ZellerFTW 0 Posted March 6, 2011 Looking at starting out in the replica world here. Actually I've been considering it for ten years now. I never could pull the trigger because of the number of shady sites out there and bad reputations. I've a collection of about 15 watches of varying manufacture, but none of them are considered to be of the tier one variety. The highest end piece I have is powered by a COSC Sellita SW200. After finding the main forums and poking around, there is clearly legitimate sellers with quality merchandise. I credit the forums and "trusted seller" guides to helping steer me away from scams. That said, my questions are as follows: If I stick to the "trusted sellers", what is the assumption of quality that I should have as a buyer? Are these watches suitable as daily drivers? What is the quality of timekeeping that I can expect from Asian-made 7750s and ETA clones like? Same as Swiss or simply terrible? (I realize they are not COSC, so I don't expect that level of accuracy.) What kind of service issues am I going to have at my local watchmaker? Are these guys going to refuse service to replicas on the basis of the pedigree alone? Thanks in advance, folks! I am looking forward to contributing to the community as my interest in this hobby grows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
graman 2 Posted March 6, 2011 Hey there Zeller, & welcome to the forum! There are good and bad reps, however if you stick with the trusted dealers, you can do well. The Eta clones are very good quality, and will do years of service. The A7750's are a little hit and miss. I have 3. 2 are brilliant, and one died within a month. All ran seconds at 9. Don't under any circumstances, get an A7750 with Seconds at 6. It will die in about 5 minutes. That said, a good A7750 will run for you brilliantly for a long time if you look after it. As for your watchmaker...find one that's rep friendly, and then you shouldn't have a problem. Otherwise, you can learn to tinker yourself. Parts for A7750's cannot be found, so you're likely needing to service them straight up (most come without lube) or replace the mech when they bugger up. So...welcome to RWG! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sconehead 5 Posted March 6, 2011 +1 what he said and welcome to the forum. As an added point there's a 'super rep' thread around somewhere which will point you in the direction of some of the best reps, don't know if it's been updated recently though. Basically if you're interested in a certain model, just post a thread to see if any of the members own one and if so what their views on it are... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 83 Posted March 6, 2011 Welcome aboard! +1 to what the guys said above. you'll find Sellita SW200's in a few reps (so far only a few, but that's likely to increase) along with a variety of others - some more reliable than others. If well maintained, however, a good rep with a decent movement should last as long as a gen powered by the same movement. Some watchmakers are happy to work on reps, some aren't. It's very much a case of diplomatically sounding them out - if they're directly associated with an authorised dealer, however, steer well clear. I wear my reps on a daily basis and have done for 10+ years. They've been pretty much as reliable as the gens I've owned - I've got a couple away for service right now, but that's only to be expected. Even some of the cheapies are remarkably good - just be careful about what you buy and if in doubt, ask! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trailboss99 996 Posted March 6, 2011 Welcome to RWG mate. Time keeping on the clones and even a well cared for a7750 can be very good indeed. Some are a little off out of the box (+/- 15sec is usually the worst) but with a bit of adjustment can be brought to withing COSC 90% of the time. Hell, I have 21Js that are +5 or 6 seconds. BTW, anything that comes with a COSC certificate is top tier as far as I am concerned. Col Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 83 Posted March 6, 2011 Col: Welcome to RWI? I think one of us is confused Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trailboss99 996 Posted March 6, 2011 Oh piss off, one little letter! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ivotedale 0 Posted March 6, 2011 Welcome my fellow Arizonan! I have an Omega watch from TimesShop headed to the states as we type... Though awhile back, I did try to take a rep Rolex to a local PrecisionTime shop, and not even the saleswoman at the cash register would touch it; you would think I had leprosy or similar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZellerFTW 0 Posted March 6, 2011 Welcome my fellow Arizonan! I have an Omega watch from TimesShop headed to the states as we type... Though awhile back, I did try to take a rep Rolex to a local PrecisionTime shop, and not even the saleswoman at the cash register would touch it; you would think I had leprosy or similar I had a similar experience once with an Invicta. (Please refrain from smart-ass Invicta remarks!) It was a running a Sellita SW200-2 that was running about 20 seconds fast. I just wanted him to adjust it. He had it for a week and called me up and said "yeah you need to send this back to Invicta." For those who don't know, this is something you never, ever do. You'll likely get the watch back in worse shape than before. He said he spent several days on it, but the date on the watch was the day after I brought it in. He clearly did nothing at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Del 4,514 Posted March 6, 2011 Hello and welcome . I am continually blown away with the quality of the reps that our Trusted Dealers supply - for the money, it's difficult to understand how anyone could be disappointed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy54 0 Posted March 6, 2011 (edited) As for your watchmaker...find one that's rep friendly, and then you shouldn't have a problem.Otherwise, you can learn to tinker yourself. Parts for A7750's cannot be found, so you're likely needing to service them straight up (most come without lube) or replace the mech when they bugger up. As a newbie as well I'm interested in how Reps arrive "out of the box". Is it a rule of thumb that all Reps are not oiled and that you should have them serviced when you receive them ? Edited March 6, 2011 by Andy54 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sconehead 5 Posted March 6, 2011 I've had countless reps over the years and can honestly say very few have been serviced. Thing is, because reps are so relatively cheap, I seldom wear one (apart from my beaters) for more than a couple of days straight before I change it for something different. Of course I've got a few keepers which I've regulated and oiled for better accuracy but on the whole if a watch is + or - 10-15 secs over a day or two who cares? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ray 0 Posted March 6, 2011 (edited) I hope I'm adding my bit in the right place as I am a total Noob. Am I correct in believing I have read somewhere in the many pages of RWG that there is a trusted dealer offering to carry out a service on a watch ordered prior to despatch, extra cost depending on the movement in the watch? If so, can someone tell me who this trusted dealer is? Edited March 6, 2011 by Ray Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeMcNair 0 Posted March 7, 2011 I hope I'm adding my bit in the right place as I am a total Noob. Am I correct in believing I have read somewhere in the many pages of RWG that there is a trusted dealer offering to carry out a service on a watch ordered prior to despatch, extra cost depending on the movement in the watch? If so, can someone tell me who this trusted dealer is? any trusted dealer you ask. but for the most part, robert from prwstigewatchco. however, being more of a noob, i suggest you send pic of the EXACT WATCH you want to mary at watchinternational. a few days later she will tell you she has it and then she will send pix of YOUR watch, then a tracking #, then a smile on yer face. hope that helps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trailboss99 996 Posted March 7, 2011 I hope I'm adding my bit in the right place as I am a total Noob. Am I correct in believing I have read somewhere in the many pages of RWG that there is a trusted dealer offering to carry out a service on a watch ordered prior to despatch, extra cost depending on the movement in the watch? If so, can someone tell me who this trusted dealer is? That would be Robert. A must for a sec@6 7750 (if you must buy one) and a good idea for any watch you intend to wear a lot. Col. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tissotman 0 Posted March 8, 2011 Ive got a rep daytona 7750 movement with sub at 6 and ive had it about 3 years now and it runs perfect ? but i do not use the chrono in other words i always leave it at 12 so its only sub dials running also got a speed master with manual wind le mania again running fine and had about same time . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
