- 20/4/20
- 587
- 577
- 93
This is my first review for the forum. I know these aren't the exact same model; nevertheless, I thought the comparison could be helpful for a few members. Enough small talk, lets get to it.
Case
ZZF:
- Inscriptions on the side of the case (between the lugs) are well done and very gen like. High quality.
- Overall Shape: Well done. Nice lugs, but crown guard angle is not "sharp" enough when compared to gen.
- Rehaut: Excellent inscription, clean and beautiful. The transition between the repeated "ROLEX" and the serial is harder to differentiate. Font size on serial number only slightly smaller from rest of rehaut. The lower rehaut "shelf" is easy to see and looks very gen-like.
- Caseback: Smooth and easy removal and replacement.
- Brushing: Nicely done.
- Crown Tube: Has one more twists to open/close vs VSF. Little different design compared to VSF.
VSF:
- Inscriptions on the side of the case (between the lugs) are very bad. Looks like a boy scout carved them with his knife lol jk, not that bad - regardless no one is really going to see this, except you or your watchsmith.
- Overall Shape: Very well done. Best gen-like case shape I've seen yet. Nice lugs and wonderful angle of the CG's.
- Rehaut: Above average inscription, looks nice. Small issue with the first R being slightly mis-aligned. Nice transition between the repeated "ROLEX" on the rehaut and the serial number. Serial number is presented in slightly smaller font size vs rest of rehaut. The lower rehaut shelf is harder to see, but present... not as nicely done as ZZF's.
- Caseback: Smooth and easy removal and replacement.
- Brushing: Nicely done.
- Crown Tube: One less twist to open/close vs ZZF. Little different design compared to ZZF.
Summary: Overall I think both cases have their pros and cons. Hard to say that there is a definitive winner here. It will depend on what each individual values most based on the above assessment.
Photos:
Bezel
ZZF:
- Insert: Nice overall color. Good platinum fill. Wonderful overall ceramic insert that we'd expect from Clean Factory.
- Bezel: Nice edges with smooth brushing. Feels good in your hand when you rotate the bezel. The overall shape of the indentations is slightly longer, more oval than the VSF.
- Bezel Movement: Smooth, solid, firm movement. On a scale 1-10 with 10 being impossible to move the bezel and 1 being it spins like a fidget spinner.... 6.5 out of 10.
VSF:
- Insert: Nice overall color. Good platinum fill. Great job by VSF - far better than the old ZZF V2 LN insert.
- Bezel: Nice edges with smooth brushing. Feels good in your hand when you rotate it. The overall shape of the indentations is more circular compared to the ZZF (not as "long").
- Bezel Movement. Smooth, solid movement. Easier to rotate compared to ZZF. On a scale 1-10 with 10 being impossible to move the bezel and 1 being it spins like a fidget spinner.... 5.0 out of 10.
Summary: Overall both bezels are great. Again, hard to say one is a clear winner. Depends on personal preference. I think I like the VSF feel a bit more than the ZZF.
Photos:
Bracelet
ZZF:
- Clasp: Feels wonderful! Opens easily and smoothly. Basically identical feel to my ARF 116710LN clasp. Clean precise cuts and alignments. Nicely done inscriptions.
- Bracelet: Good brushing, slightly rounded edges on the links. Superb movement and excellent spacing between links and SELs.
- SEL's: Tight and nice.
VSF:
- Clasp: Feels better than average. A little harder to open than the CF/ARF bracelet on the V3. Not as difficult to open compared to NOOB or other clasps I've handled in the past. Cuts could be more precise. Inscriptions could be better.
- Bracelet: Good brushing. Edges seem to be a bit more rounded compared to the ZZF V3. Overall movement is ok OOTB doesn't feel as nice as the ZZF V3. With some lubrication this improved, but the ZZF V3 post lubrication still feels better than the VSF post lubrication. Biggest issue here is the first link after the SEL's. The angle is much larger compared to the ZZF V3 and this just feels odd when you set the watch down. There is also a noticeably larger space between the SEL and the first link.
- SEL's: Tight and nice. But has issue with first link as stated above.
Summary: Personally I feel as though the ZZF is the definitive winner here. Overall better feel and end link movement compared to the VSF. Very high quality bracelet (equal to ARF for sure). I don't feel as though the VSF is horrible (it's a close 2nd), just not as well made as ZZF's Clean Factory & AR Factory Collaborative one.
Photos:
Crystal
ZZF:
- Cyclops: "Halo" like effect present around the cyclops. Nice black hole effect. 7.8 out of 10 when compared to gen BH effect.
VSF:
- Cyclops: "Halo" like effect present around the cyclops. Very nice black hole effect. The AR coating does a better job dulling out light reflections. 8.4 out of 10 when compared to gen BH effect.
Summary: Both crystals are very nice for being replicas. The VSF crystal is a bit better, with ZZF a close second.
