ARF vs Noob SA4130: Final battle :D (some pics)

[Big_Pilot]

As yet, I don't love the watch enough to be satisfied with either. Let's hope we see some minor improvements from noob, because it needs it, and this forum needs it, because this argument is turning into apple vs android for rep watches

I liked my blackberry best.

But as that died a sad and miserable death, I am stuck with a piece of fruit now.

On the Noob, ARF issue, I think it's great peope are so vocal about the 'issues' on the Noob watch, as this is the only way Noob pay attention.

Because of all the 'issues' I am still playing the waiting game.

A great watch with non-chrono movement is a no go for me.

An OK watch with great chrono is also a no go.

So close and still so far.....

Come on NOOB!!!!!

 

[Deepsea4life]

This is so intense! Love it..

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[potenza1985]

+1 in the Noob v3 (or real v2) waiting list

 

[Rufctr2]

You can franken a Noob with gen parts (bezel, dial...)
If Noob release a new one in month with a better case for example, I will always have my gen parts... So the Noob is the perfect base for a perfect Dayto in weeks or months...

The Arf will still have a non functionning Chrono in weeks or months...

 

[potenza1985]

Yes, I think there is no question about the fact that if you are going to franken Noob is the way.
Personally I think that 600 dollars are enough for a full working and decent looking replica but I don't blame people for spending 2k for a franken, nor 20k for a gen or 500 dollars for a better looking but not working replica
​​

 

[goldman555]

Why does everyone on here always bang on about the SEL and not the bracelet itself? Both bracelets are absolutely crap and nowhere near genuine not even close. Both are clunky and made cheaply. The Oyster bracelet is one of the ways dealers use to tell if a Rolex is real or not. This is why I always change the bracelet on these watches because they are absolute crap.

Then you don't have to worry about SEL.

Once again I have both watches and then I can't even tell the bloody time on the blackface version because there is too much-polished steel going on mixed with all the numbers on the ceramic bezel.

But the above poster makes the key point the ARF does not work surely this is the biggest tell of all. How many people are going to pull out a loupe and start looking at things like rehuat. I will give you that the subdials are a little bit too fat. on the noob but comparing the two based on cosmetics is ridiculous.

People have been waiting for this watch for years and now it's here. We comparing it with a watch that when you take the back off. It looks like a canal street knockoff.

It blew my mind when I took the back off the noob the movement is the best movement replica I have ever seen. Surely the most expensive part about a Rolex is the movement, not the SEL

 

[petonet]

But you dont inspect the movement in a wrist shot dont you?
the new movement is a masterpiece no doubt but in a WRONG shell.
They forgot why we are here...
And i have to agree with u that sell fitment is not the most important think to improve, but hey is the first thing we look at when we have a rolex around us....
New era rolexes have inmaculate sell fitment, so a masterpiece in a piece of crap, will allways be an unwereable piece of crap.
Besides, we are talking about the perfect sell fitment because most of us would forgive the rest unacceptable flaws in the noob...only beacuse of this...
So yes, is important to a hugh part of us

 

[Digital.]

Do the open case back add thickness?

Watch thickness is 13.2mm with the clear caseback.

fabbe79 you have pm

 

[lukko]

Watch thickness is 13.2mm with the clear caseback.

fabbe79 you have pm

About the "thick caseback" part, if someone can interest the Noob caseback fits perfectly in the ARF daytona and the daytona acquires a thickness of 12.5 without any other changes (stock thickness Noob 1.26). The ARF daytona has a slightly high crystal seal. By modifying the gasket one can still gadget something less in thickness.

The ARF caseback fits perfectly on Noob and he will be 13.3

 

[gpvecchi]

Now, we'd need a comparison between ARF V1 and V2...

 

[ssouthall6]

Now, we'd need a comparison between ARF V1 and V2...

I already posted the dial comparison


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[6r360r10]

I need hands to applaud! Great!! thx very much

 

[lcsrep11]

This is a very biased review I'm sorry...

I have both too and yes if you look through a loupe you can see the differences.

Yes the ARF is slightly better aesthetically and I cannot tell any difference between the types of steel other than a dodgy hologram which came with it.

I will concede the subdials on the Noob are slightly wider than the ARF and Gen. but if you stand the noob next door to the Gen 99.9% of people would not be able to tell the difference. The bracelet on the noob is also nowhere near to genuine but neither is the ARF.

I also disagree with the Rehaut on my watch this is the best I've ever seen on any replica.

Now onto the important bit that you seem to have skipped!

Take the back off and the ARF '4130' movement is terrible. The engravings are awful and my one has bright red paint for the Daytona wording that looks like it was painted by a five year old (sorry if it was

Take the back off the Noob and the movement is virtually indistinguishable from GEN don't you guys seem to get it the movement in the NOOB IS REVOLUTIONARY!! It won't take long for NOOB to fix their snagging's in future versions.

Bottom line the ARF is a good watch but the Noob smashes it out of the park with the movement. The subdials on the ARF are stuck down they also don't work. So why are you worried about minute differences when the watch doesn't actually work!!! as it should. Surely this should be the baseline with the Daytona.

I am also very sceptical about this 904l steel business so what. If the subdials don't move it's far easier to tell a fake from this than getting a spectrum analyser and working out the elemental make up of the steel that the watch is made of.

Do you own a gen, know anyone with a gen or have ever seen anyone wearing a gen ?? If so was the chrono moving around and the big seconds hand ?? If the answer to that is yes ill hazard a guess thats a fake watch. Most with a gen will rarely set the chrono going. It just looks weird to me when I set mine going as im so used to it not moving.

