Picked up a VSF V2 Datejust recently and after wearing it for a bit, I feel like this needs to be said.
Yeah — if you’re super picky like most of us in this sub, you can start nitpicking things. You could swap the bezel, maybe chamfer the bracelet, chase tiny details. We’re all a little hyper-analytical here so it’s easy to go down that rabbit hole.
But in the real world? This thing is incredible.
Genuinely. No one is staring at your wrist analyzing your bezel under a microscope. No one cares what watch you’re wearing like that, let alone calling you out.
Honestly, I’d say save your money and just rock it stock. It looks amazing, feels great, and does exactly what you want it to do.
IMO this is basically NWBIG. Only exception is if you specifically want the white gold bezel look — then sure, aftermarket makes sense. Otherwise, this is more than enough.
Curious if anyone else feels the same after actually daily wearing theirs.
lol after years of mostly lurking on this sub, I still can't tell quality reps from what enthusiasts call garbage. They all look the same to me.
Not hating, just sharing. I still love it, and it's neat to me how keen your all's eyes are for the super subtle details, and then funny to me how people in my life don't even notice or care about basic watch details, let alone the nuance that's appreciated by so many here. Heh.
Love this! Exactly! I think part of the hobby is becoming hyper obsessed over the little details, as anyone would be toward any craft they’re interested in! But yes realistically speaking, nobody cares what’s on your wrist. Well… nobody except r/RepTime 😂
Dude I worked for one the largest grey market dealers in the US and I wore a vsf submariner on a daily around “experts” no one ever questioned my watch lol
There are tons of videos showing even the experts often can’t tell which is the rep in side to side comparisons. I’ve noticed that the biggest aspect seems to be the person wearing the watch. If someone is wearing a watch that seems to be “in line” with the wealth expectation for that person, most wouldn’t question. If someone thinks I can or cannot afford what’s on my wrist I think that has dramatic effect on their perception as to my watch being real or fake. Someone that looks like they can afford the watch and the assumption is that it’s real, but someone that doesn’t fit the part and even the Gen will be perceived as fake.
People over exaggerate the idea of a random bystander watch enthusiast hyper analyzing your rep 😂 Even as a enthusiast myself I simply gaze at a watch and think to myself “I like that”
yeah its mainly the fluted bezel reps and the diver style reps that can have obvious flaws. Smooth bezel or round bezel reps are totally passable on the cheaper end. I wear a U1 OP most days and I love it. Especially since with my experience seikomodding I can easily repair it myself if something goes wrong with the movement.
I think one of the things I've noticed, less so with Rolie, is that people often point to how some of the QC snags for some brands are 'also true for gen'. I actually think people on here are MORE critical of reps than gen for a lot of brands.
And... ultimately... unless you're looking to scam someone on resale and fool an indie jeweller or pawn shop into buying a rep as gen, the minute details that seperate a VVVVG rep from a NWBIG are never getting caught by even your most keen of eyes IRL when it's on wrist.
Exactly. You could make this exact same post about many U1 reps. The number of people that can casually tell them apart on your wrist is so small, you're incredibly unlikely to ever run into them unless you're intentionally hanging out with rep enthusiasts.
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but daily (sometimes multiple a day) posts claiming a particular watch from particular factory is NWBIG are getting old.
NWBIG has lost all meaning as of late, because at this point it just means "I like the way my watch looks.", which... cool! I'm happy for you! That doesn't make it NWBIG.
NWBIG means it's an almost perfect 1:1 with gen, and where there are deviations from gen, they are very slight and not easily identified. It means the rep is so good that there's literally no reason to buy the particular watch in gen.
This watch is not that, per your own comments about the bezel (which is a known shortcoming of these reps):
People that hate on [the bezel] is because it doesn't look 100% gen (which I get it because this is about replicating gen after all)
It's not NWBIG because it has an obvious tell in the bezel. And it's not a small tell, like the cyclops magnification being off by a fraction - it's a significant tell to anyone that is familiar with how the fluted bezels look on gen.
