The end of the year brings us some good news in the replica industry. Finally, factories have changed the approach of assembling and manufacturing replica watches by adding some additional weight. Replica watch enthusiasts know that the wrong weight has always been an issue. While many imitations were close to the genuine truth from an aesthetic perspective, their weight always gave them away.
So, a week ago one of the factories presented a new Day-Date model with a heavier weight than before. We at AAAReplica requested a sample of the new model. We were impressed by the weight of the new watch and thought it was an accidental change. Yet, after another week, another factory launched a new Yacht-Master. Surprise! This one also came with a … heavier weight. It seems that the replica industry has taken the weight aspect of replica watches seriously. Does it mean that lightweight replica watches remain a thing of the past?
New Replica Watches With Increased Weight
AAAReplica is used to negotiate with various replica factories. As a rule, we ask for samples of newly launched watches to make them an independent evaluation and test. If they meet our quality criteria, we offer them for sale to potential customers. If we are not satisfied, with an emphatic but categorical “NO”, we refuse to promote them in our store. After all, we care a lot about the satisfaction of our customers and we want to offer them the best in the industry.
With this in mind, we have already started negotiations with factories that have started to produce heavier-weight replicas. So, in a short time, we expect new models of Daytona, Royal Oak, and Yacht-Master with a more solid weight than all previous versions ever had. We can’t wait to receive them and weigh them. No matter how funny it might not sound, this time, we are waiting with our hearts in our mouths to weigh them more than to evaluate them aesthetically.
The good side of things is that factories have promised quality improvements. This refers to the new YachtMaster and Daytona models in the rubber band version. In addition, it seems that we will see a greater diversity of dials, including the new font of gray and blue.
Some Insights About New Replica Models
We requested more information from the factories regarding the new models with improved appearance and greater weight. They told us that the new models will weigh an average of 30 grams more due to the new steel formula. It is not pure stainless steel, but rather a special alloy that adds weight. We will not go into chemical details now because we are not great experts in chemical formulas and materials either. The new models will certainly be much closer to the 160 g threshold of genuine watches.
However, we must all understand that we cannot expect an identical weight to the authentic models. While genuine timepieces weigh around 160, the new replica models will be around 145g. This is a good result considering that the previous ones weighed around 110 g. Some of them were heavier, others lighter, but either way, the difference was huge.
As for the new steel alloy, manufacturers plan to use tungsten steel, which weighs more than traditional stainless steel. The problem is that this material does not undergo polishing as smoothly as stainless steel. So, there could be some finishing issues on the new models. However, the replica factories have assured us that they have acquired the necessary technology and tools to process the new material according to superior quality standards.
Movement Upgrades
As for the overall quality of the new models, factories thought to make drastic changes in the movement. Most of them decided to exclude the mechanisms of the old generation and go fully to the Shanghai and Dangdong movements. Both movements are new generation and seem to be quite reliable and more competent than the previous ones.
Personally, I still stick better to the Dangdong movement. Not that I have anything against Shanghai, but Dangdong presented itself superbly in the last replica releases. It gained trust through the lowest maintenance, great serviceability with no repair issues, and long-lasting functionality. The Shanghai has no bad reviews at all. But it is a relatively new product and there is still little information about the resistance over time.
Either way, the new options with Shanghai movements are more expensive. Factories find it more innovative and upgraded. As such, expect higher prices for new imitations running on Shanghai movements.
Bottom line
We wanted to share this news with you to know what’s next in the replica industry. We hope that in the first days of 2024, we will already have imitations with improved weight in stock. Even if many sellers of replica watches always claim their watches weigh identically to the authentic ones, this has never been true. There has always been a difference between a fake and a genuine counterpart. This is obvious because a fake watch cannot have the same materials and components as a genuine one.
So, now that the factories have decided to change the formula of the replica watches, they will become much closer to the original, even if not fully identical. Even so, we are very happy to see that the industry evolves and upgrades every year. Good imitations have always been available but only to a very small extent. Now, it seems that the number of high-quality replica watches will skyrocket.
On the other hand…
We want to encourage you to be cautious with replica watch dealers. While many factories try to improve quality, some of them remain with the same quality and manufacturing techniques from decades ago. So, when we say that some factories have decided on improvements, this does not mean that all of them have done it. So, be careful who you buy from and make sure you buy from a trusted dealer. By the way, AAAReplica is one of them :).
We make an effort to find out which factories are the most reputable in this industry. Also, we carefully filter the watches we sell to customers, emphasizing quality and reliability. So, you could consider us when deciding on a good replica watch. Either way, regardless of where you buy, make sure that the dealer offers you a fully functional and guaranteed quality watch!