Jump to content
Mystery Shopper

How long do these reps last?

Recommended Posts

Mystery Shopper

One of the question new members ask most often is, 'how long do these reps last?' It is a legitimate question - you send cash off somewhere via an unknown payment portal, then wonder if that dealer will send anything, will it make it through customs and then, after all that, how long do the things last? Will I spend my hard earned on something that will break after a month?

I noticed the other day that I have been a member on here for a decade. I joined as member 3373 in May 2010. It was a very different place back then, dealers in the shoutbox, flame fests and some of the most interesting characters were around every day. They seemed to know each other and it was fun to be a fly on the wall, have a laugh at the banter and learn about watches. I knew nooooothing!

Confession time: I haven't sold any of my watches over that decade. Some I have given away, some have died and been flung in the recycling bin but most are still with me. 

I thought I would put this together as my experience at the end of the decade. I grabbed a few of the watches I bought early on- say 9 plus years ago- took some pics and dredged up memories. The Mystery Shopper collection was added to the 'my collection' section in June 2011- link here. Good old photobucket have plastered their logo ever everything but you get the idea.

Here are some of the same watches today!

 

SAM-2280.jpg

 

Back: Pam 217, Pam 339, FM Crazy Hours, Chanel J12, Rolex ladies DJ (Mrs MS wears the last 3)

Middle: RWG watch, Seiko GMT, Omega Moonie 40th, Rolex 1680, Rolex DSSD, Breitling SOSF, Pam 168 Regatta (Mrs MS), Hublot Tempest.

Front: Omega QOS, Squale, UBoat, Squale 36mm, Rolex Sub Ceramic, Seiko Padi, AP Roo, Breitling Abyss, PP Aquanaut, AP Black Themes.

 

Most of these have had no issues. Some that have I'll detail now.

Panerai 217 Destro and Panerai 339

SAM-2281.jpg

The only issues with these were caused by me! Both still work flawlessly and it was fun to experiment with straps. The 339 has a strap from Timebandit (thanks Uwe) and the 217 ammo strap is from Bob Bean. I don't keep these in the watch box (and I don't bother to turn the motors on- it is just a box)- they are kept in a drawer. Once I threw my keys in the draw when tidying up and smashed the glass on the 217 face (and scratched the case near 6). It was fixed by a friend in Queensland. Haven't serviced them either- I just set and wind when I want to wear them (mechanical watches).

 

Omega Qantum of Solace Quartz

SAM-2283.jpg

SAM-2285.jpg

This is a quartz watch so it ticks and runs by a battery. I like the hobnail dial (007's gun handle) and the etching on the glass. The chronos are for show! It has a black coating over the watch which has worn on the caseback but the band is OK. I change the battery every couple of years and have worn it for a few days every month with no other problems.

Rolex Submariner Ceramic & Omega Speedmaster 40th anniversary

SAM-2291.jpg

The sub is probably my most worn rep of all. Don't ask me what model it is coz it is old! After a couple of years the powder in the lume dried and flaked on the dial. I sent it to Goin in Malaysia or Singapore who serviced and re-lumed the dial. That is a long process and I wouldn't go through it again. Now I either have the watch fixed locally or throw it out- calling it a cheap fake watch as I do so :D. Later the pearl fell off, between gym sessions, Kenny sent me another & I snapped it in place. Just after that, I broke it again. This has been my most common issue- NEVER adjust the date on a mechanical watch when either the hour or minute hands are anywhere near the o'clock position. I stuffed the date change at midnight by bending a pin (It changed at 8pm)- but luckily my local watchsmith (who services my gens) sourced the part and fixed it.

The Speedy is a quartz model so it just needs a battery change every couple of years. This one is nearly 10 years old. The band was a little hard to add extra links to, the bezel decal fell off & had be superglued back on. Apart from that I have had zero issues.

 

Rolex 1680 (Red Sub)

SAM-2289.jpg

This is a vintage sub and I knew I wanted one as a friend already had one. Many people buy these and then complain because the band links are light and not what they expected. They expected wrong because you have to do your homework people!! This is another where I have fucked up the date change- it doesn't turn over at all but I can set it manually. I'll get it fixed one of these days. Any scratches I just leave as it adds to the vintage feel.

Chanel J12

SAM-2287.jpg

One of Mrs MS's favorites that is sadly in a state of disrepair. It always had a 'sensitive' crown and you had to have the crown in just the right position to adjust the time. She said it became more and more difficult so she has given up on it. It has sat in the cupboard for a couple of years now. I'm in 2 minds of fixing it or buying her the gen as they aren't that expensive.

PP Aquanaut

SAM-2288.jpg

Ceramic case, rubber strap & the back can be seen next to the 1680 above. Yes- I fucked the date adjust as well and had to have this fixed. I used to wear this to my girl's softball practice and it has given me no problems. This one is 8 years plus old.

