their time flogging cheap knock-offs for a couple of quid profit a time. Same goes for any alleged links to terrorism / climate change / re-election of Obama or Global Nuclear War
In any case, if those links were true then, by repairing an existing one I'm preventing the sale of a replacement, so I'm really just doing my civic duty in crushing World Evil
Thanks, i'll get in touch! There's no law against owning copies, only selling them, and if Rolex et al want to chase spurious civil claims then they have far more expensive lawyers than I do, so they can fill their boots
Of course, there's the argument about "supporting organised crime" but, honestly, the organised criminals are unlikely to be wasting their time flogging cheap knock-offs for a couple of quid profit a time. Same goes for any alleged links to terrorism / climate change / re-election of Obama or Global Nuclear War
In any case, if those links were true then, by repairing an existing one I'm preventing the sale of a replacement, so I'm really just doing my civic duty in crushing World Evil
I hate to admit this, but...
I bought a watch, from a bloke, someone I thought was a mate. I paid just shy of £3k. The person in question sold it to me, as part of a "clear out", prior to moving back to the US. It's a very cool Panerai. I've had it for almost 5 years. It has worked a treat, up until April, this year. I took it along to an official Panerai dealer, here in London, to send it off for repair. I've taken it to them in the past to have the strap changed and to have a new buckle fitted, without any issues. This time, however, I was informed that the watch was a replica. I explained the situation and they were very sympathetic, etc. But, understandably, refused to sort it. I own another, real Panerai, that I bought from this dealer and, this fake Panerai is virtually indistinguishable from the real one. It turns out that the it's replica of a limited edition 2008 Regatta and the numbers don't match, which is the main give away. That and the non Panerai movement. BTW, I trusted this guy because I've known and worked with him for over 10 years, he's not your typical crook.
I reckon I have almost no chance of recovering my money and, as well as a lost friendship, I've ended up with a very cool, relatively expensive fake.So, as well as feeling like a complete, gullible tool, I'm left with an expensive but very plausible, broken replica, that I really don't want to smash to bits with a hammer, especially since I was naive enough to part with almost £3k for it. The key question is: Can these replicas be repaired?
I bought a watch, from a bloke, someone I thought was a mate. I paid just shy of £3k. The person in question sold it to me, as part of a "clear out", prior to moving back to the US. It's a very cool Panerai. I've had it for almost 5 years. It has worked a treat, up until April, this year. I took it along to an official Panerai dealer, here in London, to send it off for repair. I've taken it to them in the past to have the strap changed and to have a new buckle fitted, without any issues. This time, however, I was informed that the watch was a replica. I explained the situation and they were very sympathetic, etc. But, understandably, refused to sort it. I own another, real Panerai, that I bought from this dealer and, this fake Panerai is virtually indistinguishable from the real one. It turns out that the it's replica of a limited edition 2008 Regatta and the numbers don't match, which is the main give away. That and the non Panerai movement. BTW, I trusted this guy because I've known and worked with him for over 10 years, he's not your typical crook.
I reckon I have almost no chance of recovering my money and, as well as a lost friendship, I've ended up with a very cool, relatively expensive fake.So, as well as feeling like a complete, gullible tool, I'm left with an expensive but very plausible, broken replica, that I really don't want to smash to bits with a hammer, especially since I was naive enough to part with almost £3k for it. The key question is: Can these replicas be repaired?
colincolin said:
I hate to admit this, but...
I bought a watch, from a bloke, someone I thought was a mate. I paid just shy of £3k. The person in question sold it to me, as part of a "clear out", prior to moving back to the US. It's a very cool Panerai. I've had it for almost 5 years. It has worked a treat, up until April, this year. I took it along to an official Panerai dealer, here in London, to send it off for repair. I've taken it to them in the past to have the strap changed and to have a new buckle fitted, without any issues. This time, however, I was informed that the watch was a replica. I explained the situation and they were very sympathetic, etc. But, understandably, refused to sort it. I own another, real Panerai, that I bought from this dealer and, this fake Panerai is virtually indistinguishable from the real one. It turns out that the it's replica of a limited edition 2008 Regatta and the numbers don't match, which is the main give away. That and the non Panerai movement. BTW, I trusted this guy because I've known and worked with him for over 10 years, he's not your typical crook.
I reckon I have almost no chance of recovering my money and, as well as a lost friendship, I've ended up with a very cool, relatively expensive fake.So, as well as feeling like a complete, gullible tool, I'm left with an expensive but very plausible, broken replica, that I really don't want to smash to bits with a hammer, especially since I was naive enough to part with almost £3k for it. The key question is: Can these replicas be repaired?
