Watch Build History with AMF Modding – A Cautionary Tale

[JSL121]

I paid AMF Modding in full on December 19, 2024 for a custom watch build. At the time, AMF quoted a turnaround time of 2–3 months.

Today is April 23, 2025 — it has been 126 days (just over 4 months) since I paid — and the watch is still not complete.

Here’s a breakdown of the communication and delays:

February 27: AMF said the watch would be finished in 3 weeks.

March 24: They said the build would be worked on “within this week.”

April 3: I was told the movement was being checked and the watch would be finished shortly.

April 10: I requested a refund due to the extended delay.

April 11: AMF apologized for the delay, stated that a refund was not possible, but offered a $250 credit toward a future build. They assured me the watch was now a “high priority” and would be completed as quickly as possible.

To their credit, AMF has been responsive to my inquiries. However, due to the extensive delay, the missed deadlines, the lack of refund options, and the fact that the watch is still not finished — I cannot recommend AMF Modding for a build.

If AMF can’t handle the volume of work, they need to stop advertising and accepting new commissions until they can deliver on their promises. Taking on new business while months of paid orders remain unfulfilled is simply not acceptable.

 

[AMF]

We are very sorry for this delay caused on this build and and the inconvenience for your side. We understand the frustration of this but want to emphasise it is not normal , as usually most builds get completed in time as estimated .Unfortunately , sometimes things can go wrong like movement issues , parts not fitting etc. in these cases , while we try to minimise the delay caused , it can cause of a delay unfortunately and sometimes can be out of our control with regards to replacement parts etc .

As mentioned in the private messages with you , to noting the CNY holiday has also played a part in the delay of this along with the problem with the movement that is to be fixed before shipping as we do not want to sending out of a watch to you that does not work and perform as it should .

We will standing behind our work always and stand behind our credit as offered to you previously to make up for this inconvenience caused for you .

Thanks

 

[Allure]

I paid AMF Modding in full on December 19, 2024 for a custom watch build. At the time, AMF quoted a turnaround time of 2–3 months.

Today is April 23, 2025 — it has been 126 days (just over 4 months) since I paid — and the watch is still not complete.

Here’s a breakdown of the communication and delays:

February 27: AMF said the watch would be finished in 3 weeks.

March 24: They said the build would be worked on “within this week.”

April 3: I was told the movement was being checked and the watch would be finished shortly.

April 10: I requested a refund due to the extended delay.

April 11: AMF apologized for the delay, stated that a refund was not possible, but offered a $250 credit toward a future build. They assured me the watch was now a “high priority” and would be completed as quickly as possible.

To their credit, AMF has been responsive to my inquiries. However, due to the extensive delay, the missed deadlines, the lack of refund options, and the fact that the watch is still not finished — I cannot recommend AMF Modding for a build.

If AMF can’t handle the volume of work, they need to stop advertising and accepting new commissions until they can deliver on their promises. Taking on new business while months of paid orders remain unfulfilled is simply not acceptable.

Totally understand your frustration — waiting on a custom build, especially when you’re excited, can really test your patience. That said, AMF is well known for their top-tier quality. They’re meticulous when it comes to sourcing the right parts and movements for their builds, and sometimes that does lead to delays, especially if certain components aren’t immediately available or not meeting their standards.

You did mention they’ve been very responsive and have clarified that this isn’t usual for them either and they also emphasised here, which I think says a lot about their transparency and intent.

In cases like this, I’d personally hold off the comment until the build arrives. I think there’s a high chance you’ll find the quality is worth the wait.

 

[JSL121]

We are very sorry for this delay caused on this build and and the inconvenience for your side. We understand the frustration of this but want to emphasise it is not normal , as usually most builds get completed in time as estimated .Unfortunately , sometimes things can go wrong like movement issues , parts not fitting etc. in these cases , while we try to minimise the delay caused , it can cause of a delay unfortunately and sometimes can be out of our control with regards to replacement parts etc .

As mentioned in the private messages with you , to noting the CNY holiday has also played a part in the delay of this along with the problem with the movement that is to be fixed before shipping as we do not want to sending out of a watch to you that does not work and perform as it should .

We will standing behind our work always and stand behind our credit as offered to you previously to make up for this inconvenience caused for you .

Thanks

Thank you for your response. I genuinely appreciate your continued communication and your acknowledgment of the delays and issues that have occurred.

As a fellow business owner, I understand that delays are sometimes inevitable. What matters most is clear communication and responsiveness to customer concerns, and to your credit, you've handled that aspect very well.

My frustration isn't about questioning the quality of the final build or your willingness to engage. It’s really centered on bandwidth. The consistent delays appear to be more related to workload management than actual part or movement availability. Issues like movement sourcing, part fitment, or even delays due to the CNY holiday, while understandable, typically don’t require several months to resolve.

It's also worth pointing out that the build itself is fairly straightforward. The base watch ( a ZF Royal Oak 15202) is widely available through many trusted dealers without long wait times. The modifications requested are not particularly complex:

• Movement service
• Refinished case and bracelet
• Shaved and widened hand base
• Realigned and polished bezel screws
• Reworked dial for color accuracy and marker alignment

These are hands-on, detail-oriented tasks, but ones that primarily depend on skilled labor, not long lead-time components. That leads me to believe the root issue is your team’s current workload and capacity.

If your intake is exceeding what you can deliver in a timely manner, I’d strongly encourage you to pause on accepting new builds until existing ones are completed. Continuing to take on new work while older builds remain unfulfilled creates unnecessary customer frustration and, over time, erodes trust.

