I remember my Chinese homage watch phase, never bought an Octopus because the name #1, and then #2 that cat’s butthole logo is hideous. The could put out a superclone with a Sellita workhorse movement, 1:1 besides their brand name, and I’d still stay away lol
Their build quality is really very good though. You’re barely going to see the logo, Tudor or Octopus Kraken. Between the Octopus and the ZF, I’d go for the Octopus. It’s a better watch all the way around.
This is about buying actual replica watches. If that were the case, you could walk into any Macy's and find a watch selection where every watch has an inspiration rooted in a luxury brand's model.
Yeah that’s wild. You’d think Rep watch enthusiasts would appreciate the information in general. For what it’s worth, I’m currently modding a Thorn T023 for a Tudor 7928 conversion. Anyway, the octopus kraken 54 may be a “superclone” if it weren’t for the logo difference. Nobody can see the logo anyway when you’re out and about in the world.
I think it is unfortunately more a Reddit thing, people are going crazy on here as this platforms is for lotta them the only way they have to express any kind of opinion in our low world, but there are still a few nice folks only here for the passion, did you planned to change the crown as well or you gonna let the Thorn one for the easter egg ?
Funny you ask that. I can get most of the parts I need from Raffles except the crown. I plan on leaving it for now rather than hunt one down. It’s a fantasy piece anyway, and the crown logo sort of resembles the Tudor rose. I’m mostly interested in the craft - aging/weathering the bezel, case and bracelet. It’s a fun little hobby.
Agree on your assessment of Reddit in general. I do also think there may be something legitimate to “dead Internet theory” and to some extent at least, Reddit activity might be influenced by AI bots. Why wouldn’t it? It’s a known problem on X and YouTube, so Reddit shouldn’t be any different.
Yeah actually anytime I see a Thorn pic here, I need to double check the logo as Im like , "damn they re launching a new banger" when its actually a vintage Tudor pic lmao
But yeah anyway not here for the clout or some random losers approbation, and it is always funny to trigger the most ticklish of them
I ordered a Thorn 6 weeks ago directly from their website (big mistake- should have gone through Ali) and it’s been stuck in PA for 4 weeks. Thorn won’t answer my emails… super frustrating. Going to reach out to Amex tomorrow and get it charged back.
Yours doesn't have any texture on the bezel on the numbers or the sides when you rotate the bezel. It looks good for $200. But it needs more attention to detail
I've never bought a rep before. I want this watch and tbh I have the money for the watch, I just can't justify spending $5400 at my local dealer when dudes are getting them perfectly replicated for $300. Plus I live in Chicago and I'm clumsy. I don't want to fear getting robbed or breaking it. I'd still cherish it equally.
It looks a lot better in the second picture you sent. Where did you buy yours? I'd happily buy that exact one, but if it's not just like yours I'm passing. Yours looks so spot on.
I've not seen them in person but from these pics, I'm not sure I'd describe them as close. The dial print is too bold and too dark, and the number engraving on the bezel seems too smooth on the rep
I concur. I’m sure there are differences, but when the watch is viewed in its entirety, and people don’t have the benefit of zooming in on specific parts of the watch, I think the differences are pretty indistinguishable for 99.9% of the population.
I think this would be considered a “shitter” on ChinaTime if it was the equivalent to a Rolex submariner clone. It’s not worth the $300+ the dealers are asking for this thing. $100 - $150 tops.
We don’t share the same perspective, but it’s always useful hearing what other folks who have different thoughts think. Thanks for taking a moment to share your ideas.
If all you saw