The AP questions thread (All the questions you want to ask about AP but were afraid to)

[ScarletT]

Yeah but I don't consider DP a good substitute dial, SW and buff are all better than it

Is that for the 15202? Havent heard of SW or Buff dials for it.

 

[Ferrichie]

Hi Everyone, sorry for interrupting the discussion. I have an APSF 15400 and franken it with a gen dial in black. However my watchsmith is not sure if the gen dial is gen. I also don’t see the serial number on the back of my gen dial as advertised on ebay. In addition I bought it for $1000.

Can someone here confirm it if it’s a gen or not?
The one with black glue is APSF.
The one with the brush back is considered gen.
The pic of front dial is considered gen

 

[legend]

Hi Everyone, sorry for interrupting the discussion. I have an APSF 15400 and franken it with a gen dial in black. However my watchsmith is not sure if the gen dial is gen. I also don’t see the serial number on the back of my gen dial as advertised on ebay. In addition I bought it for $1000.

Can someone here confirm it if it’s a gen or not?
The one with black glue is APSF.
The one with the brush back is considered gen.
The pic of front dial is considered gen

It’s gen don’t worry.

 

[Yankee]

I've spent a fair bit of time researching other brands, but I have landed in the AP camp as of late.. I've been doing what reading I can to learn more (Legend has been really helpful in his down to earth assessments) but there always seems to be something a little unquantifiable..

I've more or less settled on going for a 15500 rep but the prevailing question or debate seems to be regarding dial accuracy. Either in terms of colour or construction. The only way to get both is gen, which is to be expected, I suppose.

I love a blue dial for RO, there is no way around it.

For the 15500, ZF's V3 (I've heard CN-based sellers refer to it as V2?) in particular, I've heard good things about their dial in blue.

I've never really seen gen vs rep dial comparisons, though! I've looked at gen videos online but while there were perhaps some very minute shade or sheen differences compared to a ZF version, it didn't seem obvious and it was close enough that I wasn't sure if bright light is where you'd see the gen dial shine. It was very difficult to discern. If anything, looking close at the patterning found at the dial's base (rather than it's elevated squares) was easier.

So my question: is the new ZF's blue dial really as close in person as I am thinking it is based on flawed video?

People tend to default to the black because black can obfuscate well, but I don't really like how in certain lights it looks a little anemic.. less black more dark grey.. so to me as long as the blue has that kind of blue/silver sheen and a closer construction, it is great.

For example, the DP dials seem incredibly flashy, maybe that is how the gen sunburst is, but the lack of depth from the stubby square pattern seems like such a terrible flaw/tell to have. Kills the mod for me.

I have the ZF V3 Blue and it’s beautiful. The movement is a piece of shit though. I got it from the factory and it had a couple hours of reserve and did not regenerate from a winder or normal movement. I had my watchmaker upgrade it and it worked well but now it’s shot again. I wore it for the first time in about a month and it lasted from morning until now and it won’t even wind now

 

[zerodreamy]

I have the ZF V3 Blue and it’s beautiful. The movement is a piece of shit though. I got it from the factory and it had a couple hours of reserve and did not regenerate from a winder or normal movement. I had my watchmaker upgrade it and it worked well but now it’s shot again. I wore it for the first time in about a month and it lasted from morning until now and it won’t even wind now

That sounds just awful. Was it from a recent batch?

 

[Kettle1]

I have the ZF V3 Blue and it’s beautiful. The movement is a piece of shit though. I got it from the factory and it had a couple hours of reserve and did not regenerate from a winder or normal movement. I had my watchmaker upgrade it and it worked well but now it’s shot again. I wore it for the first time in about a month and it lasted from morning until now and it won’t even wind now

Sorry to hear about your experience. If your watchsmith recently repaired it and its gone wrong again, it might be more cost effective to replace the movement rather than sending for repair . Especially if it needs parts. Best of luck , its a beautiful piece.

 

[Reaps]

Hi all, super stupid question. This is what a Sub/Pepsi/15202/44mm Panerai looks like on my wrist. Do you think I can handle a 15703/15710/15720? Or a 42mm/44mm ROO Chrono?

I had the pleasure of trying the 42mm gen and it looked great but the reps I know are thicker. Plan to wear on leather/rubber.

