Quote Originally Posted by Tony Montana View Post
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 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.