Pepsi bezel insert battle CF vs Xing_Patrick: A photo comparison

[JustFou]

Hello RWI, as I promised in another thread I'll do a comparison on the current clean Pepsi bezel and the new Pepsi bezel made by a reddit user going by the name xing_patrick. First things first, you'll have to be lenient as English is not my first language and my writing skills are god-awful. I also have to start by mentioning I have no affiliations with this reddit user and this write-up is entirely my opinion. Also pictures can vary greatly between screens and the device used to take the photos. I used a Google Pixel 6a which tends to do some heavy post-processing (HDR) to get better contrast but ends up being less color accurate. This is the reason why this a comparison between CF (which I have in hand and compare in each picture) and the new insert and not with gen as I do NOT OWN a gen watch. However this is by part the best insert I've had my hands-on with and the one I personally like the best. I not plan on going and commenting each condition this is just to show the different colors in every lighting scenarios I could think of.

Let's get down to the pictures shall we?

Outside Sun


Outside no sun


Outside no sun (w/flash)


Inside (natural light)

Insert close-up (bezel fill)

Clean

Xing_Patrick

Inside (bathroom light)

Inside lighting (Lamp)

In the dark (taken with nightsight)

Canadian tire lighting

Inside apartment

General pictures (no particular lighting conditions)


One picture missing from this review is with a UV light. I did buy one and this insert is made out of one piece (meaning it gets entirely red under a UV light like the gen). However I could no get a good picture showing this phenomena on my phone ... Thanks for checking my post and hope you like it! Be sure to ask if you need more photos and be free to discuss which MK bezel you think it looks like and if you like the clean better!

 

[RollyAP]

Thanks for the comparison! It definitely is a big leap from the CF bezel

 

[diamonds]

Excellent. The xing insert looks incredible.

 

[Neon]

I really appreciate the pics. Very tempting upgrade.

How hard is making the change?

 

[2blue2day]

Nice comparison, thank you!

 

[butler182]

Wow...looks really good. And great pics in different light conditions too....thank you!!!

 

[diamonds]

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It may be the lighting or the angle, but in some of the photos, the Xing insert seems to be lacking a sufficient amount of clear coating. which makes the insert seem a bit dull and not as glossy as it should be.

 

[davidc]

wow thanks for taking the time to share this. How hard was it to change out the insert?

 

[StreetFighter]

It's much better and a very good effort. I think it's a much better colour representation of the gen that I see through a digital camera and given there are gen 3 BLRO bezel variations and there will undoubtly be more as time goes by and you never see a gen BLRO in the wild I think it's the best BLRO bezel yet. I'm sure it will appear different again in hand before the camera software decides what it thinks it should look like.

He has solved one problem but there is another obvious flaw to fix, the transition line; on the gen the transition blends from one colour to the next, you cannot pinpoint the line because it fade over .5mm. The line on this new bezel insert is very obvious and similar to the 5 digit aluminum bezel in that regard.

The blend line of the 2 colours will be BLRO rep bezel achilles heel in my opinion.

Gen

 

[Duckber]

It may be the lighting or the angle, but in some of the photos, the Xing insert seems to be lacking a sufficient amount of clear coating. which makes the insert seem a bit dull and not as glossy as it should be.

This is my thought as well when thinking of getting one. It is a step up from CF but still relatively flat and not as dynamic or as glossy as gen.

 

[JustFou]

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It may be the lighting or the angle, but in some of the photos, the Xing insert seems to be lacking a sufficient amount of clear coating. which makes the insert seem a bit dull and not as glossy as it should be.

I'd say it's mostly lighting and angle as it can get quite glossy!

 

[JustFou]

Wow...looks really good. And great pics in different light conditions too....thank you!

No problem mate!

 

[JustFou]

wow thanks for taking the time to share this. How hard was it to change out the insert?

Not really. Took me less than 5 minutes but you need the right tools. KJ has a great guide on bezel change!

