ZF AP 15500

[legend]

it looks like this:


You can buy it off eBay and Chrono24 or the local AP service center. It’s not that rare. Expect to pay about $200 or so for the 1.5 link.

if your watch is too slightly too tight, remove one normal link and add this.

if your watch is slightly too loose, remove 2 links and add this link.

 

[Sonofalich]

I agree that it’s expensive but it is a practical solution for the 1/2 size people. To put it bluntly, there is simply no other choice unless like what you say, one chooses to wear the watch slightly too loose or slightly too tight.

To be fair, I should have clarified my point further, I was rushing! But, practically, I meant in terms of the link actually fitting. Do you know if they do indeed fit correctly? I had wondered about the tolerances and differences between the gen bracelet links when combined with a rep bracelet link. In my experience with Rolex, when I have applied a rep link to my Gen bracelet it's been quite different... Looks very similar but then when you try to articulate the joint movement, the joint on the rep is different and opposes the movement of the gen links. That sort of weird relationship is what I wanted to talk about.

That said... I have no idea if that is present in AP reps, as I said the way for my to defeat this problem, is just get use to it haha and further... move the watch up my wrist by 1-2 cm. I have chonky, 8 inch wrists so I always have to add links... fun times.

Further the price of the steel links is around £250... I've never actually seen a 1.5 link on ebay (not saying they don't exist), but I can imagine they charge a hefty premium for the pleasure of being able to wear your watch haha. It wouldn't surprise me if the 1.5 link is around £400, ie more expensive than the rep!

 

[Addy]

it looks like this:


You can buy it off eBay and Chrono24 or the local AP service center. It’s not that rare. Expect to pay about $200 or so for the 1.5 link.

if your watch is too slightly too tight, remove one normal link and add this.

if your watch is slightly too loose, remove 2 links and add this link.

Does the ZF plant in China make such links at a lower price?

 

[legend]

To be fair, I should have clarified my point further, I was rushing! But, practically, I meant in terms of the link actually fitting. Do you know if they do indeed fit correctly? I had wondered about the tolerances and differences between the gen bracelet links when combined with a rep bracelet link. In my experience with Rolex, when I have applied a rep link to my Gen bracelet it's been quite different... Looks very similar but then when you try to articulate the joint movement, the joint on the rep is different and opposes the movement of the gen links. That sort of weird relationship is what I wanted to talk about.

That said... I have no idea if that is present in AP reps, as I said the way for my to defeat this problem, is just get use to it haha and further... move the watch up my wrist by 1-2 cm. I have chonky, 8 inch wrists so I always have to add links... fun times.

Further the price of the steel links is around £250... I've never actually seen a 1.5 link on ebay (not saying they don't exist), but I can imagine they charge a hefty premium for the pleasure of being able to wear your watch haha. It wouldn't surprise me if the 1.5 link is around £400, ie more expensive than the rep!

To answer your questions:

1. Yes they fit. I have personally purchased such a link for a member here who put it on his rep ZF 15400. There is no issue here. I’ll post a pic of the watch later.


2. I purchased the used specific 1.5 link for SGD280 new from the AP service center. Parts can be sold for different prices in different countries and in Singapore you also needed to own the gen royal oak to buy one from AP.

3. Price wise it’s very subjective. It depends on how much important one places on the comfort of wearing said rep. I do agree that the price of one link seems out of proportion to the rep but it is what it is. I don’t own reps so I cannot comment on that aspect. To put it simply if I want something bad enough I’ll pay for it. I think it’s the same for you and many others.

Nobody can deny that it’s an outrageously expensive solution comparing the rep watch price compared to the price of the link lol. But it is a solution nonetheless.

 

[legend]

Sonofalich

A pic of the rep watch I mentioned with the gen 1.5 link. It fits perfectly.

 

[Sonofalich]

3. Price wise it’s very subjective. It depends on how much important one places on the comfort of wearing said rep. I do agree that the price of one link seems out of proportion to the rep but it is what it is. I don’t own reps so I cannot comment on that aspect. To put it simply if I want something bad enough I’ll pay for it. I think it’s the same for you and many others.

Nobody can deny that it’s an outrageously expensive solution comparing the rep watch price compared to the price of the link lol. But it is a solution nonetheless.

It is a solution, however I would argue it is impractical (you know me, I love to argue) haha. But that's very good news that it fits - thank you for confirming that for me. To be honest with you, once I saw the prices of a single link, I knew that 1.5 links would be stupidly expensive. It's not a question of costs to me, but principle. I would feel robbed to pay ~£400 for a link, when the entire watch cost £400. It wouldn't sit right in my brain...

I guess that's the joys of working in Finance, turns you into a bean counter eventually!

 

[legend]

It is a solution, however I would argue it is impractical (you know me, I love to argue) haha. But that's very good news that it fits - thank you for confirming that for me. To be honest with you, once I saw the prices of a single link, I knew that 1.5 links would be stupidly expensive. It's not a question of costs to me, but principle. I would feel robbed to pay ~£400 for a link, when the entire watch cost £400. It wouldn't sit right in my brain...

I guess that's the joys of working in Finance, turns you into a bean counter eventually!

The price of the solution is out of proportion when compared with the rep watch but that’s the issue with replica watches, not the price of the link. There is nothing wrong with giving your opinion. You won’t pay it but the rep owner of the watch in the pic certainly did. I would pay for the 1.5 link too if I really need it for a rep.

I think it’s a matter of price too. The link for him cost S$280. Not £400. If it costs that much I doubt he would have bought it too.


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[legend]

Does the ZF plant in China make such links at a lower price?

Unfortunately, no rep maker does the 1.5 link currently. Your only option is either to buy the gen one, or you can try buying spare links and filing one down in terms of thickness to accommodate your wrist size.

