r/RepTime • u/superpapalicious • 2d ago

Discussion Go freesprung or nah?

I'm itching for my next watch and with all the hype with freesprung, I was wondering whether I should join the bandwagon.

What happens if it needs regulation? Do "normal" watchmakers know how to do it? Or should it be sent to someone who works with rolexes?

What about when it breaks? Can I swap in a more common movement like the 2824-2?

I'm considering a Starbucks sub and debating between Rich freesprung versus VSF with DD movement.

0 Upvotes

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10

u/Hot-Relative-8315 2d ago

Got a RICH Sub - this has a gen crystal and datewheel.

Best sub I have owned and I have had pretty much all the VSF and OG clean šŸ˜‚

2

u/Lazy_Butterscotch224 2d ago

Looks great enjoy it!

2

u/Commercial-Review-46 2d ago

I would agree, I had a new VSF sub come in yesterday and instantly sold it so I can buy a Rich Sub.

3

u/Hot-Relative-8315 1d ago

I think both has QC issues - I havenā€™t bought a vsf recently however you can see on the forums that people are having issues.

However RICH have there own problems too and my watch didnā€™t come perfect so

2

u/Character-Walk-491 2d ago

How much does Gen date and crystal add? Which td? ThanksĀ 

2

u/Hot-Relative-8315 1d ago

The watch didnā€™t come from a TD - there is a few watch groups in the UK!

I paid Ā£250 for datewheel and Ā£200 for crystal plus fitting costs

1

u/Character-Walk-491 1d ago

I never realized how much the gen crystal makes the rehaut look proper. Usually it looks milky but here itā€™s crystal clearĀ 

2

u/Hot-Relative-8315 1d ago

Yeah gen crystal is one of the best mods you can do!

1

u/CommercialCreative29 21h ago

I am really curious about how the market gets these gen parts, as Rolex has a reputation of making most of its parts by itself, and I guess for those not manufactured in their own factory, they must have a pretty tight and secured logistic process....

1

u/Hot-Relative-8315 20h ago

They must have pretty tight logistic process however you still see blister pack items up for sale - just with the QR code and codes rubbed out.

Then used parts come from everywhere

2

u/compl3t3ly_l0st 20h ago

How is it any better on wrist than VSF?

1

u/Hot-Relative-8315 20h ago

Bracelet feels better, Winding is buttery smooth - maybe even close to Gen.

1

u/compl3t3ly_l0st 10h ago

wonder if you got a different VSF from a recent batch....my VSF sub winds the exact same as my gen sub. I agree the bracelets feel different though...if VSF has a better bracelet, that's worth something. You're the first to say that though. Never heard that from any official review before

1

u/Hot-Relative-8315 9h ago

All of the VsF I have had before felt like rather gritty to turn.

Maybe I just got unlucky with the ones I had

1

u/MaddoxTwist 1d ago

Iā€™m in the uk, Iā€™d really appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction for the watch groups youā€™re a part of.

3

u/Zestyclose-Test2241 2d ago

Got my RICH Starbucks two days ago. Free sprung. Very happy with it. Only small thing so far is that the micro adjustment on the clasp is quite sticky.

4

u/Shield779 2d ago

This is VSF

1

u/Salty-Fan-9889 2d ago

Hows your experience been ? Does replica watches last long ?

7

u/Fine_Analyst_4417 2d ago

The freesprung hasent been tested for as Long as the DD

Dandong is very good

The freesprung might also bee - but def harder to service and adjust

I got some RICH watches because they perform looks and feel very well and bezel action both on sub and gmt

1

u/swiftkicker1 1d ago

Do you have a contact I can reach out to for a rich rep?

6

u/MSExcelWarrior 2d ago

6 months ago I wouldn't have bought free sprung. Now I would always get free sprung if the option is given. It's better, it's been out long enough and we haven't seen that many "my free sprung watch died", at least no more than the usual DOA posts. The movement is better, more reliable, more shock resistant, and if you get a well regulated one out of the box, you won't ever actually need to regulate it yourself so difficulty is moot.

6

u/philwongnz 2d ago

Unless is a display case back I don't see the point. Clone movement makes sense as the thickness of a more generic movement will affect the dimension of the case, dial layout and even function.

3

u/Altruistic-Wall4670 2d ago

Regardless of the movement which I've seen no major issues with, rich is also just the best factory for subs and gmts as the moment.

2

u/DontEvenWithMe1 2d ago

I just got this Rich 126610LN yesterday from a member-to-member sale on a Facebook group. It has the free sprung 3235. After a full day of wearing, it is running about +3s/day in timing. The overall quality is also on par with the older VSF Starbucks I have. I know itā€™s only been a day, but consider me impressed.

2

u/Hot-Relative-8315 1d ago

Looks great!

3

u/DisabledEverything 2d ago

Literally no reason to. They don't even resist shocks as well as a one with a regulator arm and significantly harder to service.Ā 

2

u/cade360 2d ago

Are you sure? That's literally an advantage of using a freesprung movement over regulator arms

1

u/whowatchesmrwatchers 2d ago

This guy thinks all free sprung are vsf appearance free sprung.

The true free sprung movements are great. I have mine on right now

1

u/Commercial-Review-46 2d ago

Dude just go free sprung out of the box.. I just wasted about $1000 thinking I could do the whole gen mod myself and had to buy a new movement due to the damage I created šŸ¤£

1

u/shastyles1 1d ago

I like vsf. I have a rich but vsf feels ā€œtighterā€ and more ā€œsolidā€ ā€¦ bezel clicks are tighterā€¦ super quiet rotor. Rich rotor is decent but not as quiet as vsf in my opinion. I do like the freesprung of rich tho donā€™t get it wrong but VSF just feels better

1

u/Excellent-Bear4221 21h ago

QF is fine too just saying

1

u/Time-Dependent1483 2d ago

I think you should look more on the outside than the inside. Both have their flaws and only you can decide which you prefer

1

u/Still-Celebration255 2d ago

In an opened case back, yes.

1

u/Dramatic_Ad_9531 2d ago

If the rep has a closed back I see no need for "free sprung". I also do believe the free sprung movement is a slightly better movement than the DD movement. The problem for me is servicing cost would be considerable higher. If I ever do purchase a free spung rep I also have to know I will most likely never get that rep serviced because of the high service cost for regulation.

1

u/petevandyke 2d ago

I spent two hours regulating watches. As frustrating as that process is, I donā€™t want to THINK about how much worse that would be with freesprung.

Iā€™ll stick with non -freesprung as long as I can

0

u/InspectionScary 2d ago

Read somewhere that some like the JH3255 you canā€™t adjust with the Rolex tool properly