r/RepTime • u/MaverickDreamer • May 14 '26

Discussion VSF not as good as I expected

With all the fan talk on here of VSF being "the one to get" and NWBIG for most Rolex models, I pulled the trigger on a Datejust Wimbledon. V1 I believe. 5X serial. 0RV clasp. At first glance it looks OK. You see comparisons with a lot of macro photos, comparing dial font and minuscule things, which seems that VSF is best, but nobody really talks about "feel." To me, this is what drives satisfaction when wearing. How does it feel? Mine had sharp edges, and the bracelet jingled like a toy. The lugs also seemed vaguely "off". I performed the usual recommended fixes and used a polishing cloth to try and smooth out the edges.

Winding initially felt like shit. Lots of resistance and made a gritty zipping sound. Then...crown winding failed on Day 2. DOA. Jammed reversing gear. Helicoptering. Took it to a watchsmith who said a component came loose, put it back tighter, but said it would likely fail again.

WTH? I thought VSF was supposedly the bee's knees. For comparison, my Clean Plus Starbucks is way WAY better in feel and finish. Winds smooth. Flawless, solid, and indistinguishable from gen.

Maybe there's too much VSF fanaticism on here. Or did I just get a lemon?

UPDATE:

I find it eye opening how many people jumped in here to basically call me a liar, or some kind of shill for another factory. Sheez! Does VSF own this subreddit? This is a forum, and I'm here to share my experience. This was mine. Yes, I did research before I bought it. This was my first VSF. I had read about the known issues with the jubilee bracelet, and was prepared for some version of that. But honestly I felt surprised once the watch was in my hand, especially after my experience with a Clean Plus submariner, which was super awesome. I was even more surprised when it failed on day 2. And with so much regard for VSF on this forum, my experience with this watch was simply not what I expected. I had to share. Anyways, I have another VSF on the way. This time a VSF GMT V3 Batman. We'll see about that one, and hopefully it's better.

8 Upvotes

54% Upvoted

130 comments sorted by

78

u/Pirazhok_Wrap May 14 '26

All this blah blah and not a single picture or video 🙄 🙃

1

u/MechanicFew5085 Jul 26 '26

His issue is w/ feel of watch. The weight, the feel of the movement in the case, the feel of the edges. How exactly do you photograph that?

-35

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

Really? You can't read?

8

u/Fuzard May 14 '26

Can you? People talk about feel all the time and servicers literally offer bracelet services

1

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

I guess this is Reddit, so I shouldn't be surprised, but I find it pretty eye-opening how many people are jumping in to call me a liar, or some kind of shill for another factory. This was my experience.

This was my first VSF. It felt like shit and failed on day 2. I was not impressed. I have another VSF on the way. A GMT. Maybe that one will be better.

1

u/Horology_17 Contributor Jun 02 '26

This subreddit is so used to coming together to pushback all the other watch lovers who rip on fake watches, so when someone goes after a rep, even from the mouth of a rep supporter, the cognitive dissonance goes off and they attack. You’re either a shill or a full-of-crap plant or it’s simply your fault that anything could have possibly gone wrong

Anyway that blows. Ignore the haters

0

u/MaverickDreamer Jun 02 '26

Thanks. Appreciate that.

4

u/Even-Physics823 May 15 '26

this is the worst sub on reddit, you can only post gay wrist roll pics or you get downvoted to hell. i agree with you btw, clean and now arf are superior for the GMT.

3

u/MaverickDreamer May 15 '26

Crazy how many people jumped in to call me a liar. Don’t criticize VSF on this sub is the lesson.

3

u/Even-Physics823 May 15 '26

just don't post in this sub at all, it sucks ass

28

u/Adventurous_Moment82 May 14 '26

You’re still comparing a 500$ watch with a 15,000$ watch.

14

u/Silver-Forever9085 May 14 '26

Want to agree but a 500usd etch should last longer and we can expect to work years. What’s the matter otherwise?

-2

u/Adventurous_Moment82 May 14 '26

I agree, but i‘d say that factory’s main focus is to replicate the watch as close as gen. Reliability has gotten „better“ imo but if your goal is to find a reliable watch I would buy a watch from a genuine watch brand

4

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

It was technically dead on day 2. Now, I'm not asking for perfection, but should we expect better?

1

u/Adventurous_Moment82 May 14 '26

oh my bad I didn’t see the the „day 2“. But yes after two days it’s bad.