Pictures:
Dial/Hands/Datewheel
ZZF:
- Dial: beautiful dial and clean/precise text. Great sunburst effect. From 4-8 o'clock the minute markers do not "touch" the rehaut. These types of imperfections are present even on gen watches.
- Hands: Excellent hands! Very gen-like. Nicely finished.
- Datewheel: Basic VR datewheel that matches the one on my VR 3185. Nicely detailed font, just thinner than some gen watches.
VSF:
- Dial: beautiful dial with clean/precise text. Very gen-like dimple. Minute markers are spaced well with edge of rehaut.
- Hands: Good hands. Noticeably thicker than the ZZF hands. Not my favorite, but they're not the worst either.
- Datewheel: Thicker than the ZZF datewheel, but can be more gen-like depending on what year Rolex you're comparing them too. Personally the gen's I've handled have a thicker date wheel very similar to VSF's. Font is still nicely detailed.
Summary: Dial - equal on both watches as far as quality and precision goes. Hands - ZZF is a clear winner here. Datewheel - will come down to personal preference. Both have nice font clarity, just depends if you prefer thick or thin.
Pictures:
Movement
ZZF:
- It's a VR3135, we pretty much know how these are.... but I'll go into some detail for comparison (or for newer members).
- Winding: Smooth, but not like butter.
- Crown/Stem: Feels nice and screws on/off nicely.
- Details: The red reversing wheels have a nice metallic gen-like finish and color to them. The overall finish is nicely done. The amplitude on the timegrapher is not as good as that of the VS3135 at 250-290.
- Reliability: Awesome
VSF:
- Winding: Buttery smooth. Very gen like.
- Crown/Stem: Feels very nice, good bounce to it, screws on/off very easily.
- Details: The red reversing wheels have a more matte red finish to them. Some parts of the movement have a nicer finish compared to the VR3135. Some of the other gears appear to have a poor finish compared to the same ones on the VR3135. The amplitude is superb on the timegrapher at 290-320 (much better than the VR3135's I've worked with)
- Reliability: Unknown
Summary: Taking reliability out of the picture (as we have no clue how reliable the VS3135 is), I think the VS3135 is the winner here. Has nice results on the timegrapher and feels great when winding, changing the date, and adjusting the time. Nevertheless, we can't forget that the VR3135 is a fantastic movement and very reliable. Great second choice.
Pictures:
Impressions (TLDR)
Both watches are great replicas. You can't go wrong with either purchase. The ZZF has some better craftsmanship (bracelet) and minute details (inscriptions) which give it some value and justify a higher price (maybe not $100 more, but more for sure).
In the end it's going to come down to personal taste and what you as an individual find value in. I hope this helps you guys out and eases your decision making process.
Case
ZZF:
- Inscriptions on the side of the case (between the lugs) are well done and very gen like. High quality.
- Overall Shape: Well done. Nice lugs, but crown guard angle is not "sharp" enough when compared to gen.
- Rehaut: Excellent inscription, clean and beautiful. The transition between the repeated "ROLEX" and the serial is harder to differentiate. Font size on serial number only slightly smaller from rest of rehaut. The lower rehaut "shelf" is easy to see and looks very gen-like.
- Caseback: Smooth and easy removal and replacement.
- Brushing: Nicely done.
- Crown Tube: Has one more twists to open/close vs VSF. Little different design compared to VSF.
VSF:
- Inscriptions on the side of the case (between the lugs) are very bad. Looks like a boy scout carved them with his knife lol jk, not that bad - regardless no one is really going to see this, except you or your watchsmith.
- Overall Shape: Very well done. Best gen-like case shape I've seen yet. Nice lugs and wonderful angle of the CG's.
- Rehaut: Above average inscription, looks nice. Small issue with the first R being slightly mis-aligned. Nice transition between the repeated "ROLEX" on the rehaut and the serial number. Serial number is presented in slightly smaller font size vs rest of rehaut. The lower rehaut shelf is harder to see, but present... not as nicely done as ZZF's.
- Caseback: Smooth and easy removal and replacement.
- Brushing: Nicely done.
- Crown Tube: One less twist to open/close vs ZZF. Little different design compared to ZZF.
Summary: Overall I think both cases have their pros and cons. Hard to say that there is a definitive winner here. It will depend on what each individual values most based on the above assessment.
Photos:
Bezel
ZZF:
- Insert: Nice overall color. Good platinum fill. Wonderful overall ceramic insert that we'd expect from Clean Factory.
- Bezel: Nice edges with smooth brushing. Feels good in your hand when you rotate the bezel. The overall shape of the indentations is slightly longer, more oval than the VSF.
- Bezel Movement: Smooth, solid, firm movement. On a scale 1-10 with 10 being impossible to move the bezel and 1 being it spins like a fidget spinner.... 6.5 out of 10.
VSF:
- Insert: Nice overall color. Good platinum fill. Great job by VSF - far better than the old ZZF V2 LN insert.
- Bezel: Nice edges with smooth brushing. Feels good in your hand when you rotate it. The overall shape of the indentations is more circular compared to the ZZF (not as "long").
