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I got a BF 15202 through today so i thought id take a little time to do a review and point out a few things i like and dont like about it. Why did i go for the bf? Well theyre the only people making the green dial 15202 that i know of. Im sure zf or xf will bring one out soon but for now, we’re stuck with this!
Straight away i thought well, it doesnt feel as nice as my jf 15400’s. There are sharp feeling edges all over the bracelet. Its not a deal breaker, i can and will sort them out, just there are a LOT of edges to smooth. The bracelet also just doesn’t in general feel as nice and smooth as a jf, but the closing is very nice with minimal gap between the two ends. Also the ap symbol doesnt ‘float’ as ive read about some other factories. Not an issue but worth noting, the two screws that attach the bracelet to the case are just two long screws on a jf, on this its a screw at either end with a separate bar in the middle. Easy to misalign and have one screw hanging out, take time with it. Also the bracelet screws are one piece, unlike the separate bar/screw construction on a jf.
But…. The dial is very nice! Its got a great sunburst effect and is just pleasing on the eye. I havent seen the gen so don’t expect me to compare a £250 watch to a $100k+ one. One thing that caught my eye is the polished edge where the rehaut is on a rolex, appears to have a very shallow angle compared to a jf. Showing more of it whilst looking directly at it. Although probably not gen like, its nice that it catches reflections of the dial and markers when wearing the watch.
There are a few small marks on the dial markers etc as is pretty much par for the course on a £250 watch. Ill polish them out when i give the watch a full service.
As usual the rotor is like a helicopter when new so ive taken it apart and put a few drops of d5 in which has taken care of that. If you interested, the weird cog like thing in the middle of the rotor is just glued on, dont try to undo that screw (which is also just glued on). New to me is the use of 2 blue and 1 silver screw to hold the rotor on… gen miyota 9015’s just have silver screws so god knows where the blue ones have come from.
Now the really weird stuff… i had the case back and rotor off so i thought id dig a little deeper. Deco plate is the usual 2 screw affair with a miyota underneath. But getting to it was a real pain in the arse. The movement holder screws undo, but one of mine had two of the little clamps on the same screw! Ive got rid of one now as it seems to hold with just the one, may of been a friday afternoon job, might just be a sign of not great manufacturing. Saying that, i think every jf 15400 ive worked on has only had 2 rotor screws (should be 3) and 2 movement holder tabs (should also be 3) so who knows. What really was strange is the dial is just slotted into the back side of the decoplate/movement holder. No screws to hold it or anything, just slots in there. Strange!
Thickness is good at 9.3mm, cant complain about that at all. Yeah its a mm thicker than the gen but anything under 10mm is very wearable in any circumstance in my opinion. It does not appear there is any scope for thinning this out either. My first plan was stick it in the lathe, but i can live with 9.3 comfortably.
So, pros:
Thin
Cheap
Only green dial option available
Miyotas tend to be reliable and are cheap to replace
Cons
The rotor deco center bit is glued on not screwed on
Weird method of attaching the dial
I had brass dust on the dial, but that was after messing around taking it apart so it could of been me (sorted now)
Sharp edges on the bracelet
Would i buy it again? Well if i wanted a green dial ap i wouldn’t have much choice…. All in all its a fully useable watch, made a lot better with a bit of work. But just don’t expect that great tactile feel you get from a more expensive rep, straight out of the box.
Straight away i thought well, it doesnt feel as nice as my jf 15400’s. There are sharp feeling edges all over the bracelet. Its not a deal breaker, i can and will sort them out, just there are a LOT of edges to smooth. The bracelet also just doesn’t in general feel as nice and smooth as a jf, but the closing is very nice with minimal gap between the two ends. Also the ap symbol doesnt ‘float’ as ive read about some other factories. Not an issue but worth noting, the two screws that attach the bracelet to the case are just two long screws on a jf, on this its a screw at either end with a separate bar in the middle. Easy to misalign and have one screw hanging out, take time with it. Also the bracelet screws are one piece, unlike the separate bar/screw construction on a jf.
But…. The dial is very nice! Its got a great sunburst effect and is just pleasing on the eye. I havent seen the gen so don’t expect me to compare a £250 watch to a $100k+ one. One thing that caught my eye is the polished edge where the rehaut is on a rolex, appears to have a very shallow angle compared to a jf. Showing more of it whilst looking directly at it. Although probably not gen like, its nice that it catches reflections of the dial and markers when wearing the watch.
There are a few small marks on the dial markers etc as is pretty much par for the course on a £250 watch. Ill polish them out when i give the watch a full service.
As usual the rotor is like a helicopter when new so ive taken it apart and put a few drops of d5 in which has taken care of that. If you interested, the weird cog like thing in the middle of the rotor is just glued on, dont try to undo that screw (which is also just glued on). New to me is the use of 2 blue and 1 silver screw to hold the rotor on… gen miyota 9015’s just have silver screws so god knows where the blue ones have come from.
Now the really weird stuff… i had the case back and rotor off so i thought id dig a little deeper. Deco plate is the usual 2 screw affair with a miyota underneath. But getting to it was a real pain in the arse. The movement holder screws undo, but one of mine had two of the little clamps on the same screw! Ive got rid of one now as it seems to hold with just the one, may of been a friday afternoon job, might just be a sign of not great manufacturing. Saying that, i think every jf 15400 ive worked on has only had 2 rotor screws (should be 3) and 2 movement holder tabs (should also be 3) so who knows. What really was strange is the dial is just slotted into the back side of the decoplate/movement holder. No screws to hold it or anything, just slots in there. Strange!
Thickness is good at 9.3mm, cant complain about that at all. Yeah its a mm thicker than the gen but anything under 10mm is very wearable in any circumstance in my opinion. It does not appear there is any scope for thinning this out either. My first plan was stick it in the lathe, but i can live with 9.3 comfortably.
So, pros:
Thin
Cheap
Only green dial option available
Miyotas tend to be reliable and are cheap to replace
Cons
The rotor deco center bit is glued on not screwed on
Weird method of attaching the dial
I had brass dust on the dial, but that was after messing around taking it apart so it could of been me (sorted now)
Sharp edges on the bracelet
Would i buy it again? Well if i wanted a green dial ap i wouldn’t have much choice…. All in all its a fully useable watch, made a lot better with a bit of work. But just don’t expect that great tactile feel you get from a more expensive rep, straight out of the box.