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ZF Aquanaut 5167a vs KMF Aquanaut + (DW mod)

Mr.Marbella

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I ordered a kmf. Will post pics of both watches when kmf is here.


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mottykytu

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Unfortunate news... Spongebob was supposed to send back my ZF dial over the weekend but was quite preoccupied and subsequently forgot..

Since I'm flying to the States day after tomorrow, I wont get a chance to post comparison pictures until after I'm back, around mid July..

Hope you guys don't mind the wait. Will follow up in due course.

I will waiting for you ;) !

but I thought I will order the ZF base on what you say and recommend here, since the bad MARKER is easy to see then bad Dial ! How do you think about my decision ;)
 
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LuminorReptar

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I will waiting for you ;) !

but I thought I will order the ZF base on what you say and recommend here, since the bad MARKER is easy to see then bad Dial ! How do you think about my decision ;)

I would agree with this, the ZF flaws (in my opinion) don't stand out quite as much as the KMF.

If only KMF would fix their markers (lume fill) they could easily surpass ZF.

Dont forget the Keylog DWO for the finishing touches


Good luck!
 

mottykytu

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check the first page of your thread

I have read it, Thank you

btw may I know why you want to buy a KMF after having a ZF? you did not satisfied with the ZF or because you want a MOD/Franken that mix both of them?
 

mottykytu

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I would agree with this, the ZF flaws (in my opinion) don't stand out quite as much as the KMF.

If only KMF would fix their markers (lume fill) they could easily surpass ZF.

Dont forget the Keylog DWO for the finishing touches


Good luck!

Thank you very much, btw you say if KMF marker is fix they would surpass ZF easily, so if we left away the marker which parts that KMF surpass/superior than ZF? thank you
 

LuminorReptar

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Thank you very much, btw you say if KMF marker is fix they would surpass ZF easily, so if we left away the marker which parts that KMF surpass/superior than ZF? thank you

No problem bro..

Few things I prefer about KMF:

1. Thinner case
2. Dial engraving without the "line flaw"
3. Lot of speculation the sunburst is better on KMF (I would say its better but marginally)
4. Bracelet clasp is better
5. No visible border around the edge of the crystal

However also keep in mind the KMF seconds pinion is worse than ZF. Its very fat and they did not bother to cover the silver with white paint.. I managed to mod this so it is no longer an issue.

Once again... There are benefits and also downsides to either watch you pick. You have to just figure out the flaws which are acceptable to you, and the best way you can mod it so you will be satisfied (if that is what you want to do).


Edit: to avoid adding confusion, because I dont want this to sound like I'm contradicting myself.. Even though I listed all the small details I prefer about KMF. I still say if you are not going to extensively try to mod the watch, its better to just get ZF out of the box and install Keylogs DWO. Those differences I listed are all super subtle, but they mean nothing to me if the dial markers (the most obvious detail on the dial) is SUPER flawed and look like they've only been half-filled with lume.
 
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mottykytu

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Mate, LuminorReptar has already given you all the details on this, one page back

I appriciate his opinion and already give it a like,

but still one to here from another person, just for gather information and different viewpoints.

but as far as I see, even if they want to mod/franken, people always buy ZF before KMF, do not know why
 

erudite

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I appriciate his opinion and already give it a like,

but still one to here from another person, just for gather information and different viewpoints.

but as far as I see, even if they want to mod/franken, people always buy ZF before KMF, do not know why

For me it's the dial numbers. Yes, ZF has its flaws but I can't get over the numbers on the KMF being too fat and also the 12 is out of position slightly.

At the end of the day it's whichever flaws you feel you can deal with best. Neither are perfect off the shelf.
 

LuminorReptar

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Hey guys, sorry for the delay!

I got back my ZF dial from Spongebob and managed to take a few pictures compared to KMF. It's not the best comparison because the KMF is installed in the watch case, so you're viewing the dial behind a crystal.

I tried to take a few different pictures with various lighting and angles.

My impressions are that yes - for sure the ZF has a slightly more prominent "sunburst" effect. It is also quite obviously a bit more copper / brown in color compared to KMF, which is very much a clean grey tone by comparison.

I can't say for sure which is closer to gen, but I definitely feel that without a side-by-side the color differences are impossible to eyeball.. You really need that direct comparison to really see the differences.

That said the ZF dial has the flaw at "5" where the groove underneath the number extends too far out. Whats interesting to me about this is that it really looks to be an intentional flaw. If you look at the grooves on the ZF, all of them are symmetrical... except the line under the 5 , which extends out much further, and disrupts the symmetry. It makes no sense at all.

