Replica Quality V 'Other' Original at the same price point?

I currently own an original Breitling and have always turned my nose up at the whole replica watch world as i always thought that they were just cheap crap knock offs so never bothered with them. However having stumbled across this site the other day and researching more/reading and viewing in amazement at some of the pictures the reps look pretty amazing, enough so that i have taken the plunge and ordered a rep for about $360.

This got me thinking about the quality of the rep, sure they look good in the pics but would a rep of a given price be the same quality or even worse/better than an Original watch of the same price (in my case $360) purchased brand new at the jewellers say? I am totally new to this whole area so please be gentle with me :cowboy:

what model did you buy?

Hit or miss. No rep is 1:1 on everything but if you do your research the replica quality can be very very good. 99% in some cases. The problem that one percent is the difference between a $300 watch and a $3000 watch. To some people it's worth the money, to someone like me it's not.

Thanks, i understand it is not going to be quite as good as the genuine thing and as you say the 1% for an additional 9x more money is a lot and also to me not worth it.

My query was more if i spend say $300 on a replica (like a Rolex) is the watch quality (mechanism, workings, finish etc) as good as spending $300 on a branded original - say a Seiko or something like that?

The watch i have gone for is Bvlgari Diagono SS white dial which apparently has been replicated from a genuine watch sample. I have always wanted a Bvlgari ever since i saw one of my favourite actors (Al Pacino) wearing one in one of my favourite movies (Heat) :cool:

I do plan on getting a few though if they look and feel good as i would like a Rolex, Omega, Hublot, and possibly a Breitling.

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Originally Posted by Tony Montana

Thanks, i understand it is not going to be quite as good as the genuine thing and as you say the 1% for an additional 9x more money is a lot and also to me not worth it.

My query was more if i spend say $300 on a replica (like a Rolex) is the watch quality (mechanism, workings, finish etc) as good as spending $300 on a branded original - say a Seiko or something like that?

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The short answer is yes, the long answer is it's complicated.

With all movements, both gen and rep, if you treat them like **** then they will break. Often rep movements are either Swiss ETA or Asian 7750; both of which will last years when taken care of. The rule of thumb is that you want to avoid dropping/smashing/etc your watch, make sure it's waterproof if you want to swim/shower in it, and get it serviced every 2 years if you want it to last you as long as a gen. Usually branded watches in the $300 range (Seiko, etc) use quartz movements, which is a completely different animal. They are usually more accurate than a mechanical movement but require you to change batterys, etc, and don't have any of the 'feel' that a mechanical movement has, if that makes any sense. If you ever happen to open your caseback to peek you'll understand what I mean here. So yes, often replicas come with movements that are of comparable quality to genuine watches while both are different (and usually preferable to the people on this board) than most $300 branded watches. (Some reps do use quartz movements to keep the cost down though, and there are $300 watches that have mechanical movements so there are variations.)

Replicas use a lower grade steel than some gens (316L vs 904L in the case of Rolex) but both have the same hardness; you may need to polish 316L every once in a while to buff out any small blemishes if you want it to look brand new, but this is easy and there are a variety of tutorials you can find on this site to do just that. Most watch makers use 316L steel though so the finish and quality of a replica case depends on the model/factory just as the quality of a branded watch does.

Usually the 1% i'm talking about translates into something very small: the daydate wheel is slightly tilted, the font on one of the letters is the tiniest bit off, the engraving on the back of the movement is actually a sticker or stamp, etc.

In my opinion some replicas come very close to the quality, reliability, and finish of a genuine watch, and often far surpass the quality of a generic branded watch. Some 'franken watches' (a replica that has been modified with original or modded parts) that members here have put a lot of work into are almost indistinguishable.

Welcome to the community! Just remember not to flaunt you newfound watch at an authorized dealer anywhere; it's better to keep under the radar. We don't like to brag about how good the quality of replicas have gotten in the last few years. :p

...I love my reps and its a great hobby, but a rep is a rep and gen is gen... no rep comes 99% close to a gen... the more simple models e.g. Submariners maybe, but the more complexe e.g. chronos do not... and I by the way, I love my reps...

Thanks guys very interesting. It will be with me soon and will be my first rep so i can see for myself what they are like - i cannot wait tbh. I am hoping this is the first of many as i have about 5 on my wish list that i will acquire over the next 18 months or so.

Also i definitely will not be taking it to any authorised outlet, this is for my personal pleasure in owning something that i would have to be pushing millionaire status to be comfortable to afford.

Welcome to the community.

I was much like you when I stumbled across this place 6-7 months ago, I started with a POrikaa at around $100 and was amazed by the quality, and this is a cheaper 21j rep. I now own a fantastic Breitling Super Avenger which is fantastic quality, I'm much happier paying $300+ for this than the same for a seiko/citizen type watch just due to looks! I'm about to pull the trigger on a Hublot Ice Bang to go with it.

General consensus is that Hublot and Breitling rep's are some of the best quality / closest to gen you can get out of the box, then there's the whole modding world to explore to push it even closer at a fraction of the genuine price!

I'm sure you will enjoy. If you're interested in Hublot you may want to check out the brand new "v1 lite" HBB versions some of the dealers are now carrying for around $270, plenty of info available in the Hublot subforum

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Originally Posted by kaliban

Welcome to the community.

I was much like you when I stumbled across this place 6-7 months ago, I started with a POrikaa at around $100 and was amazed by the quality, and this is a cheaper 21j rep. I now own a fantastic Breitling Super Avenger which is fantastic quality, I'm much happier paying $300+ for this than the same for a seiko/citizen type watch just due to looks! I'm about to pull the trigger on a Hublot Ice Bang to go with it.

