Anyone who knows me understands one thing. I am a simple man. I see a VSF release, I buy it
So here I am with yet another VSF purchase and review. And holy mother of juses krust is this hot, coming in both rubber and stainless steel. I'm thrilled to get the review out. It took me longer than usual due to testing of the power reserve.
Unlike subbies, Omegas are less complicated and more straightforward when it comes to reviewing, so let's get straight to it.
First Impressions and Dial
When I first got the watch, the dial disappointed me. I didn't understand what had gone wrong. However, once it hit a fresh ray of sunshine, the watch burst into life. The dial twinkled, as if alive and winking! Definitely took me by surprise, and I was in love with this mysterious watch of dual nature.
Here you can see the difference between the dial in low light vs direct light! The dial itself is very cleverly done. Though VSF has not gotten every micromillimeter of detail down, it is so miniscule and insanely difficult to spot on hand that it doesn't matter!
Lume
Not as perfectly even as with the submariner line. VSF is known to be somewhat flaccid in this respect. However still a fantastic lume that is premium compared to most reps.
Case and Crown
The case has very nice even brushing, and beautifully polished mirror finish segments. At this point VSF has pretty much mastered the art. The watch wears snugly, and is not as thick as one may suspect. The lugs gracefully hug the wrist without trouble, and present themselves as almost invisible to the feel, like wearing air.
The most disappointing aspect of VSF Aqua Terras is the weakness in the crown stem. Of course, this is quite common in reps, such as on my IWC 502708. I do wonder if gens have the same issue. Anyhooot, when the stem is pulled out, the crown wobbles precariously. Any sudden jerking motion may snap the stem, so this is annoying. It makes the visually premium watch lose something special in terms of handling quality. Definitely something to look out for.
The crown itself is very accurate to standard gen crowns, and other than the stem, presents a very premium presentation.
Movement
The clone calibre 8938 is a stunning work of art. It functions exactly as per gen, with none of the terrors of the GMT timebombs in some Rolex reps.
The biggest tell here is with the gain regulator. With the Aqua Terra, it shows:
On the gen (Sedna variant), there is only one regulator arm:
With my VSF SMP 300m, there is only one regulator arm as well:
icard2:
In all honesty that small detail irks me. However the Worldtimer is such a fantastic watch that one little wee part doesn't matter in the grander scheme
To note, the shock jewel casing is generally used to differentiate between VSF and relatively lower tier Seamaster reps like OMF and such.
This perspective shows another tell to look for i.e. the presence of 2 regulator arms instead of 1. The SMP 300 is a little cleverer in this aspect even though it is a modded 28xx
Clasp and Strap
The clasp has beautifully construction with smooth and even brushing. Fantastic feel, solid and premium.
The blue strap is what makes the watch snap together. It gives it that extra edge! Definitely not brittle or plasticky. I would confidently put this on par with the gen strap given VSF's reputation.
Final Thoughts
The Aqua Terra Worldtimer is a unique and complex timepiece. VSF has done a splendid job cloning nearly every aspect of it perfectly. I am very happy with this curious watch. Every glance is a different experience. However the issue with the stem weakness and imperfect movement cloning takes a single point away
Score: [9/10]
[BONUS]
I tested the power reserve of the watch and clocked it in at 90 hours, which is fucking insane. I will be testing this at least 3 times more to confirm!
Thank you for reading all the way through. Please let me know what you think, and add to the conversation :cheers:
