So we all get them, the emails from China offering brand name watches at ridiculously low prices. They even tell you know that these are replicas and made to ‘look like famous watches.’
www.discoverybuying.com is one such site that is flooded with replica watches from makes such as Breitling, Rolex, Tissot, Tag…..
The thing is these are counterfeit, replica sounds much more innocent than counterfeit, but that’s exactly what they are.
Do they though damage the brand name? To be honest I don’t think so. Anyone with the cash and eye for a good genuine watch will not be buying one of these, they will be spending the cash and getting the real thing.
The thing that had got me for a long time though was one question, ‘What are these fakes actually like?’ I bit the bullet and paid out the big $$$ to find out. I ordered a Tissot 8007 with the heft price tag of $7.99 delivered! That is so cheap it is hard to believe. The postage alone would almost cost that.
The Tissot 8007 doesn’t actually exist, but the Tissot PRC200 does, and it is clearly this model that the replica is based on.
Here is the genuine watch : http://www.watchshop.com/mens-tissot-prc200-chronograph-watch-t17152652-p29833.html
I have put together a little gallery photoshoot of the ‘unboxing’ of the replica watch. I’m sure you will instantly agree that the look of the replica is pretty much perfect in comparison to the genuine item.
The similarities, visually, still shock me with these two watches. One thing the internet can not demonstrate though is how they actually fell and operate.
It is in relation to this that the differences become more than apparent. There are two very obvious issues with this watch when you see it in the flesh:
1. The dials don’t work. Those three tiny little dials do absolutely nothing! I don’t need to elaborate on that any further, they are just for show.
2. The ‘leather strap’ is terrible, it is more like stiff plastic than even faux leather. Again enough said!
However that is pretty much were the bad points stop. I have now had this little faker for about two months and it still looks sparkling, the strap has held out better than I ever thought! The watch itself feels sturdy and well put together, I accidentally wore it in the shower and it survived with no issues, not even a little fogging!
That’s all there is to say really, this is a replica, my questions have been answered, it looks real, but it doesn’t have real dials. it keeps the time and is pretty well made, the strap is worse than words could describe but for $7.99 it is a bargain! The thing is and remains, it is fake, counterfeit and morally wrong! It is obvious that there is little in the ways of trademark infringement or copyright legislation in China because this is as blatant as it comes!
One last thing the real one weights in at $430.00 (converted)!
