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1 Japan-Made Replica Controversies Note: This article contains some thoughts and opinions that may not be shared by the entire Replica Center staff
I am sick and tired of people emailing some of our staff members and complaining. Each and every week, we receive at least 5 or so of these emails, and they all point to the exact same situation: a customer who purchased a Japan-made Rolex replica for $200-300, and did not receive a watch that looked very similar to a real Rolex watch. Then the blame is placed on us because we (supposedly) made the recommendation to customers to purchase these replicas. Firstly, let me rebuttal that by saying that this is merely a misunderstanding. We never, ever, ever claim that a $200-$300 Japan-made replica can be exactly the same as the real thing. Some customers assume that because we say they are “very high quality watches”, they assume we mean they are exactly the same as the real thing. Well, you know what… that is far from the truth. When we say the watch is an "..excellent replica for $200-$300..", we mean exactly that – “for $200-$300”. We aren’t necessarily saying it is an excellent replica where no one can tell the difference. Absolutely not. We are just saying that for less than 5% the cost of a real Rolex watch, this is an amazing replica. It is not only 5% exact to the real thing, but up to 60-70%. We are NOT implying that it is beyond 70% exact to a real Rolex (how is that possible with a $200-$300 retail price tag?).
There are many differences between a Grade 1 Japan-made replica and a Swiss-made Replica (or genuine Rolex watch). Here are a few of them:
You can see why it is amazing for these Japan-made replicas to even be 70% exact to the real thing even though they don’t cost that much to manufacture.
A genuine, Swiss-made ETA 25-jewel automatic movement wholesales to watch assembly plants for almost $80 each. Compare that to the $12 wholesale cost of a 21-jewel Miyota Co automatic movement. There’s a big difference in the durability of the movement as well as the quality of the construction and smoothness of the sweeping second hand. The sweeping second hand does not sweep as smoothly, and the ticking can be quite noticeable even from over 1 foot away.
But the point to remember is that if you wear the watch everyday, the gold plating will begin to wear off in a few months. Notice that none of the replica dealers warranty the fading of the gold? The automatic movement will almost certainly last at least 6 months because Miyota makes great automatic movements designed to last a few years. But if the gold wears off, then nothing else matters. Note: Just how much gold is 6-8 microns? 1 micron = 0.000039 inches, which means 10 microns of gold is less than 0.0004 inches thick.
The difference between high-grade and low-grade stainless steel lies in the quality and feel of the steel. High-grade stainless steel is more scratch resistant, and feels much better than lower grade stainless steel. Also, high-grade stainless steel is much stiffer and can withstand pressure even from deep water diving. Because most Japan-made replicas cannot go past a few feet of water, there’s really no point in using expensive, high-grade 440 stainless steel.
Weight and Feel
- ReplicaCenter This can be attributed to a variety of reasons. For one, a solid gold watch is always, always heavier than a gold-plated watch. Also, high-grade stainless steel is more dense and therefore is heavier than regular stainless steel. The Swiss-made replicas also use genuine sapphire crystal which is thicker and heavier than regular glass or mineral crystal found on the Japan-made replicas. The Japan-made replicas weigh about 80-85% as much as a Swiss-made replica, which weighs almost identical to a real Rolex watch since it uses the same quality materials. This means that if you hold a Japan-made replica in one hand and a Swiss-made replica in the other, you can immediately tell the difference.
Durability of Japan-made Replicas - replicaCenter.Com Here is an issue where we get a lot of complaints about – customers claim that we say the Japan-made replicas will last for 5-8 years, but the gold always starts wearing off after a few months. This is simply another misunderstanding. When we say the watches will last for 5-8 years, we are referring to the construction and durability of the watch. So we’re basically saying that the movement will last that long, but of course it is hard to predict how long the gold will wear off and we do not factor that in. But a Grade 1 Japan-made replica usually has around 10 microns of 14k gold (because 14k gold wears off slower than 18k gold). This makes the color of the gold a bit duller. If you are unsure how much 10 microns of gold is… then to put this into perspective, 1 micron = 0.00003937 inches thick. Or, you can say that there are over 25,400 microns in 1 inch thick of gold. You can probably piece this together and see that the gold wears off within a few months if you wear the replica regularly. Very important: Remember that a replica watch lasts only as long as the gold on the watch does not wear off. If the gold wears off, then regardless of the quality of the rest of the watch, the watch is junk. No matter how good the movement or the construction of the watch is, if someone can see any gold wearing off on the watch, then it is an obvious fake. We are clearly advising you never to wear a Japan-made replica with any gold wearing off, or you are setting up yourself for one big embarrassing moment (and then you will probably come back and blame us for it later too!)
Conclusion - ReplicaCenter.Com So in conclusion... if you purchased a Japan-made replica and you are put into an embarrassing situation where someone revealed it is a fake... it is NOT our fault! By wearing a $200-$300 replica of a $5000+ watch, how can you be naïve enough to think that no one can ever tell the difference?! A Rolex owner, without even touching the replica, can probably tell that a Japan-made replica is fake simply by looking at it! It really is not that hard. And for the last time: Some of the real Japan-made replicas are good buys... at the PRICE of $200-$300. But they are in no way identical, or even very similar to real Rolex watches. You just can’t adequately simulate a $8500 2-tone Submariner with a $200-$300 watch (whose manufacturing cost is about $40). Also, you can't compare the look, feel, and durability of 10 microns of 14k gold with solid 18k gold. Remember: 1 inch thick of gold has over 25,400 microns. Yes, that's over 25,000 microns in 1 inch. Copyright(c) http://www.replicacenter.com |