A few decades ago, the replica industry was part of the world of fantasy. The industry was receiving tons of negative opinions, frustrations, and mistrust. Today, however, the industry has become very popular, and the perception of replica watches has taken on a much more positive connotation. What has changed in the meantime? Just consumer perception or industry quality? The answer is actually – both. With the improvement in the quality of replica watches, the end consumer began to see them as much more viable, having more and more confidence in the industry.
Of course, we are not talking here about a perfect and risk-free industry. Terms like “inferior quality” and “sources of distrust” are still available. However, their rate has dropped substantially.
I propose today to evaluate the current situation of the replica industry and to answer the question of how worthy replica watches are today. Can we trust this industry or not? What are its pitfalls and what should we pay attention to if we want to advance in this exciting hobby, but somehow risky at the same time?
Genuine vs replica watches: what’s the difference?
Let’s start with the definition and difference between these 2 terms. A genuine watch has the right to exist because the brand has earned a sufficiently reliable reputation to sell it. The brand invests time in creativity, state-of-the-art tools, as well as expert specialists in the field to give them life. Hence the high price, sometimes even exaggerated, for a certain genuine luxury watch. However, we can’t blame the brand for the high prices. It has earned all the right to set high prices because it is responsible for the superior quality of the accessories it proposes.
In contrast…
The purpose of a replica watch is just to look like an original timepiece, at least on the outside. The replica industry is open about the fact that it is looking for cheaper alternatives to the latest generation materials used by the brands. So the replica industry offers the illusion of an authentic watch for a much lower cost.
I will not touch on the topic of morality and copyright of brands. Here everyone decides for himself how fair it is to opt for a somewhat fake and somewhat illegal industry. However, the replica industry certainly offers what the original brands cannot offer to the final consumer, namely an affordable price. Many consumers are ready to pay a significantly lower price even despite the lower quality. If this satisfies the consumer, why not take advantage of the opportunity?
What about the quality of replica watches, considering their lower price?
A replica watch will always be cheaper than an authentic watch. That’s for sure. However, this does not mean that all imitations are cheap and accessible to everyone. If you are familiar with this industry, you know for sure that there are knockoffs that reach up to 3,000 USD, which is not cheap at all. In this context, the term “cheap” is somewhat relative.
To answer your question, I will ask you to think of any other industry. Let’s say, in the cosmetics industry. Please tell me how good an anti-wrinkle cream can be whenever you pay $13 for it. But what would be the effect of a cream that costs around $50, for example? Of course, we are talking about totally different effects, even if it is the same industry and the same product category.
The same phenomenon is taking place in the replica industry today. At the moment, different factories produce replica watches. One is better, another may offer something inferior from a quality perspective. As a result, the knockoffs can be of phenomenal execution and cost more, or they can be of terrible execution, but be accessible for the price.
In the same context…
It will probably be hard for you to believe me, but I have had tangents with knockoffs in which certain technical characteristics exceeded the capacity of authentic models. For real. I have met imitations with a more efficient power reserve or a more promising water resistance profile than their authentic counterpart.
This speaks of the fact that replica factories have advanced in fierce competition and each of them tries to produce the best they can. Following this competition, different quality categories of replica watches appear.
Of course, I do not exclude the fact that some factories produce absolute trash. It is as likely as possible to come across such knockoffs. But it depends on the consumer’s culture whether to believe in the quality of a $50 knockoff or not. You have to be naive to believe that such a knockoff can look and work like a genuine watch. And every consumer has the right to choose between higher and lower quality options, depending on his prerogatives.
The modern replica industry certainly offers a much wider variety than it did 10 years ago. At the same time, the variety has increased not only in terms of quality but also in terms of prices. In this context, the probability of finding a high-quality replica watch is real and high. But, you have to know how to look for it correctly.
How technically reliable are modern replica watches?
This question concerns all those who want but are afraid to enter this hobby. I hope the answer comforts you for a replica watch is a watch like any other. So it is as reliable as any other. Agree that few of us had the opportunity to wear a genuine luxury watch. Most of us are used to mediocre watches that we can afford. Well, a replica watch behaves in the same way, because it is at the same quality level as many of the non-luxury watches.
We always tend to compare a replica watch’s performance with that of an authentic luxury watch. However, what we actually forget is that we never wear luxury genuine watches, but regular accessories on our wrists. Why not compare the replica ones with the regular watches in the context in which they are roughly in the same price category?!
Facing the truth…
Any non-luxury watch can perform better or worse. It depends on the internal mechanism, the quality of production, as well as the care that the owner has towards it. Nothing is different with a replica watch. It is very difficult to generalize the answer, everything depends on each case, especially in the context where there are a lot of manufacturers in the industry.
The biggest concern regarding knockoffs is their mechanism reliability. But we have to take into account that most replica watches have about the same internal systems as any other non-luxury watch. There certainly are knockoffs that last for years. In the same context, certain models don’t last more than a couple of months. From my own experience, however, I can assume that high-quality imitations, which are often quite expensive, have rarely failed me.
Matter-of-factly…
Many of the replica factories use “stock” movements which are also found in many other ordinary quartz or automatic watches. With such a mechanism, it is very simple to solve the problem because it can be easily replaced by a new one available in the market.
The situation is a little more complex with clone replica watches. These usually have mechanisms cloned from the authentic model. If the internal system breaks, it is more difficult to find a replacement part. However, these mechanisms being cloned, are less likely to break because they are identical to the genuine ones, which are simply perfect.
These are the specific technical aspects of replica watches. Are they technically reliable? Yes, they are. However, the repair possibilities in case of failure depend on the type of mechanism inside the knockoff. This is a risk we have to take. As I said at the beginning, the replica industry requires certain compromises for the affordable price it offers.
What has changed in the meantime and what hasn’t?
Of course, today’s replica industry is different from what it used to be. While in the past there were only a couple of replica watch factories, today they are much larger. This is a good change, I think, because it increases the spirit of competition between factories. Each of them tends to propose something more efficient than the others. At the same time, the final consumer has a much wider selection possibility. Today, the customer can choose for a low price, at the expense of quality, or for a high price, for better quality.
Also, the quality of the replica watches has changed. Along with the evolution of technologies, factories equip themselves with special tools that allow them to execute replica watches to perfection. And I’m not exaggerating when I say “perfection” for some replica watches are really hard to differentiate from authentic ones.
An equally important aspect is consumer education, which has also changed for the better. The consumer has become more educated about replica watches. He knows how to differentiate a quality replica watch from an inferior one. He has access to a multitude of platforms where he leaves reviews about different dealers so that the whole community knows about their reputation. Also, he knows that he must pay attention to the refund and guarantee conditions offered by the dealer. So, the selection process has become much more rigorous and conscious.
Unfortunately…
What hasn’t changed is the risk of running into a scam dealer. Doubtful websites offering replica watches appear like mushrooms after rain. And, there are still customers who let themselves be deceived by them, paying money and receiving poor-quality replica watches. This is one of the risks of online shopping and probably affects any industry, not just the replica one.
Bottom line
The conclusion you must draw from this article is that the replica industry is worthy, but you must not trust it naively and irresponsibly. The risks of being the target of a scam still persist and you must be aware of them. In this context, I encourage you to be as cautious as possible with any dealer you come into contact with. Check the source you are dealing with rigorously. Ask for as many pictures as possible from the dealer. Read reviews about different replica stores. All this will help you have a nice experience with the replica watch industry.