Hey Guys,
So the RO arrived today and I thought I'd make a review. This is my first time, so please bear with me
.
Oh and this is also the first time I'm dealing with Josh and overall, it was a pleasant experience.
Here goes.
The Watch
Some details about the watch:
- Dial: Blue
- Size: 41mm
- Movement: ETA2824
- Maker: BP
Having not owned any of the proper sized ROs beforehand (except the Dual Time), my impression of this new 15400 is pretty positive. I was impressed when taking it out of the box. It has to be held in the metal to be able to really see the beauty. Moreover, I like the size, 41mm is perfect for my 6.2" wrist. It's not too heavy either, not what I expected from a watch with bracelet. The bracelet is quite light too (more about the bracelet later).
The case is nicely done. The brush finish is good, as good as my V3 Diver imo. I've taken apart the watch earlier and I discovered that the rehaut is separate from the mid case. So, the case construction consists of 4 parts: case back, mid case, rehaut and bezel. The crystal is attached to the bezel.
Oh, about the rehaut, it is not even brushed, it's satin finish, which is completely wrong as the gen has polished rehaut. But it should be easy to polish it as the rehaut is separate from the mid case. Furthermore, the claim on Josh's website that the bezel screws are connected to the caseback screws is true. The only ones missing are the little nut screws that are present on every ROO rep.
My only complaint about the case overall is the case back and bezel screws. The watch came with quite beaten up screws as you may see on some pics. Not that big of a problem, but it'd be nice if the maker exercised more QC. On the other hand, the bezel screws are not evenly recessed.
Also, the thickness of this rep is 11mm, contrary to the gen at 9.8mm.
The Dial
The dial is nice in my eyes. The letterings, markers, hands and the AP logo are all excellent. A step up from the old 15400. Concentric pattern is also present. About the colour though, I'm not very sure. To be precise, a gen has to be held in the same lighting condition as the rep. But the rep dial colour is quite close imo, since it has the same blue-green colour as the gen in some angles. I can't capture that with my camera for some reasons, thus the dial looks purplish in most pics but the dial colour in the macro pics below is exactly what I meant. The dial has "ok" sunburst effect in certain lighting and of course changes colour. Oh, the crystal could use AR though.
The date font is spot on to the gen. Below is the comparison pic. The date window though, is the real downside of the dial. The border is "overflowing" to the side of the window.
The lume is not bad.
The Crown
The crown is ok on mine. Good shape and good engraving. It's a screwed in crown and it's a bit tight when turning to screw in. The AP letter aligns well at the center of the hexagon. I don't know if all came with this well-engraved crown since I've seen the product pic showing the crown with badly aligned AP letter.
The Bracelet
The bracelet is pretty well made with good brushed finish and all. Sizing the bracelet was a breeze too. I remembered the agony I had when sizing my ex-RO Dual Time. There are 6 links that are removable. The bracelet is comfortable to wear, way more comfy than the HBB clasp.
The clasp however, is the only not acceptable "dislike" I have with this rep. It will close but then it'll open by a slight pressure from the wrist. I think I've read somewhere that this is the common problem on RO bracelet and it's a bummer that the makers haven't fixed it until now.
EDIT: The clasp problem might be a one off issue as another member reported that the clasp on his was fine.
The Heart and Case back
Movement is an ETA2824. It is the only available option currently. It beats at 28.8 kbph while the gen is 21.6 kbph. For some, this might be a tell on the wrist, like the Diver. However, the treat is, the movement came with a decorated rotor and this time, it is gen-like! (well, let's say 80% gen-like) This might be the main feature of the watch to some people. It makes the back side of the watch that much more exciting and beautiful to look at. Of course, the rotor engravings aren't as crisp as the gen. Everyone should expect that! Still, a good effort by the factory. I've also cleaned the polished part of the rotor since there were some spots all over it. It looks blingy now.
The case back is not bad, engraving is good. I'm glad that they didn't use no. 0001 again this time. I just wish that they use running numbers for the serial. Oh well.. As mentioned before, the damaged case back screws. It looks like they were screwed in by some kids. It'll be nice if there was more QC.
Some comparison pics with the V3 Diver
Misc pics
Conclusion
I think this new 15400 is by far the best RO to date. This is just my opinion of course, since I haven't handled other previous ROs like the 14790, 15202 and the 15300. However, based on some flaws on the previous ROs for example, on the dial, case construction (faux bezel screws), etc, I think it's safe to say that this 15400 is the better, if not the best. CMIIW though.
As far as I know, there are two more makers working on the 15400 based on info from Angus. One is supposed to be released in one month and the other is the one Angus himself is helping with, will be released in 6 months time. Let's see how the other two future ROs fare.
Out of the box.
Pros:
- Nice case in terms of finish and construction;
- Good dial and hands;
- Good crown shape;
- Perfect date font;
- Well finished and comfy bracelet;
- Beautiful rotor.
Cons:
- Not even bezel screws;
- Wrong date window;
- Poor clasp on the bracelet (might be a one off issue);
- Damaged case back screw heads;
- Crystal could use AR;
- Satin finished rehaut.
That's all folks! Thanks for your time and for reading.
