Hi all,
I’ve been browsing this forum for the last month while I decided which rep to go for and this is my first post
Anyway, I went for a ZZF V2 LN.
My experience with gen Rolex’s is quite limited and my hands on experience stops with the 16610.
However I own a few genuine watches from the likes of Breitling so have some comparison to what a quality Swiss watch should be like.
So I’m going to give my opinion of this watch from someone that has an eye for quality, but not directly comparing to a genuine sub. Also I don’t like to look at my watches through magnification, so this will be based on looking at it with the naked eye. (I’ve great eye sight)
Firstly, I bought from Chazing Time. The watch took exactly 3 weeks to arrive. I was quite impressed with this with the current issues in the world. All I would say is the QC pics were not super high quality compared to what I’ve seen from the likes of JTime. Great coms and the watch came in a very secure plastic box. The watch was covered in plastic, but it was really easy and quite satisfying to remove. It did not leave any residue on the watch.
Down to business....
The main concern people seem to have about the ZZF V2 is the famed dimple. Just looking at the watch normally I cannot see it. However if you move the dial back and forth over a bright light it is visible. If I owned a genuine Rolex and it was like this, I would not be concerned. Maybe I got super lucky, or maybe peoples high res photos exaggerate it, but to me, it looks great.
Another thing people talk about is the bracelet not quite being up to the standard of other factories. Not having a direct comparison, I am super pleased with the bracelet and I would not let this put you off. The fit and finish is exceptional, there is no play in the links and the pins removed with the correct amount of pressure. The SEL fit better than my gen Breitling. As for the clasp, the spring loaded release catch seems perfect, I would not change that, however the securing flap over the top could possibly feel a little more positive when you clip it down. There is no play in it however, and I don’t see it would come unlatched.
The glide lock pretty good. I’m very happy with how it works, however I imagine a genuine one would glide a bit smoother. It’s every so slightly sticky but not something I’m worried about or disappointed with. It locks down perfectly.
I’ve read that the crowns on reps can feel a little grindy when being unscrewed. This crown feels great and very smooth. Not quite as smooth as my Breitling, but absolutely happy here. There is a little wobble when the crown is fully extended, but hopefully this isn’t a big deal and I hope the movement last a me a while.
The datewheel is perfectly aligned and looks very crisp to me even under the cyclops.
The dial, to the naked eye, looks totally perfect with the lume colour on the dial matching the hands. Rehaut is very aligned, I won't say perfect as it’s fractionally out, but I’d be happy with this on a gen.
Now there are 3 issues that I can see with the watch which I think are more QC issues than design issues. Also if anyone knows of anyone on this forum that could help rectify these issues, that would be awesome.
Firstly the cyclops is slightly misaligned. I could see this in my QC photos, but I took a punt as everything else looks great. It’s not super annoying, but would love to have this fixed if possible.
Secondly the minute hand, despite looking great is bent downward. Luckily it just misses the hour hand and it looks as if it get within a hairs breath of the indices. I’m hoping this doesn’t develop into an issue where it catches on anything and causes an issues to the movement. Again, if anyone can fix this, please let me know!
Lastly and probably the most annoying, the bezel. The bezel aligns very well and it feels great to turn with hardly any backward movement. However the bezel sits slightly proud of the crystal. It’s not easy to see, but very noticeable when you rub your thumb over it you can feel it and it is quite a sharp edge. In fact if I run my finger nail over the crystal and bezel, it will shave some nail off quite easily.
I know that the bezel is sitting on springs and I know gen subs can have a little play here. However when I push the bezel down it sits perfectly just below the crystal. Is this normal on the ZZF or is there something that can be done to bring the bezel down to where it should be?
All in all, I’ll give this watch an 8.5/10 with a 9/10 if these small QC issues were fixable.
Happy to answer any questions. I’ve not uploaded any photos as there are many on here and the 3 issues I’ve mentioned don’t seem to photo very well on a smartphone.
