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Comparison CLEAN FACTORY 126610LN vs. GEN

Watchguy369

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Welcome dear forum community to a comparison between Clean Factory 126610LN and GEN 126610LN.

I was forced by @P..DR..D more over a year ago to write this report and compare the VSF 126610LN with the real Rolex Submariner:



I would like to start off by saying that I wrote this whole text in German and then translated it using deepl,
so forgive any grammatical errors and remember: I didn't have a stroke - it was deepl to blame.


I haven't done a review or comparison for a long time, especially about this reference, over a year has passed so I figured it's about time again.
I think it almost pointless to go into models and brands that I dont have much knowledge about and that I just like - I'm happy to leave this effort to the other experts in this great forum;) And besides, after crapping some salesthreads and posting some bullshit, maybe I could do something for the community to make my Karma raise;)

I ordered the watch from TD Jtime, Li, (www.jtime.io) around August/September 2022. A batch was just sold out,
which caused me some waiting time (about 3-4 weeks) and the bezel inlay, rehaut and some small things were improved on the new versions (More details below;)).
The VR3235 hybrid movement is still installed, but this one feels smoother when winding than any VS movement of any caliber I've held in my hands so far. (And that was definitely 30-40).

In all photos showing 2 watches, GEN is on the beige cushion, CLEAN on the black cushion.

The following work was done (partly by me):
- Gen spring bars installed
- Gen Bezel Click Springs installed and mount a new OASCOM hyrtel ring
- Water resistance test, regulated to 0ms beat error and -2 - +3s/day deviation depending on location
- Ultrasonic cleaning and oiling of the bracelet
- Secured the wrist strap screws with Loctite




Bezel
The bezel is perfectly aligned and clicked a little more metallic than on the Genuine model. After replacing the Bezel Click Springs there is no discernible difference to the real one, nothing to complain about. A mod that many do with the GMT, but with the completely different bezel construction of the Submariner, it is rarely done and, in my opinion, is underrated if you want to achieve haptic progress. 10/10

Here you can see / here the bezel click. First comes GEN, then rep.

Crown
When closed, the CLEAN crown almost touches the case and goes directly into the full diameter, while the Rolex model has a steep angle of about 0.3-0.5mm. In addition, the crown logo is very flat and, seen from the side, on the real one it is more on a kind of “mini pedestal” 9/10




Rehaut
A year ago, VSF was the ultimate. In my opinion, when it comes to basic polish, Clean VSF has surpassed VSF. The background is at least slightly polished and comes very close to the real thing. The engraving also looks accurate and perfectly aligned. 9.5/10




Clockwork/data wheel
The built-in Shanghait VR3235 surprised me again. So far I was of the opinion that I had the VS3235 in my hand as the smoothest wind-up drive. And VR works (also the updated works after 2021 with the regulators on the inside) always had a slight "I am a rep work" feeling when winding up. Not that they're gritty, but they just didn't feel as premium. The curse is, the VR3235 that I have here on hand isn't genlike either: It winds more finely than the real one ;) The quick change of the date is crisp, but of course still miles away from the Rolex caliber. Anyone who understands the true art of watchmaking and has held a real one in their hands knows that only because our Reps look like Rolex watches, but they aren't;)
The data wheel is very, very precise and the color is printed to the point. 9/10


CG / Lugs
The CG angles are a little different than GEN, but not very noticeable. A little more sloping. After inserting the Gen Springbars, however, they are 1:1 like gen. 10/10




Bracelet / Clasp / Glidelock
In my opinion, the clasp, the crown on it and the feel of the strap are 1: 1 like the GEN (after oiling, beforehand minimal squeaking) It has the Claspcode 1LQ - so as far as I can tell it's no longer an ARF strap, but the same suppliert that VSF has. Despite the "Who has the best bracelet: ARF" hype, I find this band better than my previous ARF bands, there is simply nothing to complain about. Of course, a half link is also included. The Glidelock is smooth but solid like the Gen. 10/10


Crystal:
I can confirm that the crystal is very good, but still one of the few weaknesses of the CLEAN for me - should you see it next to a real one. A VSF Xtal or Gen Xtal would be worthy upgrades should one decide what to tweak. 8/10

SEL
Both 10/10





Dial / Hands
Salute to the magnifying glass wearers and bean counters among you who are crying because of the pressure. Floating M is also available on genuine Rolex watches. I don't really like the hands because they look sharp (see macro at the end of the post) and it looks like a mouse nibbled on the minute hand. Hence 8.5/10


Summary
Mathematically: 84 out of 90 points
Last year's VSF: 80 out of 90 points

My personal opionion if you want a "Out of the box" watch? GO FOR THIS ONE! No winding problem like on the VS3235. If you dont care about this, which I do, and Xtal is more important to you than polished rehaut and movement with no baby-issued, go for VSF.

