Should I buy a rep?

[Rx4Time 1,472]

With the criteria that you listed above have you considered a Rolex milgauss (not the green glass models) or oyster perpetual? Both of those also pretty loosely fit your criteria (smooth bezel, good like, stick indices) are at a much more attainable price point, and much less likely to be noticed as a replica.  I understand you stated this is not a concern at this time, but I believe in future proofing and at some point it might become a concern especially if a coworker is involved.  The op has a grey dial variation, and the milgauss white dial's hands are very legible IMHO. 

[MRR 0]

3 hours ago, Rx4Time said:

 

One other bit of wisdom.... Make sure you pick a watch which has a clone ETA movement either a 2824 or 2836. This makes it easy and relatively inexpensive to just swap out the movement to it's Swiss counterpart should the watch malfunction or die.

I'll keep that in mind.  Thank you 

[CurioLeo 296]

58 minutes ago, MRR said:

Pretty sure I've looked at several thousand watches. Everything on all the websites of TDs who have sites listed here and RWI, chart of every Seiko5 ever made, pages of  pics from dozens of web searches.

I'm filling a specific role for my daily watch when not wearing a suit; automatic, stainless metal band, day, date, contrast between hands and face, illuminated enough to easily read time at night, smooth bezel (not gold), light-colored face, no hour numbers...

Most do not have illuminated hands.  Others have poor illuminated indicators.  Those that are decent have obnoxious bezels.  White and silver faces seem to come with stainless hands and are hard to read.  I don't care for black, green, or red faces.  Even most blues are to dark for my tastes.

So, yeah; a particular Seiko5 or this Rolex  rep.   There is actually a Franken Seiko I like more than the other Seiko , but the face exists in only one model that is not made any more and isn't even on eBay.  Even if that base watch were available it would probably cost as much to source all the other parts as the Rolex rep costs.  I like the Day part of the Rolex more and it sounds like the movement is better.

This purchase is not about starting a hobby. The next tablesaw I buy is about starting a hobby.  This purchase is about a daily wearer that I hope will last many years.

Apple Watch? At least pretend to show me respect. 

Mow that's more like it, the more info  you can provide, the more suggestions we can offer. 

Looks like you would love one of these, preferably with a day as well

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F283433844217

Or better still if you want to jump up in price:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F153554112573

 

[MRR 0]

16 minutes ago, davidmodic said:

Hmm... your seiko died? And you feel attachment to it? 

Well, I bought it because the photo showed black hands on a white face.  It was actually stainless hands.  Good enough to not return but not good enough to care about to much.  I was able to adjust it to being accurate to within two seconds a day.

I wore it only after work and on weekends. My sporadic wearing and the fact that it could not manually wind meant I had to adjust the time a lot.  I was adjusting it in the dark one night and the crown fell off and was lost.  

I don't like it enough to fix.  I'd rather take this opportunity to buy a watch I like more.

[ShovelnTC 31]

From what I am reading it sounds like you may end up being a little conflicted with wearing a Rep or as the general public know them a Fake.

Your dilemma is that you have found a watch that is exactly what you desire but the gen comes with a ridiculous price tag.

So in order for you to fully enjoy it you must first convince yourself that you have no issue with wearing what some people will consider a Fake and may look down on you for doing so but keep in mind that in reality very few people will give a rats what you are wearing and those that do look down on Reps are probably dicks anyway.

If you don't care about that then get the Rep and enjoy it as most of us do but if you still have doubts then don't do it as even the Reps are not cheap.

[MRR 0]

14 minutes ago, Rx4Time said:

and much less likely to be noticed as a replica. 

 

 The op has a grey dial variation, and the milgauss white dial's hands are very legible IMHO. 

It's hard to explain, but I don't mind it being noticed as a replica.  That why I'd prefer an homage. 

Anyone who knows me knows I would never own a Rolex. A replica, no matter how good, looks out of place on me.  

Thanks for the milgauss suggestion.  Not my style, though.  That blue DD-40 is one of only a handful of watches that I instantly liked.  

