Clean Factory 126710BLNR V2 with VR3186 – Legit Variation or scam?

[Clait]

Hi everyone,
I just got back from a trip with friends, and in a moment of excitement while in Istanbul, I ended up dropping some money on what appears to be a Clean Factory 126710BLNR “Batgirl,” supposedly a V2.

The case serial is L6V6, which aligns with many V2 Clean batches, and the bracelet is stamped F6U. Overall, the touch and feel are very convincing — the bezel action, case finish, dial print, and Jubilee bracelet are all top notch.

But… once I got home and opened it up, I found a VR3186 movement inside — which, as far as I know, is quite unusual for a Clean V2, especially one with this specific case reference.

From what I’ve read, there were some batches (possibly late 2022 or early 2023) where Clean used VR3186 movements due to a temporary shortage of CH/DD3285 clones. Some say these were genuine Clean parts, assembled externally or by third-party builders using original Clean components. That might explain the odd pairing of a Clean V2 case with a VR3186 inside.

Mechanically, the watch runs fine. Date flips around 23:54, the GMT hand functions as expected, and the movement looks like a decent VR clone (with real regulating arms, spiral-decorated rotor, etc.). The date font also looks very Clean — crisp, centered, and Rolex-like. Nothing seems off at a glance.

But I'm left wondering…
Did I get a weird Clean hybrid that’s still legit, or Did I just do something dumb and pay too much for this watch?

Either way, it’s been fun. But I’d appreciate any insight or opinions from members who’ve seen this kind of combo before.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Art Vandelay]

Did I just do something dumb and pay too much for this watch?

In order to answer that you'd need to share how much you actually paid.

 

[Reaps]

Clean for a certain point in time did make these with 3186, before 3285 movement came out. It indicates the watch is at least 2-3 years old.

Please upload some clasp photos, clasp code, etc, one of the tells of "fake clean" is the poor clasp alignment.

You can check the thread here :

Comparison between Gen Clean and Most Recent Fake Clean

At present, there are many versions that imitate Clean on the market, but after comparing them from the dial strap movement and other aspects, they will find that their restoration in every detail cannot reach the level of Clean. 1. The front of the watch is the most concerned place, so the...

forum.replica-watch.info

 

[Clait]

Paid 450€. I will check the other things when I get home. Thanks for replying me. I will let you know shortly

 

[Clait]

what do you think? I think that font is ok. It is really crisp. Not ok the alignment. Really difficult to say for me

 

[Reaps]

Hmmm... hard to say

 

[Clait]

Hmmm... hard to say

Other photos of the clasp

 

[Reaps]

I think it's some kind of fake Clean. The reason I believe this is because, although Clean did release a 3186 VR 126710 for a short while, back during this day, Clean clasps came with a classic STEEL INOX error. Yours doesn't have this. See real QC here of a real Clean 3186 :

https://www.reddit.com/r/RepTimeQC/comments/11blr8w

https://imgur.com/a/cf-gmt-ii-126710-with-vr3186-qKFbckc

That's my assessment.

Furthermore, as indicated by Elliot's post, that clasp is indicative of fake Clean. The reason is that the STEELINOX should be within the boundry of the red line, not above it.,.. the top of the STEELINOX should be below the red line, not in the middle.\



Nevertheless, I doubt anyone will be able to tell, so just wear it and enjoy it. You overpaid about $200-250. 450EURO now can get you DD3285 Cleans.

 

[Butterbluem]

Other photos of the clasp

My clean clasp is looking the same. Gap is slightly bigger on the left side.
Take picture of the clasp from above, when its closed please

 

[Clait]

My clean clasp is looking the same. Gap is slightly bigger on the left side.
Take picture of the clasp from above, when its closed please

Here we are. Your is 100% original from a TD?

 

[Clait]

I think it's some kind of fake Clean. The reason I believe this is because, although Clean did release a 3186 VR 126710 for a short while, back during this day, Clean clasps came with a classic STEEL INOX error. Yours doesn't have this. See real QC here of a real Clean 3186 :

https://www.reddit.com/r/RepTimeQC/comments/11blr8w

https://imgur.com/a/cf-gmt-ii-126710-with-vr3186-qKFbckc

That's my assessment.

Furthermore, as indicated by Elliot's post, that clasp is indicative of fake Clean. The reason is that the STEELINOX should be within the boundry of the red line, not above it.,.. the top of the STEELINOX should be below the red line, not in the middle.\



Nevertheless, I doubt anyone will be able to tell, so just wear it and enjoy it. You overpaid about $200-250. 450EURO now can get you DD3285 Cleans.

