Noobi here I recently purchased a Rolex DSSD Gen/ I think I will learn more here

[Slim 0]

So for the rep buyers what is the thrill of buying and owning reps? Their has to be a part of you that wants to be exepted by those around Them. What I do not understand is why not save up a little and buy a Tag. I know when I wore mine I got more looks from it then my DSSD and I knew I paid for the quality in the watch. I have done searchs on this subject and did not find ones. So hopefully we can keep it civil

 

I've already got a Tag, thanks. And four Omegas, and three IWCS, an Oris, a Tudor, two Rolexes and a Breitling.

 

I buy replicas (occasionally - only bought two in recent years) because I get the fun of having a good looking watch for a fraction of the price of the real thing. It's got nothing to do with being accepted.

[Slim 0]

As a matter of fact I went to my AD and he got Rolex tech on the line and the question asked was about the paint in the Renault. Rolex says that the lettering is milled and filled in with a strong epoxy and dried flush so it looks printed

 

[Member X 91]

lol

 

Clearly a man with an intimate knowledge of the terminology

[wat44 0]

I hope he's not trolling, would be a shame. If nothing else, he learned something about his gen from the rep forum.

[baruch 0]

I think the questions posed are one of the key questions that people not into reps want to have answers to, to understand why reps are bought.

 

To the people with the money (not me, I'm skint lol) buying gens is seen by 'society' as the thing to do because they are marketed as quality products that somehow show how well you've done - they are aspirational lifestyle luxury products that are, basically, unnecessary, so if you can afford them then clearly you have got x amount of money (and are therefore 'the right person' to be buying this lifestyle product).

 

Gen owners can (perhaps understandably) get annoyed when a tiny factory in china can produce something that looks 99% the same as what they have bought for a LOT of money but for 5-10% of the cost.

 

It can't be denied that the gens have much better Quality Control, more consistent quality, well serviced movements and a warranty that can be relied on in case of fault, but how much does that actually cost? How much of the price is just paying for dealer network, the shareholders/owners lifestyles, and the massive amount of marketing that the big brands do?

 

I just can't believe that a lot of brands manufacturing costs are anywhere near what they retail at. The new ceramic Submariner, for example - what's that new? $6k? $7k? more? But the only real new bits are the ceramic bezel and, in the green version, some gold-infused dial colour IIRC. What does a ceramic bezel cost from china? $20? I can't believe that it costs Rolex much more than that - even if it costs them $100 to make a ceramic bezel, where has the rest of the massive price jump gone?!

 

 

Anyway, this is turning into some sort of rant lol

 

 

I can't deny the allure of the gens, if I had $$$$$ to spend on stuff I liked and wanted but didn't need, rather than the $$ I have, I too would probably have a couple of nice gens in the watchbox. But would they be value for money for the parts within them? Or just an expensive way to 'live a lifestyle' and show off to others how rich I am and how poor they are, and how they should aspire to be like me and judge themselves on what they own not what sort of person they are and what life they live?

 

Good reps achieve 90-95% of the 'performance' of a gen for 5-10% of the cost. 'Performance' being good looks, great feel and good timekeeping. Why buy just one gen when you can have 5, 10, 20 reps for the same amount of money? That's 5, 10, 20 designs to enjoy on your wrist as the mood takes you and the occasion requires, not just 1 that you have to wear all the time to feel like you're getting your money's worth. In this case, £10k for one DSSD that would seem ostentatious at a funeral or just kicking round town of a weekend, could buy, say, 30 good $300 reps (average), which could cover literally ALL the rolex models repped, some APs, some PPs, all the Tag reps... which you could pick and choose from to suit what you're doing that day

 

Yes, they are not to be trusted as waterproof until you've tested them yourself, and even then you couldn't take them down to 12,800 feet like you could a gen DSSD, but how often do you get your watch wet? Or need to rely on guaranteed COSC timekeeping? We have digital/quartz for that now, all you have to do is adjust the time on your automatic watch to your digital clock once a week. Gens are massively overengineered in many cases, just because it is cool (and that's no bad thing ) but do we need this level of performance? Not really. And, if you do, you could just buy some G-Shocks or similar.

 

I get the whole aspirational thing and how buying an expensive object (be it a watch or a piece of jewellery or a car etc etc) can represent a lot more than just the object itself, but it you love watches and want to be able to enjoy the designs of attractive watches then reps are ideal. Only if you judge others by the vacuous, elitist attitudes the high-end luxury goods companies' marketing departments insist you should have to 'be somebody', will you be offended by reps. After all, if you think someone has 'made it' because of the watch they wear and you later find out they are 'a fraud' because the watch is a rep and you assumed/thought it was gen, I can see how you would feel cheated by having your assumptions questioned :ninja:

 

 

Just my ranting opinion, anyway.