[MRR 0]

21 minutes ago, ShovelnTC said:

From what I am reading it sounds like you may end up being a little conflicted with wearing a Rep or as the general public know them a Fake.

True.  I'd rather it loudly call out "I am loosely based off of the only Rolex this guy likes" than quietly state  "someone did their best to make me look like a Rolex".

It would be different if this were a hobby of mine, but it's really about me purchasing a single watch to wear every day.

I'm also concerned that it might look too large for my wrist and I'd have no legitimate way to return it.  Which I hate doing anyway; returning things like that is just a waste of shipping costs for the seller.

[GenTLe 1,490]

5 hours ago, MRR said:

 

1) Rep Rolex has a better movement than Seiko 5,

Carefully here... Rolex replicas can be found with at least 7 different movements: Miyota 9015, DG2813, A2824, A2836, A2834, SH3135, SA3135...

It isn't "Rep Rolex" have good movements. It is those models with the specific good movements, those that are good.

[deju 1,859]

I Read this thread. 

This is not for you. 

Don’t buy a rep. 

 

[Rx4Time 1,472]

Just something to consider, from everything you've said  You're probably better served looking at a homage watch versus a replica.   unfortunately there's not a decent DD platinum ice homage, but there is a Daytona platinum ice. 

 

https://parnis.org/collections/chronograph/products/daytona-07

 

[mr.tourette 111]

14 minutes ago, Rx4Time said:

Just something to consider, from everything you've said  You're probably better served looking at a homage watch versus a replica.   unfortunately there's not a decent DD platinum ice homage, but there is a Daytona platinum ice. 

 

https://parnis.org/collections/chronograph/products/daytona-07

 

Nice watch that, I never thought I would buy a Parnis and definitely not a Rolex rep but I always admired the ice blue Daytona, when this came out I went for it straight away and love it! Super build quality, nice looking piece..gets a lot of wrist time 

[ShovelnTC 31]

37 minutes ago, MRR said:

True.  I'd rather it loudly call out "I am loosely based off of the only Rolex this guy likes" than quietly state  "someone did their best to make me look like a Rolex".

It would be different if this were a hobby of mine, but it's really about me purchasing a single watch to wear every day.

I'm also concerned that it might look too large for my wrist and I'd have no legitimate way to return it.  Which I hate doing anyway; returning things like that is just a waste of shipping costs for the seller.

Mate I say this  in all honesty, I really don't recommend that you buy a Rep.

Not trying to be funny or a smart ass but Reps really are for enthusiasts.

Many of our members have huge collections as it is their passion.

Many work on their own watches and share their passion with other enthusiasts.

There are many pitfalls to the Replica watch including difficulty in service depending on where you live and also many things that you probably wouldn't have considered so again I recommend that you don't buy a Rep.

There are lots of nice watches out there that are not Reps so hopefully you will find something that will tick all the boxes for you.

[mr.tourette 111]

The only other watch I can think of the closely fits the bill would be the Seiko presage Ice blue cocktail time...no lume but a nice looking gen Seiko 

https://www.dcleake.com/Watches/Seiko/Seiko-Presage-Cocktail-Automatic-Blue-Dial-Leather-Strap-Watch-SRPB43J1.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2K3rBRDiARIsAOFSW_7aLudnMdAlaZ9oE2oxP4XUOo4GlLlJJHJBIBvXAiLee34Tc32xH4saAvq2EALw_wcB

 

[MRR 0]

16 minutes ago, ShovelnTC said:

Mate I say this  in all honesty, I really don't recommend that you buy a Rep.

Not trying to be funny or a smart ass but Reps really are for enthusiasts.

Yeah, you're probably right.  Curse Rolex for making a single watch I really really like.

Still going to give it some thought.  I appreciate the discouragement.

[Hinclimincli 17]

May I just interject one concept at this juncture?

http://www.tiger-concept.com/dd-watch.html

[kuvarsit 6]

why not?