- Bezel Movement. Smooth, solid movement. Easier to rotate compared to ZZF. On a scale 1-10 with 10 being impossible to move the bezel and 1 being it spins like a fidget spinner.... 5.0 out of 10.
Summary: Overall both bezels are great. Again, hard to say one is a clear winner. Depends on personal preference. I think I like the VSF feel a bit more than the ZZF.
Photos:
Bracelet
ZZF:
- Clasp: Feels wonderful! Opens easily and smoothly. Basically identical feel to my ARF 116710LN clasp. Clean precise cuts and alignments. Nicely done inscriptions.
- Bracelet: Good brushing, slightly rounded edges on the links. Superb movement and excellent spacing between links and SELs.
- SEL's: Tight and nice.
VSF:
- Clasp: Feels better than average. A little harder to open than the CF/ARF bracelet on the V3. Not as difficult to open compared to NOOB or other clasps I've handled in the past. Cuts could be more precise. Inscriptions could be better.
- Bracelet: Good brushing. Edges seem to be a bit more rounded compared to the ZZF V3. Overall movement is ok OOTB doesn't feel as nice as the ZZF V3. With some lubrication this improved, but the ZZF V3 post lubrication still feels better than the VSF post lubrication. Biggest issue here is the first link after the SEL's. The angle is much larger compared to the ZZF V3 and this just feels odd when you set the watch down. There is also a noticeably larger space between the SEL and the first link.
- SEL's: Tight and nice. But has issue with first link as stated above.
Summary: Personally I feel as though the ZZF is the definitive winner here. Overall better feel and end link movement compared to the VSF. Very high quality bracelet (equal to ARF for sure). I don't feel as though the VSF is horrible (it's a close 2nd), just not as well made as ZZF's Clean Factory & AR Factory Collaborative one.
Photos:
Crystal
ZZF:
- Cyclops: "Halo" like effect present around the cyclops. Nice black hole effect. 7.8 out of 10 when compared to gen BH effect.
VSF:
- Cyclops: "Halo" like effect present around the cyclops. Very nice black hole effect. The AR coating does a better job dulling out light reflections. 8.4 out of 10 when compared to gen BH effect.
Summary: Both crystals are very nice for being replicas. The VSF crystal is a bit better, with ZZF a close second.
Pictures:
Dial/Hands/Datewheel
ZZF:
- Dial: beautiful dial and clean/precise text. Great sunburst effect. From 4-8 o'clock the minute markers do not "touch" the rehaut. These types of imperfections are present even on gen watches.
- Hands: Excellent hands! Very gen-like. Nicely finished.
- Datewheel: Basic VR datewheel that matches the one on my VR 3185. Nicely detailed font, just thinner than some gen watches.
VSF:
- Dial: beautiful dial with clean/precise text. Very gen-like dimple. Minute markers are spaced well with edge of rehaut.
- Hands: Good hands. Noticeably thicker than the ZZF hands. Not my favorite, but they're not the worst either.
- Datewheel: Thicker than the ZZF datewheel, but can be more gen-like depending on what year Rolex you're comparing them too. Personally the gen's I've handled have a thicker date wheel very similar to VSF's. Font is still nicely detailed.
Summary: Dial - equal on both watches as far as quality and precision goes. Hands - ZZF is a clear winner here. Datewheel - will come down to personal preference. Both have nice font clarity, just depends if you prefer thick or thin.
Pictures:
Movement
ZZF:
- It's a VR3135, we pretty much know how these are.... but I'll go into some detail for comparison (or for newer members).
- Winding: Smooth, but not like butter.
- Crown/Stem: Feels nice and screws on/off nicely.
- Details: The red reversing wheels have a nice metallic gen-like finish and color to them. The overall finish is nicely done. The amplitude on the timegrapher is not as good as that of the VS3135 at 250-290.
- Reliability: Awesome
VSF:
- Winding: Buttery smooth. Very gen like.
- Crown/Stem: Feels very nice, good bounce to it, screws on/off very easily.
- Details: The red reversing wheels have a more matte red finish to them. Some parts of the movement have a nicer finish compared to the VR3135. Some of the other gears appear to have a poor finish compared to the same ones on the VR3135. The amplitude is superb on the timegrapher at 290-320 (much better than the VR3135's I've worked with)
- Reliability: Unknown
Summary: Taking reliability out of the picture (as we have no clue how reliable the VS3135 is), I think the VS3135 is the winner here. Has nice results on the timegrapher and feels great when winding, changing the date, and adjusting the time. Nevertheless, we can't forget that the VR3135 is a fantastic movement and very reliable. Great second choice.
Pictures:
Impressions (TLDR)
Both watches are great replicas. You can't go wrong with either purchase. The ZZF has some better craftsmanship (bracelet) and minute details (inscriptions) which give it some value and justify a higher price (maybe not $100 more, but more for sure).
In the end it's going to come down to personal taste and what you as an individual find value in. I hope this helps you guys out and eases your decision making process.
