APSF and ZF Royal Oak 15500 w 4302 clone caliber

[Rr808]

Wrist size?

18.2cm. Or 7.2 inch? Something like that. Feels right, my wife said it looks good.

 

[samsoniteman]

Feels right, my wife said it looks good.

The opinion that matters the most
Looking good!

 

[aHero]

18.2cm. Or 7.2 inch? Something like that. Feels right, my wife said it looks good.

Looks perfect

 

[peterpl]

So I got my ZF15500 with clone movement last January 2023. It was working well until now when wearing the watch won't power the movement anymore. I have to manually wind the watch every day otherwise it would stop. Holding the watch in my hand and shaking it from left to right for 30 seconds would power the watch but it would stop again after a few seconds.

I had my watched checked and I was told that I need to have the reversing wheel replaced.

Anyone know if it’s possible to obtain parts for this movement? Thanks!

The ZF/APSF 15500 movement doesnt have a long power reserve and the auto-wind is also an issue I think.

I've had 4 of these watches now and each one of them would only have max 35hrs PR and they all would not wind enough to keep then ticking when wearing them on the wrist. On the winder it would just keep it enough to keep them running but once off the winder, the PR was already down to < 10hrs. Even driving a manual car with my left hand shifting gears all the time wasnt enough to keep the watch fully wound.

The manual winding on the movement is buttery smooth but I think ZF/APSF or the movement factories need to fix

1) The PR. I would expect at least 48hrs from this movement if its a clone.
2) The autowinding. Maybe the rotor is not heavy enough or the actual autowind needs to be less restrictive but there is an issue here as well.

 

[legend]

The ZF/APSF 15500 movement doesnt have a long power reserve and the auto-wind is also an issue I think.

I've had 4 of these watches now and each one of them would only have max 35hrs PR and they all would not wind enough to keep then ticking when wearing them on the wrist. On the winder it would just keep it enough to keep them running but once off the winder, the PR was already down to < 10hrs. Even driving a manual car with my left hand shifting gears all the time wasnt enough to keep the watch fully wound.

The manual winding on the movement is buttery smooth but I think ZF/APSF or the movement factories need to fix

1) The PR. I would expect at least 48hrs from this movement if its a clone.
2) The autowinding. Maybe the rotor is not heavy enough or the actual autowind needs to be less restrictive but there is an issue here as well.

The good news is that the 4302 responds very well to a full movement service and this includes making the movement run and charge more efficiently through the auto winding function when worn.

 

[samsoniteman]

The good news is that the 4302 responds very well to a full movement service and this includes making the movement run and charge more efficiently through the auto winding function when worn.

I can happily confirm that the APSF 15500 I received from @legend (after his mods and service) functions exceptionally well

 

[pam63C]

I can happily confirm that the APSF 15500 I received from @legend (after his mods and service) functions exceptionally well

Same here.

Between on the wrist and on the winder, my APSF 15500 (serviced by Legend too) keeps its PR for more than the week when it is called upon for its duty. I usually have 2 watches active at any one time for a week typically and then kept in the box thereafter for another month or two before coming forth for duty again.

 

[Guiltycat]

When did APSF start using a rose gold rotor in their movements?

Top is my apsf from 2023
Bottom is my apsf I just received

 

[dogwood]

When did APSF start using a rose gold rotor in their movements?

Top is my apsf from 2023
Bottom is my apsf I just received

I wonder if some of the gold plating we see on reps and rep parts isn’t actually titanium nitride (TiN). TiN is a widely used industrial coating which may be cheaper than real gold plating if you’re doing high enough volume. TiN is also extremely hard — it’s used as a coating to extend the life of machine tools; so it’s kinda designed to take serious abuse (although I doubt it could withstand some of the things I’ve seen r/RepTime users do to their watches).

 

[serumdiesel]

I wonder if some of the gold plating we see on reps and rep parts isn’t actually titanium nitride (TiN). TiN is a widely used industrial coating which may be cheaper than real gold plating if you’re doing high enough volume. TiN is also extremely hard — it’s used as a coating to extend the life of machine tools; so it’s kinda designed to take serious abuse (although I doubt it could withstand some of the things I’ve seen r/RepTime users do to their watches).

I’m very familiar with titanium nitride PVD as a consumer, since it’s used for extremely high-friction, metal-on-metal applications (drill bits meant for drilling holes in steel or iron, firearm parts such as slides and barrels, etc.). I’ve never had a plated rep that noticeably used that technique, which is unfortunate as titanium nitride PVD works excellently even on tungsten, creating an essentially indestructible coating which you can create in a wide variety of colors and tones to match whatever it is you’re going for. Example of some different colors possible:



I’d imagine we’ll see it commonly used on reps at some point, and that will be a welcome evolution in the industry.

 

[gilrob]

I’m very familiar with titanium nitride PVD as a consumer, since it’s used for extremely high-friction, metal-on-metal applications (drill bits meant for drilling holes in steel or iron, firearm parts such as slides and barrels, etc.). I’ve never had a plated rep that noticeably used that technique, which is unfortunate as titanium nitride PVD works excellently even on tungsten, creating an essentially indestructible coating which you can create in a wide variety of colors and tones to match whatever it is you’re going for. Example of some different colors possible:



I’d imagine we’ll see it commonly used on reps at some point, and that will be a welcome evolution in the industry.

Wow! I wish we had the option of choosing the color we want.

 

[restandrelaxation]

Did anyone ever find a solution for getting extra links? I bought a bracelet from Ali and the links fit but the profile on them isn't good. I'd like to hear any other possible options. Thanks.
Oh, and if anyone has spare zf links I'll happily buy them.

 

[Bluefiredc]

QC seems to be terrible on this model from APSF…
Misaligned hour markers, screws, third QC here we come!

This normal for APSF?

 

[Wacht]

Can anybody post macros of the dial? It seems to have been updated and is looking very nice!

 

[Wacht]

I have 6.7 inch wrist and this is how it looks on me.

That looks fantastic. Can you share some more pics with the watch in focus?

 

[derjenigewelcher]

Did anyone ever find a solution for getting extra links? I bought a bracelet from Ali and the links fit but the profile on them isn't good. I'd like to hear any other possible options. Thanks.
Oh, and if anyone has spare zf links I'll happily buy them.

TWO one had for sale but did not remember price

 

[germanynrw]

I have 6.7 inch wrist and this is how it looks on me.

mate zf or apsf?

 

[speedywombat]

mate zf or apsf?

APSF mate, fully stock.

@Wacht

 

[serumdiesel]

APSF mate, fully stock.

@Wacht

Around when did you purchase these? Just wondering what batch these are from, as they look great.

 

[speedywombat]

Around when did you purchase these? Just wondering what batch these are from, as they look great.

Yeah, very happy with this one! Perfect alignment on screws, date window, and movement is buttery smooth as well!

I bought it early July this year.