[splke 4,372]

Orient may have something you like https://www.creationwatches.com/products/orient-watches-252/orient-classic-automatic-blue-dial-fev0u003d-mens-watch-7149.html

I would suggest a quartz tho so you don't have to adjust time as often 

[BenjaminButton 149]

[mention=105117]MRR[/mention] everyone will just think it’s fake anyway, especially when they see it on your wrist when you hand them  Big Mac with large fries

[GingerApple 7,272]

No way, ignore the haters (even though they're being entirely reasonable), but ignore that fact and screw them! Go and buy your gorgeous, baby blue, platinum DD and wear it with pride!!!! If Reps aren't for you, you could always flog it on here later (assuming you meet the eligibility to sell criteria - worst case scenario you join as a member, a $30 payment) but I bet you'd love the watch and end up hopelessly addicted like the rest of us!!!

[GenTLe 1,490]

1 hour ago, TheFreckledTampon said:

No way, ignore the haters (even though they're being entirely reasonable), but ignore that fact and screw them! Go and buy your gorgeous, baby blue, platinum DD and wear it with pride!!!! If Reps aren't for you, you could always flog it on here later (assuming you meet the eligibility to sell criteria - worst case scenario you join as a member, a $30 payment) but I bet you'd love the watch and end up hopelessly addicted like the rest of us!!!

Agree. Try one and you'll see how good they are  About that model look weel, I'm not sure if the Noob or BP factory is the better one.

[GingerApple 7,272]

15 minutes ago, GenTLe said:

About that model look weel, I'm not sure if the Noob or BP factory is the better one.

Me neither. Mine's is a BP with Swiss ETA inside (that I bought M2M), but I did no research, just bagged it when it came up for sale. I think it's pretty decent though. The day font seems slightly off, but that's about it.

[BadPickle 2,738]

5 minutes ago, TheFreckledTampon said:

Me neither. Mine's is a BP with Swiss ETA inside (that I bought M2M), but I did no research, just bagged it when it came up for sale. I think it's pretty decent though. The day font seems slightly off, but that's about it.

Swiss ETA  

[GingerApple 7,272]

32 minutes ago, pickledbeetroot said:

Swiss ETA  

Care to share the joke o'Pickled one?

[davidmodic 1]

6 hours ago, MRR said:

MWell, I bought it because the photo showed black hands on a white face.  It was actually stainless hands.  ...

I don't like it enough to fix.  I'd rather take this opportunity to buy a watch I like more.

I see. I misunderstood you initially. Since you mention you are ambivalent about reps, this might be of some use to you. The way I rationalize my wearing a rep is two-fold:

- There are occasions when I feel it is not smart or warranted to wear a gen. For example, it is kinda pointless wearing a £5000 gen Omega while moving the lawn or playing hoops with the kids. I could damage it, incurring huge costs. Also, sometimes I go to dodgy places (a few years ago I spent a month or so in Rio for example), where I would have to be foolish to walk around with someones yearly salary on my wrist. That would be just asking for trouble. If someone robs me at a gun or knife point, I am perfectly happy  handing over a few hundred dollars rep, without a second thought. A rep is far more suited for those occasions.

- I invest time, money and energy into some of my reps - I routinely service or replace movements and use genuine parts (crystals, inserts, dials, hands, crowns, movements...). I waterproof them, regulate and lubricate them. In short I have invested myself. Therefore, while my Noob Rolex DSSD is definitively not a genuine Rolex, it has perhaps even higher intrinsic value to me, than a DSSD that I would buy from an AD. Of course, in monetary sense they are not comparable, and I also don’t expect anyone else to evaluate it according to my beliefs. I still wear it without guilt. Periodically, people ask me whether it is gen. I never lie about it - however I do say “This is not a genuine Rolex, dude. It is, however, a genuine “Dave”. I spent many, many hours working on it, contacted the right people, assembled the right parts, read up on it, and so on. It might be worthless, but not to me.”

Hope this helps and might be useful to you.

[MRR 0]

5 hours ago, Hinclimincli said:

May I just interject one concept at this juncture?

http://www.tiger-concept.com/dd-watch.html

Thank you.  Nice to know something else is out there to consider.

It seems like I'm trying to find a reason to buy the rep.  Worst case scenario, I get the  Seiko now and the rep stays in my  every waking thought until I have enough discretionary cash to not mind if the rep doesn't work out for me.