On the fence about a ZF Tudor GMT Pepsi

[Dissemination]

Had the rep bought the gen.... rep was awfully darn close.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Is this the rep or gen? Noobie eyes lol.

Also anyone know if this strap can be bought with the rep? This is easily the most appealing look of this watch for me

 

[johnlogan]

 

[Eatdirtfartdust]

That’s unfortunate.Yet Why am I not surprised with ZF. Should’ve QC harder.

jtimewatch I had faith that when Li told me the indicators were lined up properly, that I could trust it.
I’m sure I can get the watch fixed, but my trust is bruised.

 

[kryp29]

jtimewatch I had faith that when Li told me the indicators were lined up properly, that I could trust it.
I’m sure I can get the watch fixed, but my trust is bruised.

I don't know about Li but I think most TD find these "small" imperfections fixable and deemed ok. Besides, it would be a waste of time for them to get a different watch. My ZF BB58 v2 came with a halfway off misaligned bezel markers as well, in the QC pics, it looks alright and it is hard to tell when it comes to ZF due to the distortion by the thick crystal edge. My TD Asian7750 told me it could be fixed with heating up the bezel insert glue with a blower and aligned it back. I have an industrial grade heat gun and it couldnt be done unless you wanna destroy the paint of the surrounding area. Only way is to remove the bezel completely, if you have the expertise and tools.

What I did was to just aligned it back halfway into position and not bother/play with the bezel. Then shove it away after I got my gen.

 

[Flyin_gnome]

Still great!

 

[Cadows]

Had the rep bought the gen.... rep was awfully darn close.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Can you post lume shot? I saw some gen shots and the lume isnt green at all, its more blueish like Rolex. Other than that, is date font correct? Thanks

 

[Eatdirtfartdust]

An update, now that I've had this piece for over a year:
The first issue was with the bezel alignment. A watchsmith I hired through here was able to fix that issue.
He also serviced it and cleaned/lubricated as necessary. Then after about a year its very gritty. The GMT hand is stuck under the 7-o'clock indicator and it doesn't feel smooth at all when setting time or winding.
Not sure if I want to invest more money in getting it repaired and serviced again, or just cut my losses.
It still looks great. I have two other reps that are still working flawlessly, so I don't believe it's my abuse. This piece only gets worn maybe 4-6 times a month.

 

[Carbon Summit]

I have an ARF 126600 that I plan to have an ETA movement swapped into since my Asian movement has a gritty feel. I thought about getting it serviced but decided to just swap it for fear of the same thing that happened to you.

This is who I was recommended by a fellow RWI member to source a movement from:

https://www.ebay.com/usr/b_line55cc?...p2047675.l2559

He ships from Switzerland. Mine shipped on May 7th and it made it to ISC NEW YORK NY on May 9th. I hope to get it in a few days.

In the end is it worth to put that much money into a rep? The cost of the movement, the cost to have someone swap it, the cost of shipping it back and forth? I don't know. lol but I'm doing it.


My thought is a real SD43 costs a lot more than a rep even after swapping movements. But the Tudor GMT gen to rep gap isn't near as large. A new Tudor GMT is around $350 shipped from China? Then to spend about the same for a new movement and swap you'd have $700-ish into the watch.

I have bought a few Tudor GMT gens. Because of the date wheel issue I keep moving up to newer ones to avoid having to send the watch in for service. Sounds like they have the issue sorted out now? I hope at least. The last one was a full kit Tudor Black Bay GMT 79830RB-0001 on a bracelet with warranty card dated Sept 2020, never sized and unworn for $3500 plus $50 shipped back in October 2020. I know you can find them cheaper if you watch the Tudor FB pages.


If you love the watch maybe it would be worth doing a movement swap or maybe it would be better to just move up to a gen. You are already have the rep, so spending another $350 on it would still be 10x cheaper than buying a gen.

 

[Carbon Summit]

Weird side story. Got that gen back in October and its never left my safe. Its brand new so I keep putting off sizing it and wearing it. The first scratch will kill me!!! So I keep wearing my old trusty ZF GMT instead.

I know watches are meant to be worn, not be safe queens...

 

[Eatdirtfartdust]

An update, now that I've had this piece for over a year:
The first issue was with the bezel alignment. A watchsmith I hired through here was able to fix that issue.
He also serviced it and cleaned/lubricated as necessary. Then after about a year its very gritty. The GMT hand is stuck under the 7-o'clock indicator and it doesn't feel smooth at all when setting time or winding.
Not sure if I want to invest more money in getting it repaired and serviced again, or just cut my losses.
It still looks great. I have two other reps that are still working flawlessly, so I don't believe it's my abuse. This piece only gets worn maybe 4-6 times a month.

Got it back. Winds and adjusts smoother and fixed the GMT hand being stuck. It left a mark on the face, but not very noticeable.
Now the dial alignment is bad, though.

 

[Eatdirtfartdust]

In the end is it worth to put that much money into a rep? The cost of the movement, the cost to have someone swap it, the cost of shipping it back and forth? I don't know. lol but I'm doing it.


My thought is a real SD43 costs a lot more than a rep even after swapping movements. But the Tudor GMT gen to rep gap isn't near as large. A new Tudor GMT is around $350 shipped from China? Then to spend about the same for a new movement and swap you'd have $700-ish into the watch.

I have bought a few Tudor GMT gens. Because of the date wheel issue I keep moving up to newer ones to avoid having to send the watch in for service. Sounds like they have the issue sorted out now? I hope at least. The last one was a full kit Tudor Black Bay GMT 79830RB-0001 on a bracelet with warranty card dated Sept 2020, never sized and unworn for $3500 plus $50 shipped back in October 2020. I know you can find them cheaper if you watch the Tudor FB pages.


If you love the watch maybe it would be worth doing a movement swap or maybe it would be better to just move up to a gen. You are already have the rep, so spending another $350 on it would still be 10x cheaper than buying a gen.

I thought I would love this watch and expected it to be my favorite, when I bought it. But It's not. I wear it about once a week. It's just a little big for my wrist, and I can't get over the dial not being aligned properly, bit drives me nuts and makes me a little embarrassed. It's the only watch that has had 2 people ask "is that a Tudor" so I knew they were fans if they spotted it, and I just flashed it and didn't want them to look at it for too long. Meanwhile, I have 3 other pieces that I would let somebody hold because I know they won't know any better.

 

[Kevstah]

This thread is a bit old but I have to say I have a ZF BB GMT since 3 weeks and I really like it. Solid solid watch for the bucks, everything is damn near perfect except 3 points which are minors and to be taken into consideration along with the pricetag (~$300 vs $4500 for the gen):

-ICHS -> inherent to the reliable movement presents in this replica (2836-2/ Asian take on the ETA with an added GMT complication, very reliable as documented in this forum, rep has been out for over 5 years and majority of owners seem to be still happy with it).

-Index/Dial alignement -> Simple QC issue known and well documented from ZF, just make sure to be okay with the fact it's almost impossible to get a fully aligned rep of this watch. Nevertheless, I've saw plenty of people complaing about GEN Tudor alignements...

-Asian ETA -> Ticking sound which is definitely different than the GEN in house caliber, it's louder and power reserve is subpar.

Everything else, like color matching of the bezel, texture of the dial, crispiness of the priting, bezel action, bracelet clasp/fit and finish, is damn near spot on and it's shocking for the price.

Buy and enjoy with confidence, it's also a very good way to "try on" the watch proportions and overall vibe before a $4500 mistake