Everyone's fear, but I guess your 'mate' might have bought it in good faith.I bought a watch, from a bloke, someone I thought was a mate. I paid just shy of £3k. The person in question sold it to me, as part of a "clear out", prior to moving back to the US. It's a very cool Panerai. I've had it for almost 5 years. It has worked a treat, up until April, this year. I took it along to an official Panerai dealer, here in London, to send it off for repair. I've taken it to them in the past to have the strap changed and to have a new buckle fitted, without any issues. This time, however, I was informed that the watch was a replica. I explained the situation and they were very sympathetic, etc. But, understandably, refused to sort it. I own another, real Panerai, that I bought from this dealer and, this fake Panerai is virtually indistinguishable from the real one. It turns out that the it's replica of a limited edition 2008 Regatta and the numbers don't match, which is the main give away. That and the non Panerai movement. BTW, I trusted this guy because I've known and worked with him for over 10 years, he's not your typical crook.
I reckon I have almost no chance of recovering my money and, as well as a lost friendship, I've ended up with a very cool, relatively expensive fake.So, as well as feeling like a complete, gullible tool, I'm left with an expensive but very plausible, broken replica, that I really don't want to smash to bits with a hammer, especially since I was naive enough to part with almost £3k for it. The key question is: Can these replicas be repaired?
Anyway, chances are it can be fixed (and probably for less than a Panerai). It would be good to identify the movement.
The problem you may have is finding a watch repairer prepared to work on an outright fake rather than a non-branded lookalike.
M
Itll be a Unitas movement, in all likelihood. Panerai simply gave this cheap pocket watch the emporer's new clothes. You can buy a genuine ETA Unitas for not a great deal if you shop around (Frei probably, but he appears to be mental), so whilst it may not be a genuine piece, itll be its equal as a timepiece.
Id buy a replacement movement from here. Genuine ETA Swiss-manufactured Unitas, and ask Joe to fit and regulate it.
You cant make it right, but you can make the best of a bad situation.
http://www.ofrei.com/page206.html
You cant make it right, but you can make the best of a bad situation.
http://www.ofrei.com/page206.html
colincolin said:
I hate to admit this, but...
I bought a watch, from a bloke, someone I thought was a mate. I paid just shy of £3k. The person in question sold it to me, as part of a "clear out", prior to moving back to the US. It's a very cool Panerai. I've had it for almost 5 years. It has worked a treat, up until April, this year. I took it along to an official Panerai dealer, here in London, to send it off for repair. I've taken it to them in the past to have the strap changed and to have a new buckle fitted, without any issues. This time, however, I was informed that the watch was a replica. I explained the situation and they were very sympathetic, etc. But, understandably, refused to sort it. I own another, real Panerai, that I bought from this dealer and, this fake Panerai is virtually indistinguishable from the real one. It turns out that the it's replica of a limited edition 2008 Regatta and the numbers don't match, which is the main give away. That and the non Panerai movement. BTW, I trusted this guy because I've known and worked with him for over 10 years, he's not your typical crook.
I reckon I have almost no chance of recovering my money and, as well as a lost friendship, I've ended up with a very cool, relatively expensive fake.So, as well as feeling like a complete, gullible tool, I'm left with an expensive but very plausible, broken replica, that I really don't want to smash to bits with a hammer, especially since I was naive enough to part with almost £3k for it. The key question is: Can these replicas be repaired?
Have you contacted your friend and told him your story, if he bought the watch in good faith and passed it to you he may be willing to compensate you.I bought a watch, from a bloke, someone I thought was a mate. I paid just shy of £3k. The person in question sold it to me, as part of a "clear out", prior to moving back to the US. It's a very cool Panerai. I've had it for almost 5 years. It has worked a treat, up until April, this year. I took it along to an official Panerai dealer, here in London, to send it off for repair. I've taken it to them in the past to have the strap changed and to have a new buckle fitted, without any issues. This time, however, I was informed that the watch was a replica. I explained the situation and they were very sympathetic, etc. But, understandably, refused to sort it. I own another, real Panerai, that I bought from this dealer and, this fake Panerai is virtually indistinguishable from the real one. It turns out that the it's replica of a limited edition 2008 Regatta and the numbers don't match, which is the main give away. That and the non Panerai movement. BTW, I trusted this guy because I've known and worked with him for over 10 years, he's not your typical crook.
I reckon I have almost no chance of recovering my money and, as well as a lost friendship, I've ended up with a very cool, relatively expensive fake.So, as well as feeling like a complete, gullible tool, I'm left with an expensive but very plausible, broken replica, that I really don't want to smash to bits with a hammer, especially since I was naive enough to part with almost £3k for it. The key question is: Can these replicas be repaired?
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