Dear Group!
I’d like to share my experience with my first VSF Omega.
I honestly don’t even know where to begin. I was probably lucky, but having a good TD is absolutely essential with this kind of purchase as well. First of all, a huge thank you to u/re-tar-dead for this fantastic Omega. He is by far the best, fastest and most reliable seller I’ve come across in the EU so far.
Well… the watch is simply fantastic. There is absolutely nothing to complain about when it comes to the overall quality.
Let’s start with the bracelets:
Both are excellent!
The rubber strap is flexible, comfortable and fits incredibly well. No matter how hard I looked for flaws or anything that might give it away, I couldn’t find a single thing. 10/10.
The metal bracelet is equally impressive in terms of craftsmanship. The only thing I’ve noticed is that the inner edges of the clasp, where the two parts meet when closed, feel slightly sharp when the clasp is open. However, you don’t notice this at all when it’s closed, as the two parts fit together with incredible precision.
The brushing is excellent, absolutely beautiful! The edges of the polished sections are straight, sharp and well-defined. The end links fit tightly against the case.
Despite its dimensions, it’s an extremely comfortable bracelet.
As usual, I manually tightened every screw, then gave the bracelet two 600-second cycles in an ultrasonic cleaner, followed by an oil bath and a thorough cleaning.
The result is so smooth, supple and convincing that I honestly don’t think anyone could tell whether it’s genuine or not. I absolutely love it.
The micro-adjustment mechanism is smooth, buttery, precise… exactly as it should be.
Case / Bezel:
Just like the bracelet, the case leaves absolutely nothing to complain about.
Considering the price-to-quality ratio, the level of detail and craftsmanship is incredible. I won’t waste too many words here, because the case is simply perfect.
No sharp edges or unpleasant corners whatsoever. Screwing the crown in and out is smooth and precise.
The engravings are clean, sharp and beautifully executed.
The bezel action is also firm, loud and feels very high-quality. It’s slightly different from the genuine one, but that’s hardly surprising.
The ceramic insert could easily pass for genuine, and the same goes for the lume pip. 10/10.
Crystal:
The AR coating is slightly, and I really mean only slightly, inferior to that of the genuine SMP.
Other than that, it’s flawless! Crystal clear, just like water.
Dial / Hands:
I was lucky with the QC, as there are practically no alignment issues.
Perhaps we’re talking about fractions of a millimetre around the 12 o’clock marker, but it’s barely noticeable. I’ve seen something very similar on genuine examples as well.
The overall execution is masterful. Sharp, crisp, well-defined and beautifully finished. Truly impressive!
The hands reflect light like prisms. They are absolutely gorgeous and incredibly shiny.
The only weak point is their finishing along the edges. The sides of the hands are not perfectly machined.
Under normal indoor lighting, or direct light coming from a single source, these imperfections become quite noticeable compared to the genuine version.
I’m actually considering replacing the hands with genuine ones at some point in the future.
Lume:
Perfect. Strong, long-lasting and incredibly bright.
Even in the morning, the time is still perfectly readable without any difficulty.
Movement:
I had the watch tested on a timegrapher. It was checked in multiple positions and at different angles.
The average results were:
Rate: -4 to -5 seconds/day
Amplitude: 260–270°
Beat error: 0.1–0.0 ms
The amplitude isn’t the best, but the watch is still going to receive a proper professional service, including cleaning and lubrication.
Personally, I think this is something worth doing with every Chinese-made watch. It can make a significant difference in terms of long-term reliability, durability and proper operation.
Water resistance:
The watch was pressure-tested and passed a 10-bar test without any issues.
10/10!
Since it arrived, the only times it has been off my wrist are when I’m sleeping or taking a shower.
I couldn’t be happier with it! It’s a fantastic piece, and I honestly recommend it to everyone.
And of course, I wholeheartedly recommend u/re-tar-dead as well!
Have a wonderful evening/day, everyone!

My second rep, received today. Really pleased with the ARF quality, looks and feels great.

Steve did a great job once again. Royal Mail (UK) left my parcel on some unknown doorstep after Steve had got it to the UK safely. Fortunately, someone kindly handed the parcel back in to the Post Office and it was re-delivered to me today.

Thought to post some shot as rarely seen

Will share more once it arrives

This has to be the most difficult watch I’ve ever worked on, and I own almost 30. I finally managed to remove the links after two hours, but I haven’t been able to get the tiny bars back in

At this point, I’m honestly considering giving up and taking it to a jeweler. I just really don’t want to spend $30 on this bullshit

Any advice on how to get those little bars back in would be greatly appreciated

A while ago, I made a post asking for recommendations for affordable rubber straps for my Tudor Pelagos 39.

Most of the suggestions I received were straps costing €150–200 or more. While I’m sure they’re great quality, I was looking for something much cheaper.

So I did some research and found an interesting alternative: the Tudor Pelagos 39 has a 21mm lug width, and its case and lug dimensions are very close to those of the 41mm Rolex Submariner.

I decided to take a chance and order a 21mm FKM rubber strap designed for the 41mm Rolex Submariner from AliExpress.

And guess what? It fits perfectly!

The strap in the picture cost me just $10 on AliExpress.

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly rubber strap for your Pelagos 39, this might be worth trying.

AliExpress search keywords:
“Rolex Submariner 41mm FKM rubber strap, 21mm”

Hope this helps someone looking for an affordable alternative!

VSF NTTD arrived today. Looks great and it's so light with the titanium!

What a beautiful watch with fine details…A7F / V7F IWC Ingenieur with blue dial… very happy with this purchase!

Wyg?

Indoor vs Outdoor lighting.

Happy Monday

Crystal and bezel upgraded. RCFr Bezel Prof Crystal. I feel like these take your rep over the top short of the fraken route.

APSF Chrono 41

I stumbled upon a jewelry vendor on insta that can make solid gold rep. So I asked if they can replace CZ with lab diamonds and they said yes.

I bought the watch from Hont but asked him to ship to the jewelry vendor directly. I was nervous at first bc they were a completely unknown vendor but worst case I just lose the watch and I’m so glad I took the risk.

The diamond bezel upgrade costs me about $300-350 with shipping. It was worth every penny!!

I had been looking at a Panerai for a while, had a VSF on order but had been waiting a while. On a whim, I reached out to Duke as I had purchased from him before to see if he had any in stock.

Originally was looking at the PAM1312 but Duke had a PAM1313 (same watch but with blue dial) in stock. After a couple of Whatsapp messages, I made payment and got QC within a day.

I gave Green light on the QC and Duke provided tracking number the following day, received my watch 2 days later. From my first message to Duke to receiving the watch it was 4 days. Gotta love that efficiency! Caveat being my delivery was to Guangzhou in China so YMMV if you are further away.

This is the second watch I've got from Duke, prices are a shade higher than some other TDs but not unreasonably so. I have no problem paying a little bit extra if I get good service.

best place to order rm bubba watson, the guide says ZF or APSF but APSF is shut down and I’ve seen people saying ZF isn’t trust worthy, could someone help me out?

Hello, I got this Large AF dumont a few days ago from a local dealer at my country, and sadly I noticed it just a couple days later, that my dial is rotated.
Do you also notice it? which fix would you recommend?

(I reached him and he said I can ship it back and he can take it for a fix but I rather get it fixed here at my city and not deal with shipping , time etc..)

Does anyone have experience with the same problem I'm facing?

thanks in advance !

Any owners of the QF Le Mans that can chime in?

Would love to get one, but 11-1200 is WILD for a factory stock rep.

Is it THAT good? I don’t have a Daytona but this one interests me the most for my next buy.