The 2 APs are quartz as well and both need new batteries. I have gone off wearing them so have put that job on the back burner. The Hublot has never missed a beat and is probably one of the best made reps I own. The Abyss likewise although the strap is staring to wear after 8 years! 

 

So noobs, jump in when you are ready! You came to the right place if you wish to purchase a rep. As you have read, they do last for a while and you are likely to obtain years of enjoyment from them (unless you are like 90% of the forum and sell them M2M after 2 months). :D

 

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
FoxWilde

Great read!

its great to see your experience with these reps for that long. It’ll be interesting to see how this hobby will be the next decade to come. 
 

I’ve never carried a rep longer than three years. Personally, My taste changes and I lean towards mods and builds, which I never even considered when I first got into these. However, a watch is a watch. I figure they’ll give right back as long as you take care of them. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
RussP

Very interesting and informative post.

Although I commenced collecting in 2012-13, some reps that I acquired second hand, were made in the prior decade or earlier.

90%+ of them are working flawlessly and without a service of any sort.

Somehow, I'm not convinced that the reps of today will be ticking or beating in 10 years time.

Might need to necro-post this thread sometime in 2030 :D  to see if my prediction had any merit.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Intresting

what a good read.  thanks.  Casual Clarity that only an Aussie can deliver.  :D

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Mystery Shopper

Thank you Gentlemen!

I did forget to mention the U-Boat. After about 6 years the rotor stopped spinning. I still wore it as you could wind it up but of course the rotor wasn't charging the spring. The usual penetration & lubrication service from the watch maker fixed it. :D

SAM-2298.jpg

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
BravoDelta

Very interesting article! Thank you for sharing your rep history :)

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
RussP
40 minutes ago, Mystery Shopper said:

Thank you Gentlemen!

I did forget to mention the U-Boat. After about 6 years the rotor stopped spinning. I still wore it as you could wind it up but of course the rotor wasn't charging the spring. The usual penetration & lubrication service from the watch maker fixed it. :D

SAM-2298.jpg

 

Nooooooo....

Always lube first.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Mystery Shopper
11 minutes ago, RussP said:

Nooooooo....

Always lube first.

lubrication, penetration & perspiration service???  :rofl:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
RussP
1 minute ago, Mystery Shopper said:

lubrication, penetration & perspiration service???  :rofl:

Just sayin'

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Mystery Shopper

This is another one I bought from Robert at PrestigeWatchCo in 2011 (he passed away in December 2011 so it was earlier that year). I just had a look at his section in 'Closed Dealers' and tried to find the sales thread but had no luck. From memory, he had a few of these and they went quickly for $150 each!! Nearly 9 years on and I have never had a problem with it.

Robert was from a different breed of dealers. He was on the forum regularly, he offered sales to forum members directly (not just log onto my website with everybody else which is the norm now), what he offered was 'ready to ship' & he offered multiple watch packages at a discount to forum members. I reckon there is a niche in the market if a dealer wanted to separate themselves from the pack.

SAM-2154.jpg

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Pihlippe

Have the same experience, many of my watches are almost 10 years now. There are only a few that I have had to repair or toss. 


As you say ..... you know nooooooooooooooooothing  :Whistle:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
k3rm87

@ReplicaFromDownunder most of your reps are around 10 years now!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
deju

Great post, 

I think the oldest replica I still have in possession from dubai, is a j21 faux chrono uboat.  20 years on and it still runs with the slightest twirl of the wrist. 

VtsEz3.jpg
 

Shes rough but earns her stay, 2 tours of Ibiza and many festivals and nights out. 

On 26/05/2020 at 05:36, Mystery Shopper said:

I noticed the other day that I have been a member on here for a decade. I joined as member 3373 in May 2010. It was a very different place back then, dealers in the shoutbox, flame fests and some of the most interesting characters were around every day. They seemed to know each other and it was fun to be a fly on the wall, have a laugh at the banter and learn about watches. I knew nooooothing!

I found my home here in 2012, the flamefest, the drama the many characters what a place. It was great (took me a long long time to have the guts to post)!! I know we have lost many, be that by banning or by their unfortunate passing but it's not that different, slightly calmer ( the mods are getting older now *ahem*) but the pure essence of this place is very much still here :D  

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
rek001

I have a Seamaster 300 (legendary factory shut down because it looked too gen) purchased from Fast Eddie, circa 2003 or so. I believe it has gen ETA, runs flawlessly. 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
BackInHisBox

I’ve never heard of this not changing the date when the hands are near any o’clock marker. That makes no sense, why?

 With any other watch, and I mean any legit watch, you can change it as long as it isn’t between 9pm and 3am.

