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Mini Review of RXF's 116610LN

kennygconspiracy

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Hey everyone, glad to give a review of my very first submariner. This was obtained from Eric at GeekTime and took about 20 days from purchase to wrist.

Now mind you, although this is the first 116610LN I owned, I have handled numerous other models from a variety of factories. Though this does not make me a savant/expert, it does give me a general idea of what one wants to look for when seeking a fantastic subbie.

Because I do not currently have any other subbie on hand to compare it to, gen or rep, I will do my best to give a review based on knowledge and experience instead.

Without further ado, let's jump into my mini review!

First Impressions
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First of all. Holy fookin jibbers krabst. This looked and felt as premium as the best of the best reps out there. I'm talking about the Noob 116500 V3, the VSF SMP 300m, the ZZF 116610LV V3 etc.

RXF also had a pamphlet included. This compared RXF to other brands, and showed off various aspects of the watch. I thought this was pretty neat considering I has never seen this before in a box. There was also a UV light based Rolex warranty card included. Damn cool!

So let's get to the visuals.

The crystal and insert
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Let's be clear, this is the best OOTB crystal I have ever seen. After going through several franken/superfranken projects and swimming through gen crystal photos for weeks, I can boldly state that RXF knocked their crystal out of the park.

Especially in low light, the black hole effect is indistinguishable from gen. I would use an RXF crystal in a franken/superfranken project involving gen parts.
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The insert may very well be the best out there currently. The numerals look full without fuss or spillage, and not paper white. They have a very dusty silver look to them, and appear bright and premium.

I don't bother too much with the rehaut, but the RXF looks to have it nicely engraved and relatively spot on. The RXF pamphlet or review by Andrew at TrustyTime is more comprehensive on that aspect.

The hour markers and hands

Another juicy sight. ZZF used to be the king on this aspect, but the indices on the RXF are thicker and more convincingly rounded, in all angles. An example of a watch that has indices which look rounded is the ARF 116710LN. At a tilt, the indices look sharp, but straight ahead, they look pretty rounded. The fact that RXF has juicy rounded indices on every angle is an absolute knockout.

The hands looked 3D and premium, with a correct height from the base of the dial. Is it the best? That's up for debate! ;)
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The Bezel, Scallops, SEL Fitment, Pip and Crown

The scallops are not as sharp as I thought they would be, nor are they as soft as gen. However they afford an excellent grip for turns. The best clicks are tight and feel premium. They are not too tight, not are they loose. Definitely worlds better than Noob, and on ZZF's level or better. I love turning this bezel.

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The SEL's are indeed beautifully recessed and tight. There is zero play. Enough said ;)

As for the Lume Lip, from all angles, it looks fantastically formed, with a beautiful glass and correct thickness. Definitely not at erect nipple.
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The crown is an absolute pleasure to handle. Solid firm grip. Not too sharp, not too blunt. No wiggle in the stem. Trip-lock fits in beautifully, with no grinding, play or mess. Absolutely premium. The crown on the crown (haha) is 3D and spot on with gen. My favourite crown establishment in any rep, even my beloved ARF 116710LN!

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Lume

To the left is my JF 216570 V3. To the right is my RXF 116610LN. What makes the RXF stand out is the evenness in the lume, as well as the brightness and fullness of glow. Although the 216570 has large lume indices, the RXF glowed like a torchlight. This reminded me of gen dials and gen lume. Definitely some of the best lume I have ever encountered!
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Clasp

This is where factories like ARF would pull ahead. The clasp feels great, but in my case, the large part did not snap in like on my ARF 116710LN. The little crown tab snapped well though. There were no sharp edges on the clasp, and the brushing looked premium.

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The engravings looked quite good, though not perfect. However I have seen similar forms with Noob's famous 116500's, so definitely not an outlier. Clasp code is 7GJ. No squeaking, no play. Absolutely solid.

Glidelock worked beautifully without any trouble, and as smooth as butter.
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Bottom portion of SEL fitment looks clean and recessed as well :)

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Movement

RXF used a A2824-2 movement. The case must have been modded to have the correct crown height as per gen. The movement was clean, and presented no problems when using. The winding was smooth as butter. As soon as the power reserve is full, the winding turns crunchy, but that is to be expected with any full reserve winding. You notice this as well with the Noob Daytonas, so not an isolated case.

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Final thoughts

For being my first submariner, this was taking a dive in the deep end in terms of quality. Nearly every aspect of RXF is premium, and for far less than the previous leader on the board, ZZF. I suspect with the ZF and new ZZF coming up in late September/October we are seeing a subbie battle of epic proportions.