Thanks for sharing your evaluation.
But what I’m really interested in is a more in-depth evaluation of the rest of the watch.


I know we can sometimes be a bit too picky around here — and I say that with affection — but I’d appreciate your thoughts on things like the dial, the hands, the bezel insert, the rehaut engraving, and the general impression of the build.

Still, other aspects (like the case serial, L6V6, and the VR3186 movement) seem consistent with what has been seen on early Clean batches, especially when DD3285 wasn’t available.

I’m just trying to understand if what I have is a Clean V2 with maybe a few swapped parts, or something further from that.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to take a closer look!

 

[Reaps]

Thanks for sharing your evaluation.
But what I’m really interested in is a more in-depth evaluation of the rest of the watch.


I know we can sometimes be a bit too picky around here — and I say that with affection — but I’d appreciate your thoughts on things like the dial, the hands, the bezel insert, the rehaut engraving, and the general impression of the build.

Still, other aspects (like the case serial, L6V6, and the VR3186 movement) seem consistent with what has been seen on early Clean batches, especially when DD3285 wasn’t available.

I’m just trying to understand if what I have is a Clean V2 with maybe a few swapped parts, or something further from that.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to take a closer look!

Your question was if it's real Clean or not.

Like I said, STEEL INOX error should be present if it's really a Clean 3186 from back in the day. They didn't fix that until recent batches. Even my V1 DD3285 has a STEEL INOX error.

VR3186 and L6V6 case doesn't mean anything, those cases were freely avaliable back in the day, C+, VSF, also have them.

You can compare the watch you have to the QC pictures on Reddit I linked you. We've done 80% of the heavy lifting here. Come on man, you've been here since 2012.

 

[Clait]

Your question was if it's real Clean or not.

Like I said, STEEL INOX error should be present if it's really a Clean 3186 from back in the day. They didn't fix that until recent batches. Even my V1 DD3285 has a STEEL INOX error.

VR3186 and L6V6 case doesn't mean anything, those cases were freely avaliable back in the day, C+, VSF, also have them.

You can compare the watch you have to the QC pictures on Reddit I linked you. We've done 80% of the heavy lifting here. Come on man, you've been here since 2012.

Thanks for the honest reply — and you’re absolutely right. I really appreciate the clarity, and I’ll go back and compare things calmly with the QC pics you linked and what’s already been discussed here.

You’ve done a great job pointing out the inconsistencies. I’ll take some time to go through everything properly and then follow up in the thread with my thoughts.

Big thanks again

 

[FedeROLEX]

Case serial L6V6 is ARF reference, or is it not?

 

[Reaps]

Case serial L6V6 is ARF reference, or is it not?

Nah Clean has L6V6 too.

Come to think carefully I need to double check if L6V6 even existed during 2021 when 3186 Cleans were made. It may be a Clean v2 2022+ onwards serial.

 

[Clait]

Your question was if it's real Clean or not.

Like I said, STEEL INOX error should be present if it's really a Clean 3186 from back in the day. They didn't fix that until recent batches. Even my V1 DD3285 has a STEEL INOX error.

VR3186 and L6V6 case doesn't mean anything, those cases were freely avaliable back in the day, C+, VSF, also have them.

You can compare the watch you have to the QC pictures on Reddit I linked you. We've done 80% of the heavy lifting here. Come on man, you've been here since 2012.

I took a close look at the QC photos from the Reddit thread you shared, and overall my watch matches up pretty well with that model.
The only standout difference is the case serial: the watch in those photos appears to be an older batch, whereas mine carries a newer serial.

If we take the engraved codes at face value, mine could be one of the few Clean pieces that came out with the VR3186 – so after the example posted on Reddit, but before the more recent batches with the DD3285.

As for the bracelet, the touch and feel are identical to a friend’s Pepsi V2 (his bezel has been upgraded). Alignment of the engravings on my clasp is definitely off, but the engraving quality and the way it feels under the fingers are nothing like the “fake Clean” examples floating around online.

Given that I bought the watch in person, I wouldn’t be shocked if the seller swapped the bracelet to satisfy another customer beforehand.

Bottom line:

• Price: yeah, I probably paid too much.
• Head: looks like an original Clean.
• Bracelet: the mis-aligned text raises some doubt, but the engraving quality doesn’t scream fake Clean either.

I’ll remove the bracelet next week when my new tool arrives and do a final check on the case.

Thanks for any further input!