Royal Oak 15510 ORF mini review, image heavy

[CF_Stan]

Mini review of my Royal Oak 15510 grey dial from OR Factory.

The case and bracelet finishing are very nice. The polished sections are clean and reflective, and the brushed sections show nice detail and texture. The edges and lines are all sharp and even. The bezel screws are aligned and almost all are evenly sunken.

The bracelet is comfortable on the wrist with no sharp edges that I’ve felt and no skin pinching. The clasp is solid, both sides lock into place securely and the release mechanism also feels very sturdy, no chance of this slipping off the wrist.

The dial when compared to gen and the ZF is a few shades darker. It has good detail on the tapisserie and the reflective qualities of the dial are quite good. The hands shape and size look pretty accurate as do the hour markers. The date font also looks pretty close, well to my eye anyway.

The crown feel is nice and winding is smooth, the rotor is just a touch rattily. No not even rattily, just a bit winy is probably a better way to describe it. Crown function is also easy and feels sturdy, pull out to first position to change date. Second position to stop the movement and set time.

I think OR factory have done a great job with this replica and I’d happily buy other watches from them. As I’m not a 15500 fan due to the shorter hour markers and the minute track it was between this 15510 and the one from APSF as I also really wanted the clone calibre 4302. I don’t think there is a lot to choose between the 2 factories and I’d probably be happy with either.

Anyway hope you found this review helpful and thanks for reading, onto the best bit, pictures

Dimensions:

Dial comparison between APSF, ORF & ZF (in that sequence left to right) – images courtesy of JTime

And the rest:

 

[TESLA760]

Looks good !

 

[Nono92]

NWBIG

 

[legend]

The issues with any current 15510 rep as compared with the gen, including the one pictured above, are

1. The bracelet is about 33% too thick on the rep. That changes the profile of the watch completely when viewed from the side.

2. The second hand shape is definitely not accurate. The 15510 second hand counterweight is tapered on the gen and on the rep it just uses the 15500 second hand. It is a detail most people miss though.

It is a nice review thank you. And for the price a nice watch to wear. For me there is no good rep of the 15510 currently but accuracy aside I agree with most of your points and hope that it will serve you well @CF_Stan

 

[CF_Stan]

I don't think that term really applies to many AP's. The work and the craftmanship that goes into them is second to none. A very good replication at a fraction of the price though. In response to @Nono92

 

[Nono92]

You could possibly buy white gold hands but not sure we'll see the difference...

 

[CF_Stan]

The issues with any current 15510 rep as compared with the gen, including the one pictured above, are

1. The bracelet is about 33% too thick on the rep. That changes the profile of the watch completely when viewed from the side.

2. The second hand shape is definitely not accurate. The 15510 second hand counterweight is tapered on the gen and on the rep it just uses the 15500 second hand. It is a detail most people miss though.

It is a nice review thank you. And for the price a nice watch to wear. For me there is no good rep of the 15510 currently but accuracy aside I agree with most of your points and hope that it will serve you well @CF_Stan

Thanks.

The second hand is a point that I also missed and I looked at it too .

 

[Feefo]

I remember the ZF grey dials having a brownish hue to them that prevented them from being considered as good as the black dial. Or is it a flaw that was solved? (to be fair it was a discussion regarding the 15500). What about this one?

 

[Nono92]

The rep bracelet 33 % thicker ?? It's a pity, they should improve that...

 

[legend]

For illustration this was what I was referring to for the 15510 second hand “tail” end (counterweight/counterbalance) shape. This is what the gen one looks like.



The rep 15510 uses the 15500 second hand and the shape is different.

 

[legend]

The rep bracelet 33 % thicker ?? It's a pity, they should improve that...

The gen 15510 bracelet thickness is 2mm at its thickest point. The 15500 bracelet thickness is around 3mm at the same point.

 

[CF_Stan]

For illustration this was what I was referring to for the 15510 second hand “tail” end (counterweight/counterbalance) shape. This is what the gen one looks like.



The rep 15510 uses the 15500 second hand and the shape is different.

Interesting, I think as you've mentioned before all the factories used the 15500 case and bracelet (and seconds hand) for the 15510 rep. This is why the bracelet is too thick as well.

 

[Nono92]

The gen 15510 bracelet thickness is 2mm at its thickest point. The 15500 bracelet thickness is around 3mm at the same point.

Ah they set a 15500 bracelet on a 15510... Sometimes they use the stock they have. There is the same problem with the 116506 Daytona hands : it should be in silver and they have a black inlay...

 

[legend]

Interesting, I think as you've mentioned before all the factories used the 15500 case and bracelet (and seconds hand) for the 15510 rep. This is why the bracelet is too thick as well.

