Unsure, but I’ve got this dial you can have for the price of postage if you want it:
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MCD's Aquanaut Thoughts: ZF vs 3KF V3. (2023)
- Thread starter mclarendude
- Start date
Hey guys, ive owned my 3kf 5167a for a couple months now, and i seem to be running into a persistent issue. I wear the watch daily, but sometimes when I go to check the time, i notice it is running a couple minutes to hours off.
I’ve noticed the movement stops sometimes even after being wound and worn. If i orientate the watch in someway, i’ve heard the mainspring lose tension with an audible whirrr. Spoke to some of the pros on reptime services, and have come to conclude its either the spring that holds tension in the autowind module or the (bridle?) sliding inside the main barrel. I have no clue as to what the 2nd issue may mean, and was hoping anyone might have some helpful insight. Thanks
Otherwise the watch is probably my favourite in my collection.
I’ve noticed the movement stops sometimes even after being wound and worn. If i orientate the watch in someway, i’ve heard the mainspring lose tension with an audible whirrr. Spoke to some of the pros on reptime services, and have come to conclude its either the spring that holds tension in the autowind module or the (bridle?) sliding inside the main barrel. I have no clue as to what the 2nd issue may mean, and was hoping anyone might have some helpful insight. Thanks
Otherwise the watch is probably my favourite in my collection.
Thought I'd give a 2024 update to this. I got a 3kf 5167 after the time setting mode on my ZF broke, and thought a side-by-side comparison might be useful.
Dial
I got my 3KF a few months before the new white lume release, so ended up getting a Buff dial/DW/hands installed due to QC issues with SW. I ordered a new 3kf however from Popup just to compare, and will probably update this post once I get it.
The ZF dial lume is definitely way too green and the lume plots on the indexes are extremely flat. It's less visible in the photos, but even my older revision Buff dial is significantly less green. I've seen a few gens IRL and for this reason alone, would not suggest getting the ZF (especially with the new 3KF release).
The ZF does have a more accurate date wheel out of the box, but it's pretty easy to get a Buff/SW date wheel installed and the stock lume color difference is way more obvious than the date wheel font sizing.
Thickness/feel
The ZF feels like a replica. It is noticeably thicker by about 1.5mm and feels much less comfortable on the wrist. The Miyota is noisy and rattly, and the rotor spinning feels+sounds cheap when you move your wrist.
On the flip side, the 3KF model feels like an expensive watch. It's incredibly thin (especially with the caseback), and the rotor weight distribution feels+sounds much better when the watch is being worn.
(3KF left, ZF right)
Case/bracelet finishing
Honestly, I can't really tell a difference between the cases. The brushing is marginally different under bright light but only if you squint, and isn't noticeable under most lighting conditions. Again, the main takeaway is that the 3KF case feels much thinner.
However, the 3KF clasp is definitely worse than the ZF clasp. It gaps slightly when clicking and requires a bit of adjustment, while the ZF clasp has very tight tolerances and closes perfectly. The rubber on the 3KF feels slightly more flimsy compared to the ZF, but the difference is marginal.
Movement finishing
The ZF comes with engraved plates out of the box and a rotor that looks more gold-ish, while the unmodded 3KF has printed/thinly engraved plates and a slightly brassier rotor with worse striping. However, the ZF definitely looks cheaper in motion since all the train gears are hidden, and rotor spins in a way that makes it look flimsy, and it sounds way worse. I think this is a toss-up but if cost isn't an issue, I would try to source a 3KF with engraved plates and maybe a gen/aftermarket 24k rotor.
Overall takeaway
I don't think there is a good reason to get the ZF in 2024. The dial color, thickness, and general feel of the watch is significantly worse than the 3KF (even with the other factors). Esp with the new stock dial (waiting on this vs the buff), it seems like you can get 99% there with a new date wheel, ZF strap/clasp, and potentially engraved movement with the 3KF.
Dial
I got my 3KF a few months before the new white lume release, so ended up getting a Buff dial/DW/hands installed due to QC issues with SW. I ordered a new 3kf however from Popup just to compare, and will probably update this post once I get it.
The ZF dial lume is definitely way too green and the lume plots on the indexes are extremely flat. It's less visible in the photos, but even my older revision Buff dial is significantly less green. I've seen a few gens IRL and for this reason alone, would not suggest getting the ZF (especially with the new 3KF release).
The ZF does have a more accurate date wheel out of the box, but it's pretty easy to get a Buff/SW date wheel installed and the stock lume color difference is way more obvious than the date wheel font sizing.
Thickness/feel
The ZF feels like a replica. It is noticeably thicker by about 1.5mm and feels much less comfortable on the wrist. The Miyota is noisy and rattly, and the rotor spinning feels+sounds cheap when you move your wrist.
