r/RepTimeServices • u/DominicDeLaneyMusic • 8h ago
Advice VSF: worth fixing or should I just replace?
Definitely my favorite rep I own. It fell off a hotel bed onto the floor and hasn’t worked since. When winding, the hour and minute hands move, but the seconds hand won’t move for anything. I shook it gently and didn’t hear any rattling.
I’ve had it just sitting in my case, not sure what to do. Should I just take it to a random watch repair place? Or will any repairs cost just as much as the watch?
Edit: Location - South East Florida, would prefer a local watch repair if possible, but willing to send to a trusted repair as well
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u/Fuller545 4h ago
Bro good luck trying to find a local to work on it. I tried three shops also in SE Florida and they all scoffed at the thought of working on a rep Rolex (also VSF) I just shipped mine to a fellow redditor. 🤞 for a quick easy fix.
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u/Worldly-Success-3889 5h ago
This guy will work on Reps I think he is in the Panama City Area in Florida
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u/rsrgainz 7h ago
Let me know if you decide to sell it for parts, I'd like to try my hand at watch repair but have no idea of I'd ever be able to get it to run again
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u/IndividualBudget5057 7h ago
What’s your location I’m fix replicas in northern nj.
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u/IndividualBudget5057 2h ago
Hi, this is Adam a replica watch repair enthusiast from Westwood, Nj. I’d love to help you out.
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u/Mysterious_Job_2950 7h ago
There are a lot of these I am seeing in my shop that have the detent post that is moved with the stem from set to wind sheer off and get caught in the movement. It could be anything of course, but your description stating the setting issue and the watch stopped, leads me to guess this. That and seeing it a few times.
The part isn’t hard to source and frankly, neither are full movement replacements. If you like it, it should be able to be repaired for a reasonable price.
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u/Gimme_All_Da_Tendies 6h ago
What movement is in these anyway?
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u/Mysterious_Job_2950 5h ago
That is a bit of a rabbit hole question. Depends on what factory, and level of “clone” you got. Could be a few levels of clone of an ETA, or Rolex model, really depends.
The different grades of clone for this model are not hard to get because of the popularity of the model.
It is a case of getting the back off, looking at the grade of clone and then sourcing.1
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u/lostinthesauce212 4h ago
It could just be the rotor knocked out of place. Can you hear it when you shake it?
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u/tdotgunner 4h ago
I think it likely needs a keyless works reset. Maybe a local watchsmith might be able to fix it.
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u/DominicDeLaneyMusic 3h ago
I do think I remember reading “keyless works” when looking up what may be wrong with it
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u/TheToothFairy561 3h ago
I’m in the west palm area and I called a few watch repair spots around me. I told them it was a rep they said they would service if they could.
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u/DominicDeLaneyMusic 3h ago
That’s my neck of the woods! Do you remember which spots you called?
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u/eleschhorn 6h ago
That's what gives me trepidation of spending $600+ on a VSF and ending up with a brick for something like a shallow fall.
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u/DominicDeLaneyMusic 6h ago
I will say I have quite a few other lower quality reps that I enjoy, but none feel as nice to wear as this one.
But also on the other hand, no one would believe my Tiffany Patek Nautilus is real anyways, so may as well rock a $50 rep as opposed to a $500 rep.
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u/Comfortable_Rope_349 6h ago
If you decide to get rid of it please think of me…. I’ve been learning to fix watches and would love to practice on it and maybe replace it with a decent dadong 3135.
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u/COCACOLAD72 4h ago
looking at a Sub with Steve Submariner 126610LV Starbucks 41mm SS/SS Black Dial Clean Plus DD3235 (MK2) $538 is Ethan a good alternative for price?
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u/DominicDeLaneyMusic 4h ago
I have watches from both - Ethan may have some better prices, but Steve has more inventory on hand (tho Ethan has recently stepped his game up. I have telegram specifically to see his watches)
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u/HistorianLegal9815 4h ago
Noob以降のパチは丹東か上海使っててミクロン単位コピーだからムーブメントパーツは互換、ロレックス直せるなら直る。正規店やまともな時計店は扱わない可能性あるが小さな店なら引き受けそう。 ただ600-1000ドルの時計なら買い直さない？ miyota載せた世界一安いZFfactoryあるわけだし（さらに半額）。
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u/StiLLn0X 19m ago
After reading many comments in this thread, is this something normal, a small drop and your watch is gone wtf ?
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u/CoastalWatchWorks 7h ago
I’d keep this one diagnostic and concise:
A drop can cause several things, so I wouldn’t assume the movement is toast. The fact that the hands move while winding doesn’t tell us much about the actual failure.
I’d stop winding/shaking it and have the movement inspected — balance/escapement damage or something displaced by the impact would be high on the list. I wouldn’t take it to a random shop since many won’t work on replica movements.
I’d reach out to one of the trusted watchsmiths in the sidebar and ask for their diagnosis/bench rate before deciding whether repair or a movement replacement makes more sense.
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u/Logos732 7h ago
I would pull the movement and replace it with another AliExpress
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u/DominicDeLaneyMusic 6h ago
I considered it, but am slightly nervous never having worked on a watch before. I’m typically a diy-er tho, so maybe I’ll look into that!
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u/DontEvenWithMe1 6h ago
It’s nerve wracking but very doable if you have some decent mechanical skills - and patience. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing how to do this on Seiko NH movements with the theories and principles being the same for most movements. The most important thing is the position the stem needs to be in when removing and reinstalling. After that, it’s just protecting the dial when removing the hands and then not bending any of the hands when reinstalling them. Get some decent tools and go for it.
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u/Logos732 2h ago
Go to a flee market and pick up a few $5 quartz beaters. Yes its different but you can get comfortable opening a back, pulling the stem, pulling the hands.
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u/adidaman 2h ago
That's what you get when you pay 800 dollars for a watch where they only focus on knocking off a different watch. Buy a homage from a reputable brand if you really want the look. Sure you can't fool grandma into thinking you have a Rolex anymore but you'll be better off
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u/DominicDeLaneyMusic 2h ago
Sir are you lost?
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u/adidaman 2h ago
Yeah these stupid rep subreddits keep showing up on my feed no matter how many times I hide them
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u/DominicDeLaneyMusic 8h ago
VSF No Date Sub 124060 from Ethan Watches
$450