Watches have come an awfully long way since their inception and showcase luxury, personality, wealth, status, and craftsmanship.
Regardless of what watch you have whether it’s one worn by Obama or your favorite nostalgia-inducing Timex, they all have their unique meaning to the wearer. This is unless they are a fake watch, then the meaning is significantly different.
In this article, we will be looking at reasons NOT to buy a counterfeit, fake, or replica watch. These are just a few of the things that should affect your decision to steer away from these types of timepieces.
Table of Contents
7 Reasons Not to Buy a Fake Watch
As with any popular products or industry, there will always be counterfeiters ready to make a quick buck, below are some reasons why you should not support these modern-day pirates.
Low Quality
With some high-end fakes, it may be harder to detect the nuances, but for the majority of counterfeit watches, the differences are noticeable even to the untrained eye.
Even if you can not see it on the surface, the quality of a fake watch will be significantly cheaper and worse quality. Typically speaking replica watches can not always get all of the parts that make a particular brand unique.
Take for instance a Rolex, as a rule of thumb they have a very smooth continuous sweeping motion due to the fully mechanical movements, so they do not make the normal ticking sound. If your Rolex is ticking, we have bad news for you, you probably have a fake.
It does not matter how ‘good’ your fake watch is, there is zero chance it will be even a fraction of the quality of a real watch. This is true regardless of the brand but is significantly more noticeable the more expensive the fake is based on.
To put this into context, it would be easy to replicate a Casio that retail under $20 but there would be no advantage as they are already cheap. But replicating a $20,000 watch and selling it for $200 is where the market really thrives.
Consider the shortcuts, cheap materials, and low quality that would go into making a fake version of the real thing. If you are looking for a cheap high-quality watch, look at more entry-level brands, not a fake Rolex.
Your legitimate Timex or Casio will outlast your counterfeit watch 10 times out of 10.
Damages the Industry
When you wear a fake watch you are actively acknowledging that you do not want the watchmakers and industry experts to get paid for their commitment to their work and art form.
People who buy fake watches are trying to align themselves with the characteristics that are represented by the brands, but you will not be portraying these attributes.
In fact, a fake watch undermines the whole industry and takes sales away from the real manufacturers, and puts the money in the counterfeiters’ pockets.
By buying a replica watch you are spitting in the face of tradition and flouting the rich history of watches and the industry. Do not be part of reducing the integrity of such a respected and professional global network of watchmakers.
Questionable Legality
Depending on where you bought your fake watch from you might actually be getting yourself in some hot water. Some countries actively crackdown on the counterfeit industry and look to confiscate fake watches.
Let us say you wearing your watch at an airport and get stopped by a customs agent, you might actually find that your fake watch is seized, and in some extreme cases you can be slapped with a fine or jail time.
The cost of that fake watch will certainly be stacking up if you lose it, get fined, or have to go to jail. The U.S. is notorious for cracking down on counterfeits and takes it very seriously, along with a lot of other countries too.
When you purchase a fake you are fueling the counterfeit industry and could be helping create unregulated, exploitative, and dangerous working environments.
Short Lifespan
Lifespans of watches can be across generations if kept correctly and manufactured with high-quality materials and by an expert.
The same can not be said about a fake watch. They are made to make a quick buck and are sold with much lower quality materials inside.
Patek Philippe famously released an advert stating that you never own the watch, you are merely looking after it before you pass it down.
This rightly implies that luxury watches are like heirlooms and wearable art, as opposed to a fake with a short lifespan that will not make it through 12 months.
Imitations do not stand the test of time, whereas genuine high-end timepieces are built to last. Your fake watch may look good for a short time, but it will likely stop working within weeks or months, sometimes even days.
On top of the battery or mechanism not lasting, you are unlikely to get a watch that is waterproof when you buy a fake.
Counterfeit watchmakers are not concerned with giving you a watch that has all of the bells and whistles, they are aiming to make it cheaply. This affects the lifespan in a big way, especially if you did not realize it before you hit the shower.
Cheaters Never Prosper
This may sound a little dramatic, but the age-old statement rings true when it comes to watches too. The saying ‘fake watches are for fake people’ has circulated around the watch industry for a long time, and although a little bold, it is not far from the truth.
If you are wearing a fake watch you are lying. You are creating mistrust and developing a part of your personality that is based on deception.
People would much prefer seeing you with a sentimental timepiece than a fake one. A watch with a heart-warming story is much more valuable than one bought off a market stall by a guy in fake Ray-Bans.
There is no problem with having a watch that is lower cost and genuine, but the real issue is when someone tries to pretend that they have a luxury watch. It diminishes the importance and values of a real one.
Bad Investment
What does ripping up $20 and buying a fake watch have in common? They are both great ways to lose money. This is just a crude way of showing how little value a fake watch holds.
They do not retain any value, once you have bought it, that is money out of the window. It does not matter if you spent $20 or $200, either way, the value goes to 0 after you have bought it.
You do not even have to compare this to a luxury watch, you could go down to your local Walmart and buy a watch that would have more value than your fake timepiece.
In terms of high-end watches, on the other hand, they are typically seen as a good investment, and can even go up in value. Investing in something that will last is always seen as a more savvy purchase.
On top of this, sometimes a fake watch does not even manage its primary purpose, to keep time accurately. You will have a cheaper interior to your watch that will slow down and eventually stop long before you would ever have concerns with a real watch.
Tarnishes Your Reputation
As we have alluded to in the previous points, a watch speaks a lot about you as a person. Some watches are designed to showcase personality with bright colors and themes, some are conversation pieces, and some are heirlooms.
Having a counterfeit watch creates negative associations about your legitimacy as a person and your attitudes. You may be seen as less trustworthy, more dishonest, and inclined to cut corners. A lot of people believe that a watch can tell a lot about someone’s character.
If you are willing to buy a fake watch, people will start to question the legitimacy of other things you do. Take for instance you are a salesperson, having a fake watch could be detrimental to your sales and personal brand.
Reasons Not to Buy Fake Watches Summary
If you are someone who values a good watch and the industry then do not buy a fake watch. The above are just a few reasons that should act as deterrents when you are looking to buy a timepiece.
Despite being a cheaper price you are getting something that has almost no value. The mantra ‘nothing worth having comes easy (or cheap)’ is incredibly important in this industry.
This is by no means a definitive list, and there are a whole plethora of reasons why you should not get a fake, counterfeit, or replica watch. Hopefully, now you know why the counterfeit industry is so damaging to both the customers and the professionals.
Remember having a genuine Casio is 100x better than having a fake Rolex.
