ZF AP 15500

[legend]

Lol.

I've learned to be less anal about reps now. As you have said as long as it makes you happy that's all that matters. The fact that a $500 rep comes quite close to a $10k - $40k watch is a miracle in itself and we should be grateful for that.

The vast majority of the public have never heard of AP or PP and even the ones who have will not have enough knowledge to call you out. That is if you care about being called out.

As you always say, enjoy the watch for what it is - a very good looking time piece that looks more expensive than it js.

I also enjoy the massive savings!

The 15500 is a very good rep, as good as an AP rep can get given the Miyota 9015 movement, and the cost of the watch. It is good looking, and it definitely looks a lot more expensive than it is.
In real life, it can also (if the wearer desires), be presented as a genuine Audemars Piguet watch. The owner of the watch will know that it is not a gen, and often in real life, others will perceive the watch to be authentic or otherwise based on their perception of the wearer. The most important "mod" when wearing any rep is to wear it with confidence and sureness, and forget about the trivial flaws which the wearer knows about, and often projected as the perspective of what others see.
If one cannot stand being called out, gen is the only way to go, because of the projection of perspective practiced by many wearers. Even if he is wearing a super franken, he will know that it is not a gen and hence, worry that others will have the same knowledge.
Any physical mod performed on the watch seeks to improve it to the wearer's satisfaction and allow him to view the watch in a more favorable way and allow him to also be confident wearing it in the presence of others. Sure, when asked, many guys will deny that they wear the watch purely for themselves and to hell with the rest of the world. This sentiment holds true for some guys here I know, but for many others, this is not the case. A lot of guys will mind being called out for various reasons, and the chief reason is how being called out makes them feel about themselves and the watch.

For those on the fence about the ZF15500, get it, because it is one of those few reps which I struggle to tell the rep from the gen when it is on the wrist. The only salient tell for me is the dial color and finish when the watch is worn on the wrist, and that is why I am working on a dial refinish to bring the rep dial color, texture and finish closer to the gen. Can I make it 1:1? no I cannot. Can I make it such that most wearers can believe that the watch is actually an AP on the wrist? Yes I can. I own the gen, and I know what the gen looks like and feels like. I believe that if it can pass my scrutiny, it will pass the scrutiny of most people in this world.

So yes that is why I am spending time to work on the dial mod. It is effectively the only visual tell of the watch when it is worn on the wrist. By working on it, it is possible to create a super rep, at least visually.

 

[RonP]

The 15500 is a very good rep, as good as an AP rep can get given the Miyota 9015 movement, and the cost of the watch. It is good looking, and it definitely looks a lot more expensive than it is.
In real life, it can also (if the wearer desires), be presented as a genuine Audemars Piguet watch. The owner of the watch will know that it is not a gen, and often in real life, others will perceive the watch to be authentic or otherwise based on their perception of the wearer. The most important "mod" when wearing any rep is to wear it with confidence and sureness, and forget about the trivial flaws which the wearer knows about, and often projected as the perspective of what others see.
If one cannot stand being called out, gen is the only way to go, because of the projection of perspective practiced by many wearers. Even if he is wearing a super franken, he will know that it is not a gen and hence, worry that others will have the same knowledge.
Any physical mod performed on the watch seeks to improve it to the wearer's satisfaction and allow him to view the watch in a more favorable way and allow him to also be confident wearing it in the presence of others. Sure, when asked, many guys will deny that they wear the watch purely for themselves and to hell with the rest of the world. This sentiment holds true for some guys here I know, but for many others, this is not the case. A lot of guys will mind being called out for various reasons, and the chief reason is how being called out makes them feel about themselves and the watch.

For those on the fence about the ZF15500, get it, because it is one of those few reps which I struggle to tell the rep from the gen when it is on the wrist. The only salient tell for me is the dial color and finish when the watch is worn on the wrist, and that is why I am working on a dial refinish to bring the rep dial color, texture and finish closer to the gen. Can I make it 1:1? no I cannot. Can I make it such that most wearers can believe that the watch is actually an AP on the wrist? Yes I can. I own the gen, and I know what the gen looks like and feels like. I believe that if it can pass my scrutiny, it will pass the scrutiny of most people in this world.

So yes that is why I am spending time to work on the dial mod. It is effectively the only visual tell of the watch when it is worn on the wrist. By working on it, it is possible to create a super rep, at least visually.