I’ve been browsing this forum for the last month while I decided which rep to go for and this is my first post
Anyway, I went for a ZZF V2 LN.
My experience with gen Rolex’s is quite limited and my hands on experience stops with the 16610.
However I own a few genuine watches from the likes of Breitling so have some comparison to what a quality Swiss watch should be like.
So I’m going to give my opinion of this watch from someone that has an eye for quality, but not directly comparing to a genuine sub. Also I don’t like to look at my watches through magnification, so this will be based on looking at it with the naked eye. (I’ve great eye sight)
Firstly, I bought from Chazing Time. The watch took exactly 3 weeks to arrive. I was quite impressed with this with the current issues in the world. All I would say is the QC pics were not super high quality compared to what I’ve seen from the likes of JTime. Great coms and the watch came in a very secure plastic box. The watch was covered in plastic, but it was really easy and quite satisfying to remove. It did not leave any residue on the watch.
Down to business....
The main concern people seem to have about the ZZF V2 is the famed dimple. Just looking at the watch normally I cannot see it. However if you move the dial back and forth over a bright light it is visible. If I owned a genuine Rolex and it was like this, I would not be concerned. Maybe I got super lucky, or maybe peoples high res photos exaggerate it, but to me, it looks great.
Another thing people talk about is the bracelet not quite being up to the standard of other factories. Not having a direct comparison, I am super pleased with the bracelet and I would not let this put you off. The fit and finish is exceptional, there is no play in the links and the pins removed with the correct amount of pressure. The SEL fit better than my gen Breitling. As for the clasp, the spring loaded release catch seems perfect, I would not change that, however the securing flap over the top could possibly feel a little more positive when you clip it down. There is no play in it however, and I don’t see it would come unlatched.
The glide lock pretty good. I’m very happy with how it works, however I imagine a genuine one would glide a bit smoother. It’s every so slightly sticky but not something I’m worried about or disappointed with. It locks down perfectly.
I’ve read that the crowns on reps can feel a little grindy when being unscrewed. This crown feels great and very smooth. Not quite as smooth as my Breitling, but absolutely happy here. There is a little wobble when the crown is fully extended, but hopefully this isn’t a big deal and I hope the movement last a me a while.
The datewheel is perfectly aligned and looks very crisp to me even under the cyclops.
The dial, to the naked eye, looks totally perfect with the lume colour on the dial matching the hands. Rehaut is very aligned, I won't say perfect as it’s fractionally out, but I’d be happy with this on a gen.
Now there are 3 issues that I can see with the watch which I think are more QC issues than design issues. Also if anyone knows of anyone on this forum that could help rectify these issues, that would be awesome.
Firstly the cyclops is slightly misaligned. I could see this in my QC photos, but I took a punt as everything else looks great. It’s not super annoying, but would love to have this fixed if possible.
Secondly the minute hand, despite looking great is bent downward. Luckily it just misses the hour hand and it looks as if it get within a hairs breath of the indices. I’m hoping this doesn’t develop into an issue where it catches on anything and causes an issues to the movement. Again, if anyone can fix this, please let me know!
Lastly and probably the most annoying, the bezel. The bezel aligns very well and it feels great to turn with hardly any backward movement. However the bezel sits slightly proud of the crystal. It’s not easy to see, but very noticeable when you rub your thumb over it you can feel it and it is quite a sharp edge. In fact if I run my finger nail over the crystal and bezel, it will shave some nail off quite easily.
I know that the bezel is sitting on springs and I know gen subs can have a little play here. However when I push the bezel down it sits perfectly just below the crystal. Is this normal on the ZZF or is there something that can be done to bring the bezel down to where it should be?
All in all, I’ll give this watch an 8.5/10 with a 9/10 if these small QC issues were fixable.
Happy to answer any questions. I’ve not uploaded any photos as there are many on here and the 3 issues I’ve mentioned don’t seem to photo very well on a smartphone.