Have you bought one of those great looking Rolex/Omega fakes

[gtidriver]

I've just come back from Turkey, we visited a Nova Bazaar, everything in this place was fake, we went into a shop and I asked about a Breitling Navitimer. The two other buttons did nothing and the three dials looked stuck on, cheeky bugger asked me if my Superocean was fake. The quality of the Canada Goose coats was also pretty poor, the badge on the arm was all friad and not on straight. Only £120 before bartering though.

[sandman77]

the-norseman said:

Post some pics

Here you go. As I said proper watch enthusiasts will be able to spot it is a fake but for under £100 it would fool 99.99% of the population. It even has screw links and a glide lock clasp. I don’t wear it and haven’t since the day I bought it.

[Countdown]

popeyewhite said:

The car industry is more or less the same. No one would drive around in a fake 911. People who stick M badges on lower tier BMWs are derided. Watches are no different. Regardless of cost or the quality of the fake you're not buying the real thing.

There are indeed similarities - for a lot of people the car is a status symbol, a way of showing off their wealth. However one difference is that a genuine 911 or M£ will drive much better than fake/replica, whereas there's no difference in the way a fake Rolex tells the time compared to a genuine one.

[Countdown]

popeyewhite said:

jeremyh1 said:

I thinks its to impress people that dont understand
Your example of the M badge is a good one I am not into BMWs and I might not recognise the fake BMW Motorsport whip and would assume that I am dealing with Billy Big Balls

Of course. People try to bask in the light of a premium brand and all the (perceived) social approval it will bring (if any).

And that's why people who have the genuine items get so upset. How dare those povvos bask in the light of a premium brand and get the social approval that only THEY are "rightfully" entitled to?

[popeyewhite]

Countdown said:

popeyewhite said:

jeremyh1 said:

I thinks its to impress people that dont understand
Your example of the M badge is a good one I am not into BMWs and I might not recognise the fake BMW Motorsport whip and would assume that I am dealing with Billy Big Balls

Of course. People try to bask in the light of a premium brand and all the (perceived) social approval it will bring (if any).

And that's why people who have the genuine items get so upset. How dare those povvos bask in the light of a premium brand and get the social approval that only THEY are "rightfully" entitled to?

Some do, some don't. Some people show off their cars/houses/yachts, some don't. I don't know anyone who gets upset with people wearing fakes, my own view is I'd buy the real thing or not at all. Incidentally the best fake watches may tell the time reasonably well, but a true watch enthusiast, like a true car enthusiast, enjoys the pedigree and workmanship of every item from the bottom up. A fake watch will use cheaper internals, not undergho the same testing, not have the same warranty etc etc

[Gustavo7]

I have a Rolex Submariner and an Omega Seamaster, both bought on trips to Thailand.

Why? I like how they look, I use watches as a fashion accessory and rarely read the time on them.

When someone compliments the watch I ALWAYS mention how good a fake it is - I dont care. But I understand why some people get mad / annoyed.

I own other original watches (inc an Omega).

The fake one is actually on my wrist today:

[Countdown]

popeyewhite said:

Countdown said:

popeyewhite said:

jeremyh1 said:

I thinks its to impress people that dont understand
Your example of the M badge is a good one I am not into BMWs and I might not recognise the fake BMW Motorsport whip and would assume that I am dealing with Billy Big Balls

Of course. People try to bask in the light of a premium brand and all the (perceived) social approval it will bring (if any).

And that's why people who have the genuine items get so upset. How dare those povvos bask in the light of a premium brand and get the social approval that only THEY are "rightfully" entitled to?

Some do, some don't. Some people show off their cars/houses/yachts, some don't. I don't know anyone who gets upset with people wearing fakes, my own view is I'd buy the real thing or not at all. Incidentally the best fake watches may tell the time reasonably well, but a true watch enthusiast, like a true car enthusiast, enjoys the pedigree and workmanship of every item from the bottom up. A fake watch will use cheaper internals, not undergho the same testing, not have the same warranty etc etc

A "true watch enthusiast" won't care about somebody else wearing fakes because it has zero impact on the pedigree and workmaship of the genuine article that HE owns.

Whereas those who buy the genuine article primarily as a status symbol will get deeply upset at the fake wearers because it devalues the status of their watch.

[popeyewhite]

Countdown said:

popeyewhite said:

Countdown said:

popeyewhite said:

jeremyh1 said:

I thinks its to impress people that dont understand
Your example of the M badge is a good one I am not into BMWs and I might not recognise the fake BMW Motorsport whip and would assume that I am dealing with Billy Big Balls

Of course. People try to bask in the light of a premium brand and all the (perceived) social approval it will bring (if any).

And that's why people who have the genuine items get so upset. How dare those povvos bask in the light of a premium brand and get the social approval that only THEY are "rightfully" entitled to?

