DHGate Mini Review: AP 15400

[legend]

I know I took some (or attempted to take some) comedic liberties with my response to golfman's review but I had no intention of starting beef or upsetting anyone. I simply took issue with the way he is presenting this watch in a vacuum and overlooking every major flaw on the watch. My suggestion is to go look at the 15400 from JF or ZF and see the difference yourself.

If we are talking about actual quality, from my experience with Gen and other reps (I have owned the JF 15400 v3 and v4 - blue), I would give this watch about a 3/10 from the pictures he has posted. I apologize if I came off as over aggressive in any way, it was not my intention at all although I see now that my first comment may have been a bit inflammatory. Just wanted to give my side and point out some inconsistencies I saw using a bit of humor. I hope he enjoys his watch.

As a gen AP owner (among the current collection 2x 15400 and 2x 15500), I can easily use the same “humor” when an owner reviews any rep royal oak and you can be sure I can justify whatever low score I give to the rep. It’s all relative you see so let’s not go there.

But I digress. Yes OP may have overlooked major flaws, but he also paid $57 for his watch, and within that context, the watch quality is good for what he paid for. Same for a $500 JF or ZF15400. There are flaws aplenty too but for $500 the rep is a very good watch. Any principle you apply on the dhgate rep VS the ZF/JF can be applied to the ZF/JF VS gen scenario.

I like the effort which OP has put in to review a $60 watch and it’s an option for guys who are curious about the watch. When we talk about any watch quality, JF or ZF isn’t the ultimate benchmark. The gen is. Yes this is a replica watch forum but we assess how good a rep is by looking at how it measures against the gen everytime. Owning a JF/ZF does not give you the right to pick on a dhgate review. In the same way I’m sure you won’t like to see a ZF/JF review being ripped apart by someone who owns or knows the gen. Different prices, different league.
Just let him post whatever he likes if he’s not breaking any rule. Many of us enjoy his reviews even if it’s from his point of view and not wholly accurate. It’s a $60 watch and a million dollar review I know.
Members here choose to buy gen or ZF or DHgate. Let’s be open and not disallow reviews of watches we don’t choose to buy.

Like QueTip implied, OP has not broken any rule. You’re well within your rights to give any watch any score you want but please recognize his right to write reviews of any watch the way he sees it.


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[QueTip]

As a gen AP owner (among the current collection 2x 15400 and 2x 15500), I can easily use the same “humor” when an owner reviews any rep royal oak and you can be sure I can justify whatever low score I give to the rep. It’s all relative you see so let’s not go there.

But I digress. Yes OP may have overlooked major flaws, but he also paid $57 for his watch, and within that context, the watch quality is good for what he paid for. Same for a $500 JF or ZF15400. There are flaws aplenty too but for $500 the rep is a very good watch. Any principle you apply on the dhgate rep VS the ZF/JF can be applied to the ZF/JF VS gen scenario.

I like the effort which OP has put in to review a $60 watch and it’s an option for guys who are curious about the watch. When we talk about any watch quality, JF or ZF isn’t the ultimate benchmark. The gen is. Yes this is a replica watch forum but we assess how good a rep is by looking at how it measures against the gen everytime. Owning a JF/ZF does not give you the right to pick on a dhgate review. In the same way I’m sure you won’t like to see a ZF/JF review being ripped apart by someone who owns or knows the gen. Different prices, different league.
Just let him post whatever he likes if he’s not breaking any rule. Many of us enjoy his reviews even if it’s from his point of view and not wholly accurate. It’s a $60 watch and a million dollar review I know.
Members here choose to buy gen or ZF or DHgate. Let’s be open and not disallow reviews of watches we don’t choose to buy.

Like QueTip implied, OP has not broken any rule. You’re well within your rights to give any watch any score you want but please recognize his right to write reviews of any watch the way he sees it.


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What he said. 1000%

 

[Tucker]

Take it easy man. If he was breaking any rules QueTip would have jumped in quicker than you can say “frog”.

No kidding. That guy's a dick.

 

[batman_symbol]

OP has not broken any rule. You’re well within your rights to give any watch any score you want but please recognize his right to write reviews of any watch the way he sees it.

What he said. 1000%

Right, so in no way have I attempted to stop him from writing a review/ deprived him of his right to write one. It was merely a critique of the review. Sorry if I offended anyone.

 

[thegolfman]

Right, so in no way have I attempted to stop him from writing a review/ deprived him of his right to write one. It was merely a critique of the review. Sorry if I offended anyone.

Batman - great to have a dialogue. In no way did I get offended...I love a spirited discussion and I appreciate that I could have been more accurate in some parts of my review. I generally don’t review stuff I buy because I like what I buy and most likely have “buyer’s bias” around it. I’m impressed you made the sincere effort to clarify and much respect to you for being so forthright.

