Replica watches for display.
Clarky
IndianaPosts: 200MI6 Agent
I am curious if any of you have a "reputable" replica watch dealer that you have used in the past for display purposes. I know it is a bit gauche, but I don't really like having the my real watches on display.
I am also interested in doing some modification work and don't want to use real Rolexes or Omegas for such damaging work.
I am also interested in doing some modification work and don't want to use real Rolexes or Omegas for such damaging work.
Comments
As you are then always dealing with criminals, this sounds a bit to me like a woman, that is not mad about shoes..
Doesn't exist
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Clarky hope you find what you're looking for
037
No hard feelings.
As for legality, it is actually a grey area. I personally know that that Hollywood property masters use replica watches all of the time. They are most usually from China. Some of the ones I have seen look exactly like the genuine article cosmetically.
I happened to be wearing my Rolex GMT II and they were using a blue and red bezeled one--mine is black and red--and they looked and felt exactly the same.
I can understand wanting to purchase them to modify as per the prop watches, but if you have to go this route buy knackered ones second hand so you are not directly funding the people responsible for the very things you are against. It really does seem like a small thing, but would you want to donate even a penny to a certain Mr Bin Laden and his plotting. I think not.
As to the'feel the same' quote, yes maybe they do, but they certainly are not. I don't think much of people that would wear fake watches, tee-shirts, trainers, belts, socks or anything else. And I doubt you do either.
You're dead on ASP9MM, The problem with right and wrong is sometimes they are very clearly distinguished, and there's no easy way around them.
Clarky, Go ahead display your original watches, spend a little extra on a nice, lockable display cabinet.
Probably better to display watches than to wear them, my Rolex is getting kinda beat up, and at $400 a servicing - another OUCH!
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
It may be illegal in the UK, but it is not illegal in the States and I don't believe for one second that significant portions if any of the replica money is going to Bin Laden. That stuff is over played. If you want to talk about what Illegal trade is going into the pockets of Al-Qaeda it is opiates, not knock off Rolexes. You are buying into propaganda. The U.S. is trying the same tactic with Marijuana. As for morality there is always grey area in that regard by its very definition.
I have a small fortune tied up in fine watches, and I don't consider wearing or using replicas as a legitimate option, but frankly I would love to have a fake double of every one of my watches and keep the real ones safely tucked away in the vault. Besides, there is little difference in making other replica Bond props that everyone here loves so much. And I'll restate the fact that the Property Masters I know frequently use replicas bought from China by the studio.
You won't find anything, because there is no intelligence to support the claim. If you are looking for links to criminal activity you begin to see a small amount of organized crime involved with the Tongs in China. However, you really can't exactly call Tongs a criminal organization or mafia, because they are more of a legitimate business syndicate that sometimes operates outside or around the law. They are kind of like the way the Teamsters were in the early days.
People use this whole don't do this or that because it funds terrorism. Because they don't want you to do it and are trying to scare you with this propaganda. The RIAA and the MPAA in the States have been trying to make this claim about P2P file sharing and piracy and the U.S. Drug Tzar John Walters, recently stated that domestic cannibis production was supporting terrorism. This is a ludicrous claim that has no evidence nor basis fact.
The truth is that of the illegal trade and blackmarket, the sale and transmission of opiates, cocaine, and we are in the beginning stages of methamphetimine are the real conributor to terrorism. Opiates being the predominate cash crop of Al-Qaeda because over 75% of the world Opium and Heroin come from Afghanistan (interestingly, their production dropped under Taliban rule), Mexico being the second highest producer of opiates and number one in methamphetimines (that title was previously held by the U.S.), followed by the "Golden Triangle" of South East Asia. The cocaine trade comes from South America, mostly Columbia. This funds the cartels and the terrorist actions and kidnappings there and in the "Drug War".
These are real facts of the situation.
2. It is an illusion, that these fake watches are produced from chinese family companies. There may be only 2 handful of companies with lots of money, people and tools involved and therefore they need to produce loads of them = they need an organisation and financial power = indications for organisations
3. The margin for these fake watches are extraordinary and it is common sense, the higher the margin is, the more criminal people are attracted from the business.
4. The distribution: You can buy these watches in the backlot of some shopping center, on the street, beach or over the net.
