Reps or Gens - Reasoning

[Johng1122]

Hello all,

I am new here but wanted to have a basic discussion and tell a little of my story and get everyone's own opinions. Here goes,

So, I'm 31 worked my ass off my whole life so of course we want the finer things and watches are on of them. Well, only jewelry I wear actually. Now, a little background I have a few gens of different brands. Gen milgauss was my first and really only watch above 5k. I have my TAG, 3 Movado and a Junghans that I received from someone. I also still have my ESQ that I bought for $300 or so back in HS and it was my first one that I truly earned myself. And my breitling that got stolen years ago - insert sad face.

Now, I love love love watches. I am in awe by some of them. I found myself inside a watch shop recently and was considering purchasing a DJ 41 blue bc I fell in love with it. This was right before I joined here. Then I started seeing how good some of your reps and Frankens are and I can't stop thinking of how I can get so much more for that amount of money. Now here's my train of thought,

I was willing to spend $9500 on a watch but there are reps now that are SOOO close to originals (minor flaws) for $400. So, I've never been the guy that wore all the fanciest stuff but watches I always have had a decent piece on my wrist. So I see the reasoning not to buy them all over the place and people say "what if someone inspects it when You're out?"
1. I'm sorry I'm not letting someone inspect anything of mine that I don't know and even if it someone I know they most likely won't.
2. I truly don't care what someone else that I don't know thinks about me and if the person I am with thinks badly then screw em.
3. If someone called me out at let's say a restaurant like "that's fake" I am not the type to get upset like oh no I got caught being a fake. I am not trying to be something I am not I am just a fan of a certain watch so if I can't afford the actual gen version should I never be allowed to have a close second without being criticized?

For example the watches I love most are a tad bit out of my price range and by tad bit I mean a lot! Daydate ice blue is close to $50k? Sky dweller is reasonable for around $15k but still a lot and Daytona SS w white dial oh and plus the DJ 41 in blue w jubilee. Now even if I could afford the gens I mean I would have to have hit the powerball before I ever spent $50k on a watch that I'll wear once a month if that. (I wear my gen about that often)

What do you guys think? PS sorry for the long post and if there's been a discussion already

[DaleM]

No. 2 close thread

[Johng1122]

No. 2 close thread

?

[Johng1122]

why waste your hard earned cash on an emotional purchase which the manufacturers laugh to the bank with?

Exactly, don't get me wrong if I had 20 plus million in the bank I could understand maybe spending 50k on a gen. But that's a steep amount. I just think about how much I can do around my house. Swimming pool or watch in march? Lol

[Chegespresso]

For real,

Everyone needs to watch the Georges Kern (ex IWC CEO) lecture he gave to marketing students:

YouTube

He basically tells them all, the luxury watch industry is a scam and they sell dreams and don't really do much more as the watches are so cheap to manufacture. Must watch!

[Johng1122]

For real,

Everyone needs to watch the Georges Kern (ex IWC CEO) lecture he gave to marketing students:

YouTube

He basically tells them all, the luxury watch industry is a scam and they sell dreams and don't really do much more as the watches are so cheap to manufacture. Must watch!

Intertesting I'll have to take a look. Thanks for the info.

[Flattop]

For real,

Everyone needs to watch the Georges Kern (ex IWC CEO) lecture he gave to marketing students:

YouTube

He basically tells them all, the luxury watch industry is a scam and they sell dreams and don't really do much more as the watches are so cheap to manufacture. Must watch!

LOL!!! Yes, people think Rolex is a watch maker, I think they are really a marketing company...

[breitlingwatch]

Exactly, don't get me wrong if I had 20 plus million in the bank I could understand maybe spending 50k on a gen. But that's a steep amount. I just think about how much I can do around my house. Swimming pool or watch in march? Lol

People with way more money still buy reps. There are rep threads on all the Ferrari forums. They usually have a mix of both. Nobody is questioning if your watch is gen if youre getting out of a Ferrari

[Johng1122]

People with way more money still buy reps. There are rep threads on all the Ferrari forums. They usually have a mix of both. Nobody is questioning if your watch is gen if youre getting out of a Ferrari

Very true lol. But, regardless I would never walk up to a random person and ask hey let me analyze your watch to see if it's real.

[movingshadow]

As the above have pretty much stated: It all boils down to: Can you pull it off. If you work at McDonald's people might think that gold rolex is fake, if you are a private banker at UBS they likely won't question it. If you drive an old honda civic and rock a 30k watch you might get called out, I'm 37 and drive a Jaguar and a BMW and wear watches in the 8-15k range so no one bats an eye.

Personally I could afford to buy a few gens, but I have much more fun with my 60+ watches, hunting down certain ones and never getting around to wearing them all. Also, I'd never pay the premium for something like a standard PAM (I have a 177 and a 111) because the good reps are basically on-par with the gen...

just my 0,02... :P

[daytonadragon]

People with way more money still buy reps. There are rep threads on all the Ferrari forums. They usually have a mix of both. Nobody is questioning if your watch is gen if youre getting out of a Ferrari

I have never seen a rep Ferrari.

