Fakes, what's the feeling?
Discussion
el stovey said:
DonkeyApple said:
We are blokes, we are born to compete and buying a watch just to upstage a colleague is really a perfectly human thing to do.
Speak for yourself. That's utterly pathetic. It might be normal in your world or workplace but where I work, people generally don't give a toss about each other's stuff. Anyone bragging about their belongings or trying to upstage others with something like a watch would be branded as a complete arse. I'm glad I don't work with any of you guys.
Competition is a natural part of humans. I am merely pointing out that blokes chose to compete in a million different ways and that the chap who wrote the post I was replying to was probably one of the first people in this thread to actually be honest about his reasonings.
V6Pushfit said:
There are fools that get drawn in to buy the 'real thing', and there are wise men who would simply buy a 'fake' and get value for money.
Yeah but no but yeah. I get the point. Branded goods are ridiculously expensive. The margins/advertising/marble shops all make them staggeringly poor value for money.
But... Why buy a fake, not an "homage"? I don't get that bit.
I fancied a ProHunter (a PVD black Rolex). They are stupid money. I could afford one but wasn't sure I would wear it often enough or, indeed, like it enough. So I bought a Steinhart Ocean Black to try it out and see if I liked it. It doesn't say Rolex or ProHunter on it. It's not a fake. It's just a very similar shape and look to the proper thing.
The only case where a replica might make sense is where there is such short supply of something that realistically, one is never going to own it. For this to be the case, they need to have stopped making it. So, I fancied an Aston Martin DBR1. There are five in the world. I'm never going to own one. But I found a replica, with an Aston engine. It had Aston badges. I would never have tried to pass it off as the real thing. It was not bought to impress anyone - nobody knows what it is, and if they do, they would guess immediately that it is a replica as the chance of seeing the real thing outside of a racetrack is vanishingly rare.
AstonZagato said:
Yeah but no but yeah.
I get the point. Branded goods are ridiculously expensive. The margins/advertising/marble shops all make them staggeringly poor value for money.
But... Why buy a fake, not an "homage"? I don't get that bit.
Also, if you think that a particular brand is a rip of (Rolex, Panerai - what ever) - why would you want to broadcast either:I get the point. Branded goods are ridiculously expensive. The margins/advertising/marble shops all make them staggeringly poor value for money.
But... Why buy a fake, not an "homage"? I don't get that bit.
- You are one of the idiots who got ripped off to those who don't know it's counterfeit
or to those that do:
- That you spent a couple of hundred quid on the best counterfeit you can find so you can look like one of those idiots who got ripped off?
It makes no sense. Either you understand the perceived value of the brand and want to buy into it (fraudulently or not) or you don't in which case, why would you bother?
Value for money - well - buy a nice s/h example of a Sub or a Speedmaster (etc etc), sell it when you are bored after a few years and in real terms it won't have been expensive if you look after it - Good value.
Keep it for a lifetime because you like it and enjoy owning it? Good value.
el stovey said:
Speak for yourself. That's utterly pathetic. It might be normal in your world or workplace but where I work, people generally don't give a toss about each other's stuff. Anyone bragging about their belongings or trying to upstage others with something like a watch would be branded as a complete arse.
I'm glad I don't work with any of you guys.
Bang on. I would also trust someone with a fake watch, bizarre I know but in my world if you flounce around wearing £5000 of watch to tell you what time it is then you've got no idea about the value of things and more about material selfish possessions and seriously not a clue about money. Someone who wears a fake Rolex and when asked tells you it is is then they are fine in my book.I'm glad I don't work with any of you guys.
NeMiSiS said:
V6Pushfit said:
Bang on. I would also trust someone with a fake watch, bizarre I know but in my world if you flounce around wearing £5000 of watch to tell you what time it is then you've got no idea about the value of things and more about material selfish possessions and seriously not a clue about money. Someone who wears a fake Rolex and when asked tells you it is is then they are fine in my book.
Fancy a shag then ?He is currently finding me a fake Philipe Dufour so he may be a while...
Edited by InductionRoar on Saturday 13th February 12:16
InductionRoar said:
He is currently finding me a fake Philipe DuFour so he may be a while...
I'll be right back..... Although thise are hand made one-offs and that's a different discussion.Royalty have worn copies of crowns jewels etc for centuries does anyone think any the less? Go to The Tower and it isn't the real stuff on display so do you claim fraud?
V6Pushfit said:
I'll be right back..... Although thise are hand made one-offs and that's a different discussion.
Royalty have worn copies of crowns jewels etc for centuries does anyone think any the less? Go to The Tower and it isn't the real stuff on display so do you claim fraud?
Are you suggesting the counterfeiters may not up to the job? Surely not. Royalty have worn copies of crowns jewels etc for centuries does anyone think any the less? Go to The Tower and it isn't the real stuff on display so do you claim fraud?
The crown jewels argument is a bit of a leap from Chinese Rolexes but no I don't claim fraud in that instance.