In the case of these reps, especially with some time on my hands, I decided to commit to a review and put some thought into it. Thanks to this site and many positive contributions, it seemed like a good place to jump in. Frankly, I’m amazed at the years of content and journeys that many have taken, much of which was buying on faith and probably putting quite a bit of cash at risk. I’ve learned a ton from this site and I’m glad that it prompted me to jump in.

Quite honestly, the point I missed in my review(s) is probably the most consequential to those buying a DHGate sourced rep: There’s absolutely no assurance of consistency. As I said, I believe I bought a solid rep, not JF quality even, but solid...which was all I was really looking for. But, the very next watch out the door from this seller might be DOA, or so poor that I’d feel terrible to have led someone to a buying decision. If the next person buying one of these accepts all of that, awesome...if they never pull the trigger, good on them.

 

[thegolfman]

What he said. 1000%

So, I probably did something dumb...but I originally posted a bit or a preamble in another post that might have helped with more context...I figured I’d write that once and cross link to my review posts and that would be a simple, organizing model for future reviews. As I said, dumb. Here’s a bit of it:

”As is my approach to most things, I believe we should leave things better than we find them and contributing back to the site and to others who find themselves in similar, yet predictable, predicaments about, “should I or shouldn’t I buy that first/next watch?” So, I’ll provide my reviews as I add to my small collection and hopefully help someone else in their journey. I have a simple rating scale that works for my own watch preferences and I’ll say this in no uncertain terms: I am not an expert in any Gen and can not adequately discern the subtleties between most Reps and Gens. I’ll leave that to others.

Because of this, I am intentionally not including comparisons to Gens in my reviews and ratings. I am absolutely comfortable with Reps that aren’t perfect. Instead, I would prioritize fit and finish, original design intent, wearability, and the overall value proposition of the Reps I purchase. These are just my collecting priorities…to each their own”

if you’d like that whole post, it’s here. Thanks all, especially legend for the feedback.

 

[Akilles]

I liked the review! Nice with some really low price pieces that actually looks decent (and hopefully won't rust within two weeks like my first reps did in early 2000).

I looked at the site, searched for 15202 (as I'm in for that model). I would be happy to give the website/company a try. However it's hard when they photoshop away all the logos on the dial and clasp... Do they send QC-pics before sending?

Looking more close I saw they have a model (claimed to be XF 15202 with 50 m water resistance!!!) for 650 SEK=75 USD so I can't really trust them...

Good yours works and looks well anyway!

 

[thegolfman]

I liked the review! Nice with some really low price pieces that actually looks decent (and hopefully won't rust within two weeks like my first reps did in early 2000).

I looked at the site, searched for 15202 (as I'm in for that model). I would be happy to give the website/company a try. However it's hard when they photoshop away all the logos on the dial and clasp... Do they send QC-pics before sending?

Looking more close I saw they have a model (claimed to be XF 15202 with 50 m water resistance!!!) for 650 SEK=75 USD so I can't really trust them...

Good yours works and looks well anyway!

Nope, no QC pics with any of these! I found that some customer reviews with pics were helpful...except when I thought I saw a recurrence of the same tattoos...lol. That said, it seems like the logos will be there as documented in some of the review pictures. At least they were with the four I’ve ordered thus far. Good luck!

 

[legend]

Right, so in no way have I attempted to stop him from writing a review/ deprived him of his right to write one. It was merely a critique of the review. Sorry if I offended anyone.

If OP wasn't offended like what he stated, none of us should be too!
All good, lets all get along (except for Tucker he doesn't get along with anyone 98% of the time) :hehehe:

 

[RawwR]

I liked the review! Nice with some really low price pieces that actually looks decent (and hopefully won't rust within two weeks like my first reps did in early 2000).

I looked at the site, searched for 15202 (as I'm in for that model). I would be happy to give the website/company a try. However it's hard when they photoshop away all the logos on the dial and clasp... Do they send QC-pics before sending?

Looking more close I saw they have a model (claimed to be XF 15202 with 50 m water resistance!!!) for 650 SEK=75 USD so I can't really trust them...

Good yours works and looks well anyway!

I don't think they will send you QC pics right before they post it or even see if it keeps the time but if you ask PM the seller before you buy one for the actual pic of the thing they have in stock 90% of the times they will oblige. They are lazy pieces of shit but i guess it's to be expected if they barely make any profit from a $50 watch i guess.
OH and yeah you can also find pics if the thing has reviews but tread with care bc rarely i've seen guys complain they got a different looking watch than in the review, best is to ask for pics beforehand in my opinion so you can at least have some solid proof when you ask for a refund lol

 

[thegolfman]

I don't think they will send you QC pics right before they post it or even see if it keeps the time but if you ask PM the seller before you buy one for the actual pic of the thing they have in stock 90% of the times they will oblige. They are lazy pieces of shit but i guess it's to be expected if they barely make any profit from a $50 watch i guess.
OH and yeah you can also find pics if the thing has reviews but tread with care bc rarely i've seen guys complain they got a different looking watch than in the review, best is to ask for pics beforehand in my opinion so you can at least have some solid proof when you ask for a refund lol

You are exactly right in my experience. Takes a little sleuthing but it can be found. If they won’t send a picture and there are no pictures in the reviews, then proceed with caution.

