MASSIVE Review of VSF 126610LV vs Gen (WARNING! Absolute torrential bombardment of photos)

[kennygconspiracy]

Hello RWI family and happy holidays! Tis the season for friends, family and many pounds gained from Thanksgiving lol. But tis also the season for yet another massive review to add to the awesome repository of information that is RWI. Today I have for you a very rare comparison between two giants in their respective fields: the VSF 126610LV and a genuine 126610LV I managed to borrow from a visiting friend just for this review. Some quick photos and here we are! This should be an awesome experience for those who love photo comparisons. I will cover some major aspects of each watch, as well as little noteworthy extra. Sit back, relax and enjoy!

Initial side by side presentation

Initially

 

[Goldsimba1989]

Cool but where are the photos ?

 

[kennygconspiracy]

we can see from a quick glance worth a few seconds that these are fairly close.



However as rep enthusiasts we like to look a little deeper. To begin with, we'll start with the crystal and datewheel for finer details!

Crystal and datewheel



Some very interesting things to note here. The VSF cyclops has a blue tint to the AR, while the gen has more of a chocolate/purple hue. I remember VSF's first foray into subbies, RXF, having the same tint as gen. This tint is also similar to the one seen in Prof Steve's crystals (Prof's crystals) I should note. As to durability, gen is king of course. VSF has an incredible black hole effect that is very, very close to gen and not worth swapping over in my opinion.

The datewheel on the VSF is thinner than on gen. This is good news for those who obsess over thick datewheels. Folks, beauty comes in all sizes

Another interesting thing to note with the datewheel is that when you try to change it on the gen, you can force it to stay stuck between dates when you press the crown back in between dates. With the VSF, you can't force "in between" dates. If you try to change the date halfway, and then put the crown back, the calendar module will snap the date to the closest one forward. This has some interesting implications.

This feature of in-between dates was seen in the VS3135 and gen 3135. I wager the calendar module on the VS3235 has variance compared to gen.

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Cool but where are the photos ?

I accidentally pressed the post button lol and couldn't edit my first paragraph. It's tricky on mobile so I called a mulligan! The rest are incoming!

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Rehaut



You can also see on the crystal and datewheel comparison photos how different the gen and rep rehauts look.

On the VSF, the rehaut is a lot duller and not really polished. On the gen, the rehaut looks beautifully polished, a mod that I painstakingly try to continue to work on a d perfect.

You can also see how, of course, the engravings are thicker and deeper on gen and more pronounced. VSF, nonetheless, did a phenomenal job!

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Rehaut



You can also see on the crystal and datewheel comparison photos how different the gen and rep rehauts look.

On the VSF, the rehaut is a lot duller and not really polished. On the gen, the rehaut looks beautifully polished, a mod that I painstakingly try to continue to work on a d perfect.

You can also see how, of course, the engravings are thicker and deeper on gen and more pronounced. VSF, nonetheless, did a phenomenal job!

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Sorry for the double post on the Rehaut section, darn Post Reply on mobile didn't work the first time

 

[Pinion Minion]

Great writeup! Thanks!

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Hands



The hands on the gen are white gold, while the VSF is all steel. The gen hands are more 3D and have greater polish and lustre. Overall, the VSF hand proportions are really close and quite accurate otherwise.

 

[kennygconspiracy]

We can also note how the top of the seconds hand is slightly different between gen and rep. Gen has a thicker little pointy button while the rep is more flat and less pronounced.

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Dial font



VSF really kicked it out of the park here with the dial print. The only difference I can point out is with the m after 300, but dial variances do happen with gen batches, so in my opinion this is a non starter.

 

[kennygconspiracy]

We can also note that the gen indices are more rounded and much softer than VSF. However, if we remember the early days of Noob, BP and ARF, which had knife edge indices, we are very lucky to have something as incredible as VSF!

 

[gmtmaster777]

Nice comparison, thank you

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Lugs and crown



The VSF crown logo looks pudgy and smooshed next to the gen, but on its own it is an outstanding job. The knurlings on the gen are also much more pronounced, longer and sharper. This is where a gen crown swap would be very useful.

The lugs are a very subtle tell, and VSF has done them very well. The taper however is fatter than gen, which has thinner ends on all 4 corners.

Interestingly, the gen crown has hues of white gold, even when considering various lighting conditions (warm yellow tone compared to cold steel). It's a stretch to say, but is it possible it is white gold?

The gen caseback sticker is more matte than the rep. Lug gaps on the gen and rep are a relatively quick check if you know what to look for.

Caseback knurlings on the rep are deeper and sharper than VSF.

 

[kennygconspiracy]

It should be noted that VSF SEL's are fantastic here in this early 2R94 serial sample.

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Insert



Interestingly, the gen insert colour (green) is brighter and the ceramic is shinier on the gen. The bezel numerals are much brighter on the numerals, something which can be corrected on the VSF with a bezel mod of choice as needed. Again you can see how a rehaut polish can bring the VSF to gen levels of lustre.

 

[kennygconspiracy]

It should be noted that the VSF insert was indeed washed and gently brushed before comparison for evenness and fairness. The watch was also kept safe and snug without dirt.

 

[kennygconspiracy]

BONUS: Clasp and tolerances



You can see how the gen is much tighter and has greater tolerance with connecting pins. It's the little things that draw interest and show why certain variances make so much difference in experience.

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Lume



The lume on the VSF is slightly lighter, but it very bright! They matched the color phenomenally well. Amazing stuff!

 

[kennygconspiracy]

Final thoughts

Despite being put through the gauntlet in overly picky and micro aspects between gen and rep, the VSF proved it had earned the right to stand as one of the best reps of all time.

The VSF 126610LV gets a 9/10!

This was an incredible honor and opportunity to showcase how far reps have come, and I look forward to everyone's thoughts and comments here in this thread.

Thank you for reading this far and for giving me a home to review and share information.

RWI ROCKS!