On to pics:

​​​​​​​





 

LuminorReptar

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Okay.. So I've spent the day kind of playing on and off with both the ZF and KMF and observing the differences.. Two additional observations I've noticed:

1. The ZF dial is very matte , the KMF dial has a blatant gloss finish to the surface texture. I really wish I had a gen on hand to see how it compares, but in the end I resorted to a ton of youtube reviews and videos... In conclusion I feel like the gen is somewhere in between. Its not as matte as the ZF, but its also not nearly as glossy as the KMF.. I honestly can't say which looks better. The sunburst of the ZF is too prominent for sure, but between the gloss and matte finish.. Both are equally off from the gen.

2. The grooves on the dial. Its a bit hard to explain but the grooves on gen are very uniform. They are perfectly even throughout. They dont bulge in the middle, or near the intersections. In this case ZF is definitely better. The grooves are very very uniform, and there is no bulge or dips where the grooves intersect. The KMF has very obvious "bulging" where the grooves intersect, and then at the mid-points (furthest points from the intersections), the grooves seem to dip into each other. The effect is something of a "wave". If you look at it compared to gen you can see the bulges at the intersection become very obvious. edit: I'd like to revise this bit, because I don't think I've articulated it well. Rather than a "bulge" at the intersections, what's really happening is the corners on the geosphere pattern on the KMF are just slightly too rounded. Which in certain light can look more obvious, and somewhat appears like a 'bulge' at the intersections.. Hope that clarifies.


Sorry if I've gotten a bit neurotic with these comparisons. I just find it fascinating. The gen dial is a lot more complex than I've given it credit for in the past. I still can't say whether I prefer the ZF dial or the KMF. Its incredible how each has very distinct flaws, hard to say conclusively which is better.
 
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mottykytu

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Okay.. So I've spent the day kind of playing on and off with both the ZF and KMF and observing the differences.. Two additional observations I've noticed:

1. The ZF dial is very matte , the KMF dial has a blatant gloss finish to the surface texture. I really wish I had a gen on hand to see how it compares, but in the end I resorted to a ton of youtube reviews and videos... In conclusion I feel like the gen is somewhere in between. Its not as matte as the ZF, but its also not nearly as glossy as the KMF.. I honestly can't say which looks better. The sunburst of the ZF is too prominent for sure, but between the gloss and matte finish.. Both are equally off from the gen.

2. The grooves on the dial. Its a bit hard to explain but the grooves on gen are very uniform. They are perfectly even throughout. They dont bulge in the middle, or near the intersections. In this case ZF is definitely better. The grooves are very very uniform, and there is no bulge or dips where the grooves intersect. The KMF has very obvious "bulging" where the grooves intersect, and then at the mid-points (furthest points from the intersections), the grooves seem to dip into each other. The effect is something of a "wave". If you look at it compared to gen you can see the bulges at the intersection become very obvious.


Sorry if I've gotten a bit neurotic with these comparisons. I just find it fascinating. The gen dial is a lot more complex than I've given it credit for in the past. I still can't say whether I prefer the ZF dial or the KMF. Its incredible how each has very distinct flaws, hard to say conclusively which is better.

Wow, Thank you alot for your times

So in the end you still cannot decide which one is BETTER? or which one really closer to GEN?
 

LuminorReptar

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Wow, Thank you alot for your times

So in the end you still cannot decide which one is BETTER? or which one really closer to GEN?

In the end I think I would still go with KMF over ZF. Both have their flaws and its entirely up to you to decide which you prefer.

The KMF has a better sunburst, and personally I feel a better dial color as well. However the dial is a bit too glossy (hard to see unless at certain angles and lighting) , and also the geosphere pattern on the dial is not cut as cleanly as ZF.

The ZF has better geosphere cut, but it has a line flaw at "5". It also has too prominent sunburst which I think looks quite obvious. Lastly the dial is a bit too matte, but again this is hard to see unless at certain angles and with harsher lighting conditions.
 

mottykytu

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In the end I think I would still go with KMF over ZF. Both have their flaws and its entirely up to you to decide which you prefer.

The KMF has a better sunburst, and personally I feel a better dial color as well. However the dial is a bit too glossy (hard to see unless at certain angles and lighting) , and also the geosphere pattern on the dial is not cut as cleanly as ZF.

The ZF has better geosphere cut, but it has a line flaw at "5". It also has too prominent sunburst which I think looks quite obvious. Lastly the dial is a bit too matte, but again this is hard to see unless at certain angles and with harsher lighting conditions.

very nice, but from what I heard, many people here said that the KMF marker's flaws are UNACCEPTABLE compare to the ZF markers

so judge by the the Marker, is it so Obvious flaws that stop us from buying a KMF ?
 
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