Collectors of
Replica/Fake watches.
I guy I know, a friend
collects, buys and sells watches.
I doesn’t do it for a
living but as a hobby, Panerai, Omega, Iwc, etc…
Like me perhaps?
Well not really as my
watches are vintage and restored to the best possible condition, I don’t sell
new watches but then neither does he….
Panerai 'Fakes' Group shot!
All of the watches he
buys and sells on Ebay are replica watches.
That’s right, not the
real thing but watches that are made to look like their more real cousins and
they really do look like them. These are not necessarily fakes sold to Online
Tourists as one my get collared on the streets of New York, Hong Kong or
Bangkok by a man with a briefcase offering you a $30 Rolex Submariner but to
people who know what they are and although they would like to own a Panerai
Arctis or an IWC Aquatimer or even an IWC Portuguese but they can’t either
afford one or can not commit the money to buying one…
 |  |
Speedmaster Moonphase Pam Submersible Breitling Navitimer
| Omega Seamaster Pam Luminor Planet Ocean
|
This is an ‘under’
class of collector!
They don’t really want
the real thing, because to by a real one would mean they could only have one
‘real’ watch when what they actually want is a ‘collection’, see..?
| A collection of
watches, 20 or 30 watches that they can rotate, wearing a Panerai Luminor
Submersible one day or an Omega Speedmaster Moon Phase the next.
His wife asked
me to get him a collectors box to keep his watches in……
|
He has spare straps
and bracelets for these watches which are also ‘Replica’, deployment buckles
dive straps correct in design for the various models he owns but on inspection I can tell that the quality isn’t right.
But he doesn’t care! |
|
He has his collection
and that is all that matters.
He first spoke to me
about wanting a Breitling Navitimer a few years ago….
I mentioned that I
could get one for him but he would have to wait!
This is not a poor man
but neither is he wealthy enough to drop £3,000 on a watch without a great deal
of thought. Instead of waiting he saw a replica on Ebay and bought that
instead.
Now I have seen these
watches, they have ‘glass’ not mineral or sapphire crystals so when you look
side on the crystal is a greeny blue like the bottom of a milk bottle, their
bezels do not ratchet, the chrono functions do not operate properly if at all
but from 6 feet away they look real and that ‘he discovered’ was all he wanted.
He bought a couple of
Storm watches, limited edition big case quartz designer watches sold in the . He said he would keep them as the were
limited and would be a good investment. An investment from a $200 new watch?
Fake Panerai Arktos
He recently sold part
of his collection for about £1,000 on Ebay to people who knew they were not
real but paid good money for them anyway. He is part of a whole group of people
that buy and sell these watches to each other on Ebay.
I told him that the
£1,000 he made I could help him buy a Navitimer with it…. A real one.
Real Breitling Navitimer 806 1966
But no, he has already
bought some copies of other tempting watches and plans to keep hold of them and
make a small return on each sale.
So he is happy with
his lot, happy with his watch box which when you open it is full of fake Omega Planet
Oceans, Panerai Luminor Daylight Chronosgraphs, Panerai Submersibles and IWC!!!!!
Even though his
watches are not real he does not care and is very happy with his hobby.
Is he hurting anyone?
Well no, they all know what they are buying and are happy to part with their
money. But if he selss to someone who is under the impression they are real then that is another thing. I suspect something like that will happen soon and that will be the end of his hobby on Ebay.
Who am I to pass
judgement on this behaviour?
Would I get in to this
world? Absolutely not!!!
Does it bother me?
Well yes it does! I don't like it... but what can I do, he is a friend and in the real world a stand up guy!
I saw someone post a
question about wanting to buy a fake to try out before he bought the real thing. He asked a forum of
collectors if they had one top sell. The reaction was horror from the group! But why not ask? Personally I wouldn't have anything to do with them at all.
I guess the answer is
the same the world over and it has always been so….
If you can’t afford it
then don’t bother!
Regards
Alistair
Below is just a few of his collection. All fake! Cheers!
Panerai Arktos
Panerai Arktos
Caaseback
Panerai Daylight 12 hour Chronograph
Panerai Daylight 12 hour Chronograph
Caseback
Speedmaster Moon Phase
Speedmaster Moon Phase case pushers
Speedmaster Moon Phase Movement (what a load of crap)
IWC Gmt ???????
IWC Caseback
Planet Ocean Caseback , lug detail to secure the solid end links and Movement shot.
Finally Luminor Submersible ??
Thank god it's the end!