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

ZZF vs NOOB v10 vs GEN insert

srhoque

Put Some Respect On My Name
28/11/18
3,259
2,461
113
Man the ZZF is close. In one of the pics (showing the 10), if you didn't tag it as ZZF, no way to differentiate from Gen. Clean Factory (which is what ZZF uses) is just blowing away the insert competition. Personally, I will still buy gen ;)

I heard CF is doing a Batman insert, I am so waiting for it.

Thanks for doing such detailed review. Your picture taking skills are commendable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oascom

Oascom

Watchmaker / Modder
Vendor (Watch Repair)
Patron
Certified
19/1/16
4,368
4,924
113
WWW.WATCHMAKERUSA.COM
Yeah it all depends on the lighting angle on the Zzf. It's super good but of course not as refined as gen also color of the plating is shade off. Also black ceramic under some light is not as smooth as gen.

But definitely zzf blow the noob away.
 

Hazing

And So It Begins... Again
9/5/19
5,185
4,430
113
oh this is a nice comparison. the zzf insert looks nice but as I am looking through the pics, I can't help but notice the noob indicies. Noob does a good job with dials and indicies.
 

EirikSub

Banned member, the goat does not approve
Banned
21/2/20
24
1
0
Honestly I can't tell the difference in these pictures. All looks identical to me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: aristole

p0pperini

patr0n h0arder
Gold Patron
Certified
29/1/19
8,898
29,436
113
UK
The differences can certainly be clearly seen in these close-up, close-together comparison pics. But damn the CF is good! In everyday circumstances or standalone photos, it really would be hard to tell the rep insert from gen. Thanks for the photos oascom, very worthy addition to the study of Sub-C rep evolution.

The 16610 is a nicer Sub tho. :)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: KJ2020

shortlegs

Active Member
31/5/19
493
271
63
Just goes to show how good the CF bezel really is. Their sub LN insert is fantastic. Daytona not perfect but good too. But the hulk insert is disappointing though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KJ2020

Oascom

Watchmaker / Modder
Vendor (Watch Repair)
Patron
Certified
19/1/16
4,368
4,924
113
WWW.WATCHMAKERUSA.COM
I believe it's zzf V1 so v2 might be even better I quess? I'll shoot pics with v2 as soon as I get one (still waiting for mine)
 
  • Like
Reactions: KJ2020

EirikSub

Banned member, the goat does not approve
Banned
21/2/20
24
1
0
The differences can certainly be clearly seen in these close-up, close-together comparison pics. But damn the CF is good! In everyday circumstances or standalone photos, it really would be hard to tell the rep insert from gen. Thanks for the photos oascom, very worthy addition to the study of Sub-C rep evolution.

The 16610 is a nicer Sub tho. :)

Well sure I can see very tiny indiscrepancies but unless you have them on your own desk to compare in reality, it's very hard to tell from these pictures. I keep hearing "objective" but it sounds a little biased towards the ZZF to me, which is okay. We are all a little biased.

I like my own 14060M Sub. I didn’t buy my 14060M Sub because it was the best watch. It’s not. I bought it because I believe it’s the best Submariner that Rolex ever made.
On the wrist, it feels like a vintage piece from the 50s or 60s thanks to the lack of a date window, svelte case, and jangly hollow bracelet. But it also has a glossy, refined dial finish and superluminova, making it more elegant and useful than vintage models. And it predates Rolex’s change to chunkier cases with shiny ceramic bezels—changes I don’t personally care for. If I was going to spend my money on a Submariner to own and wear, the 14060M model was the only model for me, so I put my money where my mouth was and sourced my perfect watch. In my mind, it’s the only reference still true to the model’s roots while simultaneously being a culmination of the model’s evolution. In that way, I view the 14060M as a tribute to the lineage of the Submariner itself.
 

p0pperini

patr0n h0arder
Gold Patron
Certified
29/1/19
8,898
29,436
113
UK
Well sure I can see very tiny indiscrepancies but unless you have them on your own desk to compare in reality, it's very hard to tell from these pictures.
Exactly.