Those subdials on the noob are shocking and no loup is needed to spot it from a distance.

Ive never taken the back if my daytona, nor will i ever only rolex will do that at service so why id care what it looked like on a rep is beyond me.

Agree Noob is revolutionary movement but other than that the watch is average at best. Hopefully with different versions noob up the aesthetics of the watch.

As for 904L . Rep makes have everyone believing its some expensive steel that warrants 100 dollars more when in reality its just another stainless steel which is less corrosive and is probably not even a a cent more expensive in the tiny amount of weight of the steel that goes into these watches. 316 is about £750 a tonne in the uk right now. A TONNE thats 1 million grams. Put it in perspective its a hundred odd grams of metal in the watch.

 

[lcsrep11]

I agree with most of the review, even if it is a little biased, and the same for many of the comments in here, mostly correct but mostly delivered in a biased-sounding way.

If you want a genuinely impartial viewpoint on the aesthetics my dial and bezel comparison thread is here:

https://forum.replica-watch.info/fo...b-v1-and-noob-v2-2018-dial-and-bezel-analysis

On ceramic ARF have gone backwards with their dial. The space between the bottom of the numbers and the inner edge of the subdials is too big now. The print is perfect. On noob ceramic the print spacing is still incorrect, although improved, and the subdials too thick.

The ARF bezel is miles better, everything about the noob insert is wrong from the engravings to the font, the size and position of the triangles etc.

On steel, the noob dial is completely wrong. It copies the the ceramic one. They haven't used the gen to recreate, as proven by the above thread with 6 different annual variations of gen dials shown in there.

The steel bezel shape, font, engravings and positioning are miles better on ARF than Noob. Again, noob is not even close across 6 annual variations. They copied from a copy. ARF is visually good enough to pass as an annual variation but not perfect.

On the case, I agree the tolerances seem to vary more on the noob. The sels can be good with good QC, however the ARF case shape is more true to life, with better curvature to the lugs and also width of the lugs.

As pointed out by Sdc83 the rehaut is corrected on the ARF v2 and this shades it over the noob.

Crown and pushers don't and will never look right on the ARF. Noob wins here.

316 vs 904 - obviously one is and one isn't, but again, good luck to the naked eye on telling the difference.

Movement is obviously a landslide victory for noob. The ARF is not only non-functioning but there are many reports of low power reserve and other issues.

ARF have improved the hands but noob has better pinions from my eyes, I haven't seen the V2 of either in the flesh yet.

There are some quite impassioned views on here and they boil down to two people. The ones who have been waiting for a slim case fully functioning daytona to franken since the beginning of rep history, and the guys who refuse to franken on principle because noob have made a half-assed attempt at the dial and bezel which for nearly $700 is justifiably a minimum expectation.

I see both sides and understand the rationale from both.

As yet, I don't love the watch enough to be satisfied with either. Let's hope we see some minor improvements from noob, because it needs it, and this forum needs it, because this argument is turning into apple vs android for rep watches

PS4 or XBOX ?

 

[Rep Enthusiast]

As for 904L . Rep makes have everyone believing its some expensive steel that warrants 100 dollars more when in reality its just another stainless steel which is less corrosive and is probably not even a a cent more expensive in the tiny amount of weight of the steel that goes into these watches. 316 is about £750 a tonne in the uk right now. A TONNE thats 1 million grams. Put it in perspective its a hundred odd grams of metal in the watch.

the prices differ not so much because of the different metal prices, but because of a more complex processing

 

[timnic54]

the prices differ not so much because of the different metal prices, but because of a more complex processing

True but x2 3 dollars is still only 6 dollars

 

[lcsrep11]

the prices differ not so much because of the different metal prices, but because of a more complex processing

its not that complex its just a different blend. The re makers won't blend this metal they will buy it in 904l form. As for machining its just stronger tools that are needed as its harder than 316.

 

[Akra]

its not that complex its just a different blend. The re makers won't blend this metal they will buy it in 904l form. As for machining its just stronger tools that are needed as its harder than 316.

That's not entirely true, 316 could be harder:

316L: Hardness, Rockwell scale B 79 - 98

904: Hardness, Rockwell scale B Max 90.


The 904 reps are just a way to make things more expensive for no reason.

 

[timnic54]

904 L only has some extra resistance to certain acids, none of which you are ever likely to encounter.

Other than that it looks feels and probably smells the same.

 

[Bezelover]

I already have 2 NOOB Daytonas SA4130 and I agree with the observations and comparisons that have been said here and in many other threads; they are not perfect, and so are the ARF Daytonas. Let's face it, those who are in these forums are no longer average rep buyers, but are seeking the best rep for the money. I used to be an average rep buyer until last month, when I started reading rep watch forums Anyway, my initial plan was to collect every single model of the NOOB Daytona (approx 8 models from Noob) because I was blown away by the clone movement when I opened my first one. But after realizing the aesthetic "flaws" of the NOOB vs Gen, and even the ARF shortfalls, I have decided NOT TO BUY another Daytona until such time that NOOB or ARF gets it right. Even if they get it to 95% Gen like OOB I am ready to pay $1000 for a Daytona with a fully functioning chronograph. I'm sure many rep aficionados will be willing and ready to pay that much, considering some are even spending more now to Franken their Daytonas to be Gen like. Let it be a message to NOOB & ARF factories; WE ARE READY TO BUY AND PAY MORE THAN $600 BUT GET THE DAYTONAS RIGHT. BUT UNTIL THEN, I WON'T BUY ANOTHER ONE.