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Buying a Casio multifunction watch...

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Pegasos9

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Buying a Casio multifunction watch...

Post04 Jan 2008, 12:00

Greetings to everyone,


i have some questions and they are the reason i mainly was registered in the forum, since i do not have really large amount of time to be actively discussing watches.


Well, i decided some time ago to purchase a digital watch. I have NEVER owned a digital watch before! The features i was interested in, are the barometer/altimeter, thermometer, digital compass kind. So, since i knew almost nothing, i did some research online for at least 2 weeks. I ended up deciding to buy a Casio Protrek/Pathfinder 120T with a titanium bracelet from Ebay. I must admit, that i was a bit relieved to see that there is so much fuss going on about replica watches, but it concerns solely specific brands, like rolex mainly and some others, like omega. I was relieved because i thought that no one would be interested in replicating digital watches, where functionality is the key and not the fancy looks or the brand name.

This, i thought minimizes the chances of me buying a fake, shoping online. For any case, i found what i thougt to be the most cool looking seller on ebay, a german one, the only seller i ever saw having a 100% positive feedback from buyers! Even is he was a 10-15% more expensive than others selling the same product! So, i was peacefully browsing, after paying the dude online, thinking how good i have resolved things and eager to receive my authentic technology casio watch..... when i stumbled upon a website, called something like 'wholesale replica watches', from CHINA, which claimed they sell ALL the Protrek/Pathfinder series!!!!!! I browsed their products, am not sure if the pics used where their own or the original ones from casio website....! I was surprised and my trust shaken. Of course, i still believe that my german seller is above suspicion concerning his authenticity, but nonetheless i was surprised to find that website. I even wrote an email to them, pretending i am interested in buying wholesale, asking about the functions of these replicas they say they sell. I asked if they have the same functions and water resistance as the original models. It is known that in other replicas, looks tend to match the original but functionality and durability are far from matching.

So, i am just curious and would like to hear your opinion. What the hell are these Chinamen doing?! Do you believe they are able to copy the technology and provide an absolutely similar digital watch? What do they do, buy an original, tear it apart, and study its technological feats and inovations?! I would like to hear anyone's opinions on these. As i said, i am new to digital watches, untill now, when these extraordinary functions had me get really interested.
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Fitron

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: Buying a Casio multifunction watch...

Post04 Jan 2008, 22:05

?! Do you believe they are able to copy the technology and provide an absolutely similar digital watch? What do they do, buy an original, tear it apart, and study its technological feats and inovations?!


Yes. That's where they're all built anyway so the odds are good that many fake watches are built in the factory where the original is built, on the same assembly line. Annoying but a fact of life. One forum member (Majestyk) had his own watch built in China and knock offs appeared for sale in Asia. It's what they're good at - copying others. It's easy to catch up, difficult to overtake.

P.S. Welcome :-D
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Pegasos9

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Re: : Buying a Casio multifunction watch...

Post05 Jan 2008, 23:04

Fitron wrote:Yes. That's where they're all built anyway so the odds are good that many fake watches are built in the factory where the original is built, on the same assembly line. Annoying but a fact of life. One forum member (Majestyk) had his own watch built in China and knock offs appeared for sale in Asia. It's what they're good at - copying others. It's easy to catch up, difficult to overtake.

P.S. Welcome :-D



Hello,

i m not sure what you mean! That the fake ones are built in the same factories that produce the original ones using the same methods, standards and materials??? Do you mean this is done with the official company knowing about it, or maybe by people who just have acess to the facilities and knowhow?? Is it possible that at a such lower cost, these digital replicas may provide the same quality and functionality of the originals? I dont see how something like that could be possible... :roll:
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: Buying a Casio multifunction watch...

Post06 Jan 2008, 00:04

Do you mean this is done with the official company knowing about it, or maybe by people who just have acess to the facilities and knowhow


If the official company knew about it you can bet they'd cancel the contract pretty quickly, but the factory may well use it's surplus capacity to supply China based businesses with copies. Quality is not likely to be as highly controlled and the materials are often inferior to save money. It's not just watches that they do this to either, large consumer items also get hit like this but China is supposedly cracking down - it's bad for business to scare off foreign investors when all that happens is that they get their products copied immediately. Of course we keep going back regardless - One billion people fast earning money is a very big market.

Is it possible that at a such lower cost, these digital replicas may provide the same quality and functionality of the originals? I dont see how something like that could be possible...


All digis are dirt cheap to make in large quantities. The price you pay on the high street has virtually nothing to do with the cost of manufacturing it (except for the real cheapos - you really get what you pay for with them....) The major difference is quality control. Your genuine product is not likely to die on you first time you use it and if it does you have some kind of comeback - unlike knock offs.
Pay your monies, take your choice. Me? I avoid fakes these days as they aren't worth the disappointment.

P.s. Fakes have normally virtually no water resistance as that's costly to get right, but they'll claim to be waterproof....
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xevious

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: Buying a Casio multifunction watch...

Post06 Feb 2008, 20:50

I agree with Fitron.

You have to remember that not long ago, China received significant complaints from international companies having goods made there as a large number of knock-offs were discovered. Eventually, China "cracked down" on the practice and it occurs much less. But the main issue is that it is a fundamental view of their society, that there is no such thing as "intellectual property". It's a foreign concept being imposed upon them to keep playing "fair". So naturally, it's hard to impress upon them the idea that it is wrong and a crime.

Despite this the practice is still being done to some degree, but just well hidden. I have to believe that company controls would minimize the chance of fakes being produced by the exact same machinery as the originals. However, there's little they can do about "excess" materials being made and assembly taking place elsewhere at significantly cheaper rates (thus greater chance of poor quality). Casio contracts to have a certain number of watches made, so the Chinese plant buys the material... they will buy excess to cover for mistakes and no doubt make extra parts.

But, they wouldn't necessarily have all original parts available to assemble complete watches from the excess... the contracting agency, like Casio, may purposely furnish a few parts in the process from outside China that would be hard to copy exactly. This would help them distinguish the real from the fake, to prevent fakes from getting Casio service. There have been a few Casio fakes witnessed where they were close to the original, but not quite--case back stamping not spot-on, fonts of labels slightly different, LCD display background a different shade, etc.

An eBay seller has the responsibility to know and trust their suppliers. If your seller has a long series of positive feedback, it is highly likely you are getting a genuine product. One thing I'd recommend for you to do--go to a retail store and thoroughly scrutinize the watch model you're buying, then examine the watch when you receive it to see if it's the same (it would be awkward to bring it to the store for a direct comparison in front of the sales clerk!).

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