Thank you again for your time and response. I remain hopeful the build will be completed soon and look forward to seeing the final result!

 

[chip786]

Hi, can I ask what your custom build was? Was is a solid precious metal build? I am interested to hear from you on delivery and the quality and finish. One problem I hope doesnt effect your build is, if they quoted a solid gold watch to you in Dec 2024, price of gold has gone up quite a bit since then. Good luck and looking forward to see your build.

 

[JSL121]

Totally understand your frustration — waiting on a custom build, especially when you’re excited, can really test your patience. That said, AMF is well known for their top-tier quality. They’re meticulous when it comes to sourcing the right parts and movements for their builds, and sometimes that does lead to delays, especially if certain components aren’t immediately available or not meeting their standards.

You did mention they’ve been very responsive and have clarified that this isn’t usual for them either and they also emphasised here, which I think says a lot about their transparency and intent.

In cases like this, I’d personally hold off the comment until the build arrives. I think there’s a high chance you’ll find the quality is worth the wait.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I really do appreciate the perspective, and I don’t disagree with much of what you’ve said.

To be clear, my frustration isn’t about the anticipated quality of the build or AMF’s responsiveness. They’ve been communicative throughout, and I fully expect the finished watch to meet a high standard.

That said, my concern is more about the scalability of their operation and how that’s impacting timelines for current customers (*See other buyers who have recently written reviews because they are experiencing the same delays from AMF). This is the reason I felt my review was warranted in a public forum. My intent is not to discredit AMF’s craftsmanship, but to share my experience for the sake of transparency and to encourage some operational improvements going forward, so other RWI members can be made aware of the challenges I’ve encountered.

If AMF is overwhelmed with orders, it would be more responsible to temporarily slow new intake until existing builds are fulfilled. Continuing to advertise and accept commissions while outstanding work remains uncompleted creates unnecessary frustration. Over time, it can erode the trust they’ve worked hard to build, regardless of how strong the final product may be.

 

[JSL121]

Hi, can I ask what your custom build was? Was is a solid precious metal build? I am interested to hear from you on delivery and the quality and finish. One problem I hope doesnt effect your build is, if they quoted a solid gold watch to you in Dec 2024, price of gold has gone up quite a bit since then. Good luck and looking forward to see your build.

No, not precious metal. My build is a modified SS ZF AP 15202, with the following modifications to be performed by AMF:

Movement service
Refinished case and bracelet
Shaved and widened hand base
Realigned and polished bezel screws
Reworked dial for color accuracy and marker alignment

 

[AMF]

If your intake is exceeding what you can deliver in a timely manner, I’d strongly encourage you to pause on accepting new builds until existing ones are completed. Continuing to take on new work while older builds remain unfulfilled creates unnecessary customer frustration and, over time, erodes trust.

Your feedback is very much appreciated dear and we always striving to improve from it .

The issues that cause the delay have been explained to you clearly and have nothing to do with our workload management .As mentioned , most builds are completed in time but unfortunately some times delays can be cause due to situations not entirely within our control (replacement parts , rejection etc.)

In the past there have been instances where new orders have been paused by us due to the queue arrangement become too long at the time and to clearing off of some workload before going back to normal , which will be done when this is necessary to be done .

 

[FlamingMontains]

Hey OP, I bought from AMF in the past and had a great experience. They were also late but that's the nature of a custom build. I go a full 18K Solid Gold build and they came through with the most spectacular watch. Your money is safe with them, I wouldn't worry. After the first few months I began to worry like yourself, but in the end I am very glad that I waited for them to perfect the build.

I was about to purchase another build from them but ended up buying a gen instead. Rest assured, you'll be extremely happy once you receive the watch!

 

[FlamingMontains]

Hi, can I ask what your custom build was? Was is a solid precious metal build? I am interested to hear from you on delivery and the quality and finish. One problem I hope doesnt effect your build is, if they quoted a solid gold watch to you in Dec 2024, price of gold has gone up quite a bit since then. Good luck and looking forward to see your build.

When I bought my watch, the price of gold almost went up 60% during the wait. They didn't try and charge me extra.

 

[JSL121]

Hey OP, I bought from AMF in the past and had a great experience. They were also late but that's the nature of a custom build. I go a full 18K Solid Gold build and they came through with the most spectacular watch. Your money is safe with them, I wouldn't worry. After the first few months I began to worry like yourself, but in the end I am very glad that I waited for them to perfect the build.

I was about to purchase another build from them but ended up buying a gen instead. Rest assured, you'll be extremely happy once you receive the watch!

Thanks so much for the reassurance. I really appreciate your comment. I did finally receive my QC pics, approved them, and now have a tracking number. The watch is en route, and I’m beyond excited. The QC photos looked absolutely spectacular.

I agree with you, outside of the delay and a few missed deadlines, AMF has been great to work with. They communicated consistently, acknowledged the delays, and even offered a credit toward a future purchase, which I thought was a classy move. All in all, I’m very pleased with the experience so far and can’t wait to see the final product in person.

 

[Allure]

Thanks so much for the reassurance. I really appreciate your comment. I did finally receive my QC pics, approved them, and now have a tracking number. The watch is en route, and I’m beyond excited. The QC photos looked absolutely spectacular.

I agree with you, outside of the delay and a few missed deadlines, AMF has been great to work with. They communicated consistently, acknowledged the delays, and even offered a credit toward a future purchase, which I thought was a classy move. All in all, I’m very pleased with the experience so far and can’t wait to see the final product in person.

Glad to hear that & you will definitely love the watch.