On the flip side, the 3KF model feels like an expensive watch. It's incredibly thin (especially with the caseback), and the rotor weight distribution feels+sounds much better when the watch is being worn.
(3KF left, ZF right)
Case/bracelet finishing
Honestly, I can't really tell a difference between the cases. The brushing is marginally different under bright light but only if you squint, and isn't noticeable under most lighting conditions. Again, the main takeaway is that the 3KF case feels much thinner.
However, the 3KF clasp is definitely worse than the ZF clasp. It gaps slightly when clicking and requires a bit of adjustment, while the ZF clasp has very tight tolerances and closes perfectly. The rubber on the 3KF feels slightly more flimsy compared to the ZF, but the difference is marginal.
Movement finishing
The ZF comes with engraved plates out of the box and a rotor that looks more gold-ish, while the unmodded 3KF has printed/thinly engraved plates and a slightly brassier rotor with worse striping. However, the ZF definitely looks cheaper in motion since all the train gears are hidden, and rotor spins in a way that makes it look flimsy, and it sounds way worse. I think this is a toss-up but if cost isn't an issue, I would try to source a 3KF with engraved plates and maybe a gen/aftermarket 24k rotor.
Overall takeaway
I don't think there is a good reason to get the ZF in 2024. The dial color, thickness, and general feel of the watch is significantly worse than the 3KF (even with the other factors). Esp with the new stock dial (waiting on this vs the buff), it seems like you can get 99% there with a new date wheel, ZF strap/clasp, and potentially engraved movement with the 3KF.
totalunder35
Rep Enthusiast
Is the consensus now that the new 3KF stock dial is actually better than the Buff/SW dials? Based on the reddit thread, it seems like the 3KF stock dial has thinner numbers to match the gen numbers, which I think is a much more important attribute than, e.g., lume (which can be fixed with repainting).
I feel like many modders are still currently offering Buff/SW dial mods as the recommendations (but not sure if that's going to change soon given how good the 3KF base dial is).
I feel like many modders are still currently offering Buff/SW dial mods as the recommendations (but not sure if that's going to change soon given how good the 3KF base dial is).
- 25/9/22
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The Ultimate Aquanaut 5167A Dial Discussion
Hello fellow RWI members - After searching, discussing and reading, I've found that there isn't a singular post where one can learn about the various dials available for the 5167A. I've grouped together a few photos to that will hopefully help other members determine which they'd rather go...
forum.replica-watch.info
It's mildly discussed here where it mentions the 3K hour index is the best but the lume is not.
It's up to you. Finding a good person who is good at reluming is more difficult than you think and it's expensive.
Again, replicas are all down to what we can tolerate. Some might not care about the slightly thicker hour index but the greenish lume is a dealbreaker. etc. So SW, Buff, and other dial variations are dependent on preference.
Nice review, thanks for sharing this with us.Thought I'd give a 2024 update to this. I got a 3kf 5167 after the time setting mode on my ZF broke, and thought a side-by-side comparison might be useful.
Dial
I got my 3KF a few months before the new white lume release, so ended up getting a Buff dial/DW/hands installed due to QC issues with SW. I ordered a new 3kf however from Popup just to compare, and will probably update this post once I get it.
The ZF dial lume is definitely way too green and the lume plots on the indexes are extremely flat. It's less visible in the photos, but even my older revision Buff dial is significantly less green. I've seen a few gens IRL and for this reason alone, would not suggest getting the ZF (especially with the new 3KF release).
The ZF does have a more accurate date wheel out of the box, but it's pretty easy to get a Buff/SW date wheel installed and the stock lume color difference is way more obvious than the date wheel font sizing.
Thickness/feel
The ZF feels like a replica. It is noticeably thicker by about 1.5mm and feels much less comfortable on the wrist. The Miyota is noisy and rattly, and the rotor spinning feels+sounds cheap when you move your wrist.
On the flip side, the 3KF model feels like an expensive watch. It's incredibly thin (especially with the caseback), and the rotor weight distribution feels+sounds much better when the watch is being worn.
(3KF left, ZF right)
Case/bracelet finishing
Honestly, I can't really tell a difference between the cases. The brushing is marginally different under bright light but only if you squint, and isn't noticeable under most lighting conditions. Again, the main takeaway is that the 3KF case feels much thinner.
However, the 3KF clasp is definitely worse than the ZF clasp. It gaps slightly when clicking and requires a bit of adjustment, while the ZF clasp has very tight tolerances and closes perfectly. The rubber on the 3KF feels slightly more flimsy compared to the ZF, but the difference is marginal.
