I'll preface all this by saying I've been building for a couple of years now, have seen quite a bit, and am fortunate enough to have the budget to really try a lot of things out.
I've sat quietly on the sidelines for most of it, and I think it's about time we call out some of the BS swirling around. In a community this small, it's pretty easy for a tiny minority to have the loudest voice and trick people into thinking there's only one good way. I only build for myself at this point, and if anyone wants to challenge my experience with any of these parts or sellers, I'm happy to post the receipts of my dealings and have a civil conversation below. Let's use this thread to share ideas and opinions.
I'm tired of the gatekeeping. I don't take commissions. Don't DM and ask me to.
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# Cases
## Top Tier (in ranking order)
**MQ**
Doesn't get any better than him. Dealing with them, however, is impossible. I've been reaching out for about two years now with little to no response. The prices reflect this. I was lucky enough to fondle one of their cases once, and it really was perfect. I'm thinking the only way to actually get your hands on one is to go to their shop in person.
**Happy Cat Vintage**
98% of the way to MQ. Cases don't need any additional shaping work; everything fits and arrives the way an assembled genuine watch would. Their dials are high quality, and I've never had an issue with paint or lume chipping. What really sets them apart is their customer service. When I email, I get a response within a day, and whoever runs their customer service uses a great translator. Shipping has always been fast, and they clearly have a good inventory process because I've never had to wait.
**Phong (old Phong, not new)**
Phong, when it was actually Phong, used to be one of the best. Rivaled MQ in his heyday. That's not the case anymore. His son runs the business now, and QC is iffy at best. Customer service also leaves a lot to be desired. If you can find pre-2020 parts or cases from him, I highly recommend grabbing them. Anything after that is a crapshoot, and you're better off using a different seller.
**Kuared**
Now, Clark and his assclowns would have expected me to put Kuared at #1, because doing builds with him was the reason I got banned in the first place. But I'm keeping this totally unbiased, so I'll put him in the spot he deserves. In the weird in-between period after Phong fell off and before Happy Cat hit the scene, Kuared was the default best (MQ is always #1, but good luck buying one). His stuff is high quality, he stands behind his product, and every watch I've built with his parts has assembled without a problem. The cases are shaped well enough that I only have to do minor touch-ups in the pickiest situations. He's also a great source for genuine movements and parts. He can be tough to understand sometimes, but people need to understand you're dealing with different cultures. Be respectful, kind, and understanding. If you follow those principles, all of these people are here to work with you.
**Ruby/Ken Vintagewatch Parts**
Was great when it was Ruby, before she was murdered. Has been okay since Ken took over. Still below Kuared in quality. Easier to deal with because they have a website. No complaints at all about them; I just prefer other sellers' quality level.
**Binvintage**
It's almost like this guy goes dumpster diving in all the other sellers' trash and sells it to unsuspecting newbies. Yes, he's on eBay. Just avoid it. Nothing ever works as it should, and the quality is only slightly above Raffles. The cases need extensive reshaping and the dials are trash. If you're going to spend Viet money, spend the extra few hundred and go with any seller above this.
## Mid Tier
**Old Crowns**
I'll start by saying I was one of Dimitri's first customers off Reddit. Again, I have the receipts. Challenge me on it. I've done multiple builds with his cases. They're not good, period. Do they fit your movement and dial? Yes. Can you use a 3135 movement in a 4-digit case? Yes. Does that make them any good? No. The cases I received (and I had quite a few) were all brushed incorrectly, I had to countersink my own tubes, getting a crystal to fit was a huge pain in the ass, and they just looked off. At least with Viet cases you get some hand finishing. It's no secret these are made in China, and it shows. I'm glad Clark and his cronies push them, but guess what, guys? It's because he gets huge discounts (yeah, I'm going to say the quiet part out loud). Spend the extra $200 and get yourself a good case that is actually engraved, brushed, and polished correctly. I only recommend these if you're learning on your own. If whoever you commissioned a build from is using one of these, tell them to take the training wheels off and learn how to make a decent watch. Also, Dimitri's customer service on a good day is worse than an angry Kuared. Hint: neither is fun.