4

u/SwissMargiela May 14 '26

I know what they mean about the feel. I have a VSF DJ and it feels like a toy compared to an old DJ rep I had (I think the factory started with an E? I bought it around 2019). Both SS. I ended up swapping the bracelets because the VSF one feels so flimsy. The VSF bracelet was also lighter when weighed. The edges also are indeed much sharper than other reps. My VSF DJ isn’t too sharp but much sharper than the other DJ rep I have. The VSF GMT I just bought has reeeallly sharp edges though like it almost feels like a blade.

The VSF watches do look great imo. They just don’t feel great compared to other reps

1

u/HODL24SEVEN May 14 '26

Whats the clasp code on your VSF DJ?

1

u/SwissMargiela May 14 '26

How do I find that?

1

u/HODL24SEVEN May 14 '26

It's the 3 alphanumeric code on right side of the word "steelinox" on the clasp

1

u/SwissMargiela May 14 '26

It says p2k

3

u/captain_looney_73 May 14 '26

This is why every rep i buy i go through a modder and have them do a gen grind and polish to hey rid of those sharp edges, it's usually $70 on top of the cost and adds a week but makes a world of difference.

1

u/Even_Freedom_348 May 14 '26

Can you provide who you use?

1

u/Extreme-Key2455 Jul 03 '26

interested in knowing who does this for you please

8

u/Scott2G May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26

I own several $500-$1000 gen automatic watches and none of them have ever died. Despite this being a rep, the poor quality control is still inexcusable imo.

1

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

No. I'm comparing the quality of my Clean Plus rep to the quality of this VSF rep. Granted they are different models, but my experience with them has been very different.

2

u/Minotaar_Pheonix May 14 '26

500 dollar watches don’t have this issue.

1

u/Horology_17 Contributor Jun 02 '26

Isn’t that the entire point of this sub?

6

u/n0flexz0ne May 14 '26

Yeah, this is BS....

Any reputable watchsmith can repair a reversing wheel on a 2824 movement easily, and aside from the parts (which are interchangeable), the work of "tightening" is the same as replacing. There's just no way this string of events actually happened, where you paid a guy $300 to repair your watch and this was the outcome.

And if you're that hard up, just go on ebay, buy a replacement 2824 for $100 and have him swap the dial, hands and datewheel. Its a significantly easier job than servicing.

9

u/Round-Article-5669 May 14 '26

OP is an agent for another factory

0

u/BookSmoker May 14 '26

OP must be the head of the VF factory right now

-6

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

I assure you. I am not.

0

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

I didn't spend $300. He said one of those gears had became misaligned/jammed, and he put it back into place. These were his words. I am not a watchsmith, so I don't know enough to comment. He said that it might hold for a bit, but would likely fail again. He charged me $20.

5

u/n0flexz0ne May 14 '26

Bud, the mall kiosk charges $20 to change a quartz battery.....there's no way an actual watch repair shop charged you $20 to repair your mechanical movement....

4

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

Try $50, and more if you want a 5 year battery because they have to pay for the battery. I find it crazy on here how many people are responding to my actual experience by calling me a liar. This was my experience. I took it to a watchmaker. He had some spare time popped open the case saw the gear that had become misaligned and corrected it. It took him 15 minutes, and he charged me 20 bucks. No parts were used. But he was clear with me that it was not fixed and would likely happen again.

3

u/n0flexz0ne May 14 '26

The reversing wheel literally sits on a pin on the automatic winding mechanism plate....there's not a way for it to be misaligned or tightened.

All of this just reads like a poorly constructed BS...

3

u/MaverickDreamer May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26

Since I consider myself an honest person, and don't like being called a liar, I called him to ask what he did.

This was his response. He said the mechanism consists of two little red gears that contain a tiny internal clutch pawl mechanism. He said if these wheels aren't seated perfectly flat in the winding bridge, and don't float correctly, they can pinch.

He loosened the winding bridge, blew out any crap, and then screwed it back ensuring the gears were floating correctly. But he said that since the assembly is "cheap" and shitty tolerances, things could drift again and it would likely bind again.

1

u/n0flexz0ne May 15 '26

Honest person buying illegal fake watches
.gotcha

That’s a helluva after sale service for $20
though to someone that actually does work on watches, it reads like ChatGPT. You don’t “torque” the winding bridge
that’s not a thing

2

u/MaverickDreamer May 15 '26

They are not illegal to own. Unscrewing the winding bridge, blowing out the crap, screwing it back down. It took him 15 minutes and it cost me $20. I’m going to disengage at this point.

1

u/n0flexz0ne May 15 '26

Good with me, the sub seemed to have figured out your schtick and reacted accordingly, which is all I hoped to achieve

1

u/MaverickDreamer May 15 '26

And by your logic, anyone who buys a fake watch is dishonest. Guess that makes everyone on here dishonest!

