Quote:
Originally Posted by C5driver
There are, and I agree.
When I said "the market", I was referring to the percentage of buyers and specifically, the ones who look for the $50 watches, be it in Times Square, or as Tony pointed out, the PRC.
I'm not judging those who buy fakes/replicas. Their money, their watch.
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The cheap fakes are crap. Usually quartz or some low beat automatic movement. The people who buy those are just looking for something cheap to show off.
I guess knowing something about the authentic watches and owning them, those people have a higher standard when looking for fakes. As Tony mentioned, in Asia people generally don't care if you have a fake or not. As long as it isn't a glaringly obvious fake, people rarely care. Friends openly talk about their fake watches, which merchants have the good ones and compare fake to real models. Lots of people will own a few real ones or upgrade to a real one later because of peer pressure or the desire to own the real article.
It is totally dependent on the circles you are in though. A female friend of mine is a lawyer. She has a law degree in China and the USA and so she works a lot of international cases. Generally she wears a lot of brand name items.. Gucci, Chanel, Prada, LV etc. It's all authentic and costs quite a bit. But as she says it, it is the price of doing business. She has to see clients and well off Chinese clients like to work with people who look like they are doing well. It is a sign of power and people have respect for others who look like they are doing well. The thinking is if they are doing well, then working with them, they will do well together from a financial standpoint. I think this thinking is why the pursuit of luxury products is very important to a lot of Chinese customers. The image of success it provides opens doors to those looking to network and increase their business opportunities. I can see people who can't afford the authentic items try to do the same by obtaining the fake ones.