Hello guys!!!!! This will be a 3-part review of the Datejust II (41mm, BP V2) and I will cover: unboxing, the review itself, and the franken process (genuine dial and genuine crown).
This is the first replica watch I have ever ordered - I have previously been ordering random parts to build frankens, but never have I ordered a complete watch from TD until now.
1. The watch ordered:
I ordered a Datejust II (41 mm) from BP factory. This is their version 2 which improves on the version 1 in terms of: different movement (2824-2 instead of 2836-2) and better crystal (AR + hidden LEC). I chose this version because it is the best Datejust II replica out there, according to pictures and opinions.
2. Unboxing
This watch was ordered from the TD and as you can see, it comes really well packaged in a cardboard box. I think that the amount of bubble wrap used for padding is enough to withstand a nuke.
(I apologize for the crap photo quality even when the photos were taken with a DSLR - the lighting in my room is very bad and I am stuck with a non-image stabalisation lens)
(Next to my franken 34mm Tudor Oyster Prince Date 74000)
Size comparison to other oyster case Rolex: 40mm, 36mm, 34mm
Although the Datejust II is 1mm bigger than the Explorer II 16570, the watch feels much bigger when worn. I can't imagine having the 42mm Explorer II 116570 on my wrist - admittedly, my small wrist isn't fun to have when it comes to wearing watches that are bigger than 40mm. Notice how the BP Datejust II SEL is quite tight and can be comparable to my gen Explorer II next to it.
In my opinion, the biggest unique selling point about the BP V2 Datejust II is the correct crown height. Having the wrong case/stem/tube height is impossible to correct by hobbyist... unless you are willing to weld and redrill. I have an OCD for crown height and this watch is perfect in that respect.
3. Review - the good stuff that is worth commending
The crystal
The crystal is excellent, it has the gen height out-of-the-box and the LEC (laser etched coronet) is really invisible - just like the gen LEC crystals where you would have to use a torch or bright light-source to find the coronet. The AR (anti-reflective) coating on the cyclops work really well - I can see the difference when comparing the Datejust II to my gen Rolex without the AR.
The crown height
Overall case shape looks spot on to gen, including the crown height (thanks to the use of the 2824-2 movement instead of the usual 2836-2).
Although the benefit of using a 2824-2 is the correct crown height for Rolex watches, the drawback of a 2824-2 movement is the date flip, which would gradually change before midnight. The 2836-2 movement on the other hand does not have slow date flips, but it does have the wrong crown height. Luckily, my BP Datejust II starts changing dates slowly at approximately 11:45pm which doesn't bother me at all - I rather have gen crown height over slower date changes (well.. owning replica watches is all about compromises - you can avoid certain flaws in order to accept other flaws).
Perhaps in the future, rep factories could consider using the ETA 2892 movement as it manages to solve common 2 problems among rep Rolex, by having: (1) instant date flips and (2) the correct crown/stem/tube height. However, 2892 movements are expensive to source and they are generally not used in mass-manufactured Rolex reps.
The rehaut engraving
To my shocking surprise, the BP rehaut engraving is perfectly aligned to my naked eyes. Each of the letters from the "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" pattern corresponds to the correct minute markers exactly. I was so surprised how BP has managed to do this with precision. The laser-etching on the rehaut is also excellent - the font is spot-on from the naked eye and the etching is precise.
The overall quality
The fit and finish is excellent, no wobbly SEL (solid end link) and the bracelet feels fine to me. The watch feels rigid and the quality looks identical when placed next to my gen Rolex. I still can't believe this watch cost only 5% of the gen price... imagine if more TRF people can see the beauty of this, then maybe we could get more converts to come to RWI lol.
4. Review - the bad stuff and improvements that need to be addressed
The dial's coronet
The coronet's (Rolex crown's) 5 dots are meant to look spherical and 3D, like gen. However, the BP Datejust II dial's coronet is quite flat-looking. This won't bother most people and I am just venting my OCD.
