Saturday, May 25, 2019

[Review] Rolex Datejust 36mm 116231 from PureTime GMF

Hello RepLadies!

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This is my first post on this sub, sort of a joint effort between my wife and myself. I have bought a couple rep watches before, and have been learning a lot about the world for a while now, and wanted to get my wife something nice since she's not a watch owner but always wanted to be one. My thoughts (and this is the same for men) were that she should get one everyday watch that she can beat up and not care (the Fartier - what she calls it - review coming soon, stay tuned) and a more flashy watch she can wear out (this two-toned rose gold and stainless steel Rollie).

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One note on rose gold/yellow gold plated watches, they are extremely thin in the precious metal plating generally (called electroplating) so with a lot of wear and use will not last all that long before some discoloration may occur. I know of some who have had all gold rep watches for years and haven't had a problem, but many others who have. Because of this, we thought the everyday watch should be all stainless steel which the Cartier is, while this Rollie would be more of a going out watch to preserve the longevity.

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As this is my first post of hopefully many if you all find this useful, I'll start with some general commentary about replica watches as I see it. Generally, the movements (the inside of the watches that make the clock work) are clones of the genuine (gen) version with some rare exceptions for lower end watches. For this reason, buying from a reputable source is important. PureTime is my favorite, but InTime and ChazingTime are good, but the latter two should be avoided for a bit as they seem to be having some legal issues at the moment as I understand it, but is something that is quite normal in the watch game. Anyways, with the movement being generally well made by the reputable trusted dealers, you still probably want to have a watchsmith look at the watch as well to make sure it's properly lubricated and working as it should. Some watchsmiths are pretentious and will not work on a replica watch, but my suggestion would be two options. One, find a replica watchsmith online in your country and ship the watch to them to service. They can easily be found through Google, but also the RWI forum, which is my go-to for rep watch info, it's the RepLadies equivalent in the watch world imo. There you will find online rep watchsmiths who are verified trusted. Second, you can simply call around to your local watchsmiths and ask them if they'll work on your watch. I'd suggest saying something like, "I just bought a Rolex from a friend and I think there's a Chinese movement inside, would you be willing to take a look at it and make sure everything's running smoothly? I won't hold you accountable if anything breaks." You want to add that last bit in there just to assure them since Chinese movements may not be familiar to them.

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There's a butt-load more information I could share, but instead of making a guide, just wanted to give you what you needed to buy this watch if you're so inclined and be equipped with every bit of information you needed to make a confident decision. Obviously feel free to ask anything we failed to cover here.

  • Link to the watch on PureTime
  • Sticker price of item: $558
  • Price of shipping: $35 flat fee for all watch orders
  • Payment method used: Bitcoin (if used, applies an 8% discount to the order)
  • Total cost: $558.00 + $35.00 - $44.64 = $548.36
  • Order timeline:
    • Ordered through website: 04/28/19. Note, you won't pay at order for Bitcoin, they will contact you for payment details shortly thereafter.
    • Payment info received from PT: 04/30/19
    • Paid for watch: 05/08/19. Coinbase makes you wait 11 days for a purchase of Bitcoin to clear, so keep that in mind if you start the process. You'll want to deposit enough to cover the Coinbase transfer fee of a few dollars as well as a little extra in case the value of Bitcoin declines (it can also go up, making you money as well).
    • QC pics received: 05/11/19. PureTime gives you 24 hours to accept or reject the QC pics. Generally you want to scrutinize in the same way as for your bags, just making sure there's nothing glaring wrong, don't compare it necessarily to the gen version, that research should have been done ahead of time.
    • Watch shipped: 05/14/19 - via DHL. I like DHL, they email you at almost every step of transit. They only thing you need to clench your buttcheeks for is U.S. customs, I haven't had a problem before, but I know others have from time to time. As far as I know, PureTime will replace your seized watch for free whether it's in the U.S. or China. But you can reach out to sales over there and confirm that if you're concerned.
    • Watch delivered: 05/17/19

Photos

Quality - 9/10

Quality is top notch. It's on the more expensive end of the spectrum as far as reps go, so you'd expect more from the watch, and it does deliver. The only thing that isn't as great which I'll talk about below as well, is the bracelet feel but that's only me nitpicking. The movement is an SA3135 automatic Asian clone, not as prone to breakage as some of the other movements, not the highest quality movement out there but obviously for the cost it's a good value. You have a well working watch, that to the naked eye looks almost exactly like the genuine version when on the wrist.

Accuracy - 9/10

This is one of the better replica datejusts that are out of the box (ootb). They have made a lot of tremendous improvements over the years on this watch, and while it's not perfect, no watch is. I took off 1 point because I have a very high bar. A 10/10 would be a super replica, of which few exist in the watch world out of the box, especially with Rolex. You have to start introducing genuine parts, and really do your research if you want to go that route as to which parts would give you the most bang for your buck. Here is a list of super replicas and NWBIG (not worth buying in gen) from RWI, but many are men's sized watches.

The only thing that keeps me from giving it a 10/10 are the very minor details that I know are different from the gen. Bracelets in general on reps are rarely going to be as good as the gens. This watch is no exception, the edges of some of the links in the bracelet are a little sharper than the gen, but it's not uncomfortable and can't be seen, just felt. Also, the crystal is just a little shinier than the gen, more reflective as well as the date window, but the magnification of 2.5x is correct. The date font is a hair thicker than the gen, but you won't be able to tell without a microscope. Of course the movement, if anyone opens the watch it's a dead giveaway, but otherwise, you can definitely wear this with confidence.

Bottom line, you're getting 90% of the real watch for 5% of the price. In my opinion, that is absolutely worth it.

Satisfaction - 10/10

Me:

As far as the logistical part of the process, I'm pretty happy with everything. PureTime is a breeze to work with, and they have among the best selections on their website in the business. One thing to note with rep watch retailers is that they all have access to the same factories. There aren't that many of them, so all of the dealers have basically equivalent access, not like with the bag world where you have certain TSs who may have more access than others. If you want something, but don't see it on the website, just reach out to PureTime and usually they can source it for you.

Wifey (u/kdcakes1):

The watch looks great! It looks so much better in person than the photos from the website, so it's better than I thought it would be when I got it. Nobody will question whether it's a replica imo. I have tiny wrists, and this watch, as you can see from the pictures, doesn't look too big. I don't know if I'd go bigger than 36mm, but if you have more average sized wrists, you can even get away with 38 or 39mm which opens the door to a whole lot of options in other watch brands. I would suggest going to an Authorized Dealer (AD) in your area and trying on a bunch of different sizes and shapes to see what fits you, then go to PureTime and find the watch you like that matches that aesthetic. Good luck ladies!

Seller Communication and Service - 10/10

PureTime is my go-to trusted dealer for watches. They have a separate email account for their sales, QC, billing and shipping and all work together seamlessly to get your order filled. Pretty impressive from China. Also, if you want to contact the owner directly, you can go to the PureTime forum at RWI and speak with their ambassador Angus over there, he's very responsive to any issues you may have and they have a great reputation. I've bought 3 watches from them so far and all have gone smoothly. They will also help you through your first iteration of using Bitcoin, but after the first time it becomes pretty easy.



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