EDIT: See page 5/6 for a comparison to the new ZF!
Before I start, I’m aware that there have been posts like this in the past, but I can’t find any that are recent or that include a Clean with Deep Crystal, which is a mod recommended by just about anyone with a Panda dial from Clean.
With that said, I’d like to share a few photos I’ve taken of a BTF purchased last month (left) and a CF (right) purchased in May (you’ll notice the coronet has the ozone hole in it). I recently installed a deep crystal on the CF and was waiting for this to decide which of the two I’d keep. You’ll also see a modded noob case with a loose bezel in a few photos for comparison’s sake.
I can’t compare the bezels as they are both BTF, but I’m pretty sure clean and BT use the same bezels now? Same with the bracelets, both are BTF. However, that’s not the topic of this post. I’m firmly focused on case and dial, which contribute significantly to how the watch looks and feels.
Key takeaways:
Case:
- Case appears thinner and is slightly more curved near the lugs on the BTF. Lugs are thinner than gen, but not by much.
- Case is thicker on the CF but better for modding since you can remove but not add metal. That being said, it’s my understanding that case modding is hard to get right. Please let me know if anyone does it well. I’ve been told that the CF case doesn’t accept gen spec pushers, by the way.
Dial:
- Despite the deep crystal, the Clean dial is still grey, and a bit cold. thing is, it doesn’t look that way unless you put it next to another white dial watch, then it’s immediately apparent. The lume markers are a bit too full, but the Daytona writing is great. Subdial rings are too shiny. For me, the biggest issue is the color, which I wish clean would fix.
- the BTF dial looks great, thought it also suffers from feeling cold, but in a very different way. It’s more that it seems to be more pale than the CF, which is why I was wondering if adding a gen, noob or even CF crystal might help rebalance the dial color. I’m a fan of the subdials, coronet, lume markers, but just wish the DAYTONA writing was a bit more red.
I’ve decided to sell the CF and am glad with my decision. Even though the BTF lugs can appear a bit too thin and pointy, I’m hoping that the new ZF release has a dial and that can challenge BTF. If initial QC pics look promising I’ll order it, add to this review, and maybe make a modded watch.
Photos below. CF is always on the right, BTF on the left. Pics taken with an IPhone 13 mini, which I have to say is starting to feel like it has an archaic camera…
Daylight, indoors, next to window
Indoors, mixture of lamps and daylight
Bright lamp, directly above
Before I start, I’m aware that there have been posts like this in the past, but I can’t find any that are recent or that include a Clean with Deep Crystal, which is a mod recommended by just about anyone with a Panda dial from Clean.
With that said, I’d like to share a few photos I’ve taken of a BTF purchased last month (left) and a CF (right) purchased in May (you’ll notice the coronet has the ozone hole in it). I recently installed a deep crystal on the CF and was waiting for this to decide which of the two I’d keep. You’ll also see a modded noob case with a loose bezel in a few photos for comparison’s sake.
I can’t compare the bezels as they are both BTF, but I’m pretty sure clean and BT use the same bezels now? Same with the bracelets, both are BTF. However, that’s not the topic of this post. I’m firmly focused on case and dial, which contribute significantly to how the watch looks and feels.
Key takeaways:
Case:
- Case appears thinner and is slightly more curved near the lugs on the BTF. Lugs are thinner than gen, but not by much.
- Case is thicker on the CF but better for modding since you can remove but not add metal. That being said, it’s my understanding that case modding is hard to get right. Please let me know if anyone does it well. I’ve been told that the CF case doesn’t accept gen spec pushers, by the way.
Dial:
- Despite the deep crystal, the Clean dial is still grey, and a bit cold. thing is, it doesn’t look that way unless you put it next to another white dial watch, then it’s immediately apparent. The lume markers are a bit too full, but the Daytona writing is great. Subdial rings are too shiny. For me, the biggest issue is the color, which I wish clean would fix.
- the BTF dial looks great, thought it also suffers from feeling cold, but in a very different way. It’s more that it seems to be more pale than the CF, which is why I was wondering if adding a gen, noob or even CF crystal might help rebalance the dial color. I’m a fan of the subdials, coronet, lume markers, but just wish the DAYTONA writing was a bit more red.
I’ve decided to sell the CF and am glad with my decision. Even though the BTF lugs can appear a bit too thin and pointy, I’m hoping that the new ZF release has a dial and that can challenge BTF. If initial QC pics look promising I’ll order it, add to this review, and maybe make a modded watch.
Photos below. CF is always on the right, BTF on the left. Pics taken with an IPhone 13 mini, which I have to say is starting to feel like it has an archaic camera…
Daylight, indoors, next to window
Indoors, mixture of lamps and daylight
Bright lamp, directly above
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