What is a Swiss Replica Watch?
I’ve posted about this before, but I thought I’d bring it up here. The “Swiss” in Swiss replica typically refers to the origin of the movement. Genuine ETA movements (the most common high-end replica watch movement) are made in Switzerland, or at least they’re marketed there. These movements are reliable and accurate and therefore prized by replica collectors as the “best” movements on the market. Watches that use this brand movement are called “Swiss” replicas, and are considered more desirable because of the durability of the movement.
Something that is graying this definition is that Chinese manufacturers are duplicating the ETA movement and selling it a cost savings when compared to the genuine Swiss version. Replica makers, who make their watches with as cheap of components as they can get away with, are flocking to this Asian copy of the ETA movement. And replica watch makers aren’t the only ones. ETA announced that they have plans to discontinue selling their movements OEM, meaning they won’t be available to replica makers, or even legitimate brands such as Breitling and Panerai.
So what do you get with a “Swiss” replica watch? A watch made with the highest quality components found in the replica watch industry. These watches typically have excellent cases and bands, accurate dial, and of course the Swiss movement that makes it work smoothly. Expect to pay a premium when shopping for a Swiss replica.
Be careful: there are a number of dealers who’ll mislead you to believe that you need to pay $800 or more to get a replica of this quality. That simply is not the case. Swiss replica watches can be bought for easily under $500, you just have to look on forums such as TRC and RWG to find the dealers who sell them.