Be prepared to be inundated with lots of reps coming your way for this mod, but remember I asked first! :hehehe:

Personally I prefer a watch that looks good rather than being the closest to gen.

My blue 15500 may not be as gen like as the black dial but to me it looks a lot better.

Likewise the JF V10 Diver simply wasn't attractive enough for me to hang onto despite it's so called super rep status.

 

[legend]

Be prepared to be inundated with lots of reps coming your way for this mod, but remember I asked first! :hehehe:

Personally I prefer a watch that looks good rather than being the closest to gen.

My blue 15500 may not be as gen like as the black dial but to me it looks a lot better.

Likewise the JF V10 Diver simply wasn't attractive enough for me to hang onto despite it's so called super rep status.

I will be the first to admit that your early comments about the dial color and finish prompted me to take a closer look at the rep dials of various color.
I will also add that even without the dial mod, the 15500 is close enough to the gen as it is without putting the gen side by side.
The issue with the rep dial is that the surface looks too plasticky, over glossy and a little cheap. The gen has very refined tapisseries, a semi-matte dial and a very nice sunburst effect.
I am now working with the gen dial side by side to try to emulate that finish as well as I can. And I will definitely tag you when I am ready to make that thread, so you can have your input and feedback.

Thanks RonP I appreciate it. I will definitely do the mod for you once I am confident that it works like I envision it to.

 

[RonP]

Here's a new video from Tim Mosso at WatchBox.

You can really see the superiority of the gen's dial compared to the rep.

I would say the rep's dial looks washed out in comparison and the tapestry not as defined.

I hope Legend can bridge that gap a bit.

 

[Rehaut19]

I will be the first to admit that your early comments about the dial color and finish prompted me to take a closer look at the rep dials of various color.
I will also add that even without the dial mod, the 15500 is close enough to the gen as it is without putting the gen side by side.
The issue with the rep dial is that the surface looks too plasticky, over glossy and a little cheap. The gen has very refined tapisseries, a semi-matte dial and a very nice sunburst effect.
I am now working with the gen dial side by side to try to emulate that finish as well as I can. And I will definitely tag you when I am ready to make that thread, so you can have your input and feedback.

Thanks RonP I appreciate it. I will definitely do the mod for you once I am confident that it works like I envision it to.

Hi Legend, do you think that your mod of the dial is also necessary on the white one?

 

[legend]

Hi Legend, do you think that your mod of the dial is also necessary on the white one?

The dial refinish mod isn’t “necessary” per se but it seeks to enhance the appearance of the dial with reference to gen and it can benefit all dial colors. The silver dial is not better or worse than the other colors where dial finishing goes and can benefit from the same mod. The mod seeks to address 3 areas for improvement

- to improve the finish of the dial visually, from a plasticky gloss surface to a luxurious semi matte surface.

- to retain the sunburst effect of the dial while performing the above mod

- to improve the luxury factor of the dial visually. This applies to the black, silver and blue dial. For the grey the color is also rather off but can be improved with a separate dial paint mod.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bupeapoop]

To be honest, for me, the ZF15500 is a watch which is harder to call out in real life than the diver (other than the grey dial, more of that). It is a watch I need to examine off the wrist to know if it is gen or rep for sure.
To answer your question, the grey color isn't close, it is both too dark and too glossy. I agree with you that it is a color preferred over the blue, for me, from a personal point of view.
The blue dial may hold more premium but the grey dial is the one which does it for me, where putting one on the wrist goes.

Thanks for getting back to me legend. Honestly, I knew it was a good watch but I did not know it was that convincing that you would have to have it off the wrist before you could figure out whether it was genuine or not. That just goes to show how good a job the ZF factory has done with the 15500. The extra breathing room ZF had to play around with thanks to the larger display case has not doubt benefited us all.

Apologies for the colour question. I hadn't realised it had been answered a million times already. It's great to hear you enjoy the grey dial more than the blue. I'm the exact same and I honestly think it'll be my next purchase after hearing these comments!

 

[Taffybag39]

I have one of these in process and I am highly anticipating it’s completion. A top flight AP modder is working on it for me and giving the watch the full Monty; bracelet and cash refinishing, rotor silencing, reluming the hands and markers. That last part is being done because it’s all being plated pink gold. I’ll post pictures when it’s completed, but it could be awhile. The guy doing the job has a real affinity for vintage hack and slash role playing games so I hear projects can take a little while, but I am sure it will be worth the wait.