It is a well made watch I agree sir but if you know where to look there are instant tells all over including the dial, which is finished differently from the 15500 on the gen and in the rep, they simply removed the AP logo and used metal letterings for the “Audemars Piguet” wordings instead of printed ones used in the 15500.
So if your review was about how well the watch is made, you’re right and your review spot on. But if you own or have handled the gen 15510 you’ll know that the current reps (whichever version) is nowhere near the gen in terms of either looks or feel. It is however not difficult for the factories to produce a version which is respectable. We are talking about small but crucial changes but there is no reason why it can’t be done.

 

[legend]

NWBIG

If you put the gen and rep 15510 side by side, the two are very different. The 15500 is a good rep but the 15510 isn’t, comparatively. Even the dials are very different since AP changed the dial finish and colors from the 15500 to the 15510 and the rep is still using the 15500 rep dial, wrong color and finish included.
Worth is a very subjective thing but I do know a little about my APs and for me the gen is definitely worth the price where gen luxury watches go. Yes it is expensive but the price premium is part of the game too. For me I want the gen price to stay high to maintain its exclusivity. So the gen is definitely worth the price for me. I do understand that many can be happy with a $500 rep with the flaws and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s still a nicely made watch and in real life it’ll look fabulous on the wrist and have equal wrist presence as the gen.
But details, sweet little details are what I am fascinated with and will pay a premium for. To each his own though. I love my gens and I also am happy to see the rep factories produce watches which make the watch NWBIG. It’s just that for APs reps of NWBIG quality are rare.

 

[Nono92]

Yes, it's right, there are still flaws in a rep, even in Rolex reps. But for a few ones in stainless steel, they are very close to gen if we don't pay attention to details like gold hands or movement parts polishing.

The rep world can give an idea of what could be done with 500$, most watches except UFOs like Urwerk. That said, it seems that this brand is also in the process of being replicated. But at what cost...

 

[Woundup]

Great review - thanks for taking the time to post this.

 

[legend]

Yes, it's right, there are still flaws in a rep, even in Rolex reps. But for a few ones in stainless steel, they are very close to gen if we don't pay attention to details like gold hands or movement parts polishing.

The rep world can give an idea of what could be done with 500$, most watches except UFOs like Urwerk. That said, it seems that this brand is also in the process of being replicated. But at what cost...

My comment was specific to the AP 15510 and the “worth” in NWBIG is a pretty subjective thing. For some the watch is good out of the box and for others it can be improved in some ways visually. For me the rep looks like a 15500/15510 hybrid. I own both the gen 15500 and 15510 and they wear rather different for the gen. Even the dial colors and finish for the same color variant (e.g. blue or grey 15500 and blue 15510) look different. So in order to give an accurate review of the watch in terms of detail accuracy, one needs to be intimately familiar with the gen 15510. The rep is a well made watch no doubt. But it needs to decide whether it wants to be a 15500 or a 15510, and not a weird mixture of both. But such is the rep world and the value of the watch for the money paid is very sensible. I will encourage members to get the 15500 (black or blue specifically) if they are after a visually accurate AP Royal Oak, instead of the 15510 just because it’s a newer AP release. The two reps wear exactly the same afterall, but the 15500 has the accurate hands and bracelet thickness vs gen.

 

[dashindark]

My comment was specific to the AP 15510 and the “worth” in NWBIG is a pretty subjective thing. For some the watch is good out of the box and for others it can be improved in some ways visually. For me the rep looks like a 15500/15510 hybrid. I own both the gen 15500 and 15510 and they wear rather different for the gen. Even the dial colors and finish for the same color variant (e.g. blue or grey 15500 and blue 15510) look different. So in order to give an accurate review of the watch in terms of detail accuracy, one needs to be intimately familiar with the gen 15510. The rep is a well made watch no doubt. But it needs to decide whether it wants to be a 15500 or a 15510, and not a weird mixture of both. But such is the rep world and the value of the watch for the money paid is very sensible. I will encourage members to get the 15500 (black or blue specifically) if they are after a visually accurate AP Royal Oak, instead of the 15510 just because it’s a newer AP release. The two reps wear exactly the same afterall, but the 15500 has the accurate hands and bracelet thickness vs gen.

Is 15510 generally more comfortable? I find 15500 very heavy and uncomfortable to wear.

 

[legend]

Is 15510 generally more comfortable? I find 15500 very heavy and uncomfortable to wear.

For me yes because I have smaller wrists. But the 15500 feels more solid on the wrist and if you have bigger wrists it can possibly fit you more snugly than the 15510.