Re: what is REPLICA watch?


"David Johnson" <djohnson64+news@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:B8FSe.65768$ja7.46012@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> On the off chance you aren't just trying to advertise the website:


Actually he was.

> Replica is a nice way of saying fake. A cheap fake will have a quartz
> movement-Almost everyone knows that a quartz Rolex ticking once per second
> is fake. The better ones may have a Chinese mechanical movement, nowhere
> near as accurate or durable. The very best fakes will have a Swiss ETA
> movement, although it will be the lowest grade, closer to what's used in
> an $80 Swatch than what is in a mid-grade Swiss watch. You'll also likely
> get a plated brass case in a fake, rather than gold or stainless--In a few
> years it will corrode badly, and it will become more and more obvious it's
> a fake.
>
> You can get an homage watch with very similar style and a quality Swiss or
> Japanese movement (and a warranty) in a well-made case relatively
> inexpensively--The main thing missing is the fake trademark of the
> original. These are legal and moral, and often cost less than a similar
> fake.

I'd like to tell you now how I ended up with a watch that was a "replica" of
itself yesterday and the interesting philosophical questions it raises.

For the last year or so the watch I have worn most often has been a Zodiac
automatic that I bought at a Fossil outlet for $80. It is this exact watch:

http://www.watchseller.com/watchseller/zodcalclasau.html

and I like it very much. Perhaps even too much because I wore thru the calf
band rather quickly. The band did not break but it looked lousy. So a
couple of months ago I put it on an aftermarket 5-row stainless bracelet.
This looked OK but if you looked closely the bracelet was not perfect - it
had straight ends and a brushed finish that did not co-ordinate with the
all-polished look of the watch.

Yesterday I was in a Fossil outlet in Lancaster, PA (Fossil now owns Zodiac)
and what do I see in a "reduced" section but the factory stainless bracelet
for this watch . Again 5 row, but this time with polished links, curved ends
that match the lug contours and a nice double folding deployant clasp with
the Zodiac emblem. I'd conservatively estimate the retail value of the
bracelet at a minimum of $100, but they were offering it for $50. The
men's version of this bracelet:

http://bernardwatch.com/detail/detail-ZOD3204.html



But wait (as they say on infomercials) - it gets better. They were selling
not just the bracelet for this price but a complete watch. Attached to the
bracelet was the very same watch that I own, but in a white dial and a
quartz movement.

Next came the bad part. I asked them to size the bracelet for me and to
switch them between the watches. After a moment, it became clear to me that
the kids behind the counter (and they were kids) really didn't know what
they were doing. The end result was that they ended up breaking one of the
pins inside the now spare link (this watch uses a pin and collar system). As
a consolation prize, a little further negotiation brought the price of the
watch & bracelet down to $30.


So now I am the proud owner of a Zodiac quartz watch that is the evil twin
of my black Zodiac, but in white and with a quartz movement. The mechanical
has a glass back to show off its (lightly finished but not unfinished) 2824.
Spinning off the solid faux engraved (a close look show that the pebbled
"carved" areas are actually stamped or forged ) back of the quartz reveals a
rather small 5 jewel Rhonda quartz movement and a large plastic spacer.
The movement is plated with a gold color and stamped "Zodiac" in ink but
otherwise looks very undistinguished. And yet it should perform well.

Is the quartz watch a "replica" of my other Zodiac, since "replicas" are
usually quartz copies of mechanical originals? Subjectively, the experience
of wearing the two watches is about the same - the case, dial & hands are
identical (except for dial color), with of course the exception of the
quartz watch's jumping second hand (and probably the quartz keeps slightly
better time). Is one "Zodiac" more real than the other? The factory would
say not, but OTOH, I never would have bought the quartz one on its own while
I snapped up the mechanical when I saw it. Why would most of us here
(myself included) consider the mechanical to be "real" and the quartz watch
not something that they would buy?


.

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