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Fake watch busters
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This is it wrote: »What are people's thoughts on replicas? I ask only as someone very new to watches
Just one message to the OP and then back to fake busting from me - I think replicas do a lot of harm to the industry. Not from the viewpoint of "oh no - my Rolex Daytona won't be worth X now that Factory Z in China can make a pretty similar copy for €500" but more from the aspect of:
1) a replica is devoid of creativity - if you just take someone else's work and replicate the parts you're not rewarding the person/company/brand who carefully thought about these design elements when putting them together - why not get a homage if you want to get a feel for a submariner/explorer etc.? The brand is of value to some people (and so much so that they are willing to take the lack of warranty/servicing support that you would get with a homage brand).
This wouldn't cover the $10 roloxes you can buy for fun in NY or Tenerife that might be quartz powered trinkets but the 100-300-500 euro replicas that get increasingly closer to the "real thing", but are definitely not. When you are spending €300-500 on a "grade A" replica - why not get something made proudly by a microbrand or a homage factory? There are plenty of options nowadays for good watches in the 50-500 euro bracket.
2) a replica holds an industry back - I think I said it before - I find it really sad that so much energy is put into the fake arena - the factories can obviously manufacture to a very high level of precision and can make mechanically good watches - so why not take the risk and go "legit"? It's sadly brings down the rest of the Chinese watchmaking industry (of which there is a long and proud history too) - it's why I've leaned so much on the Irish part of Sólás and not the Chinese side - people should be happy to learn there is a Sea-Gull ST2130 (or some new in-house movement) instead of just saying "Swiss ETA 2824 clone" or the Beijing/Shanghai/Hangzhou equivalent. The ST25 is a completely Chinese design btw (open heart - but then some unscrupulous sellers market them as tourbillons).
It's sad enough that Beijing watch factory when they got taken over by Fiyta have switched many of their movements to Miyotas instead of continuing with their in-house ones. People will tend to view Chinese movements as "cheap junk" if a lot of the movements are being made to be that, and even high end replica movements are made with an eye to looking the same, not necessarily performing the same.
Fake watches, fake bags - these aren't necessities (there are good ethical/moral arguments for governments to produce life-saving drugs illegally for example). By buying the replica you have placed value in the brand - but otherwise there are sterile dial watches you can get which do not break trademark laws - to make the active choice to get the brand you can hardly argue that you don't see any value in that.
And it isn't a victimless illegality either - I don't know about any ties to criminality so I won't comment on that - but IP lawyers have argued (and I agree) with the view that buying a replica harms the actual brand not because the buyer is confused that they are buying a real Rolex (of course not) - but that others may be confused by the quality of a genuine rolex (either 3rd party viewers or say a future buyer/seller etc.) Someone at a party may ask to see a Daytona - and think "meh - I heard all about Swiss engineering etc. - it's pretty ordinary on closer inspection".
Rolex spends money on manufacturing yes - but also massive amounts on marketing and so on - the replica makers are freely taking advantage of the millions in marketing and R&D, without contributing anything to the brand (and may indeed be damaging it). It's a parasitic form of business - so I don't think it's surprising many watch-lovers do not enjoy its presence.
...suffice it to say - I'm not a fan
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Lorddrakul wrote: »
It just blows my mind the way people are willing to spend upwards of €1000 for a fake Rolex. WHY!!!0 -
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It just blows my mind the way people are willing to spend upwards of €1000 for a fake Rolex. WHY!!!
Dunno, because it would pass for a real one? Only a pro with magnifying glasses and a bit of time to study the watch will be able to tell it's a fake.
Wouldn't be my thing and it would be a bitch to flip without a huge loss anyway My ads on adverts.ie
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