The VSF Submariners Thread

[CycleBuyer]

For me it's the crown pinion that gives them away and if they have a rep cyclops, a blue hue -- but mostly the divet on top of the post that holds the hands. That's just me though. This isn't something I'd discern in the wild though -- I'd have to look at photos etc.

 

[Speedy D]

I saw that VSF have released a budget version of the 126610 fitted with the A2824 movement.

Will the A2824 outlast the VS3230 as a daily wearer?

 

[muiramas]

For me it's the crown pinion that gives them away and if they have a rep cyclops, a blue hue...

Gen crystals can have a blue tint as well. There is no such thing as colourless AR coating - it's either brown, yellow, green or blue.

 

[chrisat]

The crystal on my VSF 124060 and black VSF 116500 is really, really good. The dials appear deep black, and the hands, markers and subdials sparkle. The crystal is as good as on my gens of various brands, free of any cloudiness.
The high quality is very obvious once I put my black CF 126500 next to them - the black dial of the Clean seems to be washed out grey in most light conditions, and the hands, markers and subdials appear duller (well, the subdials are duller than on the 116500, but they appear even duller). I have a white CF 126500 as well, and thought that the newer Clean crystals are alright, but the black dial shows how bad they still are.
Even the crystal on my dirt cheap Tactical Frog and on cheaper second-tier reps (M+F, APSF) are clearly superior.

 

[Jcap66]

The crystal on my VSF 124060 and black VSF 116500 is really, really good. The dials appear deep black, and the hands, markers and subdials sparkle. The crystal is as good as on my gens of various brands, free of any cloudiness.
The high quality is very obvious once I put my black CF 126500 next to them - the black dial of the Clean seems to be washed out grey in most light conditions, and the hands, markers and subdials appear duller (well, the subdials are duller than on the 116500, but they appear even duller). I have a white CF 126500 as well, and thought that the newer Clean crystals are alright, but the black dial shows how bad they still are.
Even the crystal on my dirt cheap Tactical Frog and on cheaper second-tier reps (M+F, APSF) are clearly superior.

Vsf crystal are very impressive. I still think a gen crystal are another level but I don’t think it’s worth the upgrade if you’re not building a franken with several gen parts.
Here’s my gen and my fathers vsf Q66 serial in indoor lighting

 

[ceotufus]

Whats your opinion on which watch wears smaller? 114060 vs 124060 no date sub. I have done my Due Diligence on both, searched the whole forum, Reddit and watched YouTube videos. For some weird reason i cannot decide. 114060 seems chunkier but the whole bezel/dial area seems smaller compared to the 124060. Also i read everywhere that the 114060 is NWBIG however the 124060 is improved by a lot since the list was made, especially the VSF one (no ghost date etc). What do you guys think? My wrist size is small fyi.

 

[Jcap66]

Whats your opinion on which watch wears smaller? 114060 vs 124060 no date sub. I have done my Due Diligence on both, searched the whole forum, Reddit and watched YouTube videos. For some weird reason i cannot decide. 114060 seems chunkier but the whole bezel/dial area seems smaller compared to the 124060. Also i read everywhere that the 114060 is NWBIG however the 124060 is improved by a lot since the list was made, especially the VSF one (no ghost date etc). What do you guys think? My wrist size is small fyi.

I’m not sure which one is closer to gen but I think both look good. I’ve owned both but I think the 12 wears smaller than the 11

 

[ceotufus]

I’m not sure which one is closer to gen but I think both look good. I’ve owned both but I think the 12 wears smaller than the 11

Thank you very much for your answer, really appreciate it.

 

[chrisat]

The 124060 has been upgraded to NWBIG on "the list" with the latest update (because of the implementation of the no-date fix).
The 114060's case is closer to gen. On the 124060 rep the bezel protrudes the case in the curves above and below the crown guards, while on the gen the bezel and the case are flush. We only talk about a fraction of a millimeter, and it can only be seen from certain angles, so I wouldn't overrate this flaw. There is also the "skinny lug" thing that you find on most VSF 12xxxx cases. Nobody but the biggest rep-nerds will ever notice that, though.
So I would suggest to go with the watch that you prefer based on looks and how it sits on your wrist (which is where I prefer the 124060).

 

[ceotufus]

The 124060 has been upgraded to NWBIG on "the list" with the latest update (because of the implementation of the no-date fix).
The 114060's case is closer to gen. On the 124060 rep the bezel protrudes the case in the curves above and below the crown guards, while on the gen the bezel and the case are flush. We only talk about a fraction of a millimeter, and it can only be seen from certain angles, so I wouldn't overrate this flaw. There is also the "skinny lug" thing that you find on most VSF 12xxxx cases. Nobody but the biggest rep-nerds will ever notice that, though.
So I would suggest to go with the watch that you prefer based on looks and how it sits on your wrist (which is where I prefer the 124060).

