I read an excellent post over at Replica Geek that outlines all the lies surrounding replica watches. This list was written by AllergyDoc and I think it will be useful to anyone first discovering the replica watch industry.

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. Few replica watch movements come from anywhere but China. There are no 27 jewels movements in replica watches; only 25, 21, or 17.

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

– About the 99%, not true. While some may be very close (picking a number is impossible) to the genuine, no replica is an original. As for fooling ADs, maybe. Common clerks are easily fooled, but really experienced ADs, upon close, meticulous inspection, may 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.

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

– Good replicas are made with 316L quality steel. Rolex is the only company that uses 904L steel and it costs 3 times as much as 316L (one reason why they are so expensive). Replicas are not made with 440 steel, either.

Lie #7: 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. What you need to find out is the reputation of the company, and what previous customers have to say about them.

Lie #8: 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.

Lie #9 and Truth #1: 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. What is true, though, is a good dealer will want to protect his/her reputation and will fix whatever is wrong.

Initial author: Richard Brown

There is prevailing rumor floating around the Internet about replica watches. Somehow the replica watch industry has been linked with world-wide terrorist organizations. Being involved in the replica watch industry now for over 5 years this would be news to me. To my knowledge there is no more of an identifiable link between replica watches and terrorism than there is between Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. Both ideas are constructed “facts” by a regime hungry for support of their policies.

Replica, or “Fake”, watches have been with us since the technological revolution in Asia in the late 1970s. Given access to industrial equipment and seeing the weakness in their governments to enforce trademarks of foreign nations (or their ability to look the other way) many entrepreneurs have sprung up to feed a need. Replica watch makers have produced literally millions of fake Rolex, Panerai, Omega, and dozens of other top-named watch brands.

Working on “off-shifts” in factories that would normally produce legitimate goods during the day these replica watch makers produce counterfeit goods of varying quality. Looking to sell cheap $20 souvenirs to curious vacationers? Watches can be produced with low quality (and low price) materials to meet this price point. Selling to the “Swiss Replica” market in the United States and Europe? Then the materials and manufacturing methods must and do go up to fit the higher standards, and to be competitive in the business.

The people are motivated solely by replica watch industry’s lure of easy and fast money. These watches are produced in volume and put into the hands of dealers and distributors around the world. As long as the governments where these factories are located are lax in their support of international trade and trademarks fake watches will remain a profitable seller for these manufacturers.

Like any other marketable good these watches will sometimes make it into the hands of people who have no connection to the original maker but may have some other agenda. But the percentage of these people in the replica watch industry is minimal. 90% of the people selling these watches have some direct connection to the replica manufacturers, and are also approaching the enterprise as a business.

There is no overriding terrorist organization that is linked to the manufacture or distribution of these goods. These men are driven by the fact that there is a thriving market for this product in the United States. It is this willingness for people to pay twice or three times the price of manufacturing a fake watch that continues to drive this industry.

original article