For now, I would give this a 10/10 for not only being the best bang for the buck, but also being extremely meticulous in design, care and class. What an amazing time to be alive.

Thank you for reading my mini review :) Please let me know what you think, so we can add to the conversation :cheers:
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Sent from my RXF 116610LN using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

Aphung2

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Congratulations man! Everything looks damn spot on for an OOTB. One of my favorite parts is definitely how good that crystal and BH effect looks. If you shift movement tabs ever so slightly you'll have an even better aligned rehaut, if that is something that bothers you.

Definitely seems to be an excellent value at it's given price point. Enjoy it!
 
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Enrage

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Wow! A heck of a review, one of the best I have red. Can’t wait for my RXF! Thanks!


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supe12sta12z

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Man. Tempting. Only reservation is the QCs issues with the misaligned cyclops that we’ve been seeing early on. If they sort that out, I’m not even going to wait for the other factories to release their updated versions.
 
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kennygconspiracy

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Man. Tempting. Only reservation is the QCs issues with the misaligned cyclops that we’ve been seeing early on. If they sort that out, I’m not even going to wait for the other factories to release their updated versions.
My QC seemed crooked as well. However when I got the watch it was perfect. I would say it's not a rampant issue. Definitely ask for videos and close-ups from your TD to get the perfect piece for you :)

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
 

kennygconspiracy

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Congratulations man! Everything looks damn spot on for an OOTB. One of my favorite parts is definitely how good that crystal and BH effect looks. If you shift movement tabs ever so slightly you'll have an even better aligned rehaut, if that is something that bothers you.

Definitely seems to be an excellent value at it's given price point. Enjoy it!
Absolutely, I just realigned the rehaut on my 216570 to perfection. Planning on making the rehaut spot on here as well ;) Thank you for the tip and compliment!

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kennygconspiracy

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Wow! A heck of a review, one of the best I have red. Can’t wait for my RXF! Thanks!


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Can't wait for you to get yours! Thank you so much for the kind words mate.

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kennygconspiracy

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Careful mate, it looks like your rehaut has become detached; get it tightened up before it falls off!!!

I'm off to buy an RXF, they look mint! Oh wait, I've already got one one :)

Nice review dude.
Hahaha! XD thanks brother! :fistbump:

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NETGLW

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awesome review, ill be waiting for the zzf v3 but the v2 is definetly getting beaten by rxf BY FAR imo! thank you for your insights!
 
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Enrage

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Just a noob question, looks like you have the watch in oil or is it just wet? :)


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kennygconspiracy

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Just a noob question, looks like you have the watch in oil or is it just wet? :)


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The watch is completely dry and was just wiped with my cleaning cloth. No oil or water!

And always ask questions :)

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Enrage

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The watch is completely dry and was just wiped with my cleaning cloth. No oil or water!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

Okey! I was thinking about the 3rd picture, looks like water bubbles or something like that.


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kennygconspiracy

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Okey! I was thinking about the 3rd picture, looks like water bubbles or something like that.


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Oh yes, that one was underwater! Hahaha

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KJ2020

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Congrats bro on a great watch and excellent review right out of the gate!

I would just mention that regarding SELs, the term flush is usually used to describe a lack of recess, which yours definitely does NOT have. Your SEL recess is pretty much perfect, another big plus! You also have no SEL gaps to the lugs, as you mentioned. It doesn't get much better than this.

Thanks for the great pics and writeup. Well done!
 
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thinwhiteduke

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Congratulations! Great mini review! This confirms my belief that RXF is a real contender and may very well be the best right out the box for the money you pay. Awesome! Just two things: 1) And yeah, Sir KJ mentioned the use of the term “flush.” Your SEL is not flush with the lugs (which is bad). It is recessed, which is what we all look for. I think you meant your SEL is good and tight with no gaps between SEL and lugs. 2) The crown height is awesome considering it’s a 2825. Are you sure RXF achieved this by “modding” the movement or by a deifferent milking of the case? I would be happy to know so pls educate me. Cuz if it’s the latter, then I would consider slapping a VR3135 into this baby. Again, congratulations on a very helpful mini review!
 
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kennygconspiracy

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Congrats bro on a great watch and excellent review right out of the gate!

I would just mention that regarding SELs, the term flush is usually used to describe a lack of recess, which yours definitely does NOT have. Your SEL recess is pretty much perfect, another big plus! You also have no SEL gaps to the lugs, as you mentioned. It doesn't get much better than this.

Thanks for the great pics and writeup. Well done!
Thanks big bro! Coming from someone I deeply respect, there's no higher compliment!

I'll make the necessary changes! :)



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