Fans of Panerai Reps don't have it easy at the moment. VSF is history and the two new aspirants HWF and TTF deliver rather mediocre quality, although the more recent TTF models gave hope that there is some potential for development here. That's why I ordered the new TTF 1157 as soon as it appeared. I really like the Gen with its beautiful blue dial. Unfortunately, the TTF Rep cannot fulfil the hopes I had placed in it.
About the Gen
Perhaps one of the most talked about new Panerai launches at the last Watches&Wonders was the new Luminor Marina eSteel range. That is astonishing, to say the least. The "great" innovation of these watches is supposed to be that the steel of the case consists mainly of recycled material. Now - at least in Europe - all stainless steel is made from recycled materials - not because it makes ecological sense, but because it is simply cheaper. So let's just chalk up "eSteel" to a marketing ploy and not go into it any further. Unlike Fibratech or BMG, for example, no one will notice the difference between the "old" steel and eSteel.
Otherwise, the new Luminor models differ only in nuances from the old ones. The main difference is the "eSteel" lettering on the dial, the crown guard and the caseback. Another new feature is that the crown is now covered with a rubber coating that matches the colour of the dial. The dial of the series is slightly reflective, with an iridescent effect in the light. The colours show a gradient from the top (lighter) to the bottom (darker).
The 1157 presented today has the name "Blu Profondo" and inspires with a deep blue, which is continued in the design by the blue rubber crown and a blue nylon strap. Unfortunately, this model is rarely found and surprisingly there are few photos and information on the net. Here, the 1157 is even often offered as a 42mm model on the relevant trading platforms. The few photos that are available are often clearly CGI graphics and have nothing to do with the "real" watch. Therefore, caution is also advisable when it comes to direct comparison. In my review, I have used screencaps from a video review of the 1157 - unless otherwise mentioned - because the lighting conditions are clearly recognisable here and you can rule out the possibility that the watch has been prettified by post-processing.
Case, Crown and Crownguard
The TTF 1157 comes in the newer Luminor 1950 case. This case is comparatively slim and stands out from the design by the combination of the classic cushion shape and curves on the sides. While the Gen is stated to be 15.45mm thick, the TTF comes in at a smooth 16mm measured from the bottom to the topmost point of the crystal. Like the Gen, the bezel is polished, while the rest of the case is brushed and has a satin look. The brushing and finish are solid throughout. I am not an expert on the finer points of finishing. But for me, the case looks quite good and I have nothing to complain about here.
The crown is a completely different story. The Gen has a matt rubber coating, which distinguishes it from the crowns of the old series (with the exception of the 1176) not only visually, but also haptically. TTF, however, seems to have simply covered the crown with a blue lacquer. Haptically, it is not at all different from a normal crown, and visually, it is not convincing either, since the lacquer used is not even matt, but shines in the light.
The crown guard and the lever as well are very well made, at least for my not particularly trained eyes, and I don't see any major differences to the Gen or the VSF. Only the pin on the back of the crown guard protrudes a bit more than on a VSF. But that is rather a minor thing.
Another big flaw is however the casebook. It seems that TTF simply took the same caseback they used on the 1314 and just changed the numbers. I dont know if the numbers correspond with the Gen. The caseback is labelled "Stainless Steel", while the Gen here is labelled "eSteel".
6/10
Movement
The Gen features Panerai's P.9010 calibre, and the VSF version comes with an in-house clone of the P.9001, which VSF says is decorated to P.9010. Of course, the TTF does not have that. Instead, a decorated A7750 is used under the hood. I'm not an expert for movements, so I can't say much about the details of the workmanship. However, for me as a layman, the decoration looks neat and since the 1157 has a steel caseback anyway, this item is not high on my personal priority list.
However, when it comes to functionality, the A7750 has design-related weaknesses. It has a direct quick date setting at crown position two. The Gen has a "flying hour" here. Now you can have a good argument. I hate the "flying hour", but the Gen has it. Therefore, there have to be deductions here.
7/10
Dial and hands
Now we come to what for me is the biggest disappointment of the TTF 1157. While TTF managed to get the colour and structure of the dial of the 1314 quite right, the dial of the 1157 is a disaster - at least when you consider that we are looking at a rep that is supposed to be similar to the Gen.
For one thing: The blue is clearly too bright! While the Gen's main attraction is the deep blue of the dial, the TTF is a rather pale blue, which is also monochrome and has no colour gradient from top to bottom. In addition, the Gen dial looks slightly "glossy". Although the TTF dial is not matt, it is not as shiny in the light as the Gen.
The inscription on the dial is ok. Only the "e" in "eSteel" seems too thick.
The hands are quite decent, but just like the numerals and indices, they have a luminova coating that changes from white to a bright yellow-green in medium light.
The sandwich construction is also ok. Unlike HWF, TTF seems to cut out the numbers and indices correctly. The depth is also correct.
Please don't get me wrong. The dial of the TTF 1157 is not bad. The blue tone has something to it and suits the watch well ... but it is now massively different from the Gen. And this is not about the evaluation of a homage, but of a rep. Therefore, there must be massive deductions here.
3/10
Lume
In the dark, the lume shines in a bright green. This is also well done. Here too, however, there must be slight deductions, as the white of the lume turns into a yellow-green much too quickly in brightness.
8/10
Date
The DW is ok. I see no problems here.
10/10
Strap and strap replacement
There is even a positive surprise at the end. TTF has finally managed to develop a functioning quick-change system. Hooray! It works flawlessly.
On the other hand, the strap is - no joke - the ugliest strap I have ever seen on a watch. While the Gen has a structured nylon strap in a rather greyish royal blue, the Rep strap is an unbelievably ugly purple and does not match the colour of the watch at all. The fact that it is stiff and hard is irrelevant. It ends up in the rubbish anyway. But that's how I feel about all rep straps, so I'm not giving this one a big deduction.
9/10
Conslusion
The TTF 1157 is a good watch but a rather mediocre rep, and it is far from a "DHGate shitter". It's all very solid, but differs far too massively from the Gen in crucial points for the TTF 1157 to pass as a good rep.
It's a pity, but TTF has squandered the praise I gave them after the good 1314 with this model. And it can be assumed that the green 1356 and the grey 1358 will also have the same faults, since here too the core elements are the dial and the crown, which TTF quite obviously cannot produce in a decent quality. Thus, at the beginning of the CNY, one notices how sorely one misses VSF. A rep like this would not have been sold over the counter at VSF. In any case, my test copy is going to M2M. Too bad.