The dial's lume is TERRIBLE
I have been shining a torch at my BP Datejust II dial for the past 5 minutes in order to evaluate the rehaut engravings. Despite shining at the BP Datejust II's dial for 5 minutes straight, the lume on the dial indices and hands are not bright like C3 superluminova used on gen Rolex.
To show you a comparison, here is a pic that compares my gen Rolex dial (in the box) and the stock BP dial. I have shined both dials for 30 seconds.
The dial's words "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust" is located a bit low
(but in real life, nobody will care or notice. Again, I am just venting my OCD)
The crown design is wrong
The crown has 2 dots instead of a single line (like the gen 604 crown on the Datejust II). The crown also appears to look like it has too many teeth on the outside when compared to the gen 604 crown.
Some of the dial dates are skewed to the left a bit
Looks like I either have to realign the DWO (Datewheel Overlay) or try to source a gen 3156 datewheel. But this doesn't bother me too much because hell, even my gen Rolex 1601, 17013, and 16570 has this problem for certain dates.
The crown unscrewing feels a bit rough
But it doesn't affect functionality, it just takes a little more effort to unscrew. Maybe I got a bad one? Usually rep tubes or crown get worn out and eventually they get swapped with gen crown and tube
IMPORTANT:
Despite these flaws... remember this watch only cost 5% of the grey import price for gen... and I would consider it to be nearly among the super reps of rep watches
5. Franken process with pics
I will swap the following gen parts into the watch:
1. Gen 116300 / 116334 white dial
1. Gen 603 crown (I have no idea if it would fit the stock rep tube, but other member has chimed in before that it takes some filing to get it in)
Okay it is now my bed time, thank you for reading and I will continue the franken process next time
## UPDATE 1##
I took a caliper to measure the gen crown and the rep tube... I don't think there is any way I could make the gen crown fit the rep tube so I won't be swapping the gen crown
## UPDATE 2 ##
As I have previously mentioned that the crown and tube screwing mechanism was rough, I have now applied some petroleum jelly (in the form of Vasoline) onto the tube threads and it does reduce a lot of roughness and friction surprisingly.
This tip was found here (thanks @silverclaw for the tip!)
https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/5-easy-ways-of-improving-your-reps.182528/
This is the first replica watch I have ever ordered - I have previously been ordering random parts to build frankens, but never have I ordered a complete watch from TD until now.
1. The watch ordered:
I ordered a Datejust II (41 mm) from BP factory. This is their version 2 which improves on the version 1 in terms of: different movement (2824-2 instead of 2836-2) and better crystal (AR + hidden LEC). I chose this version because it is the best Datejust II replica out there, according to pictures and opinions.
2. Unboxing
This watch was ordered from the TD and as you can see, it comes really well packaged in a cardboard box. I think that the amount of bubble wrap used for padding is enough to withstand a nuke.
(I apologize for the crap photo quality even when the photos were taken with a DSLR - the lighting in my room is very bad and I am stuck with a non-image stabalisation lens)
(Next to my franken 34mm Tudor Oyster Prince Date 74000)
Size comparison to other oyster case Rolex: 40mm, 36mm, 34mm
Although the Datejust II is 1mm bigger than the Explorer II 16570, the watch feels much bigger when worn. I can't imagine having the 42mm Explorer II 116570 on my wrist - admittedly, my small wrist isn't fun to have when it comes to wearing watches that are bigger than 40mm. Notice how the BP Datejust II SEL is quite tight and can be comparable to my gen Explorer II next to it.
In my opinion, the biggest unique selling point about the BP V2 Datejust II is the correct crown height. Having the wrong case/stem/tube height is impossible to correct by hobbyist... unless you are willing to weld and redrill. I have an OCD for crown height and this watch is perfect in that respect.
3. Review - the good stuff that is worth commending
The crystal
The crystal is excellent, it has the gen height out-of-the-box and the LEC (laser etched coronet) is really invisible - just like the gen LEC crystals where you would have to use a torch or bright light-source to find the coronet. The AR (anti-reflective) coating on the cyclops work really well - I can see the difference when comparing the Datejust II to my gen Rolex without the AR.