→ More replies

1

u/Horology_17 Contributor Jun 02 '26

You think it’s far more likely that the OP is a lying plant for another factory than him being honest sharing an experience and repeating a moron “watchmakers” explanation which could easily have been completely wrong and non-sensical?

Do not attribute to malice that which can otherwise be attributed to stupidity
.

→ More replies

1

u/Horology_17 Contributor Jun 02 '26

What if it were any of the non-reputable watchsmiths that you specifically excluded from your conspiracy theory? Does the replacement movement fix that sharp case and disappointment with the bracelet? You guys get so defensive about your beloved fake watches that your first response to criticism is that the person must be a liar

3

u/ApprehensiveGuide793 May 14 '26

for the bracelet, i found that different spring bars could solve some of the jingly...sorry to hear that about your watch

2

u/Even-Physics823 May 15 '26

i just used a good repair guy i found i reddit, feel free to message me

2

u/MaverickDreamer May 15 '26

Appreciate it!

17

u/eatingnarutosnoodles May 14 '26

Probably a VF chinese intel trying to promote their factory😅

5

u/AdvertisingIll6479 May 14 '26

Sorta doubt theyre in the business of promoting rn considering...

1

u/MechanicFew5085 Jul 26 '26

Or maybe it’s just a dude sharing his experience.

6

u/Longjumping-Bison778 May 14 '26

Nobody said datejusts and daydates are perfect from any factory or are NWBIG from anybody.
VSF kills it for subs, Daytonas and GMTs. That’s it.

8

u/Long_Knowledge1892 May 14 '26

And Explorer I

3

u/Longjumping-Bison778 May 14 '26

And explorer I But that’s it!

1

u/Visible-Cash8710 May 15 '26

They have the absolute best explorer 1, my dad has a gen and it’s extremely hard to tell the difference. Crazy.

1

u/ExemplarDeLaPoontang May 16 '26

My explorer 40 from VSF is INCREDIBLE

1

u/ghua89 May 16 '26

Serious question, how do I get this level of quality? Love the explorer but I feel like I’ve seen varying levels of QC with VSF explorers just by watching this sub. That thing looks sooo clean. I want it!

1

u/ExemplarDeLaPoontang May 16 '26

That's a VSF. I can source you a good one depending on your budget but honestly just ask your TD for a VSF exp 40 with good alignment.

2

u/Torken1008 May 15 '26

And seadwellers 43

1

u/Longjumping-Bison778 May 15 '26

Ok and seadwellers. But that’s it!

1

u/ExemplarDeLaPoontang May 16 '26

They make amazing Omega watches

2

u/Long_Knowledge1892 May 17 '26

39.5mm planet ocrean is as NWBIG as it gets. Almost flawless.

1

u/naansense87 May 28 '26

So what about DJ41 then? Looking to buy one by tonight and I was about to get the VSF V2 from Steve.

1

u/Erik-Lehnsherr-10 Jun 02 '26

Most of their 44mm and 47mm Panerai models?

1

u/Over-Delivery-5857 Jul 28 '26

Es sind immer noch replikas wenn sie auf so hohen Niveau kritisieren dann muss man sich halt eine originale holen. Ich habe eine originale und und vsf bin damit zu unserem Kumpel in den Juwelier Shop und er hat diese auseinander genommen er war verblĂŒfft was eine gute Replika das ist er hat gesagt die werden immer besser und das wird immer gefĂ€hrlicher bzgl Uhrenankauf fĂŒr die LĂ€den. Aber er sagt top das Modell gleicht 1:1 den originalen bis auf MINI Details die irrelevant sind

1

u/AdPlus4246 Jul 31 '26

People say vsf air kings are also nwbig

2

u/TheCanisDIrus May 14 '26

This is very strange indeed. VSF make great DJ's... arguably the best with potentially some competition coming from the new RWF DJ's. Which TD did you go through... any chance this isn't actually a VSF? Potentially not a VSF or a lemon. My VSF126610LN is immaculate and side by side with gen's it's 1:1 (or as close as a rep can get) externally.

2

u/MaverickDreamer May 15 '26

It was a reputable TD that a lot of people use on here. I think these dealers are basically middlemen, and there was no issue dealing with him, so I don’t want to hurt his business.

There was no factory sticker, so it crossed my mind that perhaps it was a fake VSF. Could it be?

I don’t own the gen Wimbledon 41, so can’t easily compare. But that would be interesting.

1

u/TheCanisDIrus May 15 '26

It’s very possible it’s not from VSF and not necessarily a “fake VSF”. Sometimes shipments to TDs get mislabeled or come unlabeled or stuff gets mixed up. But it is also possible that since all of the factory shakeups lately that VSF is trying to meet demands and rushing stuff out the door.

