So after wearing the ZF v2 Black Bay 58 for just over a week and the gen for about a month, here is my review on how it fares to the gen.
Bracelet
Let’s start with the bracelet, its decent and fits just like the gen. Looks very close to the gen including the tapered fit, the rivets on the side of the bracelet are close to the gen but appear to be slightly smaller. However one thing to note is the bracelet rattles. Not something you would notice when the watch is on your wrist however if it’s off your wrist and you shake it ? It rattles and sounds kinda cheap. The clasp gap is an issue I’ve seen brought up a few times. Mine does a have gap bigger than the gen but I don’t think it’s very noticeable unless you really look at it.
Now let’s move on to the watch itself.
Dial
Here is where probably all of my issues with the watch lies. The black on the dial is very washed out. The dial is somewhat smother than the gen and comes off to be a slightly lighter colour than gen. Not a complete deal breaker but very obvious in bright lighting. Important to note that this bothers me more than it should since I’m used to the colour of the gen.
Hands, slightly a lighter shade of rose gold than the gen and in really bright light there is a slight mismatch in lume colour on the hands and hour markers. Hour markers don’t pop as they usually do on the gen, not to say they’re dull but the rose gold doesn’t shine or reflect light as well as the original and is completely outshined by the reflections of the hands.
Lume, as expected, does not last as long as the gen. I would say a couple of minutes at best. Due to the difference in the type of lume, most of the places where the lume is applied also seems whiter than the gen.
The crystal is a little thicker around the edges, so there is slight distortion there and it makes the swiss made sign a little hard to see. Not too big of a deal tho.
Bezel
Bezel wise, the rose gold is probably just a tiny bit lighter than the gen in bright light. Bezel pip is also a little flatter than the gen. Clicks well enough by my standards, good as gen ? Nope. Good for $288 ? Definitely.
Case
Case is decent, although the back of the lugs are a little sharp.. not sharp enough to cut you while wearing it, in fact when its on you don’t feel it at all, but sharp enough to feel them if you press the right spots. Crown tube is slightly longer than gen. Noticeable ? Probably. Does it ruin the watch ? Not at all. Not even as much as some people make it to be. It has never affected my wearability of the watch nor had an issue of it digging into my hand or anything. Rose logo on the crown is good as well. Caseback and everything else seems as good as gen to me.
Movement
Runs on A2824, easy and cheap to fix and maintain. Is it close to the gen ? Not a chance, its louder, has a lower power reserve and has a date complication which is hidden and only noticeable when you pull out the stem. But hey, this is a rep and your probably already knew that. If movement is a big deal to you, you’re probably better off getting a gen.
Review on TD
Got it from Li over on JTime. Great guy and absolutely pleasant to deal with. Contacted him via Whatsapp and made payment via a local bank account. QC pictures within 4 days and second batch of pictures the day after. Shipping took a little longer but I doubt this was their fault as it shipped out about 2 days after i GL’d it.
However, please understand this is my viewpoint after using the gen for a couple of weeks. Most people would not notice a lot of the things i mentioned earlier if they haven’t worn the gen.
Pictures here: https://vgy.me/album/ANNuGasO
TLDR; 90% of watch for 9% of the price. The bad ? Washed out dial, slight colour mismatch between lume on hands and hour markers, horrible lume performance and bracelet that rattles. The good ? Everything else. Should you buy ? Unless you want the best 1:1 AAAA++ Swiss Grade NWBIG uncalloutable absolute perfect watch, you definitely should! I would say the only reason to not get this watch is if the washed out dial really bothers you, which again is only something you notice under really bright lighting conditions. Although, if a v3 ever comes out with a darker dial, I would definitely be getting it.
Bracelet
Let’s start with the bracelet, its decent and fits just like the gen. Looks very close to the gen including the tapered fit, the rivets on the side of the bracelet are close to the gen but appear to be slightly smaller. However one thing to note is the bracelet rattles. Not something you would notice when the watch is on your wrist however if it’s off your wrist and you shake it ? It rattles and sounds kinda cheap. The clasp gap is an issue I’ve seen brought up a few times. Mine does a have gap bigger than the gen but I don’t think it’s very noticeable unless you really look at it.
Now let’s move on to the watch itself.
Dial
Here is where probably all of my issues with the watch lies. The black on the dial is very washed out. The dial is somewhat smother than the gen and comes off to be a slightly lighter colour than gen. Not a complete deal breaker but very obvious in bright lighting. Important to note that this bothers me more than it should since I’m used to the colour of the gen.
Hands, slightly a lighter shade of rose gold than the gen and in really bright light there is a slight mismatch in lume colour on the hands and hour markers. Hour markers don’t pop as they usually do on the gen, not to say they’re dull but the rose gold doesn’t shine or reflect light as well as the original and is completely outshined by the reflections of the hands.
Lume, as expected, does not last as long as the gen. I would say a couple of minutes at best. Due to the difference in the type of lume, most of the places where the lume is applied also seems whiter than the gen.
The crystal is a little thicker around the edges, so there is slight distortion there and it makes the swiss made sign a little hard to see. Not too big of a deal tho.
Bezel
Bezel wise, the rose gold is probably just a tiny bit lighter than the gen in bright light. Bezel pip is also a little flatter than the gen. Clicks well enough by my standards, good as gen ? Nope. Good for $288 ? Definitely.
Case
Case is decent, although the back of the lugs are a little sharp.. not sharp enough to cut you while wearing it, in fact when its on you don’t feel it at all, but sharp enough to feel them if you press the right spots. Crown tube is slightly longer than gen. Noticeable ? Probably. Does it ruin the watch ? Not at all. Not even as much as some people make it to be. It has never affected my wearability of the watch nor had an issue of it digging into my hand or anything. Rose logo on the crown is good as well. Caseback and everything else seems as good as gen to me.
Movement
Runs on A2824, easy and cheap to fix and maintain. Is it close to the gen ? Not a chance, its louder, has a lower power reserve and has a date complication which is hidden and only noticeable when you pull out the stem. But hey, this is a rep and your probably already knew that. If movement is a big deal to you, you’re probably better off getting a gen.
Review on TD
Got it from Li over on JTime. Great guy and absolutely pleasant to deal with. Contacted him via Whatsapp and made payment via a local bank account. QC pictures within 4 days and second batch of pictures the day after. Shipping took a little longer but I doubt this was their fault as it shipped out about 2 days after i GL’d it.
However, please understand this is my viewpoint after using the gen for a couple of weeks. Most people would not notice a lot of the things i mentioned earlier if they haven’t worn the gen.
Pictures here: https://vgy.me/album/ANNuGasO
TLDR; 90% of watch for 9% of the price. The bad ? Washed out dial, slight colour mismatch between lume on hands and hour markers, horrible lume performance and bracelet that rattles. The good ? Everything else. Should you buy ? Unless you want the best 1:1 AAAA++ Swiss Grade NWBIG uncalloutable absolute perfect watch, you definitely should! I would say the only reason to not get this watch is if the washed out dial really bothers you, which again is only something you notice under really bright lighting conditions. Although, if a v3 ever comes out with a darker dial, I would definitely be getting it.
