Disappointing Z-Factory Bronzo PAM 382 has Bad Build Quality/QC

[daevildog]

First of all, many thanks to Angus for being my favorite dealer, never any bullshit, great customer service, etc. Got Z Factory Bronzo 47mm Submersible - PAM 382 Rep. Overall the gets a 7.0/10, which is very disappointing for the high price. If your going to charge $500, better get your act together and have better factory QC. 4 Noticeable flaws:
1. Bezel is not tight there is a couple degrees of "looseness" in the clockwise direction.
2. Bezel markers are not uniform height, 1 o'clock is high and 2 o'clock is low compared to rest of the markers. 3 o'clock/15minute marker is misaligned.
3. Lever handle on CG is too thin.
4. CG pin sticks out too much, needs to be at least flush with CG (easiest fix)
5. Pearl is a little overfilled with lume, needs to be a tad more recessed.
Gen Pics:

Pics of my rep:

[[URL]http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af84/daevildog/20140407_124634_zpssvdnoxo2.jpg/img][/URL]
[IMG]http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af84/daevildog/20140407_124859_zpssdgvv1fg.jpg

Will never preorder any Z Factory watch again without waiting for feedback... kind of pissed off. Z factory has done a well with other releases, but it only takes one bad release (THIS BRONZO BUILD) to wreak your reputation.

 

[silverclaw]

Z Factory is not a single factory. It is a collection of small makers that dealers group into 1 factory. Don't avoid Z-Fac watches because one of them is bad. However, all of the Panerai watches from "Z-Fac" probably come from the same maker.

Source: TD

The Black Bay is fantastic!

 

[mysterio]

Z Factory is not a single factory. It is a collection of small makers that dealers group into 1 factory. Don't avoid Z-Fac watches because one of them is bad. However, all of the Panerai watches from "Z-Fac" probably come from the same maker.

Source: TD

The Black Bay is fantastic!

Who said that?

This is my understanding. Z-Factory is not an actual factory (much like Noob and H-Fac are not). They are makers who assemble the watches into the final product. They get their parts from parts factories. Some make the dial, others supply the movement, etc. It is still correct that the flaw may lie in the sub-assembly or part that came from a single factory, however, since the makers, in this case, Z-Factory, assemble the watches themselves, they should see these issues on their side and not let these watches reach the dealers who will in turn sell them.

 

[daevildog]

Assembly of the watch is crappy... given their previous track record of producing good watches.

 

[SUMIKITO]

$500.00 is quite a big sum for that new Bronzo Pam. That would be TC Sub territory right there, but that's another Rep altogether. Always wondered too if the rep version is milled from a solid billet of real bronze like the Gen is. The pics of the Gen show quite a different shade of bronze, a darker hue like in real bronze. Would the Rep just be a bronze plating emulating "bronze" ? Perhaps some new Bronzo owners can chime in on this. Am sure a lot of members would be wanting to know too. A sharp small tool scratch in a hidden place on the watch head should prove this. If it remains bronzy dark yellow after the scratch, it is bronze, if white, its just plated.

 

[mysterio]

Assembly of the watch is crappy... given their previous track record of producing good watches.

Assembly as it pertains to how they screened the quality of the parts going into the actual watch, yes, that is certainly an area for improvement. But how the lever is shaped, how much lume is on the pearl, how the bezel markers are uniform (or not, in this case) in height, these are issues with the different factories that made them. In the end though, it is a Z-Factory product so they cannot reason out that it's the parts factories problem. I work in manufacturing so I know that if we let a defective product or a product with unacceptable parts go out to the customer, it's our fault, not the parts suppliers'.

$500.00 is quite a big sum for that new Bronzo Pam. That would be TC Sub territory right there, but that's another Rep altogether. Always wondered too if the rep version is milled from a solid billet of real bronze like the Gen is. The pics of the Gen show quite a different shade of bronze, a darker hue like in real bronze. Would the Rep just be a bronze plating emulating "bronze" ? Perhaps some new Bronzo owners can chime in on this. Am sure a lot of members would be wanting to know too. A sharp small tool scratch in a hidden place on the watch head should prove this. If it remains bronzy dark yellow after the scratch, it is bronze, if white, its just plated.