Thank you very much for the detailed answer mate, really appreciate it! I will go for the 124060 as i noticed a flaw of the 114060s VSF series that i cannot stand it at all. I am talking about the 6 sitting way too close to 'Swiss Made'.

 

[Thomas_M]

Thank you very much for the detailed answer mate, really appreciate it! I will go for the 124060 as i noticed a flaw of the 114060s VSF series that i cannot stand it at all. I am talking about the 6 sitting way too close to 'Swiss Made'.

The 124060 definitely wears smaller on small/skinny wrists. I’m saying that based on my experience trying both 114060 and 124060. The 21mm end link wide bracelet also helps a lot towards comfortable wear on small wrist vs 20mm bracelet combined with maxi case of 114060. The 124060 case is also thinner than 114060 and that helps a lot too.

Although the VSF 124060 got many upgrades over the years, I still don’t like its case. The SEL fitment is still bad, crown guards are bad, and the lugs look to be over polished from the factory. Clean Factory does the 124060 way better and it is my definite choice for this reference. However, their crystals are bad.

So if you’re looking for a perfect budget friendly combo: Clean 124060 + gen or deep crystal and you’re all set.

 

[ceotufus]

The 124060 definitely wears smaller on small/skinny wrists. I’m saying that based on my experience trying both 114060 and 124060. The 21mm end link wide bracelet also helps a lot towards comfortable wear on small wrist vs 20mm bracelet combined with maxi case of 114060. The 124060 case is also thinner than 114060 and that helps a lot too.

Although the VSF 124060 got many upgrades over the years, I still don’t like its case. The SEL fitment is still bad, crown guards are bad, and the lugs look to be over polished from the factory. Clean Factory does the 124060 way better and it is my definite choice for this reference. However, their crystals are bad.

So if you’re looking for a perfect budget friendly combo: Clean 124060 + gen or deep crystal and you’re all set.

Solid advice, thanks mate!

 

[Thomas_M]

The 124060 definitely wears smaller on small/skinny wrists. I’m saying that based on my experience trying both 114060 and 124060. The 21mm end link wide bracelet also helps a lot towards comfortable wear on small wrist vs 20mm bracelet combined with maxi case of 114060. The 124060 case is also thinner than 114060 and that helps a lot too.

Although the VSF 124060 got many upgrades over the years, I still don’t like its case. The SEL fitment is still bad, crown guards are bad, and the lugs look to be over polished from the factory. Clean Factory does the 124060 way better and it is my definite choice for this reference. However, their crystals are bad.

So if you’re looking for a perfect budget friendly combo: Clean 124060 + gen or deep crystal and you’re all set.

Aha- forgot do add:
While you may think the VS (DangDong) Movements are still worth going for VS over CF- based on my experience it is not true.

I’ve had many VR-based watches over the years working like champs for 12+ months within COSC parameters, while one of two of my VS3230 broke itself after the month of use. The balance bridge spring went off.

I also find the VR movements much easier to regulate and keeping COSC parameters better.

The only DangDong movements that I found really good are those from GMT Master II (DD3285)

I know this is a VSF Sub thread but based on my experience over the years- The CF is still an ultimate winner for any modern Sub reference.

 

[ceotufus]

Aha- forgot do add:
While you may think the VS (DangDong) Movements are still worth going for VS over CF- based on my experience it is not true.

I’ve had many VR-based watches over the years working like champs for 12+ months within COSC parameters, while one of two of my VS3230 broke itself after the month of use. The balance bridge spring went off.

I also find the VR movements much easier to regulate and keeping COSC parameters better.

The only DangDong movements that I found really good are those from GMT Master II (DD3285)

I know this is a VSF Sub thread but based on my experience over the years- The CF is still an ultimate winner for any modern Sub reference.

Thanks for the info mate. I am leaning towards the VSF cause of the

 

[ceotufus]

Aha- forgot do add:
While you may think the VS (DangDong) Movements are still worth going for VS over CF- based on my experience it is not true.

I’ve had many VR-based watches over the years working like champs for 12+ months within COSC parameters, while one of two of my VS3230 broke itself after the month of use. The balance bridge spring went off.

I also find the VR movements much easier to regulate and keeping COSC parameters better.

