Sub Movement Ignorance

[timepiece22]

Hi

I am looking at purchasing a rolex sub of one of the trusted dealers. There is a choice of 3 Movements

Total Price & movement below

1) $548 Swiss eta 2836-2 25J Autaomatic 28800BPH Sweeping second hand
2) $448Asian 3135 Nickle plated Automatic Movement 25J 28800BPH
3) $378 Asian 2836-2 Automatic 28800BPH

Any advise on what to go for would be gratefully appreciated. Does the quality and reliabilty very greatly between the 3 options ?

Many thanks in advance for any advise

 

[demolitionman]

Welcome timepiece22,
The short answer is don't spend the extra money, the Asian 2836-2 (eta clone), is a reliable movement and will serve you well.
Info gleaned from reading many posts on this site.
I'll add more info shortly...

 

[KBH]

I agree. At that price differential I'd stick with the Asian 2836-2. Especially if it's from one of the factories such as BP factory that uses a lot of old refurbished ETA's. And the Asian 3135 is a POS with no parts availability. Plus you can't see the movement anyway.

When, or if, the Asian ETA clone craps out, then you can always swap it out for a nice fresh ETA if you plan on keeping the watch for a while.

 

[bobandshawn]

Agreed. I have several movements and my least accurate is my "Swiss" ETA 2836. Clones run just fine and are readily and cheaply replaceable if a problem ever does occur.

Bob

 

[Raddave]

I know what i would want, but thats not what i would get.

Id want the swiss ETA 2836, but paying for one does not necessarily guarantee that you get one, or that you would even get a new movement. Lots of the movements that are sold as swiss are not true swiss, but often used swiss, or swiss/asian hybrids.

The A3135, is nothing more than a A2836 with decorations on it, the SA3135 is pretty decent clone of the Rolex 3135 but next to impossible to find parts for if somthing breaks


The A2836 is a decent clone of the ETA2836, they generally run decent, parts for the movement are easy to source if somthing breaks.....This is what i would buy.

If you want a Swiss ETA, your best bet is to buy the Asian 2836 and then swap in a new swiss 2836 yourself.

 

[demolitionman]

Basic Info: (concurs with preceding posts)

Asian ‘clone’ ETA: These are literally copies/clones of the equivalent Swiss (ETA) automatic movements. Generally high quality – although not as well built as the Swiss equivalents – but reliable and with parts generally available (which makes servicing an easier proposition than some other movements). High beat (28,800) and great value. Probably the best choice of movement for higher-quality reps as they give the smooth sweep found in most gen watches. It also give the added benefit of allowing direct swap to a gen eta movement in the future (should have same hand size, dial feet, spacer etc.)

Rolex 3135 copy. This is a clone ETA automatic movement with modified rotor and bridges. It’s not going to convince anybody who knows their Rolex movements and tends to be less reliable than the alternatives (as well as being more expensive!). There’s a new version (SA3135) beginning to appear which apparently is both more reliable and looks closer to the gen. Rolex have closed case-backs, however, so I really don’t see the point in paying the extra for what is, effectively, just a higher-priced Asian clone movement.

(copied/edited from web posts)

 

[timepiece22]

Thanks for the responses guys

 

[timepiece22]

Thanks for the responses guys

 

[demolitionman]

Worthy of re-post from member madmex in general thread"

I have owned many reps for many years.

I've also owned many gen watches.

I've owned
Miyota 8215: a workhorse, installed on Citizen Automatic watches, Invictas

DG2813s: The cheap movement option in reps. This movement is hit or miss... in my experience it is not reliable for long. It may work flawlessly here and there, will also stop every now and then without explanation. I've owned a handful and I avoid this movement now.

ETA 2824/48/36, 2892A2, 7750/51, 2890 with Dubois Depraz modules
gen new movements are very reliable. The reconditioned movements that have been used in reps are not as reliable as the superclones (in my experience). I've owned watches with rusty parts, debris, stop and go movements, etc. Nightmares! The plus is if you can source a gen movement you can swap it and the hands fit just fine. Sometimes the clone parts work too (sometimes).


Asia superclone 28xx gold plated (Guangzhou 6xxx?)--very reliable, well finished gold-plated movements. These generally look brand new but they are marked 2836-2 ETA etc.

Asia Superclone nickel plated & decorated (TY 2130): Looks like a great movement, and has been tested to be a very good performer! marked 2824-2 at times

Asia Superclone 2892A2, 21 Jewel, SeaGull ST 18: I own one of these and it is finished beautifully, and performs very well. It is one of the most precise movements as far as reliability and timekeeping when on my wrist.

ST19 (Venus 75-like hw chrono, column wheel). This is a workhorse, but I have also owned one that wasn't as reliable... the clickspring busted on mine. One of the dial fastening holes on the main plate was cross-threaded and worn out.

Stellita SW-200: I own a top grade version of this and it is a very good performer. It is a clone of the 2824-2 with an extra jewel (26).

 

[Lefty83g]

Save the money stick with Asian most swiss are not really swiss just refurbish w Asian parts and the rolex clone is not yet reliable good luck bud


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[Lefty83g]

I should say the ones that say eta swiss are probably refurbish but the sw200 and sellita are great it just seems very hard to get a gen eta movt anymore in a rep


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[d4m.test]

Just choose 3.) - always and avoid 2.) and 1.)
The result will be that You are told for this version only 1.) is available (if it is). Good luck

At the price-level of 1.) just avoid it and get a TC, much better served but 2 months waiting time (well worth it).