So the RO arrived today and I thought I'd make a review. This is my first time, so please bear with me
.Oh and this is also the first time I'm dealing with Josh and overall, it was a pleasant experience.
Here goes.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref: 15400 Blue dial
The Watch
Some details about the watch:
- Dial: Blue
- Size: 41mm
- Movement: ETA2824
- Maker: BP
Having not owned any of the proper sized ROs beforehand (except the Dual Time), my impression of this new 15400 is pretty positive. I was impressed when taking it out of the box. It has to be held in the metal to be able to really see the beauty. Moreover, I like the size, 41mm is perfect for my 6.2" wrist. It's not too heavy either, not what I expected from a watch with bracelet. The bracelet is quite light too (more about the bracelet later).
The case is nicely done. The brush finish is good, as good as my V3 Diver imo. I've taken apart the watch earlier and I discovered that the rehaut is separate from the mid case. So, the case construction consists of 4 parts: case back, mid case, rehaut and bezel. The crystal is attached to the bezel.
Oh, about the rehaut, it is not even brushed, it's satin finish, which is completely wrong as the gen has polished rehaut. But it should be easy to polish it as the rehaut is separate from the mid case. Furthermore, the claim on Josh's website that the bezel screws are connected to the caseback screws is true. The only ones missing are the little nut screws that are present on every ROO rep.
My only complaint about the case overall is the case back and bezel screws. The watch came with quite beaten up screws as you may see on some pics. Not that big of a problem, but it'd be nice if the maker exercised more QC. On the other hand, the bezel screws are not evenly recessed.
Also, the thickness of this rep is 11mm, contrary to the gen at 9.8mm.
The Dial
The dial is nice in my eyes. The letterings, markers, hands and the AP logo are all excellent. A step up from the old 15400. Concentric pattern is also present. About the colour though, I'm not very sure. To be precise, a gen has to be held in the same lighting condition as the rep. But the rep dial colour is quite close imo, since it has the same blue-green colour as the gen in some angles. I can't capture that with my camera for some reasons, thus the dial looks purplish in most pics but the dial colour in the macro pics below is exactly what I meant. The dial has "ok" sunburst effect in certain lighting and of course changes colour. Oh, the crystal could use AR though.
The date font is spot on to the gen. Below is the comparison pic. The date window though, is the real downside of the dial. The border is "overflowing" to the side of the window.
Gen vs Rep DW
Lume
Lume
The lume is not bad.
The Crown
The crown is ok on mine. Good shape and good engraving. It's a screwed in crown and it's a bit tight when turning to screw in. The AP letter aligns well at the center of the hexagon. I don't know if all came with this well-engraved crown since I've seen the product pic showing the crown with badly aligned AP letter.
The Bracelet
The bracelet is pretty well made with good brushed finish and all. Sizing the bracelet was a breeze too. I remembered the agony I had when sizing my ex-RO Dual Time. There are 6 links that are removable. The bracelet is comfortable to wear, way more comfy than the HBB clasp.
The clasp however, is the only not acceptable "dislike" I have with this rep. It will close but then it'll open by a slight pressure from the wrist. I think I've read somewhere that this is the common problem on RO bracelet and it's a bummer that the makers haven't fixed it until now.
EDIT: The clasp problem might be a one off issue as another member reported that the clasp on his was fine.
The Heart and Case back
Movement is an ETA2824. It is the only available option currently. It beats at 28.8 kbph while the gen is 21.6 kbph. For some, this might be a tell on the wrist, like the Diver. However, the treat is, the movement came with a decorated rotor and this time, it is gen-like! (well, let's say 80% gen-like
) This might be the main feature of the watch to some people. It makes the back side of the watch that much more exciting and beautiful to look at. Of course, the rotor engravings aren't as crisp as the gen. Everyone should expect that! Still, a good effort by the factory. I've also cleaned the polished part of the rotor since there were some spots all over it. It looks blingy now. The case back is not bad, engraving is good. I'm glad that they didn't use no. 0001 again this time. I just wish that they use running numbers for the serial. Oh well.. As mentioned before, the damaged case back screws. It looks like they were screwed in by some kids. It'll be nice if there was more QC.
Some comparison pics with the V3 Diver
Misc pics
Conclusion
I think this new 15400 is by far the best RO to date. This is just my opinion of course, since I haven't handled other previous ROs like the 14790, 15202 and the 15300. However, based on some flaws on the previous ROs for example, on the dial, case construction (faux bezel screws), etc, I think it's safe to say that this 15400 is the better, if not the best. CMIIW though.
As far as I know, there are two more makers working on the 15400 based on info from Angus. One is supposed to be released in one month and the other is the one Angus himself is helping with, will be released in 6 months time. Let's see how the other two future ROs fare.
Out of the box.
Pros:
- Nice case in terms of finish and construction;
- Good dial and hands;
- Good crown shape;
- Perfect date font;
- Well finished and comfy bracelet;
- Beautiful rotor.
Cons:
- Not even bezel screws;
- Wrong date window;
- Poor clasp on the bracelet (might be a one off issue);
- Damaged case back screw heads;
- Crystal could use AR;
- Satin finished rehaut.
That's all folks! Thanks for your time and for reading.