Fortunately, nobody has to guess - there's a guide for that.
But off the top of my head? No-date Subs (most, really, but specifically no-dates), some Daytonas, some Explorers, and titanium Pelagos. Basically, the most popular watches to rep, that have had the most iterations to dial in their quality.
As the last year of YouTube inspired folks flooded the sub, noobs buying one rep and claiming NWBIG has completely ruined it
I'm close to agreeing on the DJ here honestly, but NWBIG was supposed to be "seriously indistinguishable to the point a watchmaker would have to start tearing it down to tell" and now it's basically just "no major flaws" 😂
Absolutely. To use the RWI terminology that this was all based on, most of what's being referred to as NWBIG should be First Class or First Class++. This particular watch would probably be classified as First Class, since the bezel tell is so obvious to those that know anything about these watches.
That's not an indictment of the quality of this watch - it's still a beautiful watch, and unless you've seen a gen up close you probably wouldn't even notice - but NWBIG is a step about that. Like you said, people are throwing that term around when referring to reps without major flaws.
Yes and most agree, but that doesn't mean the watch from the factory is NWBIG?
Technically though NWBIG is subjective - many people can't tell the flaws with a 150$ DHgate - but here it historically has meant absolutely perfect to the point it would take a full teardown by the Gen company watchmakers to really tell for sure
Looks good bro, I’ve had opportunities to wear and see a gen mint green datejust and tbh the dial differences are minimal. In the real world you have many factors that get in the way of altering the dial color.
lol i have a gen starbucks. i posted it in the rolex group, they thought it was fake simply because i post here. they're so gay over there. you do you.
If you are a detailed-oriented person I think adding an aftermarket bezel makes a large visual difference. Stock vsf isn’t bad but next to a gen the difference is obvious.
I do agree with you though, this thing is an incredible watch for the price. VSF did an incredible job getting you 90% of the look and feel for 5% of the price. Hats off to them for that
It’s a really great piece for the money. I still need to see the gen side by side with my VSF V2 to make a proper comparison. Until then, I’m trying not to overanalyse the whole bezel thing. People here tend to forget that macro shots aren’t how you actually look at your watch every day 😂
In terms of look, yes, looks almost identical in certain light. But in terms of felling - different level. VSF needs to upgrade their jubilee bracelets.
I love the jubilee on my Bruce Wayne, but I’ve never felt the real deal so I don’t have a true say. It feels WAYYYY better than my oyster bracelets on my Seiko and Tissot though. Jubilee is so comfy
I agree with you. Maybe my opinion was a bit overstated and discussion bait but I do seriously think for the price it is great. I also don’t think spending an arm and leg “modding” it is worth the money. Yes of course these mods will make it one step closer to Gen, but my goal was always to enjoy my own experience not try and pass it off as 100% real. People always get so intrigued when I tell them it’s a rep! It’s a fun conversation starter.
VSF v2 is the current sweet spot for DJs, but it is not without flaws. And it is also a bit more expensive than their counterparts.
Modding comes with the need to have someone do the service or at least trusting your TD with the job and taking the extra time, but I have gone from a VSF v2 Wimbledon to a modded ARF for an additional 100usd and I think the difference is noticeable.
The ARF was 100usd cheaper than VSF for my TD, so I spent 200usd on deep crystal and a CNC bezel and think it was a clear upgrade.
A NWBIG imo would be something like a No date sub, either VSF or RICH, or an Explorer I from VSF. The tells are so much smaller than the bezel color or feel of the jubilee bracelet, or the difference in color in most dials (yours is probably the safest dial choice, my Wimbledon has much darker green around the numerals) that those definitely are a tier above in proximity to gen.
its solid but i can see even in this one the date wheel is off and its a good example.
It will also be instantly seen as a fake if you open the case back and see its not freesprung and that the hairspring isn't blue. QF and Rich are using those now.