I hope I was able to give everyone a nice few minutes with the review and I hope you still have some fun with the macro shots that are coming now. They are provisionally made with a lens in front of the iPhone, but it is interesting nonetheless.
The close-ups are only of the clean :)

Macros from the CLEAN:

 
Last edited:

P..DR..D

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Another excellent comparison 👏

Very very helpful so thank you for taking the time to compare, photograph, document and share.

This, and your VSF one, will be my go-to's when I see someone asking about the 126610LN reference.
 
Last edited:

StreetFighter

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4/9/20
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Good review. However you should judge it out the box not, with Oascom/upgrade/repairs?

Also good to know gen spring bars can fix wrong crown guards.
 
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shazer

Getting To Know The Place
25/8/21
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Welcome dear forum community to a comparison between Clean Factory 126610LN and GEN 126610LN.

I was forced by @P..DR..D more over a year ago to write this report and compare the VSF 126610LN with the real Rolex Submariner:



I would like to start off by saying that I wrote this whole text in German and then translated it using deepl,
so forgive any grammatical errors and remember: I didn't have a stroke - it was deepl to blame.


I haven't done a review or comparison for a long time, especially about this reference, over a year has passed so I figured it's about time again.
I think it almost pointless to go into models and brands that I dont have much knowledge about and that I just like - I'm happy to leave this effort to the other experts in this great forum;) And besides, after crapping some salesthreads and posting some bullshit, maybe I could do something for the community to make my Karma raise;)

I ordered the watch from TD Jtime, Li, (www.jtime.io) around August/September 2022. A batch was just sold out,
which caused me some waiting time (about 3-4 weeks) and the bezel inlay, rehaut and some small things were improved on the new versions (More details below;)).
The VR3235 hybrid movement is still installed, but this one feels smoother when winding than any VS movement of any caliber I've held in my hands so far. (And that was definitely 30-40).

In all photos showing 2 watches, GEN is on the beige cushion, CLEAN on the black cushion.

The following work was done (partly by me):
- Gen spring bars installed
- Gen Bezel Click Springs installed and mount a new OASCOM hyrtel ring
- Water resistance test, regulated to 0ms beat error and -2 - +3s/day deviation depending on location
- Ultrasonic cleaning and oiling of the bracelet
- Secured the wrist strap screws with Loctite




Bezel
The bezel is perfectly aligned and clicked a little more metallic than on the Genuine model. After replacing the Bezel Click Springs there is no discernible difference to the real one, nothing to complain about. A mod that many do with the GMT, but with the completely different bezel construction of the Submariner, it is rarely done and, in my opinion, is underrated if you want to achieve haptic progress. 10/10

Here you can see / here the bezel click. First comes GEN, then rep.

Crown
When closed, the CLEAN crown almost touches the case and goes directly into the full diameter, while the Rolex model has a steep angle of about 0.3-0.5mm. In addition, the crown logo is very flat and, seen from the side, on the real one it is more on a kind of “mini pedestal” 9/10




Rehaut
A year ago, VSF was the ultimate. In my opinion, when it comes to basic polish, Clean VSF has surpassed VSF. The background is at least slightly polished and comes very close to the real thing. The engraving also looks accurate and perfectly aligned. 9.5/10




Clockwork/data wheel
The built-in Shanghait VR3235 surprised me again. So far I was of the opinion that I had the VS3235 in my hand as the smoothest wind-up drive. And VR works (also the updated works after 2021 with the regulators on the inside) always had a slight "I am a rep work" feeling when winding up. Not that they're gritty, but they just didn't feel as premium. The curse is, the VR3235 that I have here on hand isn't genlike either: It winds more finely than the real one ;) The quick change of the date is crisp, but of course still miles away from the Rolex caliber. Anyone who understands the true art of watchmaking and has held a real one in their hands knows that only because our Reps look like Rolex watches, but they aren't;)
The data wheel is very, very precise and the color is printed to the point. 9/10


