First off I have to say that this is an independent review of the watch in terms of absolute quality.
If you do not wish to read my rambling, the short and succinct takeaway from my post is that this is the best Royal Oak rep movement (and watch) released to date IMHO.
No gen parts are needed to enhance it IMHO, except perhaps the upgrade of the datewheel to gen. Minute differences exist between the two datewheels but nothing which will worry anyone in real life. Do take note that the date font is less than 2mm tall and there is no magnification cyclop on it.
This watch belongs to an owner who sent in the watch for a service due to movement stoppage.
Upon inspection of the parts, I would need to comment that the movement is very well put together. The finishes of the individual parts are a little rough, and of course not as well finished as the gen. But I need to reiterate that this movement is fully comparable to the 4130 clone movement, and it is amazing for the price. The date change mechanism replicates the AP 4302 caliber one perfectly, you can expect instant date changes which work as well as the gen one.
This movement arrived dirty and dry (reason for the stoppage) and needed a movement overhaul and regulation.
This is what the timegrapher shows after the service. Not shabby at all and a joy to work with. The watch runs very smooth after the service, starts easily and autowinds like a dream.
The caliber plates have been cleaned and refinished lightly, and is pretty decent after the work without the dirt stains. Note the date change mechanism in the pic. It looks and works 100% like the gen (yes I took one of my gen 15500s apart)
All in all, for the AP royal oak afficionados, get this watch while you can. It is the Noob Daytona movement for the AP ROs, and is an evolutionary gem for the community. I will recommend you get the movement serviced and regulated by whichever watchsmith is in your vicinity, as the two which I have worked on so far both arrived dry and dirty. The movement alignment and machining for the parts used are very well done, compared even with the cal 9015 from Miyota. This movement is a lot more robust as well. Power reserve tested for this specific movement after the service is 70.5hrs after a full wind.