Can you post pictures and web links for rep Ferrari's?

[breitlingwatch]

I have never seen a rep Ferrari.

Can you post pictures and web links for rep Ferrari's?

I can't tell if youre joking or not but I was talking about Ferrari owners buying rep watches. But if youre referring to rep Ferraris here you go...

Could be your next rep



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Very true lol. But, regardless I would never walk up to a random person and ask hey let me analyze your watch to see if it's real.

Exactly and they know this. If youre wearing a gen day date but are dressed like a bum and getting out of a 92 Camry people are going to assume its fake anyway.

[daytonadragon]

I can't tell if youre joking or not but I was talking about Ferrari owners buying rep watches. But if youre referring to rep Ferraris here you go...

Could be your next rep



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Exactly and they know this. If youre wearing a gen day date but are dressed like a bum and getting out of a 92 Camry people are going to assume its fake anyway.

I interpreted your post to mean rep Ferrari's.

[breitlingwatch]

I interpreted your post to mean rep Ferrari's.

There is actually a huge rep exotic car market that exists. Some don't look that bad from outside but obviously the performance will never be close

[movingshadow]

There is actually a huge rep exotic car market that exists. Some don't look that bad from outside but obviously the performance will never be close

and there are a few ferrari reps even I'd consider... like the Ferrari California Spyder (Ferris Bueller anyone?!)

122112.jpg
yup, it's a rep... although a 100k one...

[Daddyoftwo]

There is actually a huge rep exotic car market that exists. Some don't look that bad from outside but obviously the performance will never be close

Same difference between a hooker and my wife

[Johng1122]

I can't tell if youre joking or not but I was talking about Ferrari owners buying rep watches. But if youre referring to rep Ferraris here you go...

Could be your next rep



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Exactly and they know this. If youre wearing a gen day date but are dressed like a bum and getting out of a 92 Camry people are going to assume its fake anyway.

This is great! It looks like something in the fantasy factory (if anyone has seen that show) that they drive around in the warehouse lol

[daytonadragon]

I can't tell if youre joking or not but I was talking about Ferrari owners buying rep watches. But if youre referring to rep Ferraris here you go...

Could be your next rep



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Exactly and they know this. If youre wearing a gen day date but are dressed like a bum and getting out of a 92 Camry people are going to assume its fake anyway.

That indeed looks like a rep Ferrari.

[breitlingwatch]

That indeed looks like a rep Ferrari.

they can get pretty good though

Ferrari California replica based on 2003 Mecedes Benz SL

[JMS1988]

they can get pretty good though

Ferrari California replica based on 2003 Mecedes Benz SL

As impressive as it is, it's completely senseless cost-wise. You'd have to budget $10k for a half-decent R230 Benz, then $22k for the external conversion kit, then $7.5k for the interior conversion which is necessary since it's a convertible and then spend even more actually putting it all together, plus the upkeep costs on the SL which, between the hydraulic ABC suspension and the extremely complicated SBC brakes (which BTW can be found on the hypercar SLR and the original W240 Maybach as well) won't be anywhere close to budget-friendly. You'd be looking at around $45.000 for the finished product. That's half the price of a genuine California and dangerously close to the price of a 360 Modena, for example.

[Bmw760]

That indeed looks like a rep Ferrari.

Is that a WBK Ferrari ?

[kingair]

I think about this here and there and flip flop between gens and reps. I remind myself to not to take it too seriously and to just enjoy the hobby. It's not ideal to buy a gen of every watch you want to try or imagine yourself wearing so you have the reps to help with that (I can't afford a Richard mille so I'll try it with a rep, for example). But at the same time, there are times where a rep won't do and that's where you get the gen.

In the end I think reps and gens both fall under the umbrella of the hobby of watches and watch collecting.



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[Johng1122]

I think about this here and there and flip flop between gens and reps. I remind myself to not to take it too seriously and to just enjoy the hobby. It's not ideal to buy a gen of every watch you want to try or imagine yourself wearing so you have the reps to help with that (I can't afford a Richard mille so I'll try it with a rep, for example). But at the same time, there are times where a rep won't do and that's where you get the gen.

In the end I think reps and gens both fall under the umbrella of the hobby of watches and watch collecting.



Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

I agree. One or two gens I feel is sufficient. To have all the watches I like as gens I'd have to sell my house and rent a room somewhere to keep the watches hahaha probably more than that

[Darkwatch]

You´ll end up spending the already mentally set-up budget of $9500 in a fine rep-collection plus the straps and one or two frankens. Sounds like two years of fun on a spending spree - if You manage to stretch it. And that´s fine - and imho better than putting all eggs in one basket and to have the fun only once.
Every further cent afterwards may well go into gens - if You still need them.

[Johng1122]

I guess this became a luxury rep car debate lol