• Tired of adverts on RWI? - Subscribe by clicking HERE and PMing Trailboss for instructions and they will magically go away!

BF 15202PT review

Dr Fun Socks

I'm Pretty Popular
Supporter
Certified
28/2/17
2,297
1,742
113
I got a BF 15202 through today so i thought id take a little time to do a review and point out a few things i like and dont like about it. Why did i go for the bf? Well theyre the only people making the green dial 15202 that i know of. Im sure zf or xf will bring one out soon but for now, we’re stuck with this!















Straight away i thought well, it doesnt feel as nice as my jf 15400’s. There are sharp feeling edges all over the bracelet. Its not a deal breaker, i can and will sort them out, just there are a LOT of edges to smooth. The bracelet also just doesn’t in general feel as nice and smooth as a jf, but the closing is very nice with minimal gap between the two ends. Also the ap symbol doesnt ‘float’ as ive read about some other factories. Not an issue but worth noting, the two screws that attach the bracelet to the case are just two long screws on a jf, on this its a screw at either end with a separate bar in the middle. Easy to misalign and have one screw hanging out, take time with it. Also the bracelet screws are one piece, unlike the separate bar/screw construction on a jf.













But…. The dial is very nice! Its got a great sunburst effect and is just pleasing on the eye. I havent seen the gen so don’t expect me to compare a £250 watch to a $100k+ one. One thing that caught my eye is the polished edge where the rehaut is on a rolex, appears to have a very shallow angle compared to a jf. Showing more of it whilst looking directly at it. Although probably not gen like, its nice that it catches reflections of the dial and markers when wearing the watch.




There are a few small marks on the dial markers etc as is pretty much par for the course on a £250 watch. Ill polish them out when i give the watch a full service.











As usual the rotor is like a helicopter when new so ive taken it apart and put a few drops of d5 in which has taken care of that. If you interested, the weird cog like thing in the middle of the rotor is just glued on, dont try to undo that screw (which is also just glued on). New to me is the use of 2 blue and 1 silver screw to hold the rotor on… gen miyota 9015’s just have silver screws so god knows where the blue ones have come from.













Now the really weird stuff… i had the case back and rotor off so i thought id dig a little deeper. Deco plate is the usual 2 screw affair with a miyota underneath. But getting to it was a real pain in the arse. The movement holder screws undo, but one of mine had two of the little clamps on the same screw! Ive got rid of one now as it seems to hold with just the one, may of been a friday afternoon job, might just be a sign of not great manufacturing. Saying that, i think every jf 15400 ive worked on has only had 2 rotor screws (should be 3) and 2 movement holder tabs (should also be 3) so who knows. What really was strange is the dial is just slotted into the back side of the decoplate/movement holder. No screws to hold it or anything, just slots in there. Strange!











Thickness is good at 9.3mm, cant complain about that at all. Yeah its a mm thicker than the gen but anything under 10mm is very wearable in any circumstance in my opinion. It does not appear there is any scope for thinning this out either. My first plan was stick it in the lathe, but i can live with 9.3 comfortably.









So, pros:

Thin

Cheap

Only green dial option available

Miyotas tend to be reliable and are cheap to replace




Cons

The rotor deco center bit is glued on not screwed on

Weird method of attaching the dial

I had brass dust on the dial, but that was after messing around taking it apart so it could of been me (sorted now)

Sharp edges on the bracelet




Would i buy it again? Well if i wanted a green dial ap i wouldn’t have much choice…. All in all its a fully useable watch, made a lot better with a bit of work. But just don’t expect that great tactile feel you get from a more expensive rep, straight out of the box.




 

THXuk

I'm Pretty Popular
Certified
25/3/06
1,320
636
113
London
Thanks so much for the write up. The green dial is my favourite from the 15202 and the BP ends up in the dealers cart every once in a while, but i keep thinking holding back as surely the other factories will take a stab it but no whispers so far.

I did ask Buff if there was any after market green dials and he said no, so if you want green , this is it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Dr Fun Socks

I'm Pretty Popular
Supporter
Certified
28/2/17
2,297
1,742
113
Thanks so much for the write up. The green dial is my favourite from the 15202 and the BP ends up in the dealers cart every once in a while, but i keep thinking holding back as surely the other factories will take a stab it but no whispers so far.

I did ask Buff if there was any after market green dials and he said no, so if you want green , this is it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Honestly, its good enough to scratch the itch mate. If you were that unhappy with any of the things that Ive mentioned, they are either fixable (ive done it) or possibly you could swap the dial into an xf/zf watch if you had one spare. We can look at photos all day, no one here will have the gen and rep side by side no matter which factory makes it. I say get it and enjoy it while you can, the factories are dropping like flies!
 

Nagol41

You're Saying I Can Sell?
3/1/21
38
10
8
Sadly I tried to get my hands on one of these and none of the TDs could source as bf got raided…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Erinoush

I'm Pretty Popular
Supporter
Certified
10/7/19
1,091
547
113
UAE / EUROPE
the rehaut is on a rolex, appears to have a very shallow angle compared to a jf. Showing more of it whilst looking directly at it. Although probably not gen like, its nice that it catches reflections of the dial and markers when wearing the watch.

you're right the angle is wrong, not genlike.
but at least to my eyes the watch is nice....
 
Last edited:

mech500

Mythical Poster
6/4/12
8,253
3,593
113
UK
The green is growing on me actually. Looks like a Decent release - for the money. Thanks for sharing.

Ps. What do you use to polish the dial? Cleaning up the hands and hour marker surrounds always makes a big difference to my eyes.


Sent from my iPhone using RWI
 

Dr Fun Socks

I'm Pretty Popular
Supporter
Certified
28/2/17
2,297
1,742
113
The green is growing on me actually. Looks like a Decent release - for the money. Thanks for sharing.

Ps. What do you use to polish the dial? Cleaning up the hands and hour marker surrounds always makes a big difference to my eyes.


Sent from my iPhone using RWI

I just gave them a quick wipe down with a clean polishing cloth. When i service it, ill use a smidge of polinum on a polishing cloth and just gently wipe the markers and hands a few times. Micro scratches disappear pretty quickly. It’s important not to go too hard as the hands are 99% brass under the thin layer of silver plating.
https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/platinum-final-finish?code=P7809
 
  • Like
Reactions: mech500

RockerArm

Known Member
2/10/19
167
79
28
EU
Thank you for your nice photos and the beautiful review.
I need a technical help from you, how could you be able to detach the glued silver cog in the middle of the rotor?
 

Dr Fun Socks

I'm Pretty Popular
Supporter
Certified
28/2/17
2,297
1,742
113
Thank you for your nice photos and the beautiful review.
I need a technical help from you, how could you be able to detach the glued silver cog in the middle of the rotor?

Just lever it off. You should be able to slip a 0.8mm screw driver in the gap under it.
 

Swiss_goupil

Put Some Respect On My Name
Patron
Certified
7/12/19
3,416
3,043
113
Last Kingdom
Excellent review- thank you mate - this is a little cracker for the price


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

willthewristmaster99

1-800-WatchAddict
Supporter
Certified
15/5/23
571
514
93
Michigan USA
Has anyone used this watch , as a doner with a ZF 15202? Thinking that's gonna be my first ever "project"


Then I'll put a blue ZF dial into this case, and slap a black leather strap on it and have a nice extra watch!