Panda Daytona 116500 GEN VS NOOB, Clean V2, BT V2, Full comparison

[cyprusdaedalus]

oil.... bath??? never heard of this for watches

Take the bracelet off and put it in a bowl of baby oil overnight (I put it in a ultrasonic cleaner in baby oil and run it for maybe 15 minutes over a 24 hour period). Take it out - wash it off with some dish soap to get the oily residue off. Let it dry in the sun for a day and your bracelt and clasp will be buttery smooth and silent.

 

[johnchpark]

The DangDong 4130 used in the CF/BTF Daytona's are generally considered to be the most robust Chrono movements around with failure rates around ~1% (which is on par if not better than stuff coming out of Switzerland). The low-end Daytona reps using Asian 7750's would be much more prone to failure but there is so much other stuff wrong with those reps using the 7750 (due to the size of the 7750 and all the case shape and height discrepencies it causes none would be NWBIG. These failure rates were provided by a TD on Reddit.



I think CF V3's (Black and Panda) are NWBIG IMO - I have both (but not Gen's). *Maybe* you swap a gen crystal if you want an extra 5% in clarity, but other than that a good service and an oil bath for the bracelet and it's as close to Gen as anyone in their right mind needs.

Wow! fantastic information. Thanks for sharing.
I didn't realize VS3135 and SW300 had higher fail rates than VR3135.
The 4130 looks good. Guess CF V3's gonna go on my to-buy radar now

 

[spaceman007]

was there ever any further confirmation about if there was actually a cf v3 for the panda dial?

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

... The low-end Daytona reps using Asian 7750's would be much more prone to failure but there is so much other stuff wrong with those reps using the 7750 (due to the size of the 7750 and all the case shape and height discrepencies it causes none would be NWBIG.

I bought 3 Daytona reps from a non-TD and all from JH factories with the 7750 movement. Then I bought a Noob Daytona 116506 with SA4130 and the differences were so shocking, I kicked myself for not figuring this out sooner and wasting $3K USD with a non-TD. My penance is I am going to re-buy those 3 Daytonas from a TD and better factories. I can't stand the differences in quality to leave it alone.

They're worth it, I went with BTF and couldn't be happier. Ordered another BTF the other day too

This thread has been really helpful. I am going to buy 3 Daytonas and I need to choose the factory - Noob (they're shut down, but some TDs can get them built using leftover Noob parts) or BTF or Clean. The TD is suggesting that BTF has the best reputation for Daytonas right now, and this thread shows why some would have to agree, but I can't decide if I should try to find leftover Noob or just go with BTF for Daytonas right now.

From a popularity standpoint, which Daytona factory would you choose today for a Daytona - Noob (using leftover parts) or BTF or Clean?

 

[oceaon]

Noob was good for its time but can't compete with the modern Clean and BTF. Clean is the best OOTB if you don't intend on modding it. I personally prefer BTF because it has a better case and better crystal but I always swap out the dials.

 

[spaceman007]

Noob was good for its time but can't compete with the modern Clean and BTF. Clean is the best OOTB if you don't intend on modding it. I personally prefer BTF because it has a better case and better crystal but I always swap out the dials

what dial would you put into a BTF panda and how much does that normally cost?

 

[oceaon]

You could either throw a Clan v3 panda dial in it or a gen dial. Depends on the price you are willing to spend. And you should fix your multi-account

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

Thanks to this thread and the amazing comparison posted by Steve, I just submitted a new order from Steve at the OneWatches to include a Clean factory Daytona Panda, Clean factory 116508 Daytona Green dial, Clean factory 126711 GMT II and a QF Factory 116509 Daytona Blue dial.

 

[imaballa]

Is the white dial from Clean better when you add a deep crystal? Or is Black dial closer to Gen always?

 

[steve_theonewatches]

was there ever any further confirmation about if there was actually a cf v3 for the panda dial?

After the CF black 116500 was upgraded to V3, the white 116500 was also referred to as the V3 version, but in reality the white did not change substantially.

 

[m120]

After the CF black 116500 was upgraded to V3, the white 116500 was also referred to as the V3 version, but in reality the white did not change substantially.

The white coronet changed for the worse. The hole in it is too large.

 

[oceaon]

That happened on the black as well. V3 had the shitty coronets as I had to have one replaced by a modder on a franken build using that dial.

 

[100flessen]

It depends on what flaws are you ok with. I like btf's crystal and case the most, while the dial looks better in the latest Cleans. But getting a custom dial from a chinese modder is not that hard, so btf is the choice for me. But its really subjective.

Can you guide me on how to source a chinese modder to make a custom dial?

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

... But getting a custom dial from a chinese modder is not that hard....

Which site do you prefer to get a custom dial? I'm looking for a 116506 dial in blue and not finding it so far....

 

[steve_theonewatches]

Which site do you prefer to get a custom dial? I'm looking for a 116506 dial in blue and not finding it so far....

Bro, there is no 116506 custom dial on the market yet

 

[Pintorex]

what dial would you put into a BTF panda and how much does that normally cost?

Find a Buff Dial, around 350$ is the best option after the gen.

 

[Bobi01]

Find a Buff Dial, around 350$ is the best option after the gen.

Bro dont get me wrong or personal but this dial is horrible, paying 350 for this dial is madness

 

[DurbanPoison]

Find a Buff Dial, around 350$ is the best option after the gen.

Bruh the fat coronet… the weird R O L E X font… MY EYES ARE BURNING

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

Bro, there is no 116506 custom dial on the market yet

That's why I bought a new BTF ice blue dial from you =) Looking forward to getting it so I can replace the one on my Noob 116506.

 

[Tony Clifton]

Find a Buff Dial, around 350$ is the best option after the gen.

Wow this is terrible. Apart from the horrible coronet, the markers look flat, the 3,6,9 markers have a weird shape and the subdial printing looks ugly.