- 21/4/19
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Good day to my RWI family! I meant to post this many, many moons ago but the shots got buried under a deluge of other review content. Finally dug these out so I can share a quick photo comparison and review of ZF's Black Bay GMT vs the gen counterpart. As always, this is for educational purposes so that both gen and rep owners are able to better appreciate the differences, and spot these in the wild for their own safety, as well as aesthetics.
Initial impression
I should note that to be fair, one is on a Chevron, and other on bracelet, so the main comparison here will be the head.
Right off the bat you can notice the difference in bezel colours and the dial texture. The incorrect handstack and datewheel recession on the rep is also an an effective quick visual distinction as well.
Dial
The texture difference is key here on the dial, as well as subtle tonal variation as well. While this may seem unsubstantial, under sunlight, it entirely changes the way the dial plays with the light. This is something seen as an issue across all ZF Black Bays, in my experience.
Bezel and GMT Hand
The bezel on the gen has bolder numerals and brighter, more vibrant colouration as opposed to ZF's darker tones. This is also noted on the GMT hand as well. Gen has more bright haemoglobin vibes while the rep is more the time of congealed blood.
Hands and Indices
As always with the Rolex/Tudor family, gen has rounded, soft indices. ZF tried, but is quite sharp in comparison. A good job nonetheless! Hands on the gen are also more delicate and narrow, and of course, softer and better polished. These aren't admonishings of ZF, rather, very picky little differences you can use for your own personal appreciation.
You can also see correct VS incorrect handstack as a difference here as well
Crown and Knurling
Very challenging to find differences here, except with groove depth and thickness of the rose imprint. Fantastic work by ZF!
Datewheel
Definitely the most notable aspect in terms of a different between any ZF and gen black bay with a datewheel. A good tell is the recession, when looking for clues on photos.
BONUS: LÜME
I'm a self proclaimed lüme-atic and ZF did a great job here considering everything. It's not applied as well as gen but hey, it's a rep! Great stuff!
Final thoughts
ZF offers exceptional value here, even when compared to gen. Every little bit of nitpicking is under the gaze of absolute fanatics for detail. Despite the harsh evaluation, this is a fan favourite for a reason. Easily a 7/10 all around for me, because of an easy reliable movement and affordability. It would have been a 10/10 if there was a clone movement, but factories don't seem to have an incentive to clone the simple Tudor MT5652 yet. Perhaps in the future?
Until next time. Thank you as always for giving me a home and to share and partake in this amazing knowledge database. RWI ROCKS!!!
Initial impression
I should note that to be fair, one is on a Chevron, and other on bracelet, so the main comparison here will be the head.
Right off the bat you can notice the difference in bezel colours and the dial texture. The incorrect handstack and datewheel recession on the rep is also an an effective quick visual distinction as well.
Dial
The texture difference is key here on the dial, as well as subtle tonal variation as well. While this may seem unsubstantial, under sunlight, it entirely changes the way the dial plays with the light. This is something seen as an issue across all ZF Black Bays, in my experience.
Bezel and GMT Hand
The bezel on the gen has bolder numerals and brighter, more vibrant colouration as opposed to ZF's darker tones. This is also noted on the GMT hand as well. Gen has more bright haemoglobin vibes while the rep is more the time of congealed blood.
Hands and Indices
As always with the Rolex/Tudor family, gen has rounded, soft indices. ZF tried, but is quite sharp in comparison. A good job nonetheless! Hands on the gen are also more delicate and narrow, and of course, softer and better polished. These aren't admonishings of ZF, rather, very picky little differences you can use for your own personal appreciation.
You can also see correct VS incorrect handstack as a difference here as well
Crown and Knurling
Very challenging to find differences here, except with groove depth and thickness of the rose imprint. Fantastic work by ZF!
Datewheel
Definitely the most notable aspect in terms of a different between any ZF and gen black bay with a datewheel. A good tell is the recession, when looking for clues on photos.
BONUS: LÜME
I'm a self proclaimed lüme-atic and ZF did a great job here considering everything. It's not applied as well as gen but hey, it's a rep! Great stuff!
Final thoughts
ZF offers exceptional value here, even when compared to gen. Every little bit of nitpicking is under the gaze of absolute fanatics for detail. Despite the harsh evaluation, this is a fan favourite for a reason. Easily a 7/10 all around for me, because of an easy reliable movement and affordability. It would have been a 10/10 if there was a clone movement, but factories don't seem to have an incentive to clone the simple Tudor MT5652 yet. Perhaps in the future?
Until next time. Thank you as always for giving me a home and to share and partake in this amazing knowledge database. RWI ROCKS!!!