 

[JustFou]

It's much better and a very good effort. I think it's a much better colour representation of the gen that I see through a digital camera and given there are gen 3 BLRO bezel variations and there will undoubtly be more as time goes by and you never see a gen BLRO in the wild I think it's the best BLRO bezel yet. I'm sure it will appear different again in hand before the camera software decides what it thinks it should look like.

He has solved one problem but there is another obvious flaw to fix, the transition line; on the gen the transition blends from one colour to the next, you cannot pinpoint the line because it fade over .5mm. The line on this new bezel insert is very obvious and similar to the 5 digit aluminum bezel in that regard.

The blend line of the 2 colours will be BLRO rep bezel achilles heel in my opinion.

Gen

Gen looks amazing as always!

 

[JustFou]

I really appreciate the pics. Very tempting upgrade.

How hard is making the change?

Pretty easy as I said previously. But you need the right tools. Look at KJ2020's guide here https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/rolex-6-digit-sub-bezel-and-crystal-swap-diy.10310195/.

 

[KJ2020]

Just an FYI, there is no "clear coat" on Rolex ceramic inserts. The high gloss finish is achieved from polishing.

An In-Depth Look at Cerachrom : Rolex's Exclusive Ceramic Creation | SENATUS Magazine

Cerachrom combines the best physical properties of ceramics with unparalleled aesthetics, ready to flawlessly fulfil their purpose for many years, even in extreme conditions. Find out how Rolex achieved this – all in-house no less.

senatus.net

Rolex Ceramic Bezel (Rolex Cerachrom) Guide - Millenary Watches

A complete guide to the Rolex Ceramic cerachrom bezel. How do Rolex make its ceramic bezel? Click here to learn everything you ought to know!

millenarywatches.com

 

[KJ2020]

Hello RWI, as I promised in another thread I'll do a comparison on the current clean Pepsi bezel and the new Pepsi bezel made by a reddit user going by the name xing_patrick. First things first, you'll have to be lenient as English is not my first language and my writing skills are god-awful. I also have to start by mentioning I have no affiliations with this reddit user and this write-up is entirely my opinion. Also pictures can vary greatly between screens and the device used to take the photos. I used a Google Pixel 6a which tends to do some heavy post-processing (HDR) to get better contrast but ends up being less color accurate. This is the reason why this a comparison between CF (which I have in hand and compare in each picture) and the new insert and not with gen as I do NOT OWN a gen watch. However this is by part the best insert I've had my hands-on with and the one I personally like the best. I not plan on going and commenting each condition this is just to show the different colors in every lighting scenarios I could think of.

Let's get down to the pictures shall we?

Outside Sun


Outside no sun


Outside no sun (w/flash)


Inside (natural light)

Insert close-up (bezel fill)

Thorough compilation of pics bro, very nicely done! Looks like a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[leo6929]

Thanks for your effort mate, to me it looks waaaayyy better than my stock V2 CF... gotta get my hands on one of these

 

[JustFou]

Thorough compilation of pics bro, very nicely done! Looks like a worthwhile upgrade.

A reply from the great KJ2020! Thanks mate I do think it's a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[JustFou]

Just an FYI, there is no "clear coat" on Rolex ceramic inserts. The high gloss finish is achieved from polishing.

An In-Depth Look at Cerachrom : Rolex's Exclusive Ceramic Creation | SENATUS Magazine

Cerachrom combines the best physical properties of ceramics with unparalleled aesthetics, ready to flawlessly fulfil their purpose for many years, even in extreme conditions. Find out how Rolex achieved this – all in-house no less.

senatus.net

Rolex Ceramic Bezel (Rolex Cerachrom) Guide - Millenary Watches

A complete guide to the Rolex Ceramic cerachrom bezel. How do Rolex make its ceramic bezel? Click here to learn everything you ought to know!

millenarywatches.com

So it could be improved wtih some polishing ... interesting!