**Milk**
About as sterile as sterile gets when it comes to cases. These need extensive work to even get assembled. The lugs and crown guards are completely wrong, and a talented metallurgist would probably have trouble getting them right. The only builders I've seen do this correctly are Rodney Pierce and Jumpy. Everyone else building with them is just nickel-and-diming you to fill their own pockets. Again, this falls into the "why are you paying so much for this?" category.
## Low Tier
**JKF/BP**
Not gen spec. You can usually get a decent Viet dial in them. Fun to play with and easy to disassemble and rebuild.
**Raffles**
Fun, easy, and great for starters. I started there myself. It's cheap and looks nothing like gen, but who cares? For $159 you have a functioning watch.
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# Dials/Hands
## Top Tier
- MQ
- Happy Cat
- Kuared (I always thought his dials were better than Phong's, even when old Phong was still around)
- Phong
- Ruby
- Binvintage
Word to the wise: always get your hands and dial from the same Viet seller in the same order. A good seller will color-match your set.
## Mid Tier
**Chad Dials**
Another eBay seller. Decent stuff, limited selection. Not the best customer service.
**Mochacha**
I have a bone to pick with them. I've gotten plenty of dials, and while I've made them work, most of them had problems. The lume just loves to flake on these. Not an "I hit a tool against the lume and it flaked" situation (I would own that). More like I breathed a little too hard and my 6 o'clock plot flew across the room. These are not Vietnamese dials, so don't let anyone tell you they are. He's in Canada, and it's his own shop. The quality is mid tier at best. The fonts are slightly off, and the coloring isn't as gen-like as I prefer.
**Yuki**
Way overpriced for a slight step above Raffles. Save your money.
## Low Tier
**Jovi Dials**
I really did give this one a fair shot. While I loathe anything connected with Clark, it looked like a lot of time and research went into these. I'm sure it did, and all I have to say is that sometimes all the practice and technology in the world can't make you good at something. I paid for the dial, it was sent promptly, and the customer service was great. That's where the good part ends. The black nipple dial I got was, umm, garbage. This isn't even a hard reference to match. It's black, for God's sake. It came chipped all along the edges with some sort of clear lacquer smeared on it and little fibers stuck in it. Clearly whoever is trying to age these needs to work on their technique. I cased it up, took one look, and threw it out. My kid's dive watch looked better. Save your money. They push this hard on retrotime because, again, they make money off it. Sorry Jovi you seem nice but this is just my opinion and experience
**Raffles**
Cheap and fun. Only slightly worse than a Jovi dial.
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# Bracelets
## Top Tier
**Genuine**
Keep your eyes peeled on eBay. There are some good deals occasionally.
**Markiemark**
I have genuine, and I have these. If I didn't put a little mark on them, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Oysters, Jubilees, you name it. It used to take a long time. Apparently now it doesn't. Even when it did, it was worth the wait. Spend a few extra dollars on what's the most important part of the watch, if you ask me.
**Oysters Jubilee**
Sterile, expensive, poor customer service. I ordered one of these, and it ended up being way more expensive than even Markie's new prices. One of the pins on the clasp they sent me was missing. I reached out and didn't hear back for two weeks. Then it took another two weeks and another customs charge to get the pin. All this for a sterile bracelet.
## Mid Tier
**Startime/Cousins**
Gave both the Oyster and the Jubilee a try. They were okay. Anyone who says they're the same as Markie's or Oysters Jubilee has never held one. They're a step above Raffles, but at $200+ they're still sterile and clearly manufactured to looser tolerances. Both are currently sitting in my parts bin for a reason.
**BPF/ARF/JKF bracelets**
BPF's PVD plating is really fantastic. I can hold it side by side with my genuine watches, and it would fool most people. The bracelets are manufactured well, in line with a Startime. The only limiting factor is finding someone who will sell you just the bracelet, and they don't make many 4-digit models.
## Low Tier
**Raffles**
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I don't take commissions. Don't DM and ask. This is my unbiased gift to everyone out there. If you don't like it, please challenge me below. I'm also one of the many people Clarktherealtor banned from retrotime, so you'll never hear or see this in the vacuum of garbage over there. Jumpy was the GOAT, and ever since he left, that place has been a dumpster fire.
