I recently picked up a genuine Rolex Submariner 124060 from my local AD, and I decided to buy the Clean and VSF models to do a full comparison for the benefit all members at RWI. For Clean and VSF, I turned to RWI M2M sales section: thanks to
@wjmccaff for Clean 124060 and thanks to
@jamsie for the VSF 124060. Both were excellent to deal with.
This is an honest "NO BIAS" review, as a member/buyer, and not a review from a Dealer who may favor one factory over the other because of perks or special deals.
This is a modest review taken with a cell phone camera. All photos were taken at the same time and are natural and unprocessed.
From the start
Both Clean and VSF cases are very close to Gen. On the wrist, no one would notice any case shape differences between the three.
Rehaut and Engravings / Crystal / Hands / Bezel action
Gen is Gen. Rehaut is highly polished and reflective. Engravings are beautiful and consistent. Crystal is wonderfully clear with AR on the full inside.
Clean rehaut is also very well polished and the engravings are sharp and well defined. Crystal is a bit cloudy.
VSF downfall is has always been their rehaut engravings and polishing. VSF crystal is very clear and much better than Clean's crystal.
VSF hands look better, edges are smoother,
with more 3D effect.
Dial printing and finish look really good on both Clean and VSF, but VSF seems to look much nicer: possibly due to the crystal.
Clean bezel action and sound is passable, but there is quite a bit of back-play and feels loose. Bezel click sound is loud and not gen like.
VSF bezel action and sound is extremely close to gen in both feel and sound. Better feel with no back-play. Sound is very gen like.
All 3
A look at all 3 to see
All 3 side view
crown guards
Crown guards on Clean are a bit softer and curved.
VSF has more of the uptick.
Less noticeable on the wrist or to most people, but the uptick on the crown guards is something RWI members, and experts will definitely notice.
Pip
Gen Pip is a prettier white, while remaining soft in appearance.
Clean Pip has a slight greenish tint.
VSF isn't the soft white, but it's very close to gen.
SEL
Both Clean and VSF are looking good, but the edge goes to Clean with tighter tolerances and a more solid look and feel.
Clasp
Clean and VSF did a fine job. Crown logo looks very well detailed.
Crown and winding
Crown when winding/unwinding feels gen like. Winding and hand movements were perfect.
Clean VR3230 movement was butter smooth. In fact, it almost felt too smooth.
VSF (dd3230) movement) felt excellent. But it seemed to give more resitance after winding 24 full rotations.
Bracelet / Clasp / Glidelock
Clean bracelet feels a tad bit better compared to VSF, but not as drastic as people make it out to be. Clean ffitting tolerances are spot on, with VSF having a bit of play. Both are acceptable. The Glidelock is where VSF shines. It's much smoother and is dramatically closer to gen in terms of feel and operation.
*Bonus - ZF bracelet
Special thanks to
@jamsie for providing the ZF bracelt and providing his input:
ZF bracelet is very well finished and fitting tolerances are very tight. Glidelock is similar to Clean. Overall, my pick would be the ZF bracelet for the finishing and feel.
Lume
Lumes on Clean and VSF are strong, but VSF looks clearer and stronger thanks to the better crystal used by VSF.
Case marking
Here's the big one...
Clean is using 126610 case.
VSF is marked correctly: 124060.
No one would ever notice, but it's a something buyers should be aware of.
Clean case marking = 126610 = incorrect
VSF case marking = 124060 = correct
Observation
Now I'll be looking over the finer details with a loupe and going over how everything feels in hand and the overall feeling on the wrist.
Summary
The overall closeness between CLEAN & VSF 124060 with the genuine article is very impressive.
As for the review of which is better between Clean vs VSF, there is no "real' winner because each factory has their strong points. Clean has the better rehaut finishing and engravings, and a better bracelet. VSF has the better bezel action, crystal, glidelock, and better movement. That being said, VSF does have the correct 124060 case marking.
Honorable mention: Depending on your point of view, ZF's bracelet is quite possibly better than Clean's bracelet. VSF glidelock is the better than both Clean and ZF.
All in all, the perfect 124060 rep would be a combination of all the strongest parts from the various factories.
Best OOTB 124060,
My pick is VSF.
VSF the better bezel action and sound, more accurate crown guards, clearer crystal, smoother glidelock (which we all will use often), and the better movement. *Bonus to VSF for having the correct 124060 case markings. Even though no one will ever see the case markings, just knowing it's correct is a plus. But the most important aspect is something that can't be shown in photos: "How it Feels." There's something about the way the VSF wears that makes it feel better.
Remember, I'm doing this comparison directly against my genuine Rolex 124060, but my preferances may be different than yours.
It was my pleasure doing this comparison for RWI members. I've learned a lot here and it's only fitting to return the favor and help out. But as we always say: "There is no best rep."