I had a fake Rolex. My ol' dear brought me it back from Turkey (presumably as a joke). The strap broke after two days ... which was rather longer than I expected the entire watch to last, to be honest... so I velcroed it to the dash of my bike. It kept perfect time, left out in all weathers, never changed the battery, full of rain and god knows what. Ran for over two years before some genuinely tragic little w
kspanner pinched it off the bike while it was parked up at Brighton station. For all I know it's still going strong
Conversely, my genuine Omega is a total nightmare. It was my fathers, and I remember him parking it in a drawer years back because the automatic winding function was so unreliable. It's actually got a dark patch on the dial where the hands were stuck for so long. I've had it "mended" so many times; three for the auto mechanism, once because the second hand actually fell off, once because I fell over and shattered the glass (admittedly not the watches' fault) and it still throws a strop every so often and needs winding cos the auto's spazzed out again. The date ring only works when it feels like it. Maybe I shouldn't wear it... people often seem surprised that I'd wear a genuine Omega day-to-day in a manual job, but then I don't wear it for them. And what's the point of a watch you can't wear and expect to be reasonably in tune with Rugby? I couldn't give a four-X as to it's value, nor do I wish to bask in reflected kudos from owning it. I just want the fking thing to tell the fking time
kspanner pinched it off the bike while it was parked up at Brighton station. For all I know it's still going strongConversely, my genuine Omega is a total nightmare. It was my fathers, and I remember him parking it in a drawer years back because the automatic winding function was so unreliable. It's actually got a dark patch on the dial where the hands were stuck for so long. I've had it "mended" so many times; three for the auto mechanism, once because the second hand actually fell off, once because I fell over and shattered the glass (admittedly not the watches' fault) and it still throws a strop every so often and needs winding cos the auto's spazzed out again. The date ring only works when it feels like it. Maybe I shouldn't wear it... people often seem surprised that I'd wear a genuine Omega day-to-day in a manual job, but then I don't wear it for them. And what's the point of a watch you can't wear and expect to be reasonably in tune with Rugby? I couldn't give a four-X as to it's value, nor do I wish to bask in reflected kudos from owning it. I just want the f
king thing to tell the fking timeDanL said:
Why buy a fake if you don't want the real thing? If the argument is that a watch is just a watch, and a way of telling the time, buy any old watch for the job. £15 will see you with something functional, £100 will get you something that looks suitably "sporty" if it's the look you're after.
The only reason to buy a fake is the same reason I bought a real one - to show off to people. I make no apology for it - it's the same reason I spend more than £15 on jeans, or the reason anyone really buys branded goods - to show the rest of the world you can.
Doubtless there are people who buy for the quality, but they're a minority. Yes, if the quality is awful then you wouldn't spend the money on it, but I didn't buy it because it's nicely made - everything available new in the western world for more than a couple of hundred pounds is nicely made, that's just modern manufacturing for you. I bought mine to show off, and my particular model because it's "better" than the one a work mate has.
That would explain perfectly why some people get upset at the fakes. It's because others are "showing off" without having made the financial sacrifices that they have. The only reason to buy a fake is the same reason I bought a real one - to show off to people.
I make no apology for it - it's the same reason I spend more than £15 on jeans, or the reason anyone really buys branded goods - to show the rest of the world you can.Doubtless there are people who buy for the quality, but they're a minority. Yes, if the quality is awful then you wouldn't spend the money on it, but I didn't buy it because it's nicely made - everything available new in the western world for more than a couple of hundred pounds is nicely made, that's just modern manufacturing for you. I bought mine to show off, and my particular model because it's "better" than the one a work mate has.
As others have said, there's nothing wrong with showing off. We all do it to some degree, whether it's through our house, our car, our "traffic-stopping wife/wives" (
). It's just the pretending otherwise which bemuses.Disclaimer: I'd quite happily have a fake or a genuine Rolex. Actually I'd quite happily have a fake Timex if it told the time accurately
I think it depends on the reason for wearing the watch.
If you're wearing it because you like the design, fine, genuine or fake.
If you're wearing it because it's a Rolex, again genuine or fake, knob.
So the difference is genuine enthusiast, or poser.
If you're wearing it because you like the design, fine, genuine or fake.
If you're wearing it because it's a Rolex, again genuine or fake, knob.
So the difference is genuine enthusiast, or poser.
Edited by SlimJim16v on Saturday 13th February 15:07
SlimJim16v said:
If you're wearing it because you like the design, fine, genuine or fake.
If you're wearing it because it's a Rolex, again genuine or fake, knob.
So the difference is genuine enthusiast, or poser.
Is it not possible to like the design, and buy it because it's a Rolex? Lots of submariner style watches around, so no need to buy the expensive version... Many do though.If you're wearing it because it's a Rolex, again genuine or fake, knob.
So the difference is genuine enthusiast, or poser.
DanL said:
s it not possible to like the design, and buy it because it's a Rolex? Lots of submariner style watches around, so no need to buy the expensive version... Many do though.
