Quote:
Originally Posted by tony20009
I had a feeling that you and I were discussing the same goods, but that you found a website that sells them to U.S. consumers and I see them in the Luohu Commercial City (LCC). Based on the links you provided, that's exactly what's going on.
Not one of the watches you linked to at PureTime has a Swiss ETA or Swiss anything else inside. They have either Seagull, as I mentioned, or a Chinese ETA clone inside. That is exactly what you'll get when you go to the LCC and buy a fake XYZ watch and that's exactly what I was talking about in the post I made above where I mentioned the LCC and included a few pics of the shopping tower and the catalog pages from which one picks a watch.
All that's different is that if one is in Shenzhen or Dalian (perhaps other cities as well, I haven't looked for them in other cities), the booth vendors selling them ask for ~500RMB and one has to haggle them down to about 250RMB. The one's at PureTime are priced to reflect the "middlemen" -- however many there are -- involved in getting the watch from the factory just outside central Shenzhen in Guangzhou to the consumer in United States. Those middlemen want Western sized profits and so the watch price inflates from something less than 250RMB to ~2500RMB+ ($40 --> $400+).
You pictured a few highly complicated models. They will cost more, but why anyone would buy a highly complex watch from a maker who makes no pretense about not employing the most sophisticated design, build and finishing techniques is beyond me. The "smart" buy in fakes is uncomplicated watches, not tourbillons, chronographs, perp cals, and so on.
You know the saying, "Don't go to a sushi bar and order the steak." In other words, if you are going to knowingly buy a fake, but one that corresponds to what the maker can be expected to do a good job with. With fake watches, that means things like any fake Rolex except the Daytona, Explorer II or Yachtmaster II, or any other faked, uncomplicated watch.
Going with even a fake chronograph is a mistake. The pushers will feel notchy and be hard to push. The stopwatch function will lose a second or two on start and stop. The minute hand for the stopwatch functions will be continuous rather than incremental. There's no telling how long the stopwatch functions will even function at the lame level to which they are capable, but hopefully, the chrono functionality will have been achieved via a bolt on module rather than via an integrated design. In the former approach, a new module can be bolted on to repair the watch. In the latter scenario, one may as well find some paper that needs holding in place.
Note:
The varying quality of fakes one can buy and whether one opts to buy a fake or not are separate topics. As the title of this thread suggests, I don't care if one buys a fake watch or not. If one is nutty enough to buy a low performing fake complicated watch, I also don't care.
|
I know you keep mentioning the one mall. The thing is, these watches are sold about everywhere in China, especially in Guangzhou where they are made. You just need to know the right places to go.
I am a native Mandarin speaker and have been to some watch markets. The stuff you mention at the stalls are not the best they have. If you know the right people, they'll take you to a different location for the good stuff or send a runner to pick up a watch if they trust you. The things they sell in their store are usually the low quality items that have high margin. Otherwise they are older versions they are clearing out for the newer versions of the same watches. Of course everything is "high quality" if you ask. You need to know the various replica factories and the models they've produced to know which manufacturer made the watch and which version or revision of that model they are carrying.
I had a replica from Guangzhou a friend (who grew up in Guangzhou) bought for me when he went to visit his family... it was $100 USD and it was complete junk. A low beat movement and the details was completely inaccurate. Not to mention the power reserve was a joke and it didn't last overnight. Never let a friend who doesn't know watches buy a watch for you! You will not find a quality replica for $100. You are looking at a cheaper movement and the details will not be as accurate.
As for the Swiss ETA movement, I did not link to the specific watches but they can be had with a real Swiss ETA movement for a few more dollars. i.e. the web site listing will show Swiss ETA movement + $100. There are a lot of dealers out there and offer a selection of ETA 2836-2, Sellita SW220 and other movements. It just changes the pricing of the watches.
I completely agree with you on buying a complicated replica. I would not buy one for the pure fact that when it needed servicing or stops, where do you take that? An ETA movement or the copies of them can be serviced at any watchsmith.
I find a few fakes are fun along with the real watches I do own. You can try things out that you wouldn't otherwise buy. I've purchased a real watch that I had a replica for just because I liked that particular watch. It was something I never thought I'd like until I wore it for a few months.