I keep hearing "objective" but it sounds a little biased towards the ZZF to me, which is okay. We are all a little biased.
It seems to me that the ZZF is just the most accurate copy at present. Yes, if you read Li's JTime "review" it comes out clearly in favour of the ZZF because there's some sort of relationship there with the factory, so there is bias, but that's fine as long as it's seen in that light. But others who have no reason to champion ZZF, such as smoke and oascom here, have also come to the same conclusion.


I like my own 14060M Sub.
5 digits to rule them all. I agree again - but in my case I've gone for a trio of Frankens, rather than a single gen. Different strokes.
 

Oascom

Watchmaker / Modder
Vendor (Watch Repair)
Patron
Certified
19/1/16
4,368
4,924
113
WWW.WATCHMAKERUSA.COM
Well I personally don't care about who made the watch :)

I change almost all parts to gen in mine so I could have the worst maker just with good casework and bracelet :p

But I like zzf as they have nice rounder markers and good dw
 

EirikSub

Banned member, the goat does not approve
Banned
21/2/20
24
1
0
Well I personally don't care about who made the watch :)

I change almost all parts to gen in mine so I could have the worst maker just with good casework and bracelet :p

But I like zzf as they have nice rounder markers and good dw

In that case, for frankening, would you not rather go for the Noob with the 3135 and 904L stainless steel 99% 1:1 case? I've compared a 3135 Noob to a 116610 LN and to the naked eye .. it's very impressive. 99% of the worlds population could not tell the difference. You have to really know what to look for. Unless you own a gen Sub yourself and are used to it and someone was to hand you a Noob V10 to look at for a minute .. I don't know. I don't think even watch enthusiasts could tell the difference. But if you know how the gen Sub feels and wear it all the time you will notice things that are off with it obviously. I'm not sure which one has the best case. As for bracelet, the Noob looks very good. The problem with it is that it is "jerky" and doesn't feel smooth like the gen when you open it. The The bracelet compared to the gen feels stifff and the latch is rigid. But the Rolex logo is 99% perfect and within the margin of error. No way to tell much of a difference there. The ingraving on it looks very very good to me. The biggest difference to me was the glide lock. It's just not smooth but very jerky. Maybe some sort of lubricant/oil could fix that but I doubt that.
 

EirikSub

Banned member, the goat does not approve
Banned
21/2/20
24
1
0
I forgot the ZZF V2 now has a 3135 movement aswell and 904L ss case and bracelet. I have not seen a ZZF V2 with my own eyes yet though.
 

Oascom

Watchmaker / Modder
Vendor (Watch Repair)
Patron
Certified
19/1/16
4,368
4,924
113
WWW.WATCHMAKERUSA.COM
I forgot the ZZF V2 now has a 3135 movement aswell and 904L ss case and bracelet. I have not seen a ZZF V2 with my own eyes yet though.

Yup. Not only 3135 but new vr3135 that saves some $.

Some people like noob as a base for franken and some like zzf. I went with Zzf but also building similar noob v10 for a member here.
 

EirikSub

Banned member, the goat does not approve
Banned
21/2/20
24
1
0
Yup. Not only 3135 but new vr3135 that saves some $.

Some people like noob as a base for franken and some like zzf. I went with Zzf but also building similar noob v10 for a member here.

Cool. Did you make a post about the ZZF project with pictures and specs (what parts .etc you swapped) and things like that? Would be very interested to see. Also the Noob project, when you finish that.
 

thinker1

Active Member
26/11/17
225
148
43
With zzf it’s stupid to spend on gen dial and insert. Both just great. Thanks for the comparison.
 

mpx

I'm Pretty Popular
6/2/20
1,007
2,114
113
Austria
The ZZF looks really good, a modded or gen bezel isn't really necessary anymore in my opinion.
Can't wait for my ZZF 114060 that I ordered a few weeks ago. I hope I can get my hands on it within the next 1-2 months.
 

Mark1937

Put Some Respect On My Name
Patron
Certified
25/3/17
4,237
3,596
113
Case ZZF is wrong. Very wrong CG
 

Princewilliam

I'm Pretty Popular
Supporter
Certified
27/7/15
1,964
1,067
113
The red lines are way off the actual shapes of both cases, take them away and it’s minimal


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oascom