ARF silently released new 16610LN's and 16610LV's

[StreetFighter]

Bezel pip way out of wack there, it's too low.

looking back a few pages, they all the same. lol, what a cock up.

These ARF/RAF's are abit lame imo, a step back the way.

 

[DoctorStMoritz]

So i rejected this watch because of the super bad date. Now i got QC Pics for the replacement. Sadly, it is still not perfect. But maybe better?

What i can see so far:

- misaligned Bezel (especially at 45min marker)
- dial again not centered
- lower right lug seems to have a big gap

I just want a nice first rep... do you guys think, i can keep this, and if it bugs me too much, replace the Hands and Bezel?
Is the Lug problem fixable from someone in EU?

Ask for the detailed pictures, like only 8-10 dial-bezel, date window, 12, pearl, hands, lugs, clasp.

You must have a professional lens on a reflex or medium format with literally no barrel or pincushion distortion. Otherwise it's a bit of a guessing game.

 

[KJ2020]

So i rejected this watch because of the super bad date. Now i got QC Pics for the replacement. Sadly, it is still not perfect. But maybe better?

What i can see so far:

- misaligned Bezel (especially at 45min marker)
- dial again not centered
- lower right lug seems to have a big gap

I just want a nice first rep... do you guys think, i can keep this, and if it bugs me too much, replace the Hands and Bezel?
Is the Lug problem fixable from someone in EU?

I would take this one bro.

Your insert looks uncentered at 12, it may be 1 click left which pushes the 45 marker anti-clockwise also.
The pearl being low is a batch issue (they are all the same)
There is not a gap in the lower right lug to the bracelet. What you are seeing there is the top inside of the lug due to SEL recess.
The hour hand is not scratched, it has some excess lume visible from beneath it. This is not uncommon on rep hands and can be lightly sanded away (by someone knowing what they're doing). It may not even bother you on the wrist.
The dial appears only very slight left - the movement can likely be loosened, nudged a little right and retightened.

As others have said, this is about as good as it gets with this particular rep.

BTW angle of view can change the apparent position of the bezel triangle - the bezel was untouched in between these two GIF pics. See how the triangle appears to move left when the date window gets centered in the cyclops (a popular TD view).

 

[psssniper]

So took KJ2020's advice and picked up washer and a click spring to hopefully tighten the bezel up a bit. Popped the bezel and installed new click spring and thought I'd try just a very slight bend in the washer at three different points. Re assembled and it felt much better but was really hard to turn (click spring too long?) until it got to that same spot. Took the bezel off and took a hard look at it and found this area that looked like the grooves weren't full engraved or had been ground down. Put it all back together with original click spring and it now felt great except for the bad grooves. So do i file the grooves or just get a new bezel? Here's some pics.


Good grooves on the left, worn grooves on the right


Good grooves


Bad grooves!

 

[Takumar]

I would take this one bro.

Your insert looks uncentered at 12, it may be 1 click left which pushes the 45 marker anti-clockwise also.
The pearl being low is a batch issue (they are all the same)
There is not a gap in the lower right lug to the bracelet. What you are seeing there is the top inside of the lug due to SEL recess.
The hour hand is not scratched, it has some excess lume visible from beneath it. This is not uncommon on rep hands and can be lightly sanded away (by someone knowing what they're doing). It may not even bother you on the wrist.
The dial appears only very slight left - the movement can likely be loosened, nudged a little right and retightened.

As others have said, this is about as good as it gets with this particular rep.

BTW angle of view can change the apparent position of the bezel triangle - the bezel was untouched in between these two GIF pics. See how the triangle appears to move left when the date window gets centered in the cyclops (a popular TD view).

Thank you and the other guys for your help. It is on the way to me now. Since it´s my first rep and my third automatic, i´m very excited.

 

[KJ2020]

So took KJ2020's advice and picked up washer and a click spring to hopefully tighten the bezel up a bit. Popped the bezel and installed new click spring and thought I'd try just a very slight bend in the washer at three different points. Re assembled and it felt much better but was really hard to turn (click spring too long?) until it got to that same spot. Took the bezel off and took a hard look at it and found this area that looked like the grooves weren't full engraved or had been ground down. Put it all back together with original click spring and it now felt great except for the bad grooves. So do i file the grooves or just get a new bezel? Here's some pics.


Good grooves on the left, worn grooves on the right


Good grooves


Bad grooves!

Since those bezel teeth are pretty much shot it wouldn't hurt to try improving them. However even if you did restore them to a similar profile they would require a longer click to respond similarly so you might end up with varying resistance and tactile feel throughout a complete rotation.

Side note - a solid color background is much easier on the eyes (ouch!). A simple cloth or tee shirt works wonders for a pic.

 

[psssniper]

"Side note - a solid color background is much easier on the eyes (ouch!). A simple cloth or tee shirt works wonders for a pic."

Sorry for that, I wasn't thinking!

I'll try and file the bezel a bit. Any advice on finding a replacement?

