The Real Numbers on My Rep Watch Journey: An Analysis
I recently met u/Vagabundo94 and he encouraged me to share this recently written piece to this emerging subreddit. I'm excited to be here and excited to meet all of you.
After diving deep into the rep watch world, I wanted to share some data-driven insights from my personal journey. I've collected 50 rep watches as a way to "try before I buy" genuine pieces - think of it as an expensive way to window shop. My day job has trained me to use spreadsheets, so from day 1, I’ve recorded every purchase so I have much of the data that supports my collecting journey.
Here is a link to the data that supports this document as well, as, a few pictures of part of the collection: https://imgur.com/a/p4Ud7Ac
Why Reps?
I use reps to test-drive watches before potentially committing to their genuine counterparts. My main collection consists of authentic pieces from Rolex to Seiko to various microbrands (which I've been exploring more lately).
Because of the way that I collect, I am less price conscious and more gen/super-clone focused. I am happy to pay a bit more for a more gen-like experience. I realize many of the makes and models I’ve purchased can be purchased at lesser quality for less money. I went the other route and am conscious of this. Note, this will absolutely skew my data to the high side.
I also prioritize the "look" vs. the "movement." Most of my watches are all Super Clone or similar, so the movement is already altered. I am not concerned about the actual watch hands or movement, but rather the overall look/quality of the watch itself. The case, the dial, the bezel, and the crystal are most important to me.
And yes, I fully expect the Reddit hivemind to tell me I'm "wasting money" or questioning why I have "so many reps." Frankly, I'm at that perfect age where I'm too old to care what strangers think but young enough to still appreciate what the community shares and much of it inspires new purchases.
The Numbers (Because Data Doesn't Lie)
Total Rep Collection: 50 watches
- Purchased from 6 Trusted Dealers
- Purchased from 7 Non-TDs (member-to-member on various platforms)
Brand Breakdown
- Rolex: 60% (because of course)
- IWC: 8%
- VC & Cartier & Omega: 6% each
- AP & Tudor: 4% each
- Patek & JLC: 2% each
TD Distribution
- TheOneWatches 44%
- TimelyWatchesUSA/Flandad: 30%
- Eliauk: 12%
- ChazingTime #4: 7%
- Pingfan: 5%
- Andiot Watches: 2.4%
Average Price Per TD
- TimelyWatchesUSA: $762 (higher due to gold plating)
- TheOneWatches: $496
- Eliauk: $465 (would normally be lower but I custom built a watch with him)
- Andiot Watches: $430
- Pingfan: $418
- ChazingTime: $415
Worth noting: I prioritized gen-like quality over finding the cheapest option. I used the infamous spreadsheet many of you know and love to guide my purchases.
Keep in mind that TimelyWatchesUSA partners with Flandad for gold plating. His prices are higher because of his quality of watches (gold plated). I also choose Timely because his watches are in the USA and are quick to receive.
Speed to Receive Watches Once Ordered
Interesting insight is that the top 3 on price per TD are the fastest shippers (to me) vs. the bottom three are the slowest. It took me longer to get to QC and receive my watches with Andiot, Pingfan, and ChazingTime.
TD vs. Non-TD Pricing
- TD average price: $559
- Non-TD average price: $483 (no surprise member-to-member is cheaper)
Average Price by Dial Color in Collection
- Meteorite: $806 (you pay for those space rocks)
- Burgundy: $778
- Slate: $750
- Blue: $667
- Green: $636
- Green Texture: $548
- Black: $495
- Brown: $493
- White: $419
- Silver: $363
- Cream: $268
Factory Distribution of Collection
- ZF, VSF & Clean: 22.9% each (the holy trinity of rep factories)
- BVF: 8.8%
- BTF & ARF: 5.7% each
- PPF, GSF, APSF & ADGF: 2.9% each
Price by Factory
- ADGF: $778 (I know this is not a factory but I do not know what factory creates the Warm Burgundy)
- Clean: $722
- PPF: $548
- VSF: $510
- ARF: $476
- BTF: $454
- BVF: $441
- ZF: $400
- APSF: $274
- GSF: $268
Top 5 Purchased Models & Average Price
- Daytona: $799 (everybody wants to be John Mayer)
- GMT Master II: $663
- YachtMaster: $617
- Submariner: $502
- Ingenieur: $333
Case Size Distribution of Collection
For reference, my wrist is ~18cm (7.1 inches):
- 40mm: 60%
- 41mm: 16%
- 42mm: 14%
- All others (39.5mm, 35mm, 44mm, 37mm, 36mm): 2% each
Superlatives
- Most Expensive: Rolex Daytona - $1,050
- Least Expensive: Grand Seiko Elegance GMT - $268
- Most Common Bracelet: Stainless Steel (shocking, I know)
- Most Modded Watch: Either a Clean John Mayer yellow gold plated with RBF dial and deep crystal or an Explorer II with gen bezel and crystal.
- My Favorite Watch: The white gold blue dial Daytona, the no-date Submariner, and the Ingenuier.
- Most Important Mod: I believe the crystal is the most important mod. It's amazing how really good factories still use cloudy or less-quality crystals. The more recent purchases of mine have either used deep crystal or gen crystal.
The QC Reality Check
Perhaps most interesting: 8% of watches arrived non-functional. Four watches total, with two from the same TD. All but one TD immediately sent replacements or helped me fix the issues. One TD made me ship back to China, which I'm still salty about.
What has your rep journey taught you? Any data points surprise you?