 

[legend]

I have one of these in process and I am highly anticipating it’s completion. A top flight AP modder is working on it for me and giving the watch the full Monty; bracelet and cash refinishing, rotor silencing, reluming the hands and markers. That last part is being done because it’s all being plated pink gold. I’ll post pictures when it’s completed, but it could be awhile. The guy doing the job has a real affinity for vintage hack and slash role playing games so I hear projects can take a little while, but I am sure it will be worth the wait.

I've heard he also has a penchant for doing the "hack and slash" at Geylang while munching on freshly grilled Bak Kwa.
Meanwhile, he has told me to pass the message on to you that because of your annoying habit of checking in every 26 min on the progress or so, he will be, out of sheer annoyance, he putting your watch up ahead purely to get rid of you.

 

[P..DR..D]

I have one of these in process and I am highly anticipating it’s completion. A top flight AP modder is working on it for me and giving the watch the full Monty; bracelet and cash refinishing, rotor silencing, reluming the hands and markers. That last part is being done because it’s all being plated pink gold. I’ll post pictures when it’s completed, but it could be awhile. The guy doing the job has a real affinity for vintage hack and slash role playing games so I hear projects can take a little while, but I am sure it will be worth the wait.

All good things are worth the wait.
Can't wait for the pictures, sounds like its gonna be an epic piece.

P.s. Could be that if ya annoy him every 8.66 mins ya could get it sooner than ya think

 

[Taffybag39]

I've heard he also has a penchant for doing the "hack and slash" at Geylang while munching on freshly grilled Bak Kwa.
Meanwhile, he has told me to pass the message on to you that because of your annoying habit of checking in every 26 min on the progress or so, he will be, out of sheer annoyance, he putting your watch up ahead purely to get rid of you.

I have commissioned a pair of Diablo embroidered Ed Hardy jeans as a bonus for him if he finishes the watch quickly. They are sure to make him the Gurkhan of Geylang.

 

[Taffybag39]

All good things are worth the wait.
Can't wait for the pictures, sounds like its gonna be an epic piece.

P.s. Could be that if ya annoy him every 8.66 mins ya could get it sooner than ya think

I’ll make sure to post the pictures. And thank you for agreeing this will be epic. Someone described the build as being “ostentatious” but I quickly forgot about that as I jumped in my yellow lambo and drove off into the sunset.

 

[Corvax]

ZF 15500 V2 is out
https://biao6688.com/54346.html

 

[repreg123]

ZF 15500 V2 is out
https://biao6688.com/54346.html

Curious what has been improved. I got a black v1 and fucking love this watch.

 

[legend]

Curious what has been improved. I got a black v1 and fucking love this watch.

Nothing worth discussing if you already own the v1 lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[repreg123]

Nothing worth discussing if you already own the v1 lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've been wanting to get a 15202 blue though

 

[Dragonfly35]

I don't know if it will be useful to someone, but I report my experience with ZF
At the end of last year I got a ZF ap 15400 white dial (v2) with the usual sharpen bracelet.
A few days ago, I got a new Zf Ap 15500 blak dial (v2). Compared with the 15400 from the same factory, its bracelet is a lot smoother on wrist.
The finish is certainly different as it does not scratch like that of the 15400. But visually they are identical.
I don't know if in Zf they have started to remake the bracelets better or it is a coincidence that the latter arrived does not have the sharpness of 15400.

 

[legend]

I've been wanting to get a 15202 blue though

To be fair, the zf15500 is one of the best AP reps currently.
Yes not perfect and yes we can do a list of tells etc etc but let’s talk about real world effect for a second:

In real life, this watch can be worn like the gen on the wrist. This is the kind of watch where the first guesses and deductions are made by observing the wearer and not the watch details. It is that good, enough said.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Aplex]

ZF 15500 V2 is out
https://biao6688.com/54346.html

The dates on all the different colours look not centered in the date window, too far to the underside.

 

[repreg123]

To be fair, the zf15500 is one of the best AP reps currently.
Yes not perfect and yes we can do a list of tells etc etc but let’s talk about real world effect for a second:

In real life, this watch can be worn like the gen on the wrist. This is the kind of watch where the first guesses and deductions are made by observing the wearer and not the watch details. It is that good, enough said.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm keeping the 15500! Only thing I'm looking to change is to get the rotor silenced as it bothers me.
The 15202 blue would be a nice addition, just haven't had the time to do my research on the reps yet. I really like how thin it is.

Cheers