Replica watches offer a cheap alternative for those who cannot afford expensive luxury brands like Rolex, Piaget, Chroniswiss, Tissot or Cartier. The replicas are available at a fraction of the cost of the high-end luxury brands, and look almost like the original. They are perfectly suited for those who want to flaunt the replicas like the originals. It makes them feel rich and important.

The downside is that buying replicas is like buying pirated CDs or downloading music from the Internet illegally. The replicas use the copyrighted designs of high-end luxury watches, without paying for them. They may therefore look very close to the original but may not work as well.

You must remember that luxury brands are designed and built to provide the highest level of quality and service. Due to this their cost is very high. Replicas cannot achieve the same level of craftsmanship as the originals, and make a poor second.

You therefore need to be careful when buying a replica. You must keep in mind the old rule "buyer beware" when going in for a replica. The replicas are sold in bargain markets and on the Internet. Sometimes the seller may alert you. But there are times when the seller may palm off a replica as an original.

A large number of companies sell replicas on the Internet. Most offer attractive discounts to tempt buyers. The images look very good, and you may be tempted to buy them. However, it is difficult to determine the quality and finish of a watch, from a picture. You cannot make out if it is a good replica with a high level of craftsmanship. That is why one must be careful when buying a replica watch from a net.

Some of the watches whose replicas are in great demand are Rolex, Omega and Cartier. A good way of spotting a replica is to check for spelling. You will find that one or two words are spelt wrongly.

If you are thinking of buying a replica, think about whether you will be comfortable wearing it, when your colleagues, relatives and friends realize that it is a replica. When this happens the replica may not turn out to be a status symbol as you had imagined. On the other hand, if you feel that owning a replica will give you a feeling of satisfaction, it may be just right for you.