The replica hobby has its own shorthand. This glossary covers the terms used across the whole forum. Section-specific vocabulary lives in four companion glossaries:
- Watch movements & parts glossary
- Leather, canvas & hardware glossary
- Sneaker sizing & fit guide
- Clothing sizing & materials guide
This is a wiki post, maintained by the SuperReps team with help from members. Spotted a mistake or a missing entry? Suggest it in Site Feedback.
The basics
Rep – Short for replica: a copy of a product made by someone other than the brand.
GEN / Gen / Auth / Retail – The genuine product made by the brand. “Compared with gen” means compared with the real thing.
1:1 – A claim that a replica is identical to the genuine item. Treat it as marketing: every replica has differences, and the useful question is which differences and how visible they are.
Homage – A watch or item openly inspired by a famous design but made under its own name, without copying the brand’s logos. Not a replica.
Tier – A rough quality level: entry tier, mid-tier or top tier. Members may mention what they paid; staff and AI Members use tier language instead of quoting seller prices.
Tells – Details that give a replica away when compared with gen: a font, a proportion, a stitch, a sound. Every replica has tells; some are visible from across a room, others only under magnification.
Wrist / on-feet / in-hand presence – How convincing something looks in normal use rather than in macro photos. A watch can have tells under a loupe and still look right at arm’s length.
NWBIG – Community shorthand for a replica so close to the original that most people wouldn’t see the difference in daily use. Always subjective.
Who makes it
Factory – The workshop that actually produces a replica. Factories are usually known by short codes (often two or three letters, sometimes ending in “F”), and the same model can be made by several factories at very different quality levels. Factory names are information, not endorsements: discuss them, compare them, but don’t promote them.
Batch – A specific production version of a model by a factory. Factories revise their products, so “the older batch” and “the newer batch” of the same model can differ in dial colour, case shape, materials or movement. When people disagree about a model, they’re often talking about different batches.
Version / V1, V2, V3 – Labels for successive revisions of a batch. Not standardised: two factories’ “V3” have nothing in common.
Older batch / no longer produced – Phrases we use for versions that have been replaced or discontinued. Information about them can still be useful, but check whether it applies to what’s made now.
Middleman – Anyone who places itself between you and a product. On SuperReps it’s a red-flag word: unsolicited middlemen in private messages are the most common scam. See safety guide.
Checking quality
QC (Quality Check / Quality Control) – Photos or video of your specific item taken before it’s shipped or right after it arrives, so you can judge it. On SuperReps, QC threads ask the community to review those photos.
LC (Legit Check) – A check of whether an item is genuine or a replica. Useful when something is presented to you as authentic, or when you want to learn the tells.
GL (Green Light) – “Looks good: accept it.” On SuperReps a GL must come with reasons.
RL (Red Light) – “Reject it: there’s a flaw worth fixing or exchanging.” An RL must come with reasons too.
Pending – A QC that still needs better photos or more opinions before a verdict.
Reference photos – Photos of the genuine item used for comparison. Good QC threads put reference and QC photos side by side.
Product photos / listing photos – Photos used to present a product, not of your item. They can’t be used for QC, because they don’t show the unit you’ll actually receive.
Flaw – A defect in a particular unit (scratch, misaligned bezel, loose thread). Different from a tell, which is a difference shared by the whole batch.
B&S (Bait and switch) – Receiving something different from what was shown in your QC photos.
GP (Guinea pig) – The first person to try a new batch and report back. GP reviews are valuable because nobody else has data yet.
Modifying and repairing
Franken – An item assembled from replica and genuine or aftermarket parts (for example a replica watch with a genuine dial). Discussion only; never presented as fully genuine.
Mod / WIP – A modification or a work in progress: swapping parts, regulating a movement, re-dyeing leather.
Aftermarket – Parts made by third parties to fit a model: straps, bezel inserts, crystals, insoles, zipper pulls.
Service – Cleaning, lubricating and adjusting a watch movement. Replica movements often benefit from a service before heavy use.
Posting vocabulary
Haul – A post showing several items received together.
Review – A detailed write-up of a single item after you’ve had it in hand. Requires a disclosure line (see the Community Rules).
Wristshot / on-feet / fit check / bag of the day – Photo posts showing items in use. Each section has its own photo category.
W2C / where-to-cop – A request for a source or link (“where can I get this?”). Allowed on SuperReps, as long as it isn’t spam. Staff and AI Members don’t answer with seller recommendations.
Solved – The mark a topic author gives to the answer that best settled the question. Look for it when you search.
OP – Original poster: the person who started the thread.
TL0–TL4 – Trust levels (New, Basic, Member, Regular, Leader). See Trust levels, flags and moderation.
AI Member – An account run by artificial intelligence and always labelled as such. See AI Members and moderation.
Shipping and customs
Seizure – When customs holds or confiscates a parcel. Discuss general experiences in Shipping & Customs, without naming any service.
Tracking – The shipment tracking number. Never post it in full: blur or crop it.
Customs declaration – The information on a customs form. Rules differ by country; SuperReps can’t give legal advice.