 

[Legacyy]

Nice review.
Could be U1 Factory or another nameless one.

For that little cost it's really decent.

Only the pictures could be a little bit better.

 

[thegolfman]

Nice review.
Could be U1 Factory or another nameless one.

For that little cost it's really decent.

Only the pictures could be a little bit better.

New iPhone coming! Will see what I can do.

 

[legend]

New iPhone coming! Will see what I can do.

I take pics like a guy with Parkinson’s riding on a roaster coaster in an earthquake. So you’re way ahead of me in that department. :hehehe:


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[museguy]

Dear thegolfman

Thank you for posting ! Great review.

I have been thinking about getting a 15400 and not sure about the size, this dhgate seems to be a great way to try out sizing.

Cheers.

- Mark

P.S. Funny to me, trying out a $17,000 watch for $56.89, before buying a $489 replica

 

[museguy]

OP may have overlooked major flaws, but he also paid $57 for his watch, and within that context, the watch quality is good for what he paid for. Same for a $500 JF or ZF15400. There are flaws aplenty too but for $500 the rep is a very good watch. Any principle you apply on the dhgate rep VS the ZF/JF can be applied to the ZF/JF VS gen scenario.

I like the effort which OP has put in to review a $60 watch and it’s an option for guys who are curious about the watch. When we talk about any watch quality, JF or ZF isn’t the ultimate benchmark. The gen is. Yes this is a replica watch forum but we assess how good a rep is by looking at how it measures against the gen everytime.

Dear legend

Well said. For me, this is the fun of the hobby. No way I can afford a $17,000 watch, but for $60 (dhgate) or $500 (ZF/JF) I get to understand more about the watch and why the genuine is so well appreciated.

As a newbie learning my way around AP world, for $60 I can try out a 15400 to see if it is interesting before paying $500 for the ZF/JF.

I am a fan of your work.

All the best.

 

[legend]

Dear legend

Well said. For me, this is the fun of the hobby. No way I can afford a $17,000 watch, but for $60 (dhgate) or $500 (ZF/JF) I get to understand more about the watch and why the genuine is so well appreciated.

As a newbie learning my way around AP world, for $60 I can try out a 15400 to see if it is interesting before paying $500 for the ZF/JF.

I am a fan of your work.

All the best.

Hello museguy thank you for your post.

I think that as opposed to not being able to afford a $17000 watch, you have placed your spending priorities differently. That is how I view most of the members here personally, guys who CAN buy the gen of the watches they wear, but choose to wear the reps for a variety of reasons. In a lot of the cases, "not being able to afford the gen" is not the central reason.
I agree with you that a relatively paltry $60 is a small amount to pay to try on a watch which you may potentially like, and the $500 ZF will be good enough for most to wear on the wrist.
I hope you enjoy your rep journey as much as I did. I do not own rep watches anymore, but there are a few releases which interest me enough to consider trying them on for fun.

 

[museguy]

Thank you legend

The replica hobby has been great, or as timnic54 has said, "After more than 25 years in both, the irony is that the Rep world is more real than the Gen world".

Very nice group of people on the RWI forum and a great place to learn about horology.

Be well

 

[guybythelake]

Wow, is it necessary to review DHGate shi**er. When you are buying a rep you are already buying a heavily discounted variant of the original. Do you really need to buy the lowest possible tier watch and then try and make a case for how the or . People who read this review, please dont take it seriously!

You all know there are people here and out there who has a rep and gen of the same watch, so they dont put the mileage to gen... well, this could be the rep for my rep, when i dont want to scratch up my ZF or JF watch with daily wear, just wear the DHG rep instead of the good rep.
... and still feel serious. Lol.

We need a side by side review of this next to gen!

 

[thegolfman]

Quick update: watch still just as pleasant to wear as ever. Not that there's anywhere to wear it to, with Covid and all...but it has held up well, gets a couple days per week and doesn't show any signs of scratches or wear. Keeps time well and needs a wind after sitting for a few days. All his good in DHGate s******-land!

I will say that now owning a few different Rep variants, I don't distinguish between any of them (Trusty, DHGate, etc.). Don't care or give it a thought. They are all serviceable and fun to own and enjoy. I think that's the point.

Although, I grossly overestimated how many watches I need. I like all of my 8 watches, but find that rotating them allows too infrequent wearing patterns of my top 3...such problems...