Replica Watches

For whatever reason, many people purchase watches that cost thousands of dollars and render the wearer liable to get their hand chopped off while walking home from a posh cocktail party. For everyone else, a replica watch is an inexpensive and sometimes give the impression that you are wearing the genuine Rolex while you are catering the posh cocktail party.

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Replica Buyers Handbook.

No one really knows the best way to buy a replica watch over the internet. There is no handbook as to where and how to buy replicas. And how not to get ripped off.
So, if you do elect to make a purchase, how do you know that you are not approaching some street vendor with a website who is offering a $10.00 knockoff as a $250.00 replica?
The answer........ You don't.
The purchase is done with blind faith in the person or company that is selling the product.

Swiss or not!
Some vendors say that their replica watches are 100% Swiss; others say that they have Swiss movements; and others represent their replicas to be Grade 1 or higher. A would be buyer must understand that there is NO grading system for replicas, and each vendor is free to characterize his or her watch anyway that they want. Huge exaggerations by replica sellers is the norm, not the exception. The price of the watch does not necessarily equate with the quality. Caveat emptor, let the buyer beware, is the watchword when purchasing replica watches.

How to avoid problems.
Most replicas have accurate weight and markings. Without opening the back of a watch, it is impossible in most cases for a layperson to notice any differences. The changes, if any, are so subtle that only a trained expert can spot them. From outward appearances, most replicas when new are 99% percent accurate. The problems with replica watches come when they are not new, but 3 months down the road when the seller has disappeared. For a buyer to protect himself when purchasing replica watches, here are some suggestions:

Ask questions!
Communicate with the seller. Ask questions about the watch; size, weight, type of movements, type of case, functionality of the dials, etc. Do not be disappointed if you purchase a watch that has a stopwatch only to learn later that the dials are for appearance sake only. These are little things that a buyer needs to know up front. A legitimate seller will inform you of these facts in the description of the watch, and if it is not there, and you have doubts, ask.

Testimonials.
Most replica websites list testimonials. How does someone know if they are fictitious? Inquire whether the testimonials are verifiable. Are the names and addresses on file? The law says they should be. A buyer should check this out with due diligence before parting with their hard earned cash.

Comparisons.
Find a picture of the original and compare it to the replica. Using search engines, a picture of the original can usually be found. Open up two browsers and do a simple comparison. Is it convincing?

Be cautious.
Be wary of sellers who boast that every watch they sell has a Swiss movement. They don't. The movement may have some Swiss made parts, but that does not make them "Swiss." Ask the seller who makes the movement. Only a limited handful of replica watches use a 2834-2 movement made in Switzerland by the Swatch owned company ETA. Most quality replicas use a 21 or more Jewel movement often made in Japan and supplied by the Miyota Company (Citizen owned). Many cheaper copies use only a Chinese ST6 movement which costs around $3 to buy! If the vendor cannot answer specific questions about the movement of the watch, do not make the purchase. They know nothing about their products and are only interested in the money.

Image.
If you purchase a replica for appearance sake, consider strongly the type of watch that you purchase. Someone who is at a middle management position is not going to be wearing a $200,000.00 gold Patek Phillipe tourbillon with multiple complications. However, he may be wearing a solid stainless steel Rolex Submariner. Think about the impression that you leave with others when you purchase a replica.

Materials.
A purchaser must also consider the type of casing and the watchband that the watch before completing the deal. Normally on replica watches, a buyer will find the following types of cases and bands - stainless steel plated over nickel; gold plated over nickel; triple wrapped gold; 340 or better gauge solid stainless steel, and a combination of all of types.

Stainless steel plated over nickel is the cheapest type of case and band, and its life expectancy is short. In fact anything plated will wear off in time. The question is not whether the plating will show signs of wear, but when? In a few months, sometimes even weeks, a buyer will be disappointed because he cannot wear the watch in public due to telltale wear signs

Gold?
Gold plating over nickel looks shiny and expensive when new, but it DOES wear off……fast. Its life expectancy is far less than stainless steel plating. Some watches boast 6, even as much as 10 microns of gold plating. There are 25,400 microns in one inch. This dot (.) is approximately 1/64 of an inch wide and equals 615 microns. You can counter the effects of wear by wearing for short periods only, and by carefully washing in warm soapy water after use, to rid the watch and bracelet of the corrosive chemicals that naturally come from our skin. This is only a stopgap, the plating will wear off and when it does, it will not matter how good the movement is, how good a timekeeper it is, you will only remember the gold wore off FAST!

Triple wrapped gold is wrapping single 10 micron gold veneers three times o top of each other to approximately 30 microns thick. With some care, triple wrapped gold should last a couple of years with regular normal use of the watch. But with all plating, all good things do come to an end.

Stainless steel.
Most good quality replicas are solid stainless steel in a 340 gauge or better. The original watch may use a 440 gauge solid stainless steel, but a 340 gauge will easily last the life of the watch. Solid stainless steel is a little more expensive in a typical replica, but it is well worth it in the long run. If a seller states that his watch is stainless steel, ask him if it is solid or plated over nickel and what gauge it is. If he cannot answer the question, stay away.

In conclusion
These are merely hints and observations that I think you should use when buying, there are many more and enough to fill a book which one day I may write.
Until then this is a simple guide for a buyer to use to evaluate a replica watch and more importantly, the integrity of the seller. Ask questions, do your homework and you will end up with a watch that will be fun to wear and own. Keep in mind though that a replica is exactly that a replica.
If you want the watch to be 100% accurate, perfect and with lifelong guarantees then I urge you to buy the original.

More about: Rolex Replicas, How to recognize a fake Rolex, How to buy a quality Replica Rolex