Replica Policy

Speaking as a Brit, thank God they put an “S” at the front of the brand name

Just about any of us already know that Seiko makes those.

I'm interested in one of those myself if it comes with a bracelet. 😀

Not when it's sold out you big goof! But maybe on eBay...

Only what gets in my craw, objectively, are three:

(1) the term “homage” - which is a marketing-pig-in-lipstick of a term for “imitation” or “knock off” (despite whatever colloquial confusion some here may have about the term)

(2) proffering the fact that imitation watches are not illegal as being somehow proof that they should be morally acceptable or tasteful - an absurd line of reasoning (after all, it’s also not illegal to buy counterfeit watches)

(3) the shower of “arguments by exception” that inevitably drench any such conversation (“oh, but what about this grey area of a watch; gotcha!”) - matters of morality or taste inherently and obviously involve exceptions or hard cases, making it rather uninteresting to suggest that the existence of a given hard case is proof of anything very interesting

Objectively, these three things are issues of definition or logical relevance to a productive discussion.

What’s left thereafter is an issue of morality and taste.

Subjectively, I don’t expect everyone to share my morality or tastes. Mine are informed/biased by being personally and professionally involved with artists and designers who, no sooner the rare instance of one finding a scrap of success, very next have their work stolen and replicated by vultures who cater to consumers who don’t care.

Since first joining this forum, I’ve been thankful for the lack of discussion around these types of imitation/knock-off watches, if only because avoiding the divisive topic quite neatly allows all views to live here harmoniously by cognitive dissonance (anyway, plenty of other forums to discuss those topics).

I am sympathetic to those people. I actually fall into this same group. For ideological reasons, I don’t spend over $5k on a single piece, ever. But the wonderful thing about this hobby is that there are options out there. The watch world is plentiful and diverse in its $ offerings.

If a certain watch brand *ehm the big R* is purposefully making their watches inaccessible to literally 99.9% of the world’s population (modern lineup), then that is a brand I do not want to associate with.

I’ll happy fly low in the sub-$5k mark with a lot of vintage/new options.

Again, this is a subjective matter and everyone has a different “fault line”. Interesting discussion so far, and one also needs to be mindful of the nuisances with history/copyright.

The plethora of Rolex homage brands are not exactly eating into Rolex's market share.And there is clearly consumer demand for a "Rolex style on a budget" that these homage brands are serving.

Morality feels a bit dramatic of a lens to view this through.

A matter of taste? Sure.

Turning straight now into philosophy - "hommage" to Plato🍿:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

I'm all for the immediate confiscation of fake watches and the public shaming of the owner, wearer, or seller. Fake, counterfeit, knock-off, replica, whatever you want to call these crappy Chinese/Vietnamese knock-offs of contemporary watches from real companies, they are generally illegal in most of the world, by local law or by adoption of international trademark agreements. People who buy them are lying to themselves in about 1,000 ways. "It's not illegal to buy it, so I'm not hurting anyone." "Boy, people will immediately recognize my class and success when they see me in my $100 suit getting out of my 1993 Accord wearing my $80,000 Patek." The cognitive dissonance required to think you can pull off a replica is truly mind-boggling. You could look genuine and classy in a $200 suit getting out of a 1993 Accord wearing a Seiko Presage that costs less than the crappy counterfeit Patek.

End rant.

Also, homages don't bother me when they are made by real companies who make their own watches, when the brand name and logo bear no resemblance to the original, and when the watch itself is an homage because it takes some styling cues from the original; not just a 100% copy. If the original watch is contemporary and still in production or was in production in the last 5-10 years... it's just a knock off, IMO. There are some watches that are so... generic and clean in design it's hard to not knock them off. Look! This watch has baton hands, applied indices, a sunburst dial, fluted bezel, and date at 3 o'clock! It's a fake Rolex! 🙄

EDIT: In no way is this sartorial advice. This is not an endorsement of $200 suits. Please check with your doctor, attorney, and stylist before attempting a $200 suit.