Originally Posted by
monogroover
I note that there have been one or two predictable responses to your question, but of course there will be different motives for different buyers. There is an active replica community where people share pics of their acquisitions, much as we do here with real ones, so clearly they aren't trying to fool anyone. Some people just enjoy them as a way to have a close facsimile of a watch they like with exactly the same aesthetics until you get a loupe out, that's decently reliable and accurate, and costs a very small fraction of the price. It's pretty obvious, isn't it?
I have a few. I like them; I enjoy them. The last one I bought, a few years ago, was a Speedy replica. Just put a new battery in it a couple of weeks ago! I was taken by the white dial, and the quartz microstepper second hand is cute. But if I had a low self esteem to massage or I need to impress someone, I could easily put a genuine Speedy on, or an IWC, or a Rolex. It's not uncommon for people with nice genuine watches to dabble in replicas.