CG / Lugs
The CG angles are a little different than GEN, but not very noticeable. A little more sloping. After inserting the Gen Springbars, however, they are 1:1 like gen. 10/10




Bracelet / Clasp / Glidelock
In my opinion, the clasp, the crown on it and the feel of the strap are 1: 1 like the GEN (after oiling, beforehand minimal squeaking) It has the Claspcode 1LQ - so as far as I can tell it's no longer an ARF strap, but the same suppliert that VSF has. Despite the "Who has the best bracelet: ARF" hype, I find this band better than my previous ARF bands, there is simply nothing to complain about. Of course, a half link is also included. The Glidelock is smooth but solid like the Gen. 10/10


Crystal:
I can confirm that the crystal is very good, but still one of the few weaknesses of the CLEAN for me - should you see it next to a real one. A VSF Xtal or Gen Xtal would be worthy upgrades should one decide what to tweak. 8/10

SEL
Both 10/10





Dial / Hands
Salute to the magnifying glass wearers and bean counters among you who are crying because of the pressure. Floating M is also available on genuine Rolex watches. I don't really like the hands because they look sharp (see macro at the end of the post) and it looks like a mouse nibbled on the minute hand. Hence 8.5/10


Summary
Mathematically: 84 out of 90 points
Last year's VSF: 80 out of 90 points

My personal opionion if you want a "Out of the box" watch? GO FOR THIS ONE! No winding problem like on the VS3235. If you dont care about this, which I do, and Xtal is more important to you than polished rehaut and movement with no baby-issued, go for VSF.

I hope I was able to give everyone a nice few minutes with the review and I hope you still have some fun with the macro shots that are coming now. They are provisionally made with a lens in front of the iPhone, but it is interesting nonetheless.
The close-ups are only of the clean :)

Macros from the CLEAN:

Thank you
 

mac427

Getting To Know The Place
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I ordered a Clean Factory Sub from Trusty yesterday. Betcha it's even better than the example pictured in this thread. Can't wait to get it.
 
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Watchguy369

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I ordered a Clean Factory Sub from Trusty yesterday. Betcha it's even better than the example pictured in this thread. Can't wait to get it.
I hope you get better Hands where no mice have bitten on the edges;)
"Betcha" - How is grammatic and speech getting destroyed 2023.....Gen Z?:D
 
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mac427

Getting To Know The Place
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I hope you get better Hands where no mice have bitten on the edges;)
"Betcha" - How is grammatic and speech getting destroyed 2023.....Gen Z?:D
We're on a fake watch site and you are carping about the use of "informal" language? Having a bad day are we?:rolleyes:
 

Watchguy369

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We're on a fake watch site and you are carping about the use of "informal" language? Having a bad day are we?:rolleyes:
"Fake watch site"
Yeah, right. Get off this thread sir:)
 

hendric

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Awesome comparison @derjenigewelcher !
I just discovered a very clear to see difference in the crystal. Namely that the gen (and the VSF) show the small minutes lines of the dial in the bevel of the crystal. The Clean crystal does not show it, or less clearly. You can see it in your pictures and you can see it in my own photo below of my Clean vs VSF.
The VSF has a radius more similar to the gen. Green on the left is the Clean Factory, black is the VSF.
 

Watchguy369

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Awesome comparison @derjenigewelcher !
I just discovered a very clear to see difference in the crystal. Namely that the gen (and the VSF) show the small minutes lines of the dial in the bevel of the crystal. The Clean crystal does not show it, or less clearly. You can see it in your pictures and you can see it in my own photo below of my Clean vs VSF.
The VSF has a radius more similar to the gen. Green on the left is the Clean Factory, black is the VSF.
You Sir, are a genious with eagle eye;)
Thanks for adding this.
 

Blangaz1

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Awesome comparison @derjenigewelcher !
I just discovered a very clear to see difference in the crystal. Namely that the gen (and the VSF) show the small minutes lines of the dial in the bevel of the crystal. The Clean crystal does not show it, or less clearly. You can see it in your pictures and you can see it in my own photo below of my Clean vs VSF.
The VSF has a radius more similar to the gen. Green on the left is the Clean Factory, black is the VSF.
Jeez I love the tiny details! Well spotted. Both are beauties though. Weighing up Clean and VSF for my, soon to be, first buy in this little world.
 
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