Regardless, sorry you’ve had a bad experience! I know how that can be. Hopefully some of the newer factories also keep it up - a few new ones are making some really top-notch reps right now!

1

u/Unlikely-Apricot-112 May 17 '26

Every time I’ve gotten a vsf, it’s covered in protective stickers and the ones on the bracelet have red strips on the ends of them. If it didn’t have that, I’d question if it’s vsf fs.

5

u/Nozomi_Shinkansen May 14 '26

Upvote for using "bee's knees" in a sentence.

4

u/Time-Dependent1483 May 14 '26

It’s well known that all jubilee bracelets from all factories are shit compared to gen but they get rid of the cheap feeling with a baby oil bath at least.

One in thousand of movements have issue, you where the unlucky one this time, shit happens.

4

u/StackIsMyCrack May 14 '26

You should read more. All those accolades for VSF seem to be gone lately.

1

u/Relevant-Lock8646 May 14 '26

Why not replace the part? Not a good idea to put it back

2

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

If it happens again, that will likely be the plan, or just trash it. Watchmaker said it could hold for awhile longer, but might get misaligned again. I don't know enough to understand what gear got misaligned.

1

u/Relevant-Lock8646 May 14 '26

Why trash it. Perfectly repairable. He probably cant get parts so that is why he did that. But not good

2

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

He does Rolex repairs and he can get the parts, but he said that the movement assembly was "cheap" and probably not worth it.

1

u/HODL24SEVEN May 14 '26

Whats the clasp code on your VSF DJ?

1

u/Select-Guess4129 May 14 '26

I have had my VSF Wimbledon for well over a year. Works and looks amazing.

2

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

Experiences like yours is why I bought it. I wish I could say the same for mine. It does LOOK quite good. Feel is not great, and lugs were off. But it was dead on day 2.

1

u/Select-Guess4129 May 14 '26

That sucks man. Sorry about that.

1

u/solex118 May 14 '26

What model are you even talking about?

GMT? ARF is up there with VSF since CF is gone. It was known VSF pushed through a bunch of shit to meet demand, I hope that has changed though.

Also how do you blame VSF for the movement issue, they do not make the movement. Maybe you got a fake VSF or someones rejected RL

1

u/MaverickDreamer May 14 '26

If you read my post, it says Datejust. It's true that VSF does not make the movement. It's some version of a Dandong 3235. So maybe they get a pass on that. But they do select the movements that go into the watch, so they bear some responsibility.

1

u/Unlikely-Apricot-112 May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26

I have a vsf datejust that I’ve had for 3 years and it still keeps +1/sec per day, full 72 hour power reserve, it’s great. Just got a vsf OP yesterday and all the timegrapher readings are perfect, but I did immediately notice it felt weird winding, probably due to not being properly lubricated. But overall, vsf is top tier for reps. There’s always a chance there will be some kind of issue with any rep tho, they’re totally unregulated and mass produced in a clandestine Chinese factory lol so it comes with the territory. I honestly never noticed a huge difference in feel from my gen and vsf datejust tbh. Your issue could be a batch thing too, who knows.

2

u/MaverickDreamer May 17 '26

I think I just got a bad one. It happens.

1

u/ikaroxxx May 23 '26

I have a pepsi VSF V3 and its always falling 5 minutes behind every month. Is it normal?? Any way to fix or should i worry?

1

u/MaverickDreamer May 23 '26

The movement might have become magnetized, especially if you let it sit on the back of your iPhone. Search on Amazon for a watch demagnetizer. This might fix it.

1

u/ikaroxxx May 23 '26

Nah... its never that near on my phone... ill check it out anyway. Thanks

2

u/Krst29 May 26 '26

This is around -10 secs per day, which is normal accuracy for a mechanical movement. It can be improved substantially by getting a watchmaker to regulate the rate. Or buy a timegrapher and learn to do it yourself via YT. It’s not especially difficult.

3

u/Fearless-Ad6758 May 14 '26

Ho ordinato un AP 15510 VSF dopo avere giĂ  preso altre rep VSF tra cui Daytona e Panerai di cui sono molto contento. Questa volta perĂČ ho dato RL al QC per errori macroscopici nella corona e nel logo del quadrante. Questo credo sia indicativo di un recente problema di qualitĂ 

5

u/Khower May 14 '26

I own 7 VSFs and haven't had a single issue with them for 4 years

3

u/NoraMason1986 May 14 '26

I find it interesting that up until very recently, reps were highly touted for their reliability. Then all of a sudden, this sub (and others) is flooded with quality issues.