I don't know if anybody would do that intentionally. I know I wouldn't. :lol: Comparing pics of the gen PAM382 to pics of or even the actual PAM382 rep in hand simply won't do. You can't even compare the rep PAM382 with another bronze watch like the Helson, simply because it's not trying to be a Helson or some other watch, it is supposed to be a replica of the PAM382 Bronzo. So we have to have both the rep and gen together at the same moment. Hopefully we'll see that in a short time.

 

[SUMIKITO]

Yup mysterio, I guess not. We have had a good number of chats on the CB regarding the new Bronzo that's why I mentioned it. Well in time we would know as the market fills with them. All the very best to you. :thumbsup: ............................Looks like a lot of dealers are stocking up on this model like pancakes, it should be a hit like the Tudor Black Bay...........look at this TDs table of Bronzos !!......... http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php?t=178922 Wow, that is a lot of goodies!

 

[mysterio]

Well some of the Bronzo owners plan to bring the watch diving. I am sure there will be lots of chances to hit the watch on something while diving. Then we'll know.

 

[kilowattore]

A wobbly bezel would piss me off on a 500 usd rep, and this is not the first complain I read about it.
Buying such an expensive rep and having to fix it sucks.
As others said, for this price tag we should expect very good quality.
Let's see what (and when) KW pulls out.

And I agree with the OP, preordering doesn't seem a good idea, esp on a high priced rep.

 

[flieger123]

Looks great at least.

 

[silverclaw]

Who said that?

This is my understanding. Z-Factory is not an actual factory (much like Noob and H-Fac are not). They are makers who assemble the watches into the final product. They get their parts from parts factories. Some make the dial, others supply the movement, etc. It is still correct that the flaw may lie in the sub-assembly or part that came from a single factory, however, since the makers, in this case, Z-Factory, assemble the watches themselves, they should see these issues on their side and not let these watches reach the dealers who will in turn sell them.

John at Lion City Watches; I made a comment about how nice Z-Fac was, he replied with this info. I believe it's true because of how varied the quality of ZF watches seem to be. It's hard to tell though. He meant that Z-Fac was a bunch of different makers who each assembled their own watches.

 

[Sam1977]

I am sire the bezel assembly is identical to the 389. the 389 suffers from the same bezel issues.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jd01449]

I have both the black bay and the bronzo and both have known bezel issues. The pearl on the bronzo is very uneven so I do understand what you say. I will say none of the issues are unexpected as they are reps. I assume that alot of the price of this watch has to do with making this sort of bronze watch.
In no way am I defending the factory by posting this, I am just saying I personally did not expect perfection. I think most of the time the factories make these "mistakes" on purpose so that they can pave the way for a V2.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

 

[mysterio]

John at Lion City Watches; I made a comment about how nice Z-Fac was, he replied with this info. I believe it's true because of how varied the quality of ZF watches seem to be. It's hard to tell though. He meant that Z-Fac was a bunch of different makers who each assembled their own watches.

I see. I have it from a different source, let's just leave it at that.

I have both the black bay and the bronzo and both have known bezel issues. The pearl on the bronzo is very uneven so I do understand what you say. I will say none of the issues are unexpected as they are reps. I assume that alot of the price of this watch has to do with making this sort of bronze watch.
In no way am I defending the factory by posting this, I am just saying I personally did not expect perfection. I think most of the time the factories make these "mistakes" on purpose so that they can pave the way for a V2.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

It may be that way because the case maker for both is the same. But the problem is more of a quality control issue as the problem isn't present on 100% of all the reps.

 

[TESLA760]

When did $500 become the benchmark for perfection ? You guys must not be buying AP's.

 

[OmegaPOFL]

in one word:

 

[rolexwatchfan]

We'll see what KW version has to offer. So far opinions on ZFac 382 are mixed. Lets see some patina growing and then we'll jump to conclusions.

 

[ThinkBachs]

in one word:

I'm friends with Kevin on Facebook.

 

[shykhai]

When did $500 become the benchmark for perfection ? You guys must not be buying AP's.

I second that. No way in hell will people spot your rep. Comparing a 500 rep and 30k gen pc is just stupid. If there is too much disappointment, get out of the rep game and save up and buy gens.

 

[hsmooth]

Well here are some quick photos of my bronzo. It feels great on the wrist even if there are some flaws. Got a compliment from my neighbor today who wears a gen Patek. And i'd like to echo what BMW said, compared to my APs which often cost $600-$700 before I'm satisfied with it, this one for $high 400's aint bad