The crown height
Overall case shape looks spot on to gen, including the crown height (thanks to the use of the 2824-2 movement instead of the usual 2836-2).
Although the benefit of using a 2824-2 is the correct crown height for Rolex watches, the drawback of a 2824-2 movement is the date flip, which would gradually change before midnight. The 2836-2 movement on the other hand does not have slow date flips, but it does have the wrong crown height. Luckily, my BP Datejust II starts changing dates slowly at approximately 11:45pm which doesn't bother me at all - I rather have gen crown height over slower date changes (well.. owning replica watches is all about compromises - you can avoid certain flaws in order to accept other flaws).
Perhaps in the future, rep factories could consider using the ETA 2892 movement as it manages to solve common 2 problems among rep Rolex, by having: (1) instant date flips and (2) the correct crown/stem/tube height. However, 2892 movements are expensive to source and they are generally not used in mass-manufactured Rolex reps.
The rehaut engraving
To my shocking surprise, the BP rehaut engraving is perfectly aligned to my naked eyes. Each of the letters from the "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" pattern corresponds to the correct minute markers exactly. I was so surprised how BP has managed to do this with precision. The laser-etching on the rehaut is also excellent - the font is spot-on from the naked eye and the etching is precise.
The overall quality
The fit and finish is excellent, no wobbly SEL (solid end link) and the bracelet feels fine to me. The watch feels rigid and the quality looks identical when placed next to my gen Rolex. I still can't believe this watch cost only 5% of the gen price... imagine if more TRF people can see the beauty of this, then maybe we could get more converts to come to RWI lol.
4. Review - the bad stuff and improvements that need to be addressed
The dial's coronet
The coronet's (Rolex crown's) 5 dots are meant to look spherical and 3D, like gen. However, the BP Datejust II dial's coronet is quite flat-looking. This won't bother most people and I am just venting my OCD.
The dial's lume is TERRIBLE
I have been shining a torch at my BP Datejust II dial for the past 5 minutes in order to evaluate the rehaut engravings. Despite shining at the BP Datejust II's dial for 5 minutes straight, the lume on the dial indices and hands are not bright like C3 superluminova used on gen Rolex.
To show you a comparison, here is a pic that compares my gen Rolex dial (in the box) and the stock BP dial. I have shined both dials for 30 seconds.
The dial's words "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust" is located a bit low
(but in real life, nobody will care or notice. Again, I am just venting my OCD)
The crown design is wrong
The crown has 2 dots instead of a single line (like the gen 604 crown on the Datejust II). The crown also appears to look like it has too many teeth on the outside when compared to the gen 604 crown.
Some of the dial dates are skewed to the left a bit
Looks like I either have to realign the DWO (Datewheel Overlay) or try to source a gen 3156 datewheel. But this doesn't bother me too much because hell, even my gen Rolex 1601, 17013, and 16570 has this problem for certain dates.
The crown unscrewing feels a bit rough
But it doesn't affect functionality, it just takes a little more effort to unscrew. Maybe I got a bad one? Usually rep tubes or crown get worn out and eventually they get swapped with gen crown and tube
IMPORTANT:
Despite these flaws... remember this watch only cost 5% of the grey import price for gen... and I would consider it to be nearly among the super reps of rep watches
5. Franken process with pics
I will swap the following gen parts into the watch:
1. Gen 116300 / 116334 white dial
1. Gen 603 crown (I have no idea if it would fit the stock rep tube, but other member has chimed in before that it takes some filing to get it in)
Okay it is now my bed time, thank you for reading and I will continue the franken process next time
## UPDATE 1##
I took a caliper to measure the gen crown and the rep tube... I don't think there is any way I could make the gen crown fit the rep tube so I won't be swapping the gen crown
## UPDATE 2 ##
As I have previously mentioned that the crown and tube screwing mechanism was rough, I have now applied some petroleum jelly (in the form of Vasoline) onto the tube threads and it does reduce a lot of roughness and friction surprisingly.
This tip was found here (thanks @silverclaw for the tip!)
https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/5-easy-ways-of-improving-your-reps.182528/
