Hey there!
I am new in Taipei and enjoy the country so much.
I know the thing that I am asking for is relativly controversial but I still want to know if there are some good places to find a nice looking replica watch.
I do know it is illegal to sell here so I am quite sure I have to ask the salesman to show me some “quality” stuff 
Any recommendations will be great.
Thank you.
In Shanghai.
They aren’t just laying around in shops or with guys walking the streets trying to sell them like in other countries around Asia. The police mostly enforce the laws regarding fakes in Taiwan.
You kind of have to know someone. The people that have and sell them like to remain incognito.
Last century, there used to be shops like that around Snake Alley. Give it a try.
A suitable and also economical alternative is to go to the real goods second hand stores. Goods have guarantee.
We always get our 3rd and 4th world great representatives asking for that… very disappointed when the reality does not match their expectations.
Ok I guess I have to give up on this. I somehow just want to have a nice “classic” style watch.
[quote=“Icon”]Last century, there used to be shops like that around Snake Alley. Give it a try.
A suitable and also economical alternative is to go to the real goods second hand stores. Goods have guarantee.
We always get our 3rd and 4th world great representatives asking for that… very disappointed when the reality does not match their expectations.[/quote]
Second hand store is a great idea. Can you recommend any good store or area? I am kinda lost in this city
Thank you!!
Head to Zhongshiao Fuxing area, there is a cluster of them for you to choose from. Also in Linsen North road but a bit seedier.
Hong Kong… maybe you still need to do a visa run? Any night market… they will bring you to an store upstairs or behind a restaurant. There is always online too.
BTW, this has happened to some unfortunate people:
That when you do need to go through customs you might get pulled for even wearing a fake. It’s happened to some guy from england who bought a horrible quality fake rolex almost a joke of a rolex - doesn’t matter to customs and the guy got hit with a $5k USD or something outrageous fine.
techdirt.com/articles/20070509/151831.shtml
I suggest just buying Seiko SNK809 Automatic watch for $55 USD… its a fantastic solid watch at a great price.
[quote=“y4ws”]Hey there!
I am new in Taipei and enjoy the country so much.
I know the thing that I am asking for is relativly controversial but I still want to know if there are some good places to find a nice looking replica watch.
I do know it is illegal to sell here so I am quite sure I have to ask the salesman to show me some “quality” stuff Any recommendations will be great.
Thank you.[/quote]
In ‘fake land’ … China or on the internet?
Notably there is a wide gap between cheap fakes with a Quartz drive and top class fakes with an automatic drive and a price which may get as high as 350 USD or higher. There is quite a scene on the Internet where there is a three-letter forum which has a list of “trusted dealers” from mainland China which seem to serve their customers well. Besides the thingies needing an overhaul by a watchmaker on arrival now and then. Being a watch geek I am even a member out of pure interest (i.e. wanting to know how to distinguish the fakes from the real thing). I never bought though. Spending 350 USD for a fake Rolex never occurred to me as you can get a German-Swiss Steinhart watch (pretty much a homage to the real thing) for 450 Euro or so. At some point I was considering getting me a Hublot fake and asking the maker for a custom version without(!) the Hublot name.
Never did it though. A Chinese automatic drive usually dies quickly, the auto chrono clones never have the date working properly after some months and getting substandard quality never really appealed to me.
There are good real watches for fair prices out there: Tissot or the for instance the Seiko-connected Orient watches. Even Invictas are not bad.
There cannot be a link to the forum for obvious reasons.
I bought a fake Tag automatic Carrera and I was surprised how accurate the watch was… only problem was one of the third hands from the fake chronograph fell off and is bouncing around inside… so I rarely wear it. They might not have allot of power reserve, but if worn daily its due able without constant correcting the time. OP should buy online, but I wouldnt have it shipped to an address in Taiwan… wait till you go home and shop?
Things like falling-off hands are quite a deterrent I guess, at least for me. Hope it was a Quartz cheapie and not an expensive automatic for 250$ or more.
Edit: Okay, did not read properly, fake Chronograph. The expensive fakes have Asia 7750 or the so-called 8850 (nasty name for a bad 7750 drive) inside. And then the chrono works. Though the date often makes problems after some months, especially with the 8850s.
Dunno about the insides, but in the good ol times, people were looking for the fakes made in Taiwan crystal covers for watches because they lasted longer and did not scratch like the real thing. We tested this with several customers over the years.
Well, the crystal of the watch is sapphire glass for a genuine high priced watch, so it will not scratch. Conventional mineral glass as used for many fakes does however scratch. Not sure if you mean that.
The other way around. The glass thing that covers the face of the watch, we had people changing their legit factory made for Taiwan made because the Taiwanese did not scratch. Honest to goodness.
Faked goods are actually one of the biggest money makers terrorist organizations and gangs. Human trafficking is often tied to faked goods as they are forced to make them. Just saying, think about that the next time you buy a fake gucci bag
Yes, possible, but even if you buy a real one from a real shop, there is a chance it is being made with human trafficking.
Most of it is just people in China trying to get ahead. Guangzhou or Shenzhen have anything from bags to watches to iPhones of sizes you’ve never seen to complete cars to well… anything and everything.
I do sourcing in China.
Please contact me for details.
I understand the difference between fake, high quality, and developing your own branded products.
Cheers
I shall also add I’m in no way connected nor support human trafficking, terrorist groups, gangs, or any form of criminal activity described in the comments above.
Cheerios