ARF and 904L

[PJerome]

I can't and that is simply my point. When I buy a replica..I know it's, a replica. I don't expect a $10,000 watch in the mail wrapped in Saran wrap. It has inferior metal gears and other parts made as cheaply as possible, it is assembled quickly in places that have no QC and are not always as clean and dust free as the Swiss factories they purport to be.... It is marketed and sold at a ridiculous markup with marketing that says it is from this factory and that factory that absolutely no one will ever know where that factory is or if it exists. Saying SAPPHIRE when it is Mineral (artificial Sapphire), talking of CLONED movements. Not guaranteed for any amount of time or wear. It probably has not even been correctly lubricated and with all of that in mind, it still might run as well and sometimes better than my gens, for a good amount of time....BUT..It will never be a gen, no matter what steel, how thick the Gold plating, what parts, what movement. No matter how it's modded or Frankened or what the seller has to say, it will always be just a replica , inferior to the genuine article that it is representing.No one is putting an ETA Gen Swiss movement in a $300. replica. The movement itself costs more.. If one knows these things, why would they expect to have 904L steel that cost Rolex (They are the only user) millions to tool up and produce, in a watch that is made for $50. USD at most. If you truly believe it is from a specific factory and made especially as you ordered it, 904L and gen ETA, Sapphire crystal, etc. you deserve whatever you get in the mail...

[Circarama]

.... It is marketed and sold at a ridiculous markup

Ok, hold up... you’re saying that these “$300” watches are being sold at a ridiculous markup yet I’m supposed to believe that an identical gen selling at $7500 is a value? Who’s screwing who when it comes to profit margins, my friend? Do you see Z Factory sponsoring Formula One races or sailing competitions? No. You know why? Because they aren’t screwing gullible rich people out of their money. The gen manufacturers are! How much “ridiculous markup” do you really think there is in a $300 watch, anyways? Do the math. Your numbers don’t add up.


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[P4GTR]

It has inferior metal gears and other parts made as cheaply as possible

it is assembled quickly in places that have no QC and are not always as clean and dust free

It is marketed and sold at a ridiculous markup

Saying SAPPHIRE when it is Mineral (artificial Sapphire),

talking of CLONED movements. Not guaranteed for any amount of time or wear. It probably has not even been correctly lubricated

No one is putting an ETA Gen Swiss movement in a $300. replica.

why would they expect to have 904L steel that cost Rolex (They are the only user) millions to tool up and produce,

The movements are made by movement manufacturers like Seagull. Seagull's business model is not to tool up and build junk. They do not supply junk to rep manufacturers, they are huge accounts/buyers that make gen watches and parts also.

The clone ETA movements are not junk and are not inferior. The only movements that are unreliable are the ones that have unreliable modifications such as sec@12, sec@6, bicompax, etc.. that were added on after the fact. These ETA designs are old as hell. As far as gen ETA, they used to put Swiss ETA in reps 10 years ago, now no way. The standard layout 7750 is stable, the rep hands tubes being made of soft metal are the biggest problem to face.

Sapphire crystals are Sapphire. Professional lab made crystal suppliers sell to gen/rep the entire watch industry. Diamond testers do not lie. Clarity/quality/grade varies sure, but the optics are incredible and certainly not junk. It is cheaper for them to buy sapphire from the sapphire crystal makers then open a factory to produce inferior crystals. It is cheaper to have them AR coated at the AR lab that does this all day everyday then try to reinvent the wheel.

I took a cutter/polisher to 904, 316, etc.. Its steel. Its hard. Rolex sells dreams and high fantasy and yes incredible products, but 904 came about when people were starting to say "hey WTF its a steel watch why is it $5000" so Rolex gets a beautiful ad campaign going, adds and removes a little molybendum, nickle, whatever and now you have "superior ROLEX steel". My cutting and polishing wheels know no difference, nor do the CNC and engraving, polishing, and all other machines used to make these watches. Maybe they go through a few extra bits, but its a small price for say, ARF to produce watches that they cannot keep on the shelves.

The reps are assembled very well. Have you... Purchased a rep in the past 5-6 years? Have you held or owned say, the ARF Sea-Dweller? These watches are hard to fault out of the box now. The biggest problem with reps are the lack of parts support which ironically happens to be the same problem with their Swiss counterparts. Swiss companies make money by holding a monopoly on service/repair via parts and charging you outlandish prices. Rep companies insure you will purchase another $350 watch when one tiny little screw go's missing, rather than sell you the $2 screw. Don't get me wrong here... You're getting screwed one way or another, just not exactly the way you think you are.