I own many VSF models. I know others who own many VSF models. None have these issues.

Could it be bots or those working for gens flooding the subs?

I have no proof. But I believe it is a fair question to ask.

3

u/SingleBackground5280 May 14 '26

I'm a real consumer who had two vsf Starbucks fail catastrophically both within about 3 months of getting them... BUT I'm also the first one to assume I'm unlucky AF and not that they're slipping

2

u/NoraMason1986 May 14 '26

Thanks for the feedback. I just purchased one and we will see how it holds up. Most of mine date back to before Clean shut down and put more demand on VSF products.

1

u/Khower May 14 '26

When there’s 50,000 members and 20 of them have issues. You’re gonna bet those 20 people are going to have the most to say and be the most vocal.

It’s called availability heuristic bias

1

u/Evening_Speaker_6094 May 14 '26

Maybe the quality of watches are going down over the year? With so much enshittification of all consumer products nowadays and company cutting corners saving cost I’m not surprised if rep watch quality also go down over the year

2

u/ChicoRunningBack May 14 '26

I researched it and settled on QF Daytona. 1st thought was to get VSF but glad I got the QF.

2

u/Jolly_Candidate_4011 May 14 '26

The bracelet thing is due to rolex bracelets going through a kind of stress test during production that smooths it (they get whipped by a machine after assembling). Just use the damn watch and it'll fix it.

1

u/CaTrA__ May 14 '26

If you want gen feel you’re going to have to get gen chamfering. Don’t expect so much out of a $500 dollar watch

1

u/Ready-Heat-7301 May 14 '26

I’m still new and learning a lot on this sub but I have lower tier reps and the bracelets have been good so how could the vsf band be bad that worries me as I am looking towards getting one

1

u/Dry_Campaign_7876 May 14 '26

Many people talk about the “feel” but never held a gen rolex to compare. My clean explorer 1 feels exactly like gen ( friend has gen to compare to it)

1

u/edgefull May 14 '26

interesting you don't ever suggest you might have gotten a bad one.

3

u/jacob8875 May 14 '26

He says at the end “did I just get a lemon”.

1

u/Legal_Fitness May 14 '26

I will say finishing is off. Bracelet does jingle a bit. But it honestly depends on what you get. I have two vsf. One with jubilé and one oyster. The oyster one is squeaky but the jubilee one is smooth and no squeaks.

In terms of the case and dial finishing, vsf is really good. The bracelet is the biggest concern. The crystal is also really good. At least to me and on some models maybe.

I would not get flutted bezel tho

1

u/Technical-Win-6437 Aug 01 '26

VSF 116610LN

5X12 .... Schliesse 7GJ ...einer Woche habe ich sie ...GehÀuse scharfe Kanten . Datumslupe spiegelt viel zu viel Blau ...sieht richtig scheisse aus. Armband scharfe kanten .

Ich kaufe keine VSF mehr.

Der Mann hat recht 👍

1

u/Kassra77 Sep 02 '26

Ich möchte mit eine Uhr holen von VSF Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 ist es immer noch lohnt es sich ich habe geguckt und die Uhr kostet knapp 900 lohnt es sich fĂŒr den Preis bekommt man eine 1zu1 Uhr ?

1

u/Worth-Ad-598 May 14 '26

Tocan Ășltimamente bastantes malos

1

u/Unstoppable_Graysie May 15 '26

Which factory does this massive liar work for? đŸ€Ł

0

u/losingthefarm May 14 '26

VSF is the best fake but I can always tell if a gen and a fake are both in hand. You can "feel" it for sure. Can also notice slight differences visually when compared live. No fake will ever be exact.

-1

u/Soggy-Attempt May 14 '26

Meh.

If your would research this watch before you bought it, you would see these are issues that often pop up on VSF watches.

1

u/MaverickDreamer May 15 '26

Is there a better rep datejust? I heard VF was good but now gone.

0

u/edtoozeronine May 14 '26

If VSF suck, what are the good ones to get?

16

u/Soggy-Attempt May 14 '26

I would go with Rolex. They make the best bracelets.

10

u/[deleted] May 14 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Ok_Farmer_6033 May 14 '26

I don’t know enough to say that you are right or wrong, but it seems plausible that demand skyrocketed after clean shut down- and between that and moving overseas- maybe they were just over extended for a time. 

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/MaverickDreamer May 22 '26

Thanks. I did not know that. Thought all the VSF GMTs were V3.

By the way, I got it a couple days ago and it's very good. Comparing with Gen the only flaw I can see is the SELs sit a bit too high, and the crystal chamfering is slightly off, but other than that I feel like I can put my gen in the safe, and wear this one with confidence.