When I see these guys on ebay cheating people with their fakes without any problem, I have no problem to call this criminal.
The people on the streets or on the beach or in backlots are clearly organized.
When I see the amount of spam, my scanner has deleted and the contents, I can see 2 things: Fake watches and Viagra. Viagra is imitated by criminal organisations and not by people with kitchen labs and so it is with fake watches.
Clarky, I don't want to go with you into discussion, if drugs are good or bad. They are bad and are handled by criminal people, period.
And, even if I can't deliver evidence with figures (unfortunately, there is no such thing as a financial report from the Chinese mafia as far as I know), simply use common sense and you will find your own reply.
I have no problem that you want to buy a fake watch, but be prepared to get dirty fingers with it, as, more or less, you are dealing with and supporting criminal organisations.
P.S. I don't think, that Bin Laden profits from fake watches, hut some other highly criminal organisations.
P.P.S I never bought fake luxury products. The joy of luxury is to have something really nice and not a piece of garbage, which looks only like something that is nice.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
What you call an insignificant amount going to Bin Laden is interesting. As far as I'm concerned any amount is highly significant.
I'm not having a go at anyone here, so don't take this the wrong way as not everyone is aware of the profiteers from these items sale. As indeed this thread has shown. I'm sure all of us here have funded these people unknowingly and unwittingly in some way or another, I certainly have. I just wish that there was more done to promote these facts.
Thanks ASP9mm, I think I have to correct this now.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
It is true, he does. I'm not saying that every fake watch goes towards the Taliban, but it is one of the sources of their funds, as is counterfeit cigarettes and other luxury goods and clothing. They don't just pop down the local Lloyds TSB and ask for a loan for some AK's and SAM's
Copying something does not automatically make it criminal regardless of of improvements.
You are right it is an illusion, but not mine. I never said that the money from the fake watches went to Chinese families. I said when you start looking at who the money goes to, it is the Tongs. I would never say that the money didn't go to greedy people.
[
I will again refer you to my Tong statement, however there is a huge difference between the Tongs, Chinese, and Al-Qaeda.[/quote]
You've got two separate points in this statement I'd like to address. Selling fake items on Ebay is a whole other matter. These are people that are trying to pass the stuff off as real. This is criminal fraud. The people that sell replicas as replicas are not trying to pass the items off as real. Therein lies the difference.
These backlot sellers may be selling fakes or maybe selling stolen real watches. I have no interest in dealing with these people. They are either, A: Trying to pass them off as real, or B: Have stolen the items from legitimate sources. Either way that is criminal.
I agree with you. Drugs are bad. You never heard me say otherwise. However, there is a huge discrepancy between a punter selling reefer, and Al-Qaeda and the heroin trade.
That is true, there are not official financial reports by the organizations, however there are intelligence reports that do give good estimates on how much back channel trading goes on. That is what I am basing my information on. And if you would like I can produce some of it for you.
While I appreciate your concern, let me worry about how dirty my fingers get. As for fake luxury items, I'm not out to defraud anyone. The watches I wear are real and I have worked very hard and have been fortunate enough in my life to allow extravagant purchases.
My main question and plan for the question to try and tweak some of them to do some of the tricks 007's did as a weekend hobby kind of thing, that is all.
P.S. I take none of this personally. I enjoy a good debate, so please take nothing I have said as an angry response.
Where are you getting your evidence? There is no evidence that that the replica watch market is supporting Al-Qaeda. The replica watch trade has been going on far longer than Al-Qaeda has existed and, I'm sure, will go on long after. You are talking plain facts, but there is no credible evidence that supports this statment.
I can easily dispute you on this. The Northern Irish get and have gotten the VAST majority of their weapons technology and equipment from the Soviet Union and Russian Mafia. There is volumes of evidence to support this. Only recently have there been signs of Al-Qaeda making contact with the Northern Irish. However, the evidence of close interactions are limited and the profile information precludes their close interaction because of religious differences. That is not to say they don't or won't, but it is unlikely.
To clarify, an insignificant amount, IF ANY. Because there is no evidence to support the claim that Al-Qaeda gets any money from the sale of replica watches.
I don't feel like you are having a go at me. I enjoy a good debate. I agree with your incentive. But you need to get your facts straight.