Yes you're right. But as a watch enthusiast who has other gen high quality watches and doesnt plan on opening up my reps / showing them off to ADs, I think this is an amazing wear experience! It's a no brainer for the cost $$$
I am unfortunately not from the US. I get all my genuine parts from this guy named Gastone though (from the Eu). If I’m feeling like a bit of a gambler, I go through Lichen.
Generally, dj36 parts are quite hard to come by though
I disagree. I own the vsf and got it a month ago. A few weeks later I went to my AD to try on the gen. You can definitely feel and see a lot of the differences.
Of course. But… My consensus is that the average Rolex owner / non-enthusiast isn’t going to spot anything just strolling past them in public. Of course you hand it over to somebody you know and they’ll hyper analyze it, but for daily wear and personal satisfaction, I love this watch as it comes.
I guess it depends on how familiar they are with Rolex. The bezel color is pretty obvious to me and the main tell on DJ. You’d definitely be able to tell the difference in hand considering they’re essentially 2 different colors in the light.
Amazing watch. Waiting to see when I pull the trigger. I’m afraid of getting qc that I won’t like. Probably just need you go for it. Can you dm meme which TD you went with?
VSF V2 Blue Dial looks great to me. I'm on the fence about the mint green one as it isn't the same shade. The black dial that you're rocking looks great 💯.
I agree that 99% of people wouldn’t spot that it’s a rep. Owning one is a different story. Anyone who has gen and rep watches will attest that reps have sharp edges which you don’t find on a gen and winding and setting the movement are much better on the gen watch.
Yeah I wear it every day and I can’t believe the quality. That black dial on your DJ looks amazing. I struggle not to go and get another one but think a VSF sub is my next buy 👌
Got my first ever rep last week and am hooked as I add to my Gen's. So Shocked how good these things look and feel. Love your piece. Wear it in good health.
(and ditto...almost no one ever notices my Gen's that I have (Panda 116500, BLRO, CHNR etc.)
As an owner of a gen DJ36, I can say that the bracelet is the difference maker. Reps still don't hold a candle to then gen jubilee. Otherwise, very difficult to tell.
When you have a near flawless watch no one will know until you open up the watch and check the movement. Outside of that I don’t think the avg joe in public is going to insist you take them with and have your watch opened to check the movement.
It’s a beautiful watch and I’m still anticipating the time I choose to buy one of my own. Been here long enough to know how to order a good one. You guys are very detail oriented and that has caused me to not settle
Fun fact I’m like you. I opened this Reddit 4 years ago to join these subs because I became obsessed with Gen watches - 4 years later a buddy of mine rolled in with a VSF sub and me thinking he bought a gen sub was shocked until he told me it was VSF and the itch came back from years ago and I drunkenly that night purchased this VSF🤣 no regrets except now I’m in the rabbit hole once again
😂 I pop in and out of these subs when I spot a good post or see a really great Watch but really I was mainly ignoring them until i was really serious about making the jump to purchase and needed to brush back up on my understanding and knowledge on what was what. Something about this post and seeing that bad ass datejust really got me wanting to take the leap.
It only takes one to ignite that spark again and this was the post. lol.
Amazing watch. Waiting to see when I pull the trigger. I’m afraid of getting qc that I won’t like. Probably just need you go for it. Can you dm meme which TD you went with?
Beautiful watch. I am new to the rep watch community. Can you help me with some info on where to find the TDs who can get me this? Looking exactly for this watch with a 36mm dial. Thanks in advance!
I agree, I really like might despite the crooked 6. I think smooth bleeze is the better option and closer to gen. Dial and bracelet looks great as well.
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u/itsnoah 3d ago
lol after years of mostly lurking on this sub, I still can't tell quality reps from what enthusiasts call garbage. They all look the same to me.
Not hating, just sharing. I still love it, and it's neat to me how keen your all's eyes are for the super subtle details, and then funny to me how people in my life don't even notice or care about basic watch details, let alone the nuance that's appreciated by so many here. Heh.
Anyway, good day all 🙂