The only DangDong movements that I found really good are those from GMT Master II (DD3285)

I know this is a VSF Sub thread but based on my experience over the years- The CF is still an ultimate winner for any modern Sub reference.

Thanks for the info mate, really appreciate it!
I am leaning towards the VSF mainly cause of the crystal, as im not planning to mod them at all. However, recent Clean 124060 pics made me double think about it. Again i really appreciate the help.
PS: Mods please remove my comment above, i accidentally hit enter before i finish my comment

 

[Thomas_M]

Thanks for the info mate, really appreciate it!
I am leaning towards the VSF mainly cause of the crystal, as im not planning to mod them at all. However, recent Clean 124060 pics made me double think about it. Again i really appreciate the help.
PS: Mods please remove my comment above, i accidentally hit enter before i finish my comment

Pleasure is all mine. I have learned a lot about the watches here on RWI, not only about the reps so I am more than happy to share my knowledge.

Feel free to hit me a DM in case of any questions. I’ll be happy to assist.

Cheers,
- Tom

 

[JohnnyDangerous]

I just took delivery of the VSF 124060 and the watch head is great quality... The bracelet is utterly terrible. I was finaly able to get two links off, but it was difficult and one screw in-between the two links is now munted, like you read about. I am sure they are using superglue instead of a decent loktite type of product!
Other than that, the bracelet, end links and clasp (itself) are OK, but the crown on the clasp is the shittiest I've seen on a rep in over 40 years...
Would love to hear where to get a really great bracelet!

 

[asusundevils1971]

difficult and one screw in-between the two links is now munted, like you read about. I am sure they are using superglue instead of a decent loktite type of product!
Other than that, the bracelet, end links and clasp (itself) are OK, but the crown on the clasp is the shittiest I've seen on a rep in over 40 years...
Would love to hear where to get a really great bracelet!

Congrats on your new VSF Sub you will get a lot of enjoyment with it and wear it in good health.

Should have stopped when you were having difficulty with the screw and heated up the screw to loosen up the Loctite. The screws are not the best quality either and it's easy to mash up the heads.

The crown on the clasp doesn't look bad or any different from others I have seen (own 2 VSF 12XXXX Subs). Here is a link below where you can buy another bracelet or just another clasp.

Submariner 41mm Solid Stainless Steel 904L with Flip Lock Deployant Buckle (Made by Clean) – CTime

ctime.io

 

[JohnnyDangerous]

Congrats on your new VSF Sub you will get a lot of enjoyment with it and wear it in good health. Should have stopped when you were having difficulty with the screw and heated up the screw to loosen up the Loctite. The screws are not the best quality either and it's easy to mash up the heads. The crown on the clasp doesn't look bad or any different from others I have seen (own 2 VSF 12XXXX Subs). Here is a link below where you can buy another bracelet or just another clasp.

Submariner 41mm Solid Stainless Steel 904L with Flip Lock Deployant Buckle (Made by Clean) – CTime

ctime.io

Thanks... I think the watch is very good quality
Is the Clean bracelet known for being better quality, or are others out there (like ARF, or BP) even better?

 

[ihavedrainbamage]

I just took delivery of the VSF 124060 and the watch head is great quality... The bracelet is utterly terrible. I was finaly able to get two links off, but it was difficult and one screw in-between the two links is now munted, like you read about. I am sure they are using superglue instead of a decent loktite type of product!
Other than that, the bracelet, end links and clasp (itself) are OK, but the crown on the clasp is the shittiest I've seen on a rep in over 40 years...
Would love to hear where to get a really great bracelet!

Learned the hard way that its crucial to use the correct screwdriver as the screws are very easy to strip. I used the screwdriver that my TD sent with my first VSF sub and even though the flathead fit in the slot I still managed to strip out and strand one of the screws. I've since purchased a generic "watching toolkit" (very handy to have on-hand) off of amazon that had screwdrivers that have the correct width but fit the slot much better, which I'd assume is due to a finer taper. I could immediately tell that the flathead fit in the slot much better and it gave me much more confidence when taking screws out despite both drivers "fitting" the screw. Haven't had any issues with stripping since.

I've also recently started popping off my rep bracelets and running them through an ultrasonic cleaner a couple times before sizing them to at least loosen up any loctite and/or any other gunk that may be on the screws just to make the process a bit smoother. I usually do one pass on the fully assembled bracelet, take it out, rinse it off, take out all of the screws and links, then throw the disassembled bracelet back in the cleaner for one last pass before reassembling and sizing the bracelet. This plus a good scrub with some dish soap and an old toothbrush also helps a lot with the squeakiness present on many fresh rep bracelets.