You are right, there are a lot of things that we have contributed unknowingly and unwittingly. But people should take some of the reported information with a grain of salt and research the topics independently.
Clarky says, he does not see a duck as I don't have evidence, and that is fine with me.
Nothing personal, but the Tong theory sound a bit naive to me after all, I have tried to put on the table.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
lets talk about the gasoline we pump in our cars everyday, oil from terrorist countries, enough said.
037
Explain to me what is naive about the the Tongs and how does what you put on the table discredit the information that I gave in response to your unfounded claims?
If you think it is naive, then it sounds to me like you don't really know what a Tong is.
As far as your "Duck" analogy, I'll counter that in two ways.
1) To quote Homer Simpson, "It looks like ketchup, it tastes like ketchup, but brother, it ain't ketchup."
2) You can't just say something is true and it be so, you have to support statements with evidence. I mean really, I could say your father was an Albanian goat herder. That doesn't make him an Albanian goat herder. You say it looks like a duck. I say fine why does it look like a duck. You say it walks like a duck. I say in what way does it walk like a duck. You say it swims like a duck. I say why are you saying it swims like a duck. You say because it does. I say did you hear it quack, because it might be a goose.
The point is "because you say so" does not an argument make. If you want to talk about naivety to not look at things in an objective manner and give substantiated evidence to support it is naive.
I come from a scientific background. The burden of proof is resolved through evidence. That is how it is done. I have and can give you evidential sources supporting all of the claims I have made in the posts AND anyone can easily look of the facts that I have stated independently of my given sources and come to the same conclusion. As this is really not the place for a scholarly paper on the effects on counterfeit goods and their sales. I don't feel an extensive bibliography of works is required or appropriate.
I just feel that it is important to take care when making such statements the most factual information is given. Misleading information will divert focus from the real problems and real solutions. If you want to get into that I suggest we start a new post in the off topic thread.
Thanks 037, I don't think people are attacking me. I feel no ill-will is being offered against me. I really do enjoy a debate. I think sometimes it is difficult to express certain things on-line. It can make things sound more harsh than it is meant to. I like hearing Bondtoys' opinion on the subject and hope that he is not taking what I say to him personally. He had counter points to me and I had counter points to him.
You do bring up a good point about the oil and I really would be happy to continue a discussion in the off-topic threads.
it is ok, if you don't want to believe, that fake watches support terrorists and organized crime, really! {[]
And I truely understand your motivation, why you want to buy one.
But as I said, you will get your fingers dirty and as ASP 9mm said, every penny, which goes to this sector is a very bad investment.
I find it useless to discuss the degree of dirt, you will get involved with.
From my knowledge in the watch industry, it is not working like a gang saying. "OK, now let's start to produce fake watches", it works differently.
Greetings
Markus
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VViE7QrootQ
My God! I stand corrected!
I hope you don't mind me airing my view on this matter.
At the end of the day, does it really matter if someone wants to own a replica rolex, or omega. I wished I had the money to own the real thing, but as I don't have £1,000+ to spend on a watch, then prehaps a replica is the closest I will ever get. (I own a TIMEX model T29781, which looks like the Rolex Submariner. I was wearing it one day, and got a comment from a man who thought it was a Rolex. I corrected him, which he thanked me for.)
Even the European Union say that it is OK to buy fake designer items, and also dispute claims that fake goods fund terrorism and organised crime. (Telegraph.co.uk article called Fake goods are fine, says E.U. study.)
Don't get me wrong, I would rather have the real thing, but does it matter if I buy a shop's own corn flakes because it is cheaper than the leading brand name. I was once told, by someone in the know, that a leading whisky maker makes whisky for one of the big 3 supermarkets. At the end of the day, we buy what we can afford and, if it's not a brand name, does it make us bad people?
And, in this day and age, would you want to wear a £1,000+ on the lawless streets of Britain, or have a copy which the criminals couldn't get 10p for.
Well, that's my view. Thank you for letting me have a say, and don't judge me too harshly.
yes i do, and the streets aint that lawless.
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
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no one in there right mind would mess with singe holio
Don't try this at home
TIS - "The moment you think you got it figured - you're wrong"
Formerly known as Teppo