I totally understand your position. Owning both VSF 116 and 126 I can tell you that the 1mm difference is barely noticeable and that the 'wider' bracelet makes the watch case look and feel more proportionate. The watch is a joy to wear. I enjoy both but honestly, the 126 has become my favorite professional.
As far as movement reliability, I haven't had any issue with the 126 I have owned thus far. I did try to regulate timekeeping on one (it was running at -22 seconds a day) and my lack of expertise cause for a part of the gear to break. Lesson learned LOL
Hopefully you can grab one from the M2M section if you are concerned with quality post raids. I completely feel you on that. Or you could try to pull the trigger with a TD (I use trustytime and Andrew confirmed orders for VSF are open although he could not be specific on delivery times) and keep your fingers crossed as far as quality.. Good luck in your quest
