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Showing posts from November, 2019

Omega has always been a brand

Right next to the newly opened factory of this illustrious Swiss brand, the construction of a real Omega museum has recently started. And that is a good thing in itself - the current museum is (no matter how charming) the most resembling a recently cleaned up mess where next to some NASA memorabilia there are some of the most extraordinary watches in the world (the ultra thin Omega by John F Kennedy, anyone ? The golden Speedmaster of Richard Nixon? Some nonchalantly laid down Speedmasters who have been in space? Yes, it's all there). But the part that is literally the center of this museum is somewhat surprising this time not the Speedmaster. Omega's focus on functional, watertight and professional diving watches is the focal point here. And that is not for nothing: Omega has always been a brand that has placed great importance on reliability, functionality and robustness. That was already the case in the 1930s, but also in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Certainly the 1940s prod...

Confessions Of Serial Replica Watch Buyers

About 25 million authentic watches roll out of Switzerland’s manufacturing plants annually, compared to China’s 663 million. It is a known fact that some of these latter watches are illegal copies of others, resulting in a colorful and dynamic, albeit seedy and clearly criminal fake watch industry. Why are some of the world’s top brands copied when others are left alone? Who buys these replica watches and why? What can you do to ensure you’re getting the real thing? Let’s see Reference While preparing this article, I spoke with a number of people who freely admitted to being replica enthusiasts. “Just don’t use my name,” each said. One young man told me how he justified buying his first copy watch. “I had my eye on a Panerai Luminor Marina,” he confessed. “But at a price of $6,800, I wanted to be sure the size was a good fit for me. A week on the wrist ought to tell. Right? I put down $55 for the replica. I’m glad I did. The real one is beautiful, but after a week I decided t...