 

[KJ2020]

"Side note - a solid color background is much easier on the eyes (ouch!). A simple cloth or tee shirt works wonders for a pic."

Sorry for that, I wasn't thinking!

I'll try and file the bezel a bit. Any advice on finding a replacement?

You can try WSO on Ebay or Startime. I've had acceptable and not so good depending on the current batch. WSO is good about taking stuff back IME, something I've done about half the time with them.

 

[Scotchman]

Need to get my posts up here, haha.

I have a few reps - just purchased one of these "new" ARF 11610LN's. Will post up QC pics when they arrive, however not new to the game so won't be asking for any opinions. Just figured I'd share.

The lower PIP bothers me so I have a HORLOGEAR Black Bezel on the way. I'll post pics of the ARF bezel / HORLOGEAR bezel once I have the watch and do the swap!

Thank you to everyone else in the thread who has already poster pics and reviews.

 

[Scotchman]

Need to get my posts up here, haha.

I have a few reps - just purchased one of these "new" ARF 11610LN's. Will post up QC pics when they arrive, however not new to the game so won't be asking for any opinions. Just figured I'd share.

The lower PIP bothers me so I have a HORLOGEAR Black Bezel on the way. I'll post pics of the ARF bezel / HORLOGEAR bezel once I have the watch and do the swap!

Thank you to everyone else in the thread who has already poster pics and reviews.

Edit: 16610 LN

 

[Singapore9]

Interested to get more feedback on the look and fit of the Horlogear as I fancy a blue one, but they seem reasonably pricy compared to a 2nd hand gen from someone like Fiery Gems (albeit they're obviously used and vary in quality).

 

[aHero]

I must have missed this Horlogear insert and Google didn’t bring anything up. Link?

 

[Geonor]

I must have missed this Horlogear insert and Google didn’t bring anything up. Link?

Bezel Inserts

Explore the Horlogear Watchmaking Tools, which include dust blowers, screwdrivers, and tools for removing spring bars, among other watch repair tools.

horlogearusa.com

 

[Scotchman]

I must have missed this Horlogear insert and Google didn’t bring anything up. Link?

I purchased on ebay.

 

[KJ2020]

I mentioned this before but the Horlogear stated OD is 37.5mm, gen is ~37.65mm.

If that 37.5mm OD is accurate that would make them an exact fit to the BP Sub bezels but it would leave a noticeable gap to the lip on a gen or gen-spec bezel like the RAF ARF JF TC.

This also means they would not snap fit like a gen-spec insert and adhesion must be used which is a real challenge on a 5 digit bezel.

Of course vendors often mistake parts measurements, with inserts being some of the most common ones mistaken.

 

[Scotchman]

I mentioned this before but the Horlogear stated OD is 37.5mm, gen is ~37.65mm.

The Horlogear inserts are an exact fit to the BP Sub bezels but they will leave a noticeable gap to the lip on a gen or gen-spec bezel like the RAF ARF JF TC.

This also means they will not snap fit like a gen-spec insert and adhesion must be used which is a real challenge on a 5 digit bezel.

Oh I must have missed this!

Good info.

 

[aHero]

I mentioned this before but the Horlogear stated OD is 37.5mm, gen is ~37.65mm.

The Horlogear inserts are an exact fit to the BP Sub bezels but they will leave a noticeable gap to the lip on a gen or gen-spec bezel like the RAF ARF JF TC.

This also means they will not snap fit like a gen-spec insert and adhesion must be used which is a real challenge on a 5 digit bezel.

I had this in my cart and was one click away from purchasing. But you saved me $60!

 

[Scotchman]

I mentioned this before but the Horlogear stated OD is 37.5mm, gen is ~37.65mm.

The Horlogear inserts are an exact fit to the BP Sub bezels but they will leave a noticeable gap to the lip on a gen or gen-spec bezel like the RAF ARF JF TC.

This also means they will not snap fit like a gen-spec insert and adhesion must be used which is a real challenge on a 5 digit bezel.

Confused. There are other threads showing it clicks into place.

16610LV aftermarket insert

Quite a high quality insert imo - the luminous pearl is excellent, as is the pearl-surround. Snaps into place perfectly for a “snug” gen-like fit on both gen and TC bezel rings. Definitely the best aftermarket 5 digit insert I’ve come across

forum.replica-watch.info

 

[KJ2020]

Confused. There are other threads showing it clicks into place.

16610LV aftermarket insert

Quite a high quality insert imo - the luminous pearl is excellent, as is the pearl-surround. Snaps into place perfectly for a “snug” gen-like fit on both gen and TC bezel rings. Definitely the best aftermarket 5 digit insert I’ve come across

forum.replica-watch.info

Can't comment firsthand. Just pointing out that the stated OD is not the same as gen. Someone else who has ordered one please post your findings.

 

[Scotchman]

Can't comment firsthand. Just pointing out that the stated OD is not the same as gen. Someone else who has ordered one please post your findings.

Well....I'll post my findings in a few weeks after receiving the watch haha.