Thanks all.

 

[Yankee]

Sorry to hear about your experience. If your watchsmith recently repaired it and its gone wrong again, it might be more cost effective to replace the movement rather than sending for repair . Especially if it needs parts. Best of luck , its a beautiful piece.

Thanks, my watch guy has a 6 month warranty on work so I'll see what they can do for me but if it's just a bad watch then idk. I got it in like February from a TD.

 

[gilrob]

Hi all, super stupid question. This is what a Sub/Pepsi/15202/44mm Panerai looks like on my wrist. Do you think I can handle a 15703/15710/15720? Or a 42mm/44mm ROO Chrono?

I had the pleasure of trying the 42mm gen and it looked great but the reps I know are thicker. Plan to wear on leather/rubber.

Thanks all.

Based on the pictures you posted, I think the lugs of the watches you're contemplating will extend beyond the width of your wrist. Not a good look IMO. Your decision.

 

[Kettle1]

Thanks, my watch guy has a 6 month warranty on work so I'll see what they can do for me but if it's just a bad watch then idk. I got it in like February from a TD.

No problem, hope you get it sorted bud. I know your frustration

 

[kidcreole]

Hi folks I snapped my AP 3120 stem. I’m assuming the clone and Gen stem are interchangeable. Can anyone confirm before I drop $40?

 

[kidcreole]

I’m planning to build a 26331 franken with cnc case. Can a blancpain f185 movement be used or do I need to find an 1185? Thanks.

 

[grillbrill]

I’m planning to build a 26331 franken with cnc case. Can a blancpain f185 movement be used or do I need to find an 1185? Thanks.

Afaik all FP 1185 based movements can be used but I might be wrong. However, the BP f185 flyback chrono caliber may not be the cheapest option.

 

[kidcreole]

Afaik all FP 1185 based movements can be used but I might be wrong. However, the BP f185 flyback chrono caliber may not be the cheapest option.

I thought I saw a cheap f185 but can't find it now must've imagined it. What are the cheapest donors our there cartier pasha 2113?

 

[grillbrill]

I thought I saw a cheap f185 but can't find it now must've imagined it. What are the cheapest donors our there cartier pasha 2113?

With luck you can find a used Cartier 2113/W3105155 donor watch for USD 3+k . However, they usually sell for >4k including import fees.

 

[Fusible]

Are the BP 15710s worth a damn? If the dial, DW etc were solid might be nice to throw it in a zf case set or something. The tan is on my mind and I don’t know if any other factories to do it.

 

[gilrob]

Are the BP 15710s worth a damn? If the dial, DW etc were solid might be nice to throw it in a zf case set or something. The tan is on my mind and I don’t know if any other factories to do it.

Ask a Trusted Dealer if they can source just the dial and DW for you. Trusty Time has a parts department, try asking them. Best of luck.

 

[Fusible]

Ask a Trusted Dealer if they can source just the dial and DW for you. Trusty Time has a parts department, try asking them. Best of luck.

My question was more so if the run around would be worth it. As in if the DW and Dial are in anyway close to the genuine article. Thank you!

 

[zerodreamy]

Another 15500 question. Correct me if I’m wrong but the gen article features a 22k gold/2k copper mix rotor (or thereabouts).

Is it problematic to replate a rep rotor on a clone movement to better emulate the original design? My understanding is terribly low so there may be a reason to not ever consider doing this.

 

[legend]

Another 15500 question. Correct me if I’m wrong but the gen article features a 22k gold/2k copper mix rotor (or thereabouts).

Is it problematic to replate a rep rotor on a clone movement to better emulate the original design? My understanding is terribly low so there may be a reason to not ever consider doing this.

The key functional difference between the gen rotor and rep rotor is the weight. In automatic watches the rotor serves to help to charge the watch power reserve through oscillation or spinning. The rotor weight serves to facilitate this process.
If you’re after only appearances it is rather pointless to replate the rotor imho as there are other tells looking at the caseback. Just enjoy the watch as it is and don’t worry too much about the details. It’s a lot of watch you’re getting for $500 and if you choose to upgrade the parts it helps to know if it’s worth the expense according to yourself. It all depends on what you’re after.