Yes, absolutely no need to spend £3500 more in the expensive version if you like the design. In fact it will function just the same, look identical down to the etched sapphire glass and if you lose it hey, buy another.V6Pushfit said:
DanL said:
Is it not possible to like the design, and buy it because it's a Rolex? Lots of submariner style watches around, so no need to buy the expensive version... Many do though.
Yes, absolutely no need to spend £3500 more in the expensive version if you like the design. In fact it will function just the same, look identical down to the etched sapphire glass and if you lose it hey, buy another.The whole 'fake watches' thing is actually quite interesting really.
I've spent my whole life thinking that fake watches were something you bought off the looky-looky man on the beach for £50 and then promptly threw in the bin a few days/weeks/months later when it stopped working or completely fell apart.
Whilst the above is still very true of 99% of fakes, I had no idea that there was a second type of fake which people spend days perfectly crafting, often using high quality Swiss movements and many genuine parts. I had no idea these things existed!
I stumbled upon a 'replica' forum a few months ago via a link someone put on Facebook and it was really fascinating! Hundreds of people competing to see who could build the finest replicas, some totally indistinguishable from the real thing and using £500-1000 worth of real hands, faces, bezels, crowns, bracelets etc.
Quite amazing.
For those people on the Replica forum, it seems to be much more of a hobby and something they enjoy doing rather than them simply wanting a fake watch to fool people.
Personally I think you would have to be utterly mental to spend £500-1000 building or buying what is essentially still a fake watch, but I can understand it as a hobby.
I've spent my whole life thinking that fake watches were something you bought off the looky-looky man on the beach for £50 and then promptly threw in the bin a few days/weeks/months later when it stopped working or completely fell apart.
Whilst the above is still very true of 99% of fakes, I had no idea that there was a second type of fake which people spend days perfectly crafting, often using high quality Swiss movements and many genuine parts. I had no idea these things existed!
I stumbled upon a 'replica' forum a few months ago via a link someone put on Facebook and it was really fascinating! Hundreds of people competing to see who could build the finest replicas, some totally indistinguishable from the real thing and using £500-1000 worth of real hands, faces, bezels, crowns, bracelets etc.
Quite amazing.
For those people on the Replica forum, it seems to be much more of a hobby and something they enjoy doing rather than them simply wanting a fake watch to fool people.
Personally I think you would have to be utterly mental to spend £500-1000 building or buying what is essentially still a fake watch, but I can understand it as a hobby.
NinjaPower said:
The whole 'fake watches' thing is actually quite interesting really.
I've spent my whole life thinking that fake watches were something you bought off the looky-looky man on the beach for £50 and then promptly threw in the bin a few days/weeks/months later when it stopped working or completely fell apart.
Whilst the above is still very true of 99% of fakes, I had no idea that there was a second type of fake which people spend days perfectly crafting, often using high quality Swiss movements and many genuine parts. I had no idea these things existed!
I stumbled upon a 'replica' forum a few months ago via a link someone put on Facebook and it was really fascinating! Hundreds of people competing to see who could build the finest replicas, some totally indistinguishable from the real thing and using £500-1000 worth of real hands, faces, bezels, crowns, bracelets etc.
Quite amazing.
For those people on the Replica forum, it seems to be much more of a hobby and something they enjoy doing rather than them simply wanting a fake watch to fool people.
Personally I think you would have to be utterly mental to spend £500-1000 building or buying what is essentially still a fake watch, but I can understand it as a hobby.
Quite agree. However, surely if your skill and expertise if so great you can make a fake (insert name here) that is genuinely indistinguishable from the real thing why not design your own and have a unique one off of comparative quality to (insert name here) to your own specification with no maker's name on the dial (or maybe your own). I've spent my whole life thinking that fake watches were something you bought off the looky-looky man on the beach for £50 and then promptly threw in the bin a few days/weeks/months later when it stopped working or completely fell apart.
Whilst the above is still very true of 99% of fakes, I had no idea that there was a second type of fake which people spend days perfectly crafting, often using high quality Swiss movements and many genuine parts. I had no idea these things existed!
I stumbled upon a 'replica' forum a few months ago via a link someone put on Facebook and it was really fascinating! Hundreds of people competing to see who could build the finest replicas, some totally indistinguishable from the real thing and using £500-1000 worth of real hands, faces, bezels, crowns, bracelets etc.
Quite amazing.
For those people on the Replica forum, it seems to be much more of a hobby and something they enjoy doing rather than them simply wanting a fake watch to fool people.
Personally I think you would have to be utterly mental to spend £500-1000 building or buying what is essentially still a fake watch, but I can understand it as a hobby.
I accept there will be limitations but it would hardly be a replica as pretty much everything (in the boundaries of good taste) has already been made at some point so you could pick the best bits of everything.
Now that I could understand as a hobby.
Edited by InductionRoar on Sunday 14th February 13:54
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