 I’ve noticed that when I change the date on my rep Datejust the hour hand skip jumps a little. I hadn’t even begun to think this was because i was changing it right about 9am. Is this only with reps? Because I’ve owned and still so many legitimate Chinese, Japanese, Swiss and German watches and none of them have had any issue whatsoever with changing the date at any time other than as stated before, between 9pm and 3am.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
BackInHisBox
On 25/05/2020 at 21:52, RussP said:Somehow, I'm not convinced that the reps of today will be ticking or beating in 10 years time.

Might need to necro-post this thread sometime in 2030 :D  to see if my prediction had any merit.

Why do you make that prediction?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Mystery Shopper
15 hours ago, Pihlippe said:

Have the same experience, many of my watches are almost 10 years now. There are only a few that I have had to repair or toss. 


As you say ..... you know nooooooooooooooooothing  :Whistle:

Agreed :D

8 hours ago, BeyondTheBox said:

I’ve never heard of this not changing the date when the hands are near any o’clock marker. That makes no sense, why?

 With any other watch, and I mean any legit watch, you can change it as long as it isn’t between 9pm and 3am.

 

What a strange comment from someone who joined in 2011 :D We are saying the same thing. With my automatic watches, I adjust the time to say 6.30 before I adjust the date. The ones I have damaged or broke were done when the time on the watch between 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. It is something to do with damaging a pin on the datewheel. @GenTLe or @NCRich could explain the technicalities better than me.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
NCRich

Very interesting read. Miss Robert a lot. He was a character. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
BackInHisBox
24 minutes ago, Mystery Shopper said:What a strange comment from someone who joined in 2011 :D We are saying the same thing. With my mechanical watches, I adjust the time to say 6.30 before I adjust the date. The ones I have damaged or broke were done when the time on the watch between 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. It is something to do with damaging a pin on the datewheel. @GenTLe or @NCRich could explain the technicalities better than me.

 

You guys around here have the sense of humor of a sloth.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Mystery Shopper

Sid the Sloth fan @BeyondTheBox?

 

 

18 minutes ago, BeyondTheBox said:

You guys around here have the sense of humor of a sloth.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
GenTLe
14 hours ago, BeyondTheBox said:

I’ve never heard of this not changing the date when the hands are near any o’clock marker. That makes no sense, why?

This makes A LOT of sense, and is valid for GEN too. And sometimes it's more valid for gen than for reps (i.e. the A7750 can do that while the ETA7750 gets broken if you manually change the date while you're near midnight).

It's easy to see why here (this is a gen 7750):

 

Basically, if the automatic date/day change is engaged (and this in general happens well before midnight and stays well after midnight) and you do a manual date/day change, you're going to force on the automatic change mechanisms and break something.

Not all the movements are done this way, but this is a general good rule to observe on all mechanical and analog quartz movements. One of the easiest to strip if you do that often is for instance the well diffused 2824 and 2892A2 which has a spring loaded tooth that gets broken. It's visible here from 10:50:

 

See also the Seiko here (from min. 7:42): they have a "safety system" but still you can break them because of plastic gears:

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Mystery Shopper

Thank you @GenTLe for the explanation. As I said, this has been the most common, self inflicted, problem with my watches.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
GenTLe
11 minutes ago, Mystery Shopper said:

Thank you @GenTLe for the explanation. As I said, this has been the most common, self inflicted, problem with my watches.

Welcome. And yes :) For me too: my venture into the world of reps (and actually watches all together) also started from a fake Cartier I bought in Istanbul that I manage to kill 2 weeks after the purchase exactly that way... Then I started to search on the web if I could find instructions to fix it, ended up here and BOOM... :D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
BackInHisBox
19 hours ago, GenTLe said:

This makes A LOT of sense, and is valid for GEN too. And sometimes it's more valid for gen than for reps (i.e. the A7750 can do that while the ETA7750 gets broken if you manually change the date while you're near midnight).

It's easy to see why here (this is a gen 7750):

 

Basically, if the automatic date/day change is engaged (and this in general happens well before midnight and stays well after midnight) and you do a manual date/day change, you're going to force on the automatic change mechanisms and break something.

Not all the movements are done this way, but this is a general good rule to observe on all mechanical and analog quartz movements. One of the easiest to strip if you do that often is for instance the well diffused 2824 and 2892A2 which has a spring loaded tooth that gets broken. It's visible here from 10:50:

 

See also the Seiko here (from min. 7:42): they have a "safety system" but still you can break them because of plastic gears:

 

Odd, you clearly didn’t read my post.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
GenTLe
Odd, you clearly didn’t read my post.
Lol, actually you are right :)
I've read the one in which I have been tagged and just the 1st sentence of yours :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×