Hello

[Ob-v8 0]

Why am I here?

There is a volunteer at my work, who has reached 25 years of volunteering. I told him that we now have to get him a gold watch. He laughed and said that'd be great because his retirement watch broke recently. Yes, he has 25 years of volunteering since retiring from paid work, where he work for at least 25 years, so he has 50 years of working under his belt! What does that get you, besides two gold watches? Well, he's 83 years old and still doing carpentry himself, climbing ladders, and things I didn't know I'd be able to do when I passed 70... keep doing stuff and you'll be able to keep doing stuff. :\

 

So, again, why am I here?

Well we are a non-profit group, and are in no position to buy anyone a gold watch. So I knew about replica watches from email spam, knew better than to use links from them and went looking for information. I found there are quite a few specialists, websites, and communities around the idea that you can still get a great looking watch without selling derivative financial products. As I looked around I found out there are replicas that have questionable legal status, and homage watches that should be legal. And then there is a real cottage industry for custom watch building and... I started to get information overload and don't feel well suited to sorting it.

 

So I'm hear to learn a bit, and find a nice looking gold watch for this volunteer. It could look like a watch costing thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds, but I'd also like it to work fairly well too and last for decades at least because Art (the volunteer) will lilkely get to enjoy it for a long time.

 

I also liked the site's verve, as it reminds me of a site I've spent lots of time on: www.advrider.com (not watch related; just a forum).

[Amit 72]

Hiya mate. Firstly welcome, nice story that. Very good turn you are doing and wish you the best in finding what you are looking for.

Whatever watch you decide on, i would and everyone else will advise to stick with our trusted dealers.

They will not rip you off and can get you the best of what is available.

 

Maybe try marvelousreplica or watchinternational, they are the best for people new to the game.

 

Good luck

[dingle 57]

welcome to the nuthouse

[jeffw69 0]

Welcome.

[Luthier 1]

Welcome to the Forum!

Choose a nice gold Omega, and Art will be happy.

[Ob-v8 0]

Hiya mate. Firstly welcome, nice story that. Very good turn you are doing and wish you the best in finding what you are looking for. Whatever watch you decide on, i would and everyone else will advise to stick with our trusted dealers. They will not rip you off and can get you the best of what is available. Maybe try marvelousreplica or watchinternational, they are the best for people new to the game. Good luck

 

Thank you, and I've been looking at your great resource - trusted dealers is critical for such markets.

 

welcome to the nuthouse

 

Thanks. In that forum I noted we say "welcome to the asylum"

 

Welcome to the Forum! Choose a nice gold Omega, and Art will be happy.

 

Thanks, but I looked at Omega watches and they are all hundreds to thousands of dollars. Maybe you mean an Omega replica/homage? But you bring up a good point: what's my price point! If I can find him a good watch that looks like a nice gold watch for about $100 then I'll be happy. This is coming out of my own pocket, unless I can get my co-workers to chip in too.

[dalboy 2]

Welcome aboard.

 

What you are ding is very commendable....good luck in your search.

 

Dal..................

[Mazz 62]

Welcome aboard

 

Be sure to visit the museum

[Ob-v8 0]

Welcome aboard

 

Be sure to visit the museum

 

Thanks but I don't think you have good ideas for a serious present down there :\

[Luthier 1]

No, we don't. I gave you an advice, but the main job is on you. Search dealers offers, and decide.

[Mazz 62]

Well after viewing the museum even the most mundane watch will look great

[RichardMiami 4]

I don't want to be contrary, but if I understood your post.. you are seeking to give a fake watch to an 83 year old man who has given you 25 years of work for free???

 

Will you tell him it's a fake? Or are you going to try to fool him? Either way is pretty awful if you ask me.

 

Perhaps you should reconsider.

 

If you can't afford a genuine gold watch, perhaps you can offer to pay for the repair to his personal watch that broke. Just a thought.

[Muaitai 0]

I don't want to be contrary, but if I understood your post.. you are seeking to give a fake watch to an 83 year old man who has given you 25 years of work for free???

 

Will you tell him it's a fake? Or are you going to try to fool him? Either way is pretty awful if you ask me.

 

Perhaps you should reconsider.

 

If you can't afford a genuine gold watch, perhaps you can offer to pay for the repair to his personal watch that broke. Just a thought.

 

+1

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Ob-v8 0]

No, we don't. I gave you an advice, but the main job is on you. Search dealers offers, and decide.

 

Roger that, and thank you for the tips.

 

Well after viewing the museum even the most mundane watch will look great

 

Touche'!

 

I don't want to be contrary, but if I understood your post.. you are seeking to give a fake watch to an 83 year old man who has given you 25 years of work for free???

 

Will you tell him it's a fake? Or are you going to try to fool him? Either way is pretty awful if you ask me.

 

Perhaps you should reconsider.

 

If you can't afford a genuine gold watch, perhaps you can offer to pay for the repair to his personal watch that broke. Just a thought.

 

Well I hadn't thought of that angle... the bottom line is we can't afford to get him an actual "retirement watch", and while I hadn't thought of repairing his broken retirement watch (good idea!) I'm betting you can't get a watch repaired for $100, can you?