Movement finishing
The ZF comes with engraved plates out of the box and a rotor that looks more gold-ish, while the unmodded 3KF has printed/thinly engraved plates and a slightly brassier rotor with worse striping. However, the ZF definitely looks cheaper in motion since all the train gears are hidden, and rotor spins in a way that makes it look flimsy, and it sounds way worse. I think this is a toss-up but if cost isn't an issue, I would try to source a 3KF with engraved plates and maybe a gen/aftermarket 24k rotor.
Overall takeaway
I don't think there is a good reason to get the ZF in 2024. The dial color, thickness, and general feel of the watch is significantly worse than the 3KF (even with the other factors). Esp with the new stock dial (waiting on this vs the buff), it seems like you can get 99% there with a new date wheel, ZF strap/clasp, and potentially engraved movement with the 3KF.
Thanks for sharing all these infos and your review, I was wondering if it’s possible to source those 3KFs 5167 still with the engraved 324 from the TDs or not and on the other hand how are actually those newer 330s?
I have an outstanding engraved movement order out from @popup. Will keep posted on what the numbers are and what the rotor looks like.
Awesome if you have the time keep me posted cause I am mega interested and about to start a project
Lovepatekonly
Do not accept unsolicited offers
- 3/8/19
- 6
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Could you please take more pics of the 3kf with buff dial in natural light and sunlight? Want to see how the buff dial finished. Thanks buddyThought I'd give a 2024 update to this. I got a 3kf 5167 after the time setting mode on my ZF broke, and thought a side-by-side comparison might be useful.
Dial
I got my 3KF a few months before the new white lume release, so ended up getting a Buff dial/DW/hands installed due to QC issues with SW. I ordered a new 3kf however from Popup just to compare, and will probably update this post once I get it.
The ZF dial lume is definitely way too green and the lume plots on the indexes are extremely flat. It's less visible in the photos, but even my older revision Buff dial is significantly less green. I've seen a few gens IRL and for this reason alone, would not suggest getting the ZF (especially with the new 3KF release).
The ZF does have a more accurate date wheel out of the box, but it's pretty easy to get a Buff/SW date wheel installed and the stock lume color difference is way more obvious than the date wheel font sizing.
Thickness/feel
The ZF feels like a replica. It is noticeably thicker by about 1.5mm and feels much less comfortable on the wrist. The Miyota is noisy and rattly, and the rotor spinning feels+sounds cheap when you move your wrist.
On the flip side, the 3KF model feels like an expensive watch. It's incredibly thin (especially with the caseback), and the rotor weight distribution feels+sounds much better when the watch is being worn.
(3KF left, ZF right)
Case/bracelet finishing
Honestly, I can't really tell a difference between the cases. The brushing is marginally different under bright light but only if you squint, and isn't noticeable under most lighting conditions. Again, the main takeaway is that the 3KF case feels much thinner.
However, the 3KF clasp is definitely worse than the ZF clasp. It gaps slightly when clicking and requires a bit of adjustment, while the ZF clasp has very tight tolerances and closes perfectly. The rubber on the 3KF feels slightly more flimsy compared to the ZF, but the difference is marginal.
Movement finishing
The ZF comes with engraved plates out of the box and a rotor that looks more gold-ish, while the unmodded 3KF has printed/thinly engraved plates and a slightly brassier rotor with worse striping. However, the ZF definitely looks cheaper in motion since all the train gears are hidden, and rotor spins in a way that makes it look flimsy, and it sounds way worse. I think this is a toss-up but if cost isn't an issue, I would try to source a 3KF with engraved plates and maybe a gen/aftermarket 24k rotor.
Overall takeaway
I don't think there is a good reason to get the ZF in 2024. The dial color, thickness, and general feel of the watch is significantly worse than the 3KF (even with the other factors). Esp with the new stock dial (waiting on this vs the buff), it seems like you can get 99% there with a new date wheel, ZF strap/clasp, and potentially engraved movement with the 3KF.
I would be also interested in a review of the latest 330 clone if it’s got any improvement or different parts respect the 324
This Dial also is missing the continuation of the curved line below the 7, there it is below the 5 but not below the 7this is my V3, lume looks very white
Is this 3KF latest batch? When did you order/recieve it?this is my V3, lume looks very white
Looks good imo.
Enjoy and wear in good health!
Hi there! I just ordered the 3KF 5167 v3 at ctime (what a top notch dealer that is, always). She told me that they do not offer waterproofing for this specific model.
Has anyone taken it for a swim out of the box?
Has anyone had theirs waterproofed?
An aquanaut you can’t swim with, does not feel right to me, so it’s the first thing I’d like to have done.
Thnx for the help in advance
Has anyone taken it for a swim out of the box?
Has anyone had theirs waterproofed?
An aquanaut you can’t swim with, does not feel right to me, so it’s the first thing I’d like to have done.
Thnx for the help in advance