 

 

I like gens, if I had money I would buy some, but it would be in the full knowledge that I would not be buying a lifestyle, I would be buying a piece of over-engineered, over-priced art!

 

Reps are fun - especially when you can wear something massively out of your real life price range that has others open mouthed and staring :P - so dive in and get some and see how good they can be! If you've got $10k to spend on one watch, I would recommend finding another $2k or so and getting the latest DJII, DDII, PAM177, PAM005, PAM288, PAM026, PAM219... And if you aren't impressed with the quality for the money (which I think you will be ) you will easily be able to sell them on on here!!

 

I cant say nothing more, A WNDERFULL POST, THANKYOU!!!!!!!!!

[powderfreak 0]

The other huge factor in a hobby like this is the people you can enjoy it with. I've briefly been a member of a few gen forums and by and large the membership were, well, twats. Usually much more concerned with image and prestige than the watch itself. Which kind of misses the whole point IMO.

 

I have found (as have many many others) that the rep hobby is populated by MUCH nicer people who actually like WATCHES. This makes a BIG difference. Ironically you'll find a huge amount more horological expertise on rep fora than you will on any of the gen sites.

 

...and there is nothing that I could add, it's just true. And that's why I like it here.

 

Plus: I get bored by the stuff I own, so why not spending money in a way I can enjoy it. I would NEVER want to own a >10K watch. Why? Hell, what would I do with it? 1) Buying a safe only for that watch or 2) being bored (or even pissed off) by the fact that I will have to wear it for years now.

 

I don't care too much about how perfect my watches are and I don't feel like I have to act as if I'm rich, I just enjoy good looking stuff (even if it's not "Omega" on the dial). Reps are perfect for that.

 

Edit: Another thought on it: I just read a book where a really successful and rich entrepreneur talks about selling his Porsche Boxter and buying a Toyota. He said: "I know that if I keep the Boxter, some day I want a 911. And I know that everyone with a 911 wants a Ferrari. I don't want to end up like this..."

[SirDomino 0]

Watches are nothing more than a piece of functional jewelery.

 

I would much rather save up and buy a nice car or house or invest for my retirement.

 

To me, it would be a waste to spend thousands on a watch, something I am going to wear, bang up, and it will need servicing that cost as much as a major auto repair.

 

Replicas give me 95%+ of the gen look typically for less than 5% of the cost. Many literally being throw-away watches for the price, with repair costing nearly as much as a new rep.

 

Just my opinion.

[myaz 3]

The answers from MemberX and Skathewatch are spot on. I appreciate their wisdom and mirror their feelings. If I may add a different angle:

Admit it or not, at least a little part of owning a rep is that SOMEONE will notice and think it's a gen. We would otherwise all buy homage watches.

 

But who do we impress? T. Stanley, in his book "Stop Acting Rich... and start living like a real millionaire" has great points on human behavior which give glimpses into why we spend the way we do. If interested, don't buy it new, check ebay like I did or get it from a library.

 

What stuck with me is that he says very few people are truly rich and can buy anything they want. Of those, the ones that flash their possessions the most are the younger ones that just made a lot of money, i.e., say star athletes, etc. For most of the rest of us, we make a choice. We can either act rich by spending and chasing all the trappings of wealth or be actually rich by being restrained with spending. This was shocking to me but his studies show that the average millionaire owns a Seiko, does not have a wine cellar, does not own a mercedes, owns a house worth 400K or less etc. In fact, they are not impressed by these things, but they are rich now because they were cheap in the past. Most millionaires are not the people you think!!! now you don't need to read the book.

 

Therefore, you might not impress the smart right people with an expensive watch but you will definitely impress those chasing the image of wealth. In some circles, wearing an expensive gen will make those around you automatically think it must be a fake or comes from drug money.

 

So besides feeling smug about owning expensive looking watches, why else do I like reps? For me, it's the addiction, man. I never flash them but that's just me. Gen designers spend so all that energy designing and marketing irresistible eye candy that you can own for a fraction of the cost thanks to the guidance, wisdom and dedication of all the great people on this forum sharing their vast knowledge with you. Thank you all and you know who you are.

 

Be wise with your choices and don't be a moron by walking your rep into an AD store to spread your enthusiasm with them. Hope this isn't not a rant.

[Member X 91]

Nice first post

 

Using the logic in the book, I should be a billionaire by the time I retire, judging from how little I have to spend / want to spend on 'flash' stuff at the minute! :canuck:

[d1isthe1 0]

Gen or Rep watches are watches ... passion for a pleasing eye candy riding your wrist... functionality to some but facevalue for everyone.. if you enjoy wearing it .. its worth it (even a rep) ....