ZF AP 15500

[m1994]

ZF is still fixing the DW font.

I think no maker can print the correct 15500 DW, it's too hard for rep DW printer.

Let's see whether they can make it out.

Wow the gen one has lot of detail.

 

[gilrob]

legend did say that AP was going to make the 15500 difficult to replicate.

 

[W47chl0v3r]

There are teeeny red circles around the rep DW "imperfections"

 

[SuperLory]

Oh for f u c k sake they want to get the ocd in me mad with that photo ! Was it so F hard to F place them one on another with the numerals aligned ???

 

[Nysha]

Oh for f u c k sake they want to get the ocd in me mad with that photo ! Was it so F hard to F place them one on another with the numerals aligned ???

The 14s are aligned. Not sure how you want to align all the numbers, if the numerals of one date wheel are increasing clockwise while the others are increasing counterclockwise.

 

[Pope]

ZF is still fixing the DW font.
I think no maker can print the correct 15500 DW, it's too hard for rep DW printer.
Let's see whether they can make it out.
https://i.ibb.co/HYyrZLC/P1111649.jpg

This is such a ridiculous font, whoever created it was certainly instructed to make it hard to print, esthetic considerations came second.

 

[Repworld]

In your opinion what’s wrong with the rep 15500 dw?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Case back !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[legend]

This is such a ridiculous font, whoever created it was certainly instructed to make it hard to print, esthetic considerations came second.

I agree with you. In the name of making the date font more "contemporary", they have actually made it less appealing to the typical AP enthusiast.
The real reason was to make the datewheel font harder to replicate but thinking logically, what is harder about one font type than another to replicate at all?
I get it that the new cal. 4302 used by the 15500 has different dimensions and the date window position could make the watch harder to rep. But repping one date font should not be more difficult than repping another.

 

[Pope]

I agree with you. In the name of making the date font more "contemporary", they have actually made it less appealing to the typical AP enthusiast.
The real reason was to make the datewheel font harder to replicate but thinking logically, what is harder about one font type than another to replicate at all?
I get it that the new cal. 4302 used by the 15500 has different dimensions and the date window position could make the watch harder to rep. But repping one date font should not be more difficult than repping another.

I am not sure how to word this in English, but the parts that Kobe24 highlighted in red certainly require a very precise printer (I am actually wondering if the printer is responsible for these or if they are done mechanically right after the printing?). The sharp angles on the font also require a precise printer, it's quite possible the people from ZF have similar sharp angles on their source file but when it comes out of the printer it's rounded.
I don't know how date wheels are actually printed though, didn't find any videos on YouTube (but saw some cool 3D printed watch mechanisms ).

 

[legend]

I am not sure how to word this in English, but the parts that Kobe24 highlighted in red certainly require a very precise printer (I am actually wondering if the printer is responsible for these or if they are done mechanically right after the printing?). The sharp angles on the font also require a precise printer, it's quite possible the people from ZF have similar sharp angles on their source file but when it comes out of the printer it's rounded.
I don't know how date wheels are actually printed though, didn't find any videos on YouTube (but saw some cool 3D printed watch mechanisms ).

Thank you for the education! I have no idea some fonts are harder to print well than the others.

 

[Pope]

Thank you for the education! I have no idea some fonts are harder to print well than the others.

Not sure what is the point with your sarcasm, but feel free to be offended.

what is harder about one font type than another to replicate at all?

I am merely trying to answer this.

 

[legend]

Not sure what is the point with your sarcasm, but feel free to be offended.

I am merely trying to answer this.

I was not being sarcastic at all. I thought that date fonts will be equally hard (or easy) to replicate until you pointed out the corners and all.

 

[Pope]

I was not being sarcastic at all. I thought that date fonts will be equally hard (or easy) to replicate until you pointed out the corners and all.

Sorry, I misunderstood you.

 

[legend]

Sorry, I misunderstood you.

Its ok. I am often misunderstood.

But seriously though, thanks for sharing what you know. Nobody here talks about the intricacy of datewheel printing and your post helped me appreciate the process AP uses a lot more.
So in your opinion, does AP print 15500 datewheels and the 15400 ones the same way?

 

[Dr Fun Socks]

Aren’t all dw’s pad printed? I can see why it would be hard to put the tiny little cutout pointy bits onto a printing pad. They must be <0.05mm thick at points. If they have managed to get the pad 100% correct, maybe the factory is using an ink with a lower viscosity than ap and it spreads out and joins up the parts that are meant to be separate?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pad_printing

Case back !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you can see the dw through the case back your talents are wasted here, you should get a job as a human xray machine.

 

[Gucciboy36]

Look very Great
glad to Hear the new version will be Release
however the tickness Never could ne smooth as gen

 

[kobe24]

In your opinion what’s wrong with the rep 15500 dw?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

the GEN vigor of style in DW printing, different. I don't think any rep maker can make this.

 

[Pope]

Its ok. I am often misunderstood.
But seriously though, thanks for sharing what you know. Nobody here talks about the intricacy of datewheel printing and your post helped me appreciate the process AP uses a lot more.
So in your opinion, does AP print 15500 datewheels and the 15400 ones the same way?

It's mostly a guess but I'd say the 15500 datewheel is probably made using a new printing process, the font looks so obviously designed to show off that they can achieve that kind of precision. Also as you said before it seems like AP designed the 15500 to be more difficult to rep, I think they applied this philosophy to the date wheel as well and invested some money to stay out of reach of chinese rep factories.
(I tried to find an actual source, but most searches just bring me to rep communities discussing date wheels)

edit: Dr Fun Socks has to be right about pad printing, I found a video series to get a good idea of how it's done:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCLTxWn3zWo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRhaMijQttk
However it doesn't really tell us how AP achieves the extra precision, obviously they will have better machines, but there has to be a limit to the precision you can achieve with pad printing?
I was thinking about a possible other way: get rid of the extra ink with a precision laser (I assume there is a way to use a laser that will only affect the ink and not the base of the datewheel).

 

[legend]

the GEN vigor of style in DW printing, different. I don't think any rep maker can make this.

It's mostly a guess but I'd say the 15500 datewheel is probably made using a new printing process, the font looks so obviously designed to show off that they can achieve that kind of precision. Also as you said before it seems like AP designed the 15500 to be more difficult to rep, I think they applied this philosophy to the date wheel as well and invested some money to stay out of reach of chinese rep factories.
(I tried to find an actual source, but most searches just bring me to rep communities discussing date wheels)

Hi Kobe and Pope

Thanks guys for your replies.
I thought that the 15500 would be harder to rep based on the date window position and the caliber size and features but I did not realize that what you guys are talking about- the datewheel printing itself, is another “hard to rep” feature. I saw the pics of the 15500 rep and on casual glance the datewheel looked ok to me. But after Pope mentioned about the differences in his post I began to see what he meant and why the rep makers cannot get this right easily. Thanks guys for pointing out that the 15500 datewheel has so much technique behind it.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[The Rod]

kobe24 do you know what caliber the rep is using to achieve the correct position of the date wheel?