 

[SuperLory]

May i say without offending anyone that that 1.5 link spoils the design of the bracelet ?

 

[Mc Queen]

May i say without offending anyone that that 1.5 link spoils the design of the bracelet ?

I think the same, but it's the only solution!

 

[SuperLory]

I think the same, but it's the only solution!

i went a tad loose on my 15400

Also it's loose in the morning when i don it but then when i'm engaged in everyday activities (grocery bags, carry kids etc) it becomes borderline tight

 

[legend]

i went a tad loose on my 15400

Also it's loose in the morning when i don it but then when i'm engaged in everyday activities (grocery bags, carry kids etc) it becomes borderline tight

What a subtle way to teach us how to build a stronger wrist while being a better dad/husband in the same sentence bro. :legend:

 

[repreg123]

So if I wasn't a scumbag doin jack shit all day maybe... haha

 

[Accord11]

It's very expensive and not a practical solution. This is a problem with AP reps, you have to wear them slightly too tight or too loose for you. There is no micro adjustment on the rep, nor the gen, which if you ask me is quite poor from AP in general but hey-ho.

So you have a choice, wear the watch too loose or sell the watch. I found for me, I wear mine slightly looser than I'd like but I've gotten use to it, plus I just move it up maybe a few cm up my wrist where my wrist is thicker.

The 1.5 link isn’t that expensive, like $300 for the gen link. It’s all relative, if you want to wear your watch comfortably and enjoy it, you can do that for a reasonable amount. And having a gen link is cool anyways.

I think I still have an unused one that I bought when I bought my gen 15500 blue dial a year or two ago. Thanks for reminding me about it. If I can find it I’ll make a sales thread....please don’t PM me, if I can find it I’ll then I’ll make an appropriate sales thread in the sales section. Hope I didn’t lose it!


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[Accord11]

I agree that it’s expensive but it is a practical solution for the 1/2 size people. To put it bluntly, there is simply no other choice unless like what you say, one chooses to wear the watch slightly too loose or slightly too tight.
Or on a different spot on the wrist.

It is also true that this is a ridiculous issue for a luxury watch brand, who took decades literally to switch to a quick change strap system lol, and maybe another few decades for it to adopt a micro adjustment bracelet design. :legend:


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Yes, agreed completely on AP. Their current CEO has lost his mind! Instead of refining the current 40 year old product line, he develops Marvel comic themed watches and devalues the overall brand image!


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[Accord11]

The only version from ZF that has a dial that looks "Metallic" in its shine as it should is the 15400 White edition i think. Why did they make the white dial correct but not the other models?

The ZF 15500 black dial has a fantastic metallic shine to it, it’s extremely impressive and they did a fantastic job.


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[Accord11]

I do own the silver 15500 and I can tell you that the rep dial does not look the same. None of the 4 colors look correct VS gen. Let’s not try to suggest otherwise, either to ourselves or others. So to answer your question, they didn’t make the white dial “correct” as well. All of the colors are flawed VS their respective counterparts.

But then again these are reps and should be enjoyed as reps. Forget about them being gen-like and just wear them as fun reps and not Audemars Piguet watches.


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Very good point Legend. What is most interesting are the differences in gen dial colors across the generations. For example, a 15400 blue dial has a totally different shade of blue, it is more of a grayish blue, whereas later iterations of the 15400 have a more electric blue. Same for the 5711, so many different variations of the gen dial colors over the years. That’s why I don’t believe the discrepancy in a dial hue is an immediate tell. Because of this, a select few reps have dials with a more authentic blue than some generations of the gen variant!


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[Accord11]

Yes I agree with you that there is none that can match the gen but I think the white dial on the 15400 looks quite close. I wish ZF would use this "Updated" dial on all their 15400 and 15500 models.
The White 15400 was added on Trusty's site March 30 2020 and the rest was added around November 25 2019. So my guess is that they updated the White version only. Then 15500 came around June 14th 2020, but they used the "old" Dial again.. Probably cause they already started working on the 15500 before this new updated dial was released..

Creating a franken 15400 is the most cost effective for the white dial. It is possible to buy a gen 15400 white dial for under $900. A gen blue dial will run about $2000. IMO the black dial rep is the most accurate and a gen dial isn’t necessary, but for the most discerning rep collector, a gen black 15400 dial can be picked up for around $1200.


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[Accord11]

To answer your questions:

1. Yes they fit. I have personally purchased such a link for a member here who put it on his rep ZF 15400. There is no issue here. I’ll post a pic of the watch later.


2. I purchased the used specific 1.5 link for SGD280 new from the AP service center. Parts can be sold for different prices in different countries and in Singapore you also needed to own the gen royal oak to buy one from AP.

3. Price wise it’s very subjective. It depends on how much important one places on the comfort of wearing said rep. I do agree that the price of one link seems out of proportion to the rep but it is what it is. I don’t own reps so I cannot comment on that aspect. To put it simply if I want something bad enough I’ll pay for it. I think it’s the same for you and many others.

Nobody can deny that it’s an outrageously expensive solution comparing the rep watch price compared to the price of the link lol. But it is a solution nonetheless.

The stainless gen 1.5 link is a bargain compared to the gold gen 1.5 link. I paid something like $1500 for my rose gold gen 1.5 link for my Royal Oak rose gold Chrono on solid rose gold bracelet from the APSC in Florida!


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[legend]

The stainless gen 1.5 link is a bargain compared to the gold gen 1.5 link. I paid something like $1500 for my rose gold gen 1.5 link for my Royal Oak rose gold Chrono on solid rose gold bracelet from the APSC in Florida!


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J, lets face it, you are NOT a good benchmark for most of the guys here.
Guys like you will buy the entire building because you like the painting on one of the walls on the 16th floor. lol