Any watch fans in here?

AK99

I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about what goes into making them Nick - factories in China,Malaysia and Singapore produce relatively high quality watch movements and components by the millions every year for the industry.

Have a look on Temu or Ali-Express. You can quite easily buy all of the components necessary there to assemble a good Submariner copy (albeit without the logo) for way less than £100 these days. . High tech machinery and cheap labour costs in the Far East have driven the production prices for perfectly acceptable watch components  down into bargain basement budget territory.

Doesn't require peasant slave compounds / child labour  or any form of gross criminality - just good mass production skills, and clever/strategically managed international currency exchange rates.

Dominic

Damn , disappointed to find out no large scale drug dealing , people trafficking , gun-running or paedos involved.
I don't want one now .

Neil

AK99 said:

I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about what goes into making them Nick - factories in China,Malaysia and Singapore produce relatively high quality watch movements and components by the millions every year for the industry.

Have a look on Temu or Ali-Express. You can quite easily buy all of the components necessary there to assemble a good Submariner copy (albeit without the logo) for way less than £100 these days. . High tech machinery and cheap labour costs in the Far East have driven the production prices for perfectly acceptable watch components  down into bargain basement budget territory.

Doesn't require peasant slave compounds / child labour  or any form of gross criminality - just good mass production skills, and clever/strategically managed international currency exchange rates.

I believe on Ali Express/Temu you can also get some lovely Chibsons and Chenders all with the original makers logo on for very little money. 

Why buy the real thing when counterfeit versions are available at such reasonable prices?

BTW I have nothing against homage type watches as let's face it the guitar industry has always been full of homages. 

AK99

Neil said:

Why buy the real thing when counterfeit versions are available at such reasonable prices?

On that - I was down in Ten-er-reefay this time last year (much against my better judgement btw - kip of a joint ) and got chatting to another guy from Norn Iron on the beach sporting a  'Rolex Sea Dweller'. I figured it was somewhat less than genuine - but it  being one of the more unusual models, I ventured anyway to ask him why he had opted for it as opposed to the normal Submariner. He reassured me that he had one of those too.  As well as a Pepsi GMT, a white faced Explorer..and was currently on the lookout for one of the green bezelled Hulk Sub variants.

" I get them up at the Sunday market here off a big coloured lad. Less than £500 the lot. Sure ye couldn't bate that with a big stick" says he.

Technically counterfeit produce I know - but in real terms, I'd be pretty happy hazarding a guess Rolex hadn't actually been deprived of c. £50k worth of revenue in his case - or indeed from any of the Canary Island market punters.

menamestom

I think this is cool.  Stone Roses vibes.

https://www.swatch.com/en-gb/pollock-s-alchemy-suoz366/SUOZ366.html

Be great if it was automatic.

Neil

AK99 said:

Neil said:

Why buy the real thing when counterfeit versions are available at such reasonable prices?

On that - I was down in Ten-er-reefay this time last year (much against my better judgement btw - kip of a joint ) and got chatting to another guy from Norn Iron on the beach sporting a  'Rolex Sea Dweller'. I figured it was somewhat less than genuine - but it  being one of the more unusual models, I ventured anyway to ask him why he had opted for it as opposed to the normal Submariner. He reassured me that he had one of those too.  As well as a Pepsi GMT, a white faced Explorer..and was currently on the lookout for one of the green bezelled Hulk Sub variants.

" I get them up at the Sunday market here off a big coloured lad. Less than £500 the lot. Sure ye couldn't bate that with a big stick" says he.

Technically counterfeit produce I know - but in real terms, I'd be pretty happy hazarding a guess Rolex hadn't actually been deprived of c. £50k worth of revenue in his case - or indeed from any of the Canary Island market punters.

Of course not. However Rolex's Intellectual Property is being stolen and their copyright infringed.

You may think that is fair play, put it to the man etc but imagine you had built up a small brand yourself and after your blood, sweat and tears get it to the market only to find someone has copied your design and is selling it far cheaper. Basically bypassing all your hard work and stealing your IP?

slawler

These are the current two mechanical watches I rotate:

Rolex Submariner 16610 (2008- pre-ceramic)
Omega Constellation Pie Pan 168.005 (1963)

Sporky

menamestom said:

I think this is cool.  Stone Roses vibes.

https://www.swatch.com/en-gb/pollock-s-alchemy-suoz366/SUOZ366.html

Be great if it was automatic.

You reminded me of seeing this one, which is awfully jolly, but completely not for me.