 

If I ended up getting him a replica of course I would tell him it was not the genuine article... you don't try to fool someone who's given the organization 25 years of AMAZING work! (He's remodled kitchens, constructed showcase rooms, build plant nurseries, etc... from scratch to boot.)

 

The idea was "it's the thought that counts" - and for an 83yo the idea of a second retirement with the archetypal "gold watch" made him laugh. He knows none of us are buying a real gold watch him, and he might get upset if we spent thousands of dollars on a watch for him too.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Ob-v8

[sam1965uk 4]

Hello & welcome to the mad house hope you have loads a money cos your going to need it

only been here a few months & have 7 watches up to now don't tell the wife

 

Have A Gr8t Day

 

Sam

[UmpaHimself 223]

I think you should truly consider your options. It's one thing if you buy something for yourself. You have read the materials and you know what you are getting into. These watches can work for 10 years or one day. But if you buy it for someone else, and there is a problem, you would have to try and get it worked out. He also wouldn't be able to stroll into any watch repair shop and hand them a replica, you have to research replica friendly shops in your area or country.

 

I would consider getting him a nice Seiko or Citizen, something that you know has a good reputation and is in your price point. The two links below are both gold, automatic Seikos in two different styles/sizes. A traditional style and a divers style. Both will last and he can take either into any shop in town.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SNK314K-Automatic-Gold-Tone-Stainless/dp/B004J6X5K8/ref=sr_1_7?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1340558288&sr=1-7&keywords=seiko

http://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SNZH60-Automatic-Gold-Tone-Stainless/dp/B004D0CMVS/ref=sr_1_25?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1340558302&sr=1-25&keywords=seiko

[B5GLX 0]

If its about volunteerism, it's not about the money, right?

 

Our local Safeway decorates cakes with digital photos you give them. How about finding a nice picture of the blingiest gold Rolex you can find to put on the cake. Then both he and you and everyone else can share in the laughter. After 25 years, do you think he would really expect you to give him a $100 watch? Memories are more valuable than that.

 

 

"There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't."

[robznet 0]

If its about volunteerism, it's not about the money, right?

 

Our local Safeway decorates cakes with digital photos you give them. How about finding a nice picture of the blingiest gold Rolex you can find to put on the cake. Then both he and you and everyone else can share in the laughter. After 25 years, do you think he would really expect you to give him a $100 watch? Memories are more valuable than that.

 

 

"There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't."

 

 

Just noticed your signature and I agree!

 

0100100001100101011011000110110001101111001000000110110101100001011101000110010100100000001011010010000001100001011001110111001001100101011001010010000001100001011000100110111101110101011101000010000001100010011010010110111001100001011100100111100100100000011000110110111101100100011001010010110000100000011011100110111101110100001000000110110101100001011011100111100100100000011100000110010101101111011100000110110001100101001000000111010101101110011001000110010101110010011100110110000101110100011011100110010000100000011010010111010000100001

 

Oops - went off the screen! Sorry.

Edited June 25, 2012 by robznet

[Ob-v8 0]

I think you should truly consider your options. It's one thing if you buy something for yourself. You have read the materials and you know what you are getting into. These watches can work for 10 years or one day. But if you buy it for someone else, and there is a problem, you would have to try and get it worked out. He also wouldn't be able to stroll into any watch repair shop and hand them a replica, you have to research replica friendly shops in your area or country.

 

I would consider getting him a nice Seiko or Citizen, something that you know has a good reputation and is in your price point. The two links below are both gold, automatic Seikos in two different styles/sizes. A traditional style and a divers style. Both will last and he can take either into any shop in town.

 

http://www.amazon.co...&keywords=seiko

http://www.amazon.co...&keywords=seiko

 

Excellent points - I was not aware of many of these issues with a replica watch (homage too?) - thank you very much for the tips and the links.

 

I think a gold colored watch would work as this truly is "the thought that counts". It never was about fooling him with a replica, and he definitely is not the kind of person that feels the need for bling. In all honesty the replica watch spam just gave me the idea that I could buy him a "gold watch", then found out there are nice replicas and utter crap, so I thought it might as well be a nice replica so it would tell time and not be a throw away.

 

But y'all are giving me GREAT feedback and ideas to ponder. If it looks nice, is gold colored, and works well then that would suit the need. If it looked even better than nice, or even looked like something that cost more than any of use could afford to spend, then he might enjoy that too. But not as much as having a decent watch that he could use and maybe it would remind him of all he's done for everyone here.

 

If its about volunteerism, it's not about the money, right?

 

Our local Safeway decorates cakes with digital photos you give them. How about finding a nice picture of the blingiest gold Rolex you can find to put on the cake. Then both he and you and everyone else can share in the laughter. After 25 years, do you think he would really expect you to give him a $100 watch? Memories are more valuable than that.

 

I take your point, but still think a nice gold colored watch would be fun because it is part of his retirement lexicon: the party, speeches, putting on the watch, strippers... er, wait, scratch that last bit.