I ordered a ZF for this watch because I liked the chamfers on the lugs, and also because I thought the decorated movement looked cool - this is where I went wrong.
It took ZF more than 4 months to get me the watch.
The watch arrived with a damaged hairspring, which probably happened during shipping.
I understand it can occasionally happen, and Puretime provided good service to figure this situation out.
(I took it to a local watchsmith to get the hairspring untangled and straightened out, and Puretime agreed to compensate part of the repair fee).
The watch itself LOOKS good. But the functional design is flawed.
1. ZF does not use case mount screws for the movement. The movement sits in a metal case mount, but the mount itself isnt secured to the case. So the only thing holding the movement in place is the crown stem; and theres a bit of wiggle room between the mount and case. I know some watches use this style, but I dont like this design for a couple reasons: the movement can shake slightly around in the case, especially if the case back doesnt actually contact the mount. It also means dial positioning in the case can vary, meaning sometimes the dial may look skewed.
Because the movement isnt mounted to the case, theres only frictional force holding the movement into the case, which also puts more force on the dial. This causes the dial edges to scratch against the case. Technically it’s not visible in the case, but it’s not a good design nonetheless.
2. This watch is LOUD. It's noticeably louder than my other Miyota 9015 watches. So I went in to tighten the rotor screws to see if that would help. AND THE ROTOR SCREWS FELL IN! I was dumbfounded at first, trying to figure out how in the world the rotor is attached without the screws. But then I realized the outer rotor plate is a fake decoration. I removed the decorative plate (which was very lightly glued to the rotor) and below were the real rotor screws. (BTW, tightening the screws didn't quiet the movement so I'll have to go back in with some lubricant if it bothers me enough).
3. Then I wondered if any other decorative pieces were as haphazardly glued on. I went around with Rodico, and soon enough, at least 4 more decorative metal pieces easily came off. I literally touched them with Rodico and they just lifted off. They were mostly metal dots looking like screws.
I realized how terrible this design is. If the "screws" literally came off with the touch of Rodico, then a bump in the watch might also be able to knock them out. And bunch of tiny metal pieces jumping around the case is bound to get caught in the hairspring or gears. This is just asking for troubles sometime down the road.
4. This is a new watch that was only just opened up. But the inner AR coating of the crystal is filled with scratches. There are many tiny scratches in the AR from the inner side of the crystal. Disappointing quality from ZF.
Overall: i waited 4 months for this watch. I have many other ZF watches, but this was a real disappointment. The watch quality itself is bad, with scratches in the AR coating. But not only that, the movement itself is flawed with too many decorative pieces haphazrdly glued on. I even doubt this is a real Japanese Miyota 9015 base to start with. ZF needs to reconsider their quality.
For those wanting an IWC Mark, listen to everyone and go with V7F.
sidenote: One cool thing is, i’ve never seen a rotor system like this before. The rotor screw are BELOW the actual rotor. ZF must have custom designer a suspended rotor bearing system.
Also, for those looking in the future, this is where the ZF Miyota 9015 stem release button is located. Use a tiny needle to push the button.
It took ZF more than 4 months to get me the watch.
The watch arrived with a damaged hairspring, which probably happened during shipping.
I understand it can occasionally happen, and Puretime provided good service to figure this situation out.
(I took it to a local watchsmith to get the hairspring untangled and straightened out, and Puretime agreed to compensate part of the repair fee).
The watch itself LOOKS good. But the functional design is flawed.
1. ZF does not use case mount screws for the movement. The movement sits in a metal case mount, but the mount itself isnt secured to the case. So the only thing holding the movement in place is the crown stem; and theres a bit of wiggle room between the mount and case. I know some watches use this style, but I dont like this design for a couple reasons: the movement can shake slightly around in the case, especially if the case back doesnt actually contact the mount. It also means dial positioning in the case can vary, meaning sometimes the dial may look skewed.
Because the movement isnt mounted to the case, theres only frictional force holding the movement into the case, which also puts more force on the dial. This causes the dial edges to scratch against the case. Technically it’s not visible in the case, but it’s not a good design nonetheless.
2. This watch is LOUD. It's noticeably louder than my other Miyota 9015 watches. So I went in to tighten the rotor screws to see if that would help. AND THE ROTOR SCREWS FELL IN! I was dumbfounded at first, trying to figure out how in the world the rotor is attached without the screws. But then I realized the outer rotor plate is a fake decoration. I removed the decorative plate (which was very lightly glued to the rotor) and below were the real rotor screws. (BTW, tightening the screws didn't quiet the movement so I'll have to go back in with some lubricant if it bothers me enough).
3. Then I wondered if any other decorative pieces were as haphazardly glued on. I went around with Rodico, and soon enough, at least 4 more decorative metal pieces easily came off. I literally touched them with Rodico and they just lifted off. They were mostly metal dots looking like screws.
I realized how terrible this design is. If the "screws" literally came off with the touch of Rodico, then a bump in the watch might also be able to knock them out. And bunch of tiny metal pieces jumping around the case is bound to get caught in the hairspring or gears. This is just asking for troubles sometime down the road.
4. This is a new watch that was only just opened up. But the inner AR coating of the crystal is filled with scratches. There are many tiny scratches in the AR from the inner side of the crystal. Disappointing quality from ZF.
Overall: i waited 4 months for this watch. I have many other ZF watches, but this was a real disappointment. The watch quality itself is bad, with scratches in the AR coating. But not only that, the movement itself is flawed with too many decorative pieces haphazrdly glued on. I even doubt this is a real Japanese Miyota 9015 base to start with. ZF needs to reconsider their quality.
For those wanting an IWC Mark, listen to everyone and go with V7F.
sidenote: One cool thing is, i’ve never seen a rotor system like this before. The rotor screw are BELOW the actual rotor. ZF must have custom designer a suspended rotor bearing system.
Also, for those looking in the future, this is where the ZF Miyota 9015 stem release button is located. Use a tiny needle to push the button.
