I recently picked up a Rolex 16570 Polar from BPF and wanted to compare it with a black dial gen.
I knew there were some flaws factory wise and ofc the ICHS movement in the rep but i decided to post some side by side pics.
Many of what i've discovered is the same I heard from @KJ2020 (thanks mate!) and maybe he can add some words as I'm no expert.
Lets go:
First two pictures, first flaws. The rehaut of the rep is not great and too high. Also you can see the difference of the handstack - but that one was obvious.
What I also noticed is that the endlinks of the rep are weird and look shortened for some reason. I think KJ already mentioned that in a post.
On the second pic you can see that the date font is way too large on the rep. Thats most likely because of a taller xtal which should be changeable.
The Sideview:
The Rep is slightly bigger than the gen. 1.2 mm to be precise.
The Bezel:
Bezel wise there is a big difference but also not very noticeable on the wrist - thats definitely no dealbreaker for me.
The numbers on the gen are much better and the triangles are more towards the edge of the crystal.
I tried to measure it on the case and it was the same diameter. Sadly i dont have a genuine bezel, so not going to take off the rep bezel for a better size comparison.
But if a genuine one would fit that would be a nice upgrade!
CGs:
I think theres the biggest difference. The rep CGs are way too much. They definitely need work. I showed the difference to some guys in the office and they wouldnt bother (as non watch guys), but for me thats a huge difference and needs to be done if that should become a keeper.
I didn't take more pics and didn't compare the bracelet and the hands because both are always superior as gen.
My conclusion: you can get a pretty ok rep for a low price. I think they are just under 300 USD from any TD. However if you want a gen like watch there are definitely some things to do.
Still I think this is the best you can get with a low budget. As you all know the Vietnam route is pretty expensive.
Further, I plan to change the movement and install a gen ETA. I'll most likely pop out the xtal to measure it exactly and see if there is any substitute.
I knew there were some flaws factory wise and ofc the ICHS movement in the rep but i decided to post some side by side pics.
Many of what i've discovered is the same I heard from @KJ2020 (thanks mate!) and maybe he can add some words as I'm no expert.
Lets go:
First two pictures, first flaws. The rehaut of the rep is not great and too high. Also you can see the difference of the handstack - but that one was obvious.
What I also noticed is that the endlinks of the rep are weird and look shortened for some reason. I think KJ already mentioned that in a post.
On the second pic you can see that the date font is way too large on the rep. Thats most likely because of a taller xtal which should be changeable.
The Sideview:
The Rep is slightly bigger than the gen. 1.2 mm to be precise.
The Bezel:
Bezel wise there is a big difference but also not very noticeable on the wrist - thats definitely no dealbreaker for me.
The numbers on the gen are much better and the triangles are more towards the edge of the crystal.
I tried to measure it on the case and it was the same diameter. Sadly i dont have a genuine bezel, so not going to take off the rep bezel for a better size comparison.
But if a genuine one would fit that would be a nice upgrade!
CGs:
I think theres the biggest difference. The rep CGs are way too much. They definitely need work. I showed the difference to some guys in the office and they wouldnt bother (as non watch guys), but for me thats a huge difference and needs to be done if that should become a keeper.
I didn't take more pics and didn't compare the bracelet and the hands because both are always superior as gen.
My conclusion: you can get a pretty ok rep for a low price. I think they are just under 300 USD from any TD. However if you want a gen like watch there are definitely some things to do.
Still I think this is the best you can get with a low budget. As you all know the Vietnam route is pretty expensive.
Further, I plan to change the movement and install a gen ETA. I'll most likely pop out the xtal to measure it exactly and see if there is any substitute.
Last edited:
