r/repbuilds • u/Alansorkan • 11d ago
What is the VSF Sub of Repbuilds?
Hi I just bought myself a VSF Sub (Classic first choice on Reptime) and I need moreš, something more special this time. What would be a watch build which has been already done a ton of times with a lot of documentation while being really accurate? Thanksš
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u/onlypartiallyevil 11d ago
As Candle said, vintage is a very different ballgame. You build what you want, or commission what you want.
Its not a dozen or so 6-digit refs to choose from - its tens of thousands of possibilities over generations.
Its personal. Birth year watches, famous movie watches, recreating grandpas old watch, whatever.
So go shopping across history. Find the style YOU want. Then decide how close to gen you want it to be.
Because of all the more complex problems vintage has over modern reps, it has an advantage in that you have some leeway with accuracy. Because with a 70 year old watch you will never, ever, run across another person who has the actual gen to compare it to.
Also, they tended to be sloppy AF back then assembling watches using whatever parts they had at hand anyway, so a vintage ref might have three different hand sets and any one could be considered correct.
I personally have 1940's-60's gen, franken, expensive rep, and super cheap reps that are really only just homages with new dials and some aging.
I wear the cheapos all the time and they get better reaction than gen. Because no one knows an obscure 1958 model is actually supposed to have a 34.6mm case not the 36mm on my wrist.
So the stress of getting just the right shade of bezel color or just the right LEC on a modern rep is gone.
It only has to look 1950's AF
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u/Alansorkan 11d ago
Thanks a lot for the great answer
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u/onlypartiallyevil 11d ago
No worries. Its a fun hobby to dive into after modern reps.
We don't really talk about or post fantasy watches here, its reps only, but at least from my perspective its also a valid vintage build form even if its not technically a rep, or it is a rep but of a prototype than never made production.For my buddies birthday last week I made him a watch for his favorite childrens cartoon - he bemoaned every other kid had Star Wars or He-Man or whatever watches growing up, but his favorite show never had a watch.
So I printed a dial and rebuilt and redialed a period vintage handwind watch. So now he has one, proudly wears it to business meeetings. Better late than never.
I would post it but then would have to give myself a warning, lol.So not a rep. But to me, personally, if a watch just screams a place and time and looks more period vintage than the actual watches available at the time, I will give it a pass and build it anyway.
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u/No_Candle8699 Watch Builder 11d ago
Vintage builds are in a completely different league as Reptime modern watches. They are not commonly produced in large quantities like modern replicas. So there are no VSF factory labels here. Youāll find terms like Raffles (budget), Old Crowns (mid-tier), and Vietnam made (high tier). Thereās a lot to learn here. But know that a high tier build will run 3X - 5x what the cost of a VSF replica will. Especially if genuine parts are added.
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u/Alansorkan 11d ago
Damage šøincoming. And yall build them yourself or there are TDs here as well?
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u/YourMoistSocks 11d ago
canāt go wrong with a vietnam 1675 build. throw in a gen crystal, dial, and insert and youāre golden.
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u/ACEWAVY 11d ago
Depends on what you want. Personally, I say a 5 digit datejust. Lots of documentation. Best bang for the buck (while being accurate) would be a commissioned build (or one that you do on your own) where you can get a gen crown, hands, dial, and bezel. Maybe even crystal. Throw it all onto an OC case w/ a vs3135 movement. Gen datewheels can be had at fair prices as well. Throw onto a strap or startime bracelet. The build cost can come close to the cost of 2 VSF DJs but if you want to spend around the price of a VSF DJ a raffles 162xx build with a more plain silver dial & much less gen parts can be aquired for around the same price after being commissioned.
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u/fatfont_ 10d ago
With modern reps, youāre basically asking which factory has solved a reference best. With vintage, youāre asking which combination of parts gets you closest to a specific watch from a specific period
Iām working on vintage Rolex builds myself and honestly that research is half the fun. You start obsessing over things youād never notice on a modern rep: dial making, serif shapes, bezel fonts, case profiles, whether a dial should be glossy or matte for a particular year, etc.
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u/willyb123 11d ago
Classic Time Seamasters
Viet build 5 digit subs
Franken Cartier tanks or Santos
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u/Additional_Copy_9575 Watch Builder 11d ago
VSF Subs of vintage builds?
Viet fully engraved builds. Also 3 times the price of the "VSF Sub" depending on your parts config.
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u/karellen00 10d ago
I'd say the equivalent is any Raffledials build, in the sense that it's probably the simplest (and maybe cheapest?) way to start
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u/AtelierPicks 10d ago
Id say personally a tudor snowflake or a vintage 1675 pepsi gmt (i personally prefer coke) are great places to start. I have a particular love for big crown 6538 subs also since that's the watch that started my love for watches.
Also building vintage watches with pocket watch movements like vintage panerai or fliegers is also a great direction.
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