General consensus is that Hublot and Breitling rep's are some of the best quality / closest to gen you can get out of the box, then there's the whole modding world to explore to push it even closer at a fraction of the genuine price!

I'm sure you will enjoy. If you're interested in Hublot you may want to check out the brand new "v1 lite" HBB versions some of the dealers are now carrying for around $270, plenty of info available in the Hublot subforum

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Thanks a lot good to see i am not the only one then :)

My next purchase i think will probably be a Breitling Avenger Seawolf yellow face with black rubber strap as that look very nice. I havent even ventured into the modding world yet but will no doubt do so over the coming weeks/months - my wife is going to kill me having yet another hobby!!! I do really like the Hublot and this could be my third purchase later in the year but also really like the Panerai as well.

If you want the yellow seawolf, check out this member sale;

http://repgeek.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=125329

These don't often come up at this price and already in Europe!

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Originally Posted by Tony Montana

Thanks a lot good to see i am not the only one then :)

My next purchase i think will probably be a Breitling Avenger Seawolf yellow face with black rubber strap as that look very nice. I havent even ventured into the modding world yet but will no doubt do so over the coming weeks/months - my wife is going to kill me having yet another hobby!!! I do really like the Hublot and this could be my third purchase later in the year but also really like the Panerai as well.

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The Seawolf rep is definitely one that would compare very favorably with a gen costing $300 - $400 dollars. I've been buying gen divers from the small "boutique" makers (Benarus, Boschett, etc) and the Seawolf can definitely hang with them on quality. Only thing suspect is the water resistance. I wouldn't take a chance with mine in the water but others have and they have been fine.

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Originally Posted by kaliban

If you want the yellow seawolf, check out this member sale;

http://repgeek.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=125329

These don't often come up at this price and already in Europe!

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Thanks, of all the reps i want this is the only one i would like where i could take it into the water - at least the swimming pool and the seller is unsure as to the water resistance of it.

You're a braver man than I if you would take a rep into water!

Most dealers pressure check to 10-30m these days so they're generally fine, I've never tried it though!

Look at tw steel watches for around £300
for mineral glass, quartz
I would say the reps are much better than this

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Originally Posted by Tony Montana

This got me thinking about the quality of the rep, sure they look good in the pics but would a rep of a given price be the same quality or even worse/better than an Original watch of the same price (in my case $360) purchased brand new at the jewellers say? I am totally new to this whole area so please be gentle with me :cowboy:

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Tony I understand the exact question your asking because I asked it of myself the other day. Why buy a $3-350 Seiko when the rep PO 42mm I'm currently wearing looks/feels/appears to be of at least the same quality of the Seiko SKX-171 it replaced?

I have to say that if you look at the rep as *just* a watch and ignore the fact that it's a rep it's still a fairly high quality timepeice. For example the bracelet on the rep PO (5th gen) that I'm wearing is at least of equal quality and construction of a comparable Seiko, hell this rep has SEL's whereas Seiko only has hollow end links until you spend quite a bit more money. Same for the crystal, if indeed it is sapphire (which I'm not going to destructively test to find out), this again is a great value for money as no price comparable gen from Seiko/Citizen will typically offer sapphire. As for the movement, well I have the 21j DG4813 which from what I can tell is a rep of the Miyota 8125, I've had gen watches with the Miyota movement (LACO Fliger) that cost more than the rep does so what does that tell you -- you can pay more for a gen and get what is the same movement as a rep? Seems like the gen watch isn't as good of a value really.

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Originally Posted by Helios

Usually branded watches in the $300 range (Seiko, etc) use quartz movements, which is a completely different animal. They are usually more accurate than a mechanical movement but require you to change batterys, etc, and don't have any of the 'feel' that a mechanical movement has, if that makes any sense. If you ever happen to open your caseback to peek you'll understand what I mean here. So yes, often replicas come with movements that are of comparable quality to genuine watches while both are different (and usually preferable to the people on this board) than most $300 branded watches. (Some reps do use quartz movements to keep the cost down though, and there are $300 watches that have mechanical movements so there are variations.)

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I have to disagree, you can get a Seiko 7s26 powered automatic for $300 or less all day long and I'd say that the 7s26 movement is probably better than most rep movements based on price. If I could have ordered my PO rep with a new, adjusted, 7s26 I would have in a heartbeat because I know that the Seiko movement is a reliable workhorse that will likely outlast the rep movement.

Heck, you can pick up several Orient's for under $100 with an in-house automatic movement that are excellent. $300 does not mean quartz at all, $300 can get you a very nice gen with an auto no sweat.

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Originally Posted by rcook

Tony I understand the exact question your asking because I asked it of myself the other day. Why buy a $3-350 Seiko when the rep PO 42mm I'm currently wearing looks/feels/appears to be of at least the same quality of the Seiko SKX-171 it replaced?

I have to say that if you look at the rep as *just* a watch and ignore the fact that it's a rep it's still a fairly high quality timepeice. For example the bracelet on the rep PO (5th gen) that I'm wearing is at least of equal quality and construction of a comparable Seiko, hell this rep has SEL's whereas Seiko only has hollow end links until you spend quite a bit more money. Same for the crystal, if indeed it is sapphire (which I'm not going to destructively test to find out), this again is a great value for money as no price comparable gen from Seiko/Citizen will typically offer sapphire. As for the movement, well I have the 21j DG4813 which from what I can tell is a rep of the Miyota 8125, I've had gen watches with the Miyota movement (LACO Fliger) that cost more than the rep does so what does that tell you -- you can pay more for a gen and get what is the same movement as a rep? Seems like the gen watch isn't as good of a value really.

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That's a great write up and exactly what i was after, thanks for that :)