Have I got this right? A3235 vs VR3235?

[Observvito]

Hi there. First real post. I've tried to do my homework. Could somebody please help confirm I'm on the right track?

I'm jumping in to this rabbit hole and planning to order a 226627. My options are an A3235 movement or a VR3235. (Could also get a Miyota 8215 but seems like that would be a poor choice for me.)

The VR3235 runs about $100 more

Questions:
- Does the A in A3235 mean all I know is it's an Asian 3235, while the VR3235 is a specific factory?
- Would I be right to assume if I went with the A3235 my reliability would be more variable than going with the VR3235?
- Suppose I chanced it with the A3235 and it didn't work out for me. [I know this could be an "it depends " kind of question.]. How hard is it to replace a movement?

Thanks for any help and advice....

 

[smell]

With the disclaimer that I am also new to this, but have been researching this topic with some interest. 3235 clone movements come in three flavors:

• A3235, which as you note will be of unknown provenance. On the forum you'll find some reports of supposedly A3235 clone movements which in fact are generic 28800 bph movements with decorator plates. So it's a bit of a crapshoot, and if you care about being able to easily swap in gen parts this is likely not the option for you; similarly if you really care about precision, these will likely have more gain or loss per day than the alternatives. Longevity is probably fine, and as I'll come to catastrophic failure of the movement will require replacement in any case, which any of the service vendors here will be able to do for you.
• VR3235 clone movement, used by CF and others. While this has the advantage of being a known quantity, at least in the past it is a modded 3135 and required a 3135 stem, DW, and perhaps other components. But in general this will look and feel like a 'real' 3235.
• VS3235 clone movement, used exclusively by VSF by contract with a movement manufacturer. From what I've seen people have generally found this to be the best of the 3235 clone movements, and will take nearly any gen 3235 part.

All movements will require service over time and in extreme cases may require replacement. If you have a VS/VR3235, it's more likely that a bad part can be replaced in isolation without full replacement. If you do require a full movement swap, the challenge is not so much the difficulty but the expense and availability of getting a clone movement on its own, which can't just be picked up on Amazon or whatever. Likely you'll need to do some hunting to get one, then send it off to get it installed if you're not comfortable doing it yourself, and so on.

IMO save yourself the trouble and just get the best one you can OOTB. Even with reps you get what you pay for. But I will defer to the wiser ones among us if they have other opinions.

 

[dogwood]

Hi there. First real post. I've tried to do my homework. Could somebody please help confirm I'm on the right track?

I'm jumping in to this rabbit hole and planning to order a 226627. My options are an A3235 movement or a VR3235. (Could also get a Miyota 8215 but seems like that would be a poor choice for me.)

The VR3235 runs about $100 more

Questions:
- Does the A in A3235 mean all I know is it's an Asian 3235, while the VR3235 is a specific factory?
- Would I be right to assume if I went with the A3235 my reliability would be more variable than going with the VR3235?
- Suppose I chanced it with the A3235 and it didn't work out for me. [I know this could be an "it depends " kind of question.]. How hard is it to replace a movement?

Thanks for any help and advice....

I wrote a guide you may find useful:

Comprehensive Guide to Clone Movements Found in Rolex Reps

Change Log: August 25th 2022 - Initial version published on r/RepTime March 9th 2023 - Updated version published on RWI. Updated to include information about the new SH3285 found in C+ Factory GMTs and DD3285 found in Clean Factory GMTs. March 14th 2023 - Update to include a link to Steve's...

forum.replica-watch.info

TLDR: the best options for a 3235 movement are the vr3235 (good, cheap, easy to find replacements and parts) or the vs3235 (excellent, true clone, long power reserve, but more expensive).

 

[Observvito]

With the disclaimer that I am also new to this, but have been researching this topic with some interest. 3235 clone movements come in three flavors:

• A3235, which as you note will be of unknown provenance. On the forum you'll find some reports of supposedly A3235 clone movements which in fact are generic 28800 bph movements with decorator plates. So it's a bit of a crapshoot, and if you care about being able to easily swap in gen parts this is likely not the option for you; similarly if you really care about precision, these will likely have more gain or loss per day than the alternatives. Longevity is probably fine, and as I'll come to catastrophic failure of the movement will require replacement in any case, which any of the service vendors here will be able to do for you.
• VR3235 clone movement, used by CF and others. While this has the advantage of being a known quantity, at least in the past it is a modded 3135 and required a 3135 stem, DW, and perhaps other components. But in general this will look and feel like a 'real' 3235.
• VS3235 clone movement, used exclusively by VSF by contract with a movement manufacturer. From what I've seen people have generally found this to be the best of the 3235 clone movements, and will take nearly any gen 3235 part.

All movements will require service over time and in extreme cases may require replacement. If you have a VS/VR3235, it's more likely that a bad part can be replaced in isolation without full replacement. If you do require a full movement swap, the challenge is not so much the difficulty but the expense and availability of getting a clone movement on its own, which can't just be picked up on Amazon or whatever. Likely you'll need to do some hunting to get one, then send it off to get it installed if you're not comfortable doing it yourself, and so on.

IMO save yourself the trouble and just get the best one you can OOTB. Even with reps you get what you pay for. But I will defer to the wiser ones among us if they have other opinions.

 

[Observvito]

Thank you both very much. The guide helped confirm what I'd been piecing together in fragments. @smell thank you for simplifying.

I'll move ahead with a VS version eventually when I do a Sub. For now though I'm going to jump in with a mid tier Breitling while I'm getting my feet wet. Take my lumps, make my mistakes, learn my lessons.... early.