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[watchmaster2000]

Many arrive here with minds polluted by scam sites and scam "review" sites: all peddlers of lies and deception.

In an effort to help cleanse the noobs' minds of this filth, I propose the following 10 common and devious lies and misconceptions
about replica watches, and the business of manufacturing and selling replica watches.


Lie #1: The best replica watches are made in Switzerland, followed closely by Italy.

-- This is the biggest lie of all. All replica watches are made somewhere in Asia, mostly China. Saying that replicas are made in Switzerland or Italy is a lie intended to extract more money from the ignorant.


Lie #2: Replica watches are graded according to quality. C (or whatever) is the lowest and AAA+++ (or whatever) is the highest.

-- Who decides what is "C" and what is "A"? The "International Replica Watch Governing Board"? Pure nonsense designed, again, to get more of your dollars.


Lie #3: The movements in "Swiss made" replicas are identical to the genuine watch movements. 27 jewel movements are the best.

-- (See Lie #1 for "Swiss made".) Far from the truth. Very few replica watch movements come from anywhere but China and any watchman can immediately tell it's not genuine. There are no Asian 27 jewels movements in replica watches; only 25, 21, or 17. (Some newer replicas are powered by an ETA 7753, which does have 27J.)


Lie #4: The best replicas are 99% true to the genuine and will even fool an Authorized Dealer (AD).

-- Not true. While some may be close (picking a number is impossible) to the genuine, all replicas are flawed. Do you really think you can spend $200 or less and get a watch that's 99% identical to a $4,000-20,000 watch? As for fooling ADs, maybe. Common clerks are easily fooled, but seasoned ADs, upon close inspection, will know it's a replica.


Lie #5: The gold on "Swiss grade" replicas is much higher than on other replicas. The crown, bezel, and mid links are solid gold and the full-gold replicas are 5-wrapped (or 6-wrapped, or whatever).

-- While a few models have been shown to have solid gold mid links (Rolex replicas), the rest of the watch is gold plated or double or triple wrapped gold. ("Search" for threads on how this is done.)


Lie #6: The best Rolex replicas are made with 904L grade steel.

-- Big fat lie. Good replicas are made with 316L quality steel. Rolex is the one of the few companies that use 904L steel and it costs 3 times as much as 316L. Replicas are not made with 440 steel, either.


Lie #7: Buying a replica watch is risky, but not if you use sellers from "Replica Review" sites.

-- What most people don't know is the "review" sites are owned and operated by the people who run the sites they recommend--it's very incestuous. These "review" sites are clever and it's easy to get taken in by their lies.


Lie #8: You can tell you're getting a good watch after a thorough examination of the web site.

-- Please. If you think everything displayed on the web is true, you deserve to be fleeced. Scam sites lie about everything, from the quality of their goods to their pledge to make sure every customer is happy. Many even post pictures of genuine watches, (Look for pictures where the watch hands are set at "10:10." Pictures of genuine watches seen in advertisements are always set to "10:10.") but send you junk.


Lie #9: Picking a good seller will always result in getting a good watch, one I won't have trouble with.

-- We wish. Quality control in replica watch factories is hit-and-miss, but mostly shoddy. One batch may be great while the next produces watches that are DOA. (Remember, making replica watches is illegal, even in China. Replica watch "factories" are usually small operations that can be easily moved or hidden from prying authorities.) What is true, though, is a good dealer will want to protect his/her reputation and will fix whatever is wrong.


Lie #10: Paying by COD is the best way to get the cheapest price. Plus, I can examine my watch before paying the courier to make sure I get what I paid for.

-- A really dumb thing to do and a huge red flag that you're dealing with a true scammer. They want cash because they know you'll scream foul to your credit card company the moment you see the junk you just paid $1,000 for.


One final point. Remember, replica watches are counterfeit goods. While it is not illegal to purchase or possess replica watches in most countries, it is illegal to sell them. Keep this in mind when using PayPal or communicating with credit card companies.