The Breitling Watch Source Forums

One argument against fakes is that they devalue the brand....however I am not so sure that this is true. As Mark has said, if they are sold as the real thing, then this would certainly be true.

However, if someone can afford a Breitling, and they want a Breitling, then they will buy one. If someone can't afford a Breitling, and they buy a replica, then Breitling or the economy hasn't been affected per se, because the buyer of the replica couldn't afford the real thing anyway.

Replica's damage the genuine market (in both image and value) when they are sold as the real thing. Many replicas are very good these days, but the majority that are available to everyday people who think they'll buy a Breitling replica for fun are not, and can be easily spotted. In my oponion the replica world doesn't harm the genuine brand name unless peple do start selling them as the real thing.

I hear the arguement many times: If someone cannot afford to buy an original they are not hurting the brand by buying a fake, since they would not be spending money on the original anyway. Problem is you are paying for exclusivity with an original and if every kid in town is wearing a fake Breitling, you can bet I will not want to spend big bucks on an original.

Very emotive topic this one! But it's a good discussion too.



On the above quote, again all I'd say is buy things for yourself and forget about what others think. If owning the genuine article is important to you, then do it. Who cares if there are loads of fakes out there : you'll know that what you own is real. And that's certainly enough for me...., but then I guess we all have different values.

(And besides, a lack of exclusivity never did the good old Seamaster Pro's popularity any harm! )

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Driver8

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I completely agree that you should buy for yourself and this is what I do. I disagree, however, that noone should care if the market is flooded with fakes. Of course I know that I have an original, but what about the company (Breitling) or person that spends time, money and effort developing a quality product, only to have it "faked". This can hurt a company or persons reputation as well as decrease product value. If I can't afford or justify purchasing a product that I really want, oh well, I guess I will have to live without it and I am fine with that. I just do not see the point in buying a fake. I would not be happy because I know its fake. But that just my point of view.

Sorry jmiliz, I didn't mean for a second that we shouldn't care about fakes in my last post. I personally absolutely hate fakes with a passion and what they stand for (check out a few of my other posts for generally ranting about that one! ). What I meant was in relation to the post I was replying to, whereby I was saying that the fact there are fakes out there should in no way stop someone from buying an original due to a perceived "lack of exclusivity".



Totally agree with your point here too. For example, I'd LIKE a Hublot Big Bang watch, but at around £8000 I can't justify it, but that certainly doesn't mean I'd ever consider a fake.

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Driver8

Site Moderator