Some do, some don't. Some people show off their cars/houses/yachts, some don't. I don't know anyone who gets upset with people wearing fakes, my own view is I'd buy the real thing or not at all. Incidentally the best fake watches may tell the time reasonably well, but a true watch enthusiast, like a true car enthusiast, enjoys the pedigree and workmanship of every item from the bottom up. A fake watch will use cheaper internals, not undergho the same testing, not have the same warranty etc etc

A "true watch enthusiast" won't care about somebody else wearing fakes because it has zero impact on the pedigree and workmaship of the genuine article that HE owns.

Whereas those who buy the genuine article primarily as a status symbol will get deeply upset at the fake wearers because it devalues the status of their watch.

Some may, some may not. Not sure why you're pursuing this line so much. If people who've bought fakes pass them off as real that's their lookout, similarly people offended by that. Fact remains that copies are ersatz versions of brands made cheaply to look like the real thing.

[B_Tank88]

The best fakes are not from Turkey or any markets, thought I'd just mention.

They are from the reputable replica factories in China.

Clean Factory, Noob (RIP), VSF, ZF, etc.

[popeyewhite]

B_Tank88 said:

The best fakes are not from Turkey or any markets, thought I'd just mention.

They are from the reputable replica factories in China.

Clean Factory, Noob (RIP), VSF, ZF, etc.

Mind explaining what's reputable about stealing someone else's design and making money from it?

[RSTurboPaul]

popeyewhite said:

B_Tank88 said:

The best fakes are not from Turkey or any markets, thought I'd just mention.

They are from the reputable replica factories in China.

Clean Factory, Noob (RIP), VSF, ZF, etc.

Mind explaining what's reputable about stealing someone else's design and making money from it?

Reputable in that they make a very high quality copy with good QC, that a buyer can rely on, rather than some cliché 'looky looky' beach seller flogging cheap crap that will leak as soon as you look at the sea.

Edited by RSTurboPaul on Sunday 21st April 12:34

[Gustavo7]

RSTurboPaul said:

popeyewhite said:

B_Tank88 said:

The best fakes are not from Turkey or any markets, thought I'd just mention.

They are from the reputable replica factories in China.

Clean Factory, Noob (RIP), VSF, ZF, etc.

Mind explaining what's reputable about stealing someone else's design and making money from it?

Reputable in that they make a very high quality copy with good QC, that a buyer can rely on, rather than some cliché 'looky looky' beach seller flogging cheap crap that will leak as soon as you look at the sea.

Edited by RSTurboPaul on Sunday 21st April 12:34

I can attest to that. Both my copies are the highest grade you can get, even the movements are a 1:1 copy and can be repaired using original parts.

[carlo996]

How much so Rolex make per watch, say a Submariner?

[RSTurboPaul]

carlo996 said:

How much so Rolex make per watch, say a Submariner?

IIRC their finances are somewhat opaque - did I read there is some sort of registered charity status that gives financial benefits? But they don't have to reveal any actual donations? I might be wrong, though.

[carlo996]

Reading a few things Rolex state it takes a year to build a sub, which is highly unlikely. It appears the margin is 40%.

[B_Tank88]

Gustavo7 said:

I can attest to that. Both my copies are the highest grade you can get, even the movements are a 1:1 copy and can be repaired using original parts.

... And then there is the whole Franken rabbit hole with gen parts!

[popeyewhite]

Gustavo7 said:

I can attest to that. Both my copies are the highest grade you can get, even the movements are a 1:1 copy and can be repaired using original parts.

No, they can't. Firstly only a Rolex dealer would have OE parts and secondly a Rolex dealer wouldn't touch a fake Rolex.

Begs the question: If you're that proud of a fake, why not just buy the real thing?

[popeyewhite]

RSTurboPaul said:

Reputable in that they make a very high quality copy with good QC, that a buyer can rely on, rather than some cliché 'looky looky' beach seller flogging cheap crap that will leak as soon as you look at the sea.

Edited by RSTurboPaul on Sunday 21st April 12:34

Isn't a 'reputable copy' an oxymoron?

Presumably there's no industry standards for illegal copies so how do you know they're reputable? Anecdote? The man with the funny accent told you?

[carlo996]

popeyewhite said:

No, they can't. Firstly only a Rolex dealer would have OE parts and secondly a Rolex dealer wouldn't touch a fake Rolex.

Begs the question: If you're that proud of a fake, why not just buy the real thing?

Perhaps he doesn’t want to spend the money on an overpriced stainless steel watch.

[Zj2002]

popeyewhite said:

RSTurboPaul said:

Reputable in that they make a very high quality copy with good QC, that a buyer can rely on, rather than some cliché 'looky looky' beach seller flogging cheap crap that will leak as soon as you look at the sea.

Edited by RSTurboPaul on Sunday 21st April 12:34

Isn't a 'reputable copy' an oxymoron?

Presumably there's no industry standards for illegal copies so how do you know they're reputable? Anecdote? The man with the funny accent told you?

You don’t seem to understand what reputable means - the definition is “has a good reputation”.

Therefore whether you agree with copies or not, it is possible for the companies who produce the best copies to be reputable (I.e have a good reputation for their products).

When it takes inspection under a microscope to be be able to tell reputable copies and the real thing apart, it’s not a surprise that the manufacturers of the copies have a good reputation.