Penn

slawler said:

These are the current two mechanical watches I rotate:

Rolex Submariner 16610 (2008- pre-ceramic)
Omega Constellation Pie Pan 168.005 (1963)

That constellation is lovely. I have a late 60s DeVille. Proper classic old dress watches are lovely. 

stickyfiddle

@slawler  nice - the last great looking Sub

NickBotfield

God pie pan Omegas are beautiful, that's a great watch @slawler !

Sporky

Managed to get my identity confirmed at Subdial (I still think that's weird) so on Friday I'm looking at the Habring2, and while I'm there a Hermes H08, JL Polaris, and a Rhodium Oyster Perpetual.

Then off to Time and Tide.

Not sure I'll buy anything at either, it's more of a recon mission. Most of the Subdial ones are well out of my budget. 

boogieman

Neil said:

The only reason people buy counterfeit watches or fakes of any high quality item is simply to fool other people. Why else would you?

A personal experience of mine was with a sales director at a recruitment firm.
He was walking around the office flashing his Submariner.
I turned up, people knew I liked nice watches and some of the staff said "show Neil your watch".
He looked a bit coy but I had a look and pronounced it a fake. His face went very red and then admitted he had bought it in Abu Dhabi.

After he walked away the office manager said to me, "he's two bob!"

He left shortly after.

I’ve got a fake IWC pilot watch. I didn’t buy it because I want people to think I own an expensive watch, I got it because its got white hands on a big black dial, so I can actually tell the time without putting on my reading glasses, squinting or holding my wrist at a certain angle. 

I freely admit I know nothing about watches, I just go for something I like the look of and can read easily (otherwise I don’t see the point?) . Anyone who did know anything would instantly spot the IWC is a fake anyway, it’s got so many glaring differences from the real thing, including an obviously very cheap strap. 

I do own a few genuine watches, the best of which is a Hamilton khaki that my wife got me for our wedding. Funnily enough the Not-an-IWC keeps the best time out of all of them. 

Snap

A friend of mine has a v nice Rolex, can't remember which one, but it was at least £15k to buy. He also has a very accurate fake of the same watch that he wears as a knockabout. 

He got his watch nicked from his gym locker recently. However, unknown to the scumbag thief, they nicked the fake. You have to hope that they got a good shoeing when they tried to sell on a Rolex to some thug.

AK99

slawler said:

These are the current two mechanical watches I rotate:
Rolex Submariner 16610 (2008- pre-ceramic)
Omega Constellation Pie Pan 168.005 (1963)

Lovely. That Omega is very elegant (and of course it goes without saying, that particular Sub is the best variant - ever )

NickBotfield

One niche I don't personally understand is superclones.  Getting a cheap fake that looks OK from arms length is one thing but spending a grand plus on a cloned movement as well just seems unnecessary.  I wonder if the majority are bought to sell on advertised as real?

Penn

I think the super clone thing is probably about the challenge of finding something as close as possible to the real thing. 

I don’t understand it! 

The knockoff Omegas I posted before are interesting. Some aren’t anything like the real thing. A couple of them are very close for the cost of them. 

I wouldn’t buy them and will never sell them on. 

I’ve got a few cheap watches like a Seagull Redstar. I prefer to spend my money on things which aren’t fake. 

Rolex is an odd company. It’s a charity so it doesn’t pay taxes but also doesn’t disclose its profits or what it does with the profit.  Not really too worried about people in the far east copying them. 

Neil

slawler said:

These are the current two mechanical watches I rotate:

Rolex Submariner 16610 (2008- pre-ceramic)
Omega Constellation Pie Pan 168.005 (1963)

What a beautiful pair.

The pie pan Connie with the cranked lugs and correct nut shaped crown is lovely. Many of the old Connies have had their crowns replaced with later versions. Glad to see your original one. 

Neil

boogieman said:

I’ve got a fake IWC pilot watch. I didn’t buy it because I want people to think I own an expensive watch, I got it because its got white hands on a big black dial, so I can actually tell the time without putting on my reading glasses, squinting or holding my wrist at a certain angle. 

I freely admit I know nothing about watches, I just go for something I like the look of and can read easily (otherwise I don’t see the point?) . Anyone who did know anything would instantly spot the IWC is a fake anyway, it’s got so many glaring differences from the real thing, including an obviously very cheap strap. 

I do own a few genuine watches, the best of which is a Hamilton khaki that my wife got me for our wedding. Funnily enough the Not-an-IWC keeps the best time out of all of them. 

I've got an IWC pilots watch but as someone with aged eyes I find that black hands on a white/cream dial give the best contrast.
See below:

Gassage

So, a small perk of rugby journalism; 

Went Six Nations launch - Breitling are the official time keepers.

Snared this off them 66% off retail costs.

very pleased.