this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2023
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So I have been into watches for some time and as such, my circle of friends are (sometimes painfully) aware of my interest. Some years ago I was given an obvious fake as a gift from a friend.

She gave it to me as a gift from her soon to be father-in-law who lives in Mexico City. While visiting Mexico, she told her FIL that she had a friend back in the states who was into watches and her FIL claimed to “know a guy” so she brought back a fake and gave it to me as a gift.

I accepted the gift and just kinda sat on it, not really sure what to do. I didn’t want to make her feel bad because her heart was in the right place but I also wasn’t going to actually wear it either.

Time marched on and I have moved away from that friend which makes it easier for me. My question to the community is how would you deal with an obvious fake being given to you as a gift?

On a totally unrelated note, anybody have any suggestions on the best way to dispose of a fake Piaget? 😂

Edit: pics for the curious: https://imgur.com/gallery/Aj6JXoQ

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[–] GFCallsMePapi@alien.top 2 points 11 months ago

How hot is she?

[–] Jversace@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

You're the kid that complained on Christmas when you didn't get exactly what you wanted huh?

[–] natgochickielover@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

My boyfriend knows I love squishmallows, and when we went to the state fair, he won me one he had seen at a game booth. She sits on my bed and I love her just as much as I would if she was real. Wear it when you might break it, it’s the thought that counts

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[–] Tae-gun@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Basically keep it in storage because of the thought behind it. If the gifter asks where it is, you can always say you're storing it because you don't want to risk losing it/having it stolen.

Over time/distance, you can get rid of it, use it for parts (my preferred method), or find some other means of disposal (e.g. target practice). If asked about it, depending on who's asking, you can say you lost it, or that it stopped working and was too expensive to repair so you sold it, that you had it customized (if you kept it and removed the unauthorized branding), and so on. If you believe the gifter can handle being told the brutal truth (or this is one of several gifts you've received from that person so one of them being faulty/fake is okay) perhaps at that time you can tell the person the plain truth.

As for fake watch disposal, for me it depends on what it's made of, what's inside, and where the unauthorized branding is.

[–] Lunartic2102@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

If you're not comfortable wearing it, just keep it for memories. Dont need to dispose of it, just dont wear it.

[–] PM_ME_PARTY_HATS@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

If they ever ask, tell them you brought it in for service and Piaget seized it as counterfeit

[–] Astropin@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

If your still good friends just sit on it. If you're not...toss it.

[–] happybonobo1@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I would just keep and enjoy it.

[–] xALRIGHT_MATEx@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

If you live in the U.S., it's illegal to sell it, and you obviously don't like the idea of gifting a fake away, so I'd say just put it on a shelf.

[–] decredd@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

In years to come, your family will be here posting, "I inherited this. Is it real?"

[–] Aesma1917@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

mod the hell out of it as amateur watchmaker practice

[–] Nagardien@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I would just keep it as a symbol of that friendship. Fake or not it will bring you memories of your friend when you see it. I think that's more valuable than the watch itself.

[–] BigFluff_LittleFluff@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

If you have moved away from the friend, why not just bin it? Seems like you 2 won't be reconnecting anytime soon.

[–] BadWowDoge@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Wear it on vacations or sporting events so if it gets stolen or screwed up it won’t matter. I would enjoy it as a fun garbage watch.

[–] GreatArtiste45@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

One word: sledgehammer

[–] Milksteak_Sandwich@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Let me get this straight. You had a friend that gave you (what she thought was) a gold AP, and you just went and moved on from that friend?

Can you hook up her contact?

[–] SanderDieman@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Probably roughly the way you did: say thanks for the gesture, yet shelve (or ultimately bin: there’s your suggestion) the sh*tter.

[–] slowandintheway@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Leave it on a park bench in a poor neighborhood.

[–] Affectionate_Most_64@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Exactly how you did but I may have sent her a few stages pics wearing it over time.

[–] BH_Commander@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

What is the idea behind throwing it away exactly? Are you afraid of being arrested for owning a counterfeit? Do you live in a very, very tiny space where you have a literal finite amount of space and thus have no room to put it in a drawer? Asking ‘what to do with’ it seems like a weird question, either keep it in a drawer or wear it or don’t. I couldn’t imagine needing feedback on ‘what to do with it’.

[–] cyberjellyfish@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I'd wear it, who the fuck cares.

[–] jrce88@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I mean you know you don't have to wear it, and you can keep it in a box somewhere. If your friendship meant anything to you, it would be a good item to hold onto. Like you said, her heart was in a good place when she got it for you, and that's what you'll think about when you look at it, plus (possibly) give you a small chuckle that she unknowingly got a fake.

Or you could just sell it and make sure it's obvious that you're selling a fake. Or take all the parts that don't have a brand name/logo and build yourself a custom watch.

[–] Icy_Performer_4662@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

This is a fake AP, not a fake Piaget

[–] TopProfessional3295@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Is it a convincing fake?

[–] SommWineGuy@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Thank them, and if you like the look of it, wear it.

[–] LoaferDan@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

You are now grandpa

[–] No_Drawer_1070@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Maybe engrave it with some nefarious persons name, maybe a shitty politician or something and put it away. Then you can look down/or up and see the inevitable I found this in my great grandfather's drawers....how much is it worth. Sounds like a good mystery for future generations

[–] wrludlow@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Assuming it's a fake luxury watch, wear it in situations when it would risk damage. When people look at you like you're crazy, just shrug it off and tell them that if something happens to it, you'll buy another.
Ultimate flex.

[–] perfectandreal@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Sounds like a dumb friend. If I gave someone money, especially my dad, and they gave me some counterfeit nonsense, I'd want to know.

That being said my dad brought me a fake Patek from Cambodia as a gag gift probably 15yrs ago. It kind of looks like a 5074R, and is automatic winding and actually keeps great time, and by some miracle the day date works to this day. I wear it very occasionally if I think I'm out for a long night.

If it was a fake Rolex I probably would have pitched it long ago, but it is kind of hilarious to me for some reason. At one point I had it on a velcro hiking strap from REI.

[–] jesusplayslax@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Idk man it says swiss so it might be real

[–] xPaulsBalls@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I was gifted a fake watch as well with the person knowing and telling me "its probably not real" when it was given.

I changed the dial to an unbranded dial that had the same look. This way i can still appreciate and wear the watch without the hassle of people thinking its real, people thinking its fake, or in the distant future, someone inheriting it and thinking its worth a lot.

[–] 3l33ter@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Honesty.

Sell it and use that exact money to buy 1 watch that is somehow similar. When asked, you can say that you have a problem with fakes, and after years of wanting to appreciate the gift but having a moral objection to it, you made this choice and you're happy.

Anyone who had their heart in the right place got you the gift to make you happy, not to trap you in unhappiness. Get rid of the bad part of the gift (the physical watch) and keep the spirit of it.

[–] Whatsup_Ijustgothere@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Dispose of it by sending it to me.

[–] Left-Equipment7137@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

If it was me, I'd wear it. It's a good looking watch, who cares if it's fake?

[–] Rekwy_@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Bro you said that she gave you a fake Piaget and you sent photos of fake AP??

[–] BodyBackground2916@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I hope I never meet a "friend" like you in life...

[–] AquilaAdax@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

You know Piaget and Audemars Piguet are two different brands?

[–] Cazas4000@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

That finishing does make it really easy for you to hate that fake.

Well, if I were you I would take care of that gift as my friendship. If that friendship is getting to an end, and it lost value, I would dispose of it. If that friendship has value, I would value that watch over it being a fake.

I will give you an example: My father in law was my dad's brother (my uncle). He passed away 2 years ago and he was a really good person, I admired him. His wife, knew this and knew that I liked watches. So she gave me a Tommy Hilfiger my uncle used to wear as an everyday watch. I HATE watches that are from clothes brands, like Hugo Boss, Mistral, Michael Kross, etc... However I did love my uncle, and this was something that belonged to him, and he enjoyed it. So I DO love this watch and I wear it proudly. I do not care what people that are into this world would think of this watch (as far as I LOVE when someone says something good about a watch I'm wearing), because they do not understand why I like this one.

I hope this helps you.

[–] mcdaddypants1984@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Holy shit that's a bad fake lol. My grandpa was given a fake Rolex by a friend. He has known for 60 plus years as a joke gift. It fell off the self one day by accident and all the hands came off. He still keeps it as a gag gift because it was funny to him and the story of what happened to it.

[–] HoodaThunkett@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

you wait for a time like this when the giver won’t miss it, you take a brick and a hammer and take them and the watch out the back discreetly

place the brick on the ground with watch on top

smash the watch with a hammer until you can no longer tell what brand it was supposed to be

[–] WYLFriesWthat@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Leave it on a watch stand in your place, somewhere very out in the open. If it disappears, problem solved and you learned who you can’t trust. If not, it continues to tell you your visitors are honest.

[–] naripan@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Since it's a gift, no matter what it needs to be appreciated. As it was always said, "Don't look at the item, but look at the sincerity behind it." Just keep it as a memory of your friendship.

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[–] StreetVillage9755@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Depending on the model, I would buy the legit same model and replace it without telling anyone IF she’s a good friend / more than a good friend

[–] flashingblade@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

An ex gave me two fake Rolexes many years ago. I wore them a handful of times. They then sat in a drawer until this year when I decided finally to get rid of them. I disassembled them, which was very interesting, seeing how all the parts fitted together. I had no chance of successfully reassembling them, and so that was the end of them.

[–] FFG17@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

We used to buy fake watches and shoes in Iraq in the early 2000s and send them home. We were young and it was fun. Dude knew he bought you a fake, I’m sure he probably thought it was a decent fake and maybe it isn’t but who cares.

[–] Neknoh@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I'd just wear it and have fun with it, aknowledging it as a fake I got from a friend and being totally up front about it if asked.

Bring back some of that "buy me a rolex for ten bucks in New York wont you?" energy that has gone out of the community.

Imo, a fake gotten as a gift is only bad if you try to pass it off as real despite knowing its origin

[–] McN697@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago
[–] bounceswer@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I’m confused. This is not a Piaget?

[–] Davie_Prod@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Many beginner watchmakers love to work on fakes because since we are learning and practicing if we destroy it it's not a huge deal but can't say the same for a Gen

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