I wrote this about 3 weeks ago for a group I moderate on FB and was asked to share it here by more than one person, so here it is:
Settle in guys, this one is wordy, but I think you’ll find it helpful. Plus I just spent a lot of time looking at all of this, so you don’t have to.
Quick look (but in depth) at the KING FACTORY DJ41 vs the CF v.2 DJ41 and VSF DJ41. All 3 are wildly beautiful watches, and all have their merits. The focus here is to see if KF can join the CF v2 and VSF at the top of the DJ game, with details. I won’t get into dial color, or other subjective things that others may see differently. There’s no use. I want to know if the KF is any good. That’s all. Also, I don’t often get pix of engravings on bracelets or between lugs, no one really looks at them. And they have zero effect on how good the watch is on the wrist or with use.
All 3 watches here have a version of the 3235, all have fluted bezels and all have jubilee bracelets. The only thing that varies all of these from stock is the gen 7036 crystal on the CFv2. Otherwise, all are stock. I’m going to jot down some observations and post a ton of images for you to discern your fav/best value for your money. A lot of this is feel, and having the benefit of feeling them all, makes it easier.
Prices are intentionally redacted as I do not own the KF, I won the VSF, and the CFv2 was gifted to me for repairs rendered from a TD in the hobby with very little out of my pocket. All that said, here’s what I have learned.
Starting with the dimensions of the cases I didn’t want to bore everyone with all the itty-bitty differences but I will say this: they are all different in almost every dimension. The crowns are off my .00x mm, the lugs vary, the bezels vary, the crystals even vary. Which is odd, since they all are trying to be the same as ONE piece. Why can none of the factories get all the dimensions right on a CNC machine etc, with modern tooling, and modern materials makes no sense to me. And which is the most accurate to the genuine article: none. Why? Because if one is the right thickness, it won’t be the right lug length, and the one that’s the right lug length isn’t the right width on on the head. Etc. Point is, those tiny measurements make a difference yes, but all are off in more than one way, so no need to focus on them in my opinion.
The KF case is a little thicker at the tip of the lugs, feels taller on the wrist and has an odd dip in back, where the SEL fits and the lugs ramp up. They all do it, but the KF feels odd in the hand where the others don’t. I tried to illustrate with a straight edge (see pix with clear plastic bar) but it does no justice.
On the KF the bezel is a fraction of a mm smaller than the CF bezel. The VSF bezel is a fraction smaller still. Some say the VSF is most accurate to gen, I cannot confirm this because the solid gold GENs will slowly wear down with use, much faster than stainless and in turn I’d need a brand spanking new one to measure against. The bezel cuts/flutes are great on all, and I do not see the “white gold hue” people swear the VSF has. In the same lighting, with the same lens, they all look pretty much the same.
The dials are all sunburst (technically on the KF Roman Numeral dial they were going for SUNDUST I believe, but most don’t know the difference) all the printing looks amazing, and the only oddity I noticed on the KF is the coronet appears smaller than it should be. Not sure why, just an observation.
The hands on the KF are amazingly clean. Most rep hands look like shit under magnification and these look GREAT. I’m sorry I didn’t take more pix, but I can. Compared to the dirty and rough VSF and CF hands, KF did a hell of a job.
All 3 bracelets feel good, and the reports that they all come from the ARF bracelet maker could well be true, but I doubt it. They are different for sure. When removing link screws the finish on the CF’s threads is evident, and superior. The VSF and KF feel gritty, the KF more so. In fact I said “Jesus Christ” out loud and my wife thought something was wrong. Also, the links themselves are different. As is the SELs, and it’s not a good thing. They feel unfinished, unpolished. And fold differently, like lunges instead of fully rotating. It can be felt on the wrist, and I tried to point this out in pix.
Once the bracelets were open I undid each caseback and the KF was the single worst I’ve felt. Ever. I hope it’s one bad egg and not a bad batch, but it felt unthreaded. Upon closer inspection I noticed the threads were so poorly cut, I had to take a pic. While it’s hard to see, it’s absolutely impossible not to HEAR when unscrewing. Sounds like rubbing rocks on glass. The CF comes off smooth, but the VSF opens like BUTTER.
Inside I tried to look for dirt, fingerprints, and quality of finish without disassembling the movements (I simply do not have the time to tear them all down and compare) but I must say I’m not at all surprised with what I found.
If there was no other movement to compare to, I’d say the KF did well with their K3235. It’s a VR, and cheaper one at that, but it’s a clone of a clone, so I commend the effort. It is however inferior in finish, dirty, and dry where oil should be (totally normal for a replica) the importance of servicing really shows on this movement, and I wish I had the time to service this one. I noted some details/dirt, but if you looked at the movement in the watch on your wrist: it’s worse I promise, so don’t mis-take my meaning. It’s bad, but could be worse.
The CF has what I’d call a high grade VR3235. It’s the low power reserve version and it runs like a champ. There is lubrication, not much but it’s there. And little dirt to speak of. But most importantly: the finish is far superior to that of the K3235. Exactly as we expect from CF. I will however note the common problem with the threads stripping on the tube, is real, and drives me nuts.
The VSF opens like butter, the crown unscrews like butter, and the movement has the least resistance in the group, and we all know this VS3235 to be the best in most arenas. I have more than one in my personal fleet, for a reason. Aside from the 4130 I truly think this is the best rep movement ever made. And I mean that. What the VSF lack in rehaut finish and dial cleanliness, they make up for in the tactile feel and function of their movement. Which is far more important than pix and “accuracy to gen” can ever be, but sadly we buy based on what we see. That’s a mistake to buy that mat way, in 40yrs when all the “vintage” vsf and CF are still floating around, we’ll all know why.
While I could go on forever, here’s the point of all this: out of the box the CF v.2 is unreal, the lume is the best, the rehaut is the best, the dial and datewheel are the best, the bracelet is the best, the hands, crown and tube suck.
Out of the box the VSF rehaut is trash, the dial is filthy and the hands looks chewed. However the movement and crown are basically perfect, and since they are the things we interact with, they make me (and most others) like the VSF the most if not looking at it. (Although, my CF v.2 barely leaves my wrist. Which says a lot with the number of options I have.)
The KF is close, damn close, but still lacking in quite a few things. The dial is excellent and clean, the hands are amazing, the crystal is decent. The case, not so much, and the movement is like an awkward teen going through a growth spurt. And for what I know to be a first attempt, they will give CF and VSF a run for their money, and SOON.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading, these are all great, and if priced accordingly (highest to lowest: CF, VSF then KF) all are worth every penny. If you had to pay VSF money for a KF, I’d take the VSF.
Note: CF v.1 is NOT the same watch, and the reason I was specific about the v.2. Also, I did not mention the crystals much, because comparing to gen does not show the main differences between the rep parts. Although knowing the CF has a gen crystal, you can discern which emulates it the best; Gm the KF or VSF. Also, I didn’t go nuts on dial pix because I posted so many before, it’s just redundant. If anyone wants to see anything in particular, ask, I’m happy to illustrate what I can.
Pix to follow….
