15400 Dial APSF vs Gen

[j21]

None of us, not one, has perfect knowledge in this hobby and nobody should pretend to do so.
We are all here to learn and I really appreciate threads like yours too. It takes effort and time to post your observations with nice accompanying clear pictures.
A guy I will like to give a shout out to in this arena is @j21 that guy certainly knows how to build a very good 15400 franken. Of course like everyone else he is limited to the parts available in the market but the dude knows his ways around the gen parts variations like a pro.

Thank you sir

Yes ofc, no-one knows everything and this applies to everything in life in general, we are all learning everyday

Many nice 15400 frankens around ofc, its a reference that i personally like very much

Unfortunately gen AP parts are indeed so limited, it needs a lot of patience and searching to reach your goal. But this is the beauty right? The exclusivity, the challenge. If everything was readily available and easy(like if you decide for franken rolex for example)it wouldn't have fun.

It's a unique and beautiful hobby

 

[rawbar]

I just received a 15400 APSF V1 today....... I have spent weeks and weeks fussing over learning how to QC an AP and looking at screw alignment and such as I'm somewhat OCD. I could not believe how TINY the screws are, there was one screw in the QC pic I wasn't happy with and I'd bookmarked a couple of places to order replacements going so far as to look at a set of gen screws. I decided to hold off on purchasing until the watch arrived and boy am I glad I did. These really are so tiny that it's impossible to notice without close scrutiny and perhaps a magnifying glass.
Loooooove the gen dial, but is it a case of the same thing? There's no friggin way anyone is going to be able to notice any screw issues even from a foot away and probably the dial as well unless they are intimately familiar with the brand. @Legion was right, we get so used to seeing macro shots here that we really don't have a concept of how tiny these details are until we actually see them in person.

 

[Singapore Collector]

Thank you sir

Yes ofc, no-one knows everything and this applies to everything in life in general, we are all learning everyday

Many nice 15400 frankens around ofc, its a reference that i personally like very much

Unfortunately gen AP parts are indeed so limited, it needs a lot of patience and searching to reach your goal. But this is the beauty right? The exclusivity, the challenge. If everything was readily available and easy(like if you decide for franken rolex for example)it wouldn't have fun.

It's a unique and beautiful hobby

Do you think the APSF blue dial printing is too faint compared to the Gen? I’ve seen multiple pictures of the APSF dial and it always seems like the white minute lines are always too faint and light compared to the real

 

[j21]

Do you think the APSF blue dial printing is too faint compared to the Gen? I’ve seen multiple pictures of the APSF dial and it always seems like the white minute lines are always too faint and light compared to the real

I wouldn't worry about the printing, its fine

Its the color and the whole structure of the tappiserie that makes the difference

Regarding the blue colour in this specific dial the apsf one is pretty good, but if you take a newer blue dial like this one: https://forum.replica-watch.info/th...uet-15400st-03-blue-dial-date-wheel.10917025/
Then its something completely different

 

[Singapore Collector]

I wouldn't worry about the printing, its fine

Its the color and the whole structure of the tappiserie that makes the difference

Regarding the blue colour in this specific dial the apsf one is pretty good, but if you take a newer blue dial like this one: https://forum.replica-watch.info/th...uet-15400st-03-blue-dial-date-wheel.10917025/
Then its something completely different

Yeah the newer blue dial is way different from the APSF

I can’t seem to identify the dial that APSF is trying to replicate. Is it from mid-2016?

 

[Mr.ticktock]

So is the APSF blue dial better than the ZF v3 ?

 

[centrum]

Even though the 15400 is not on my radar, thank you so much for the comparison post. Gen comparison posts are one the most valuable posts you can find here on forum.

Are you familiar with factory APS? I'm not an AP guy, but based on my observation this new comer makes very high quality like XF, ZF, or JF used to produce AP reps. I am waiting for a 15202 with correct hands base(?).

 

[legend]

I just received a 15400 APSF V1 today....... I have spent weeks and weeks fussing over learning how to QC an AP and looking at screw alignment and such as I'm somewhat OCD. I could not believe how TINY the screws are, there was one screw in the QC pic I wasn't happy with and I'd bookmarked a couple of places to order replacements going so far as to look at a set of gen screws. I decided to hold off on purchasing until the watch arrived and boy am I glad I did. These really are so tiny that it's impossible to notice without close scrutiny and perhaps a magnifying glass.
Loooooove the gen dial, but is it a case of the same thing? There's no friggin way anyone is going to be able to notice any screw issues even from a foot away and probably the dial as well unless they are intimately familiar with the brand. @Legion was right, we get so used to seeing macro shots here that we really don't have a concept of how tiny these details are until we actually see them in person.

I’m sure Legion will agree when he reads your post.
For the record Legend agrees with your post too.

 

[legend]

Yeah the newer blue dial is way different from the APSF

I can’t seem to identify the dial that APSF is trying to replicate. Is it from mid-2016?

H to I series. 2015-mid 2016. Do bear in mind that this series/year thing serves as a rough guide. For example you can find inconsistencies in the series/year of production combinations. You can have a 2015 H series 15400, a May 2016 I series 15400 and also a June 2016 H series. The series is predetermined by the engraving on the caseback of the batch parts and the year is determined by the assembly date. So you can have a watch has an older series case assembled at a later date which explains the series/year combination.
AP is now running a random double letter serial number now as opposed to a single alphabetical one. All AP watches now follow this new series so there is no way now to tell the year of production by looking at the series number. The model, series number, production year and movement serial are all matched in the AP systems record along with service changes so even gensteins with all gen parts are red flagged by AP now when sent in for maintenance.

 

[Singapore Collector]

So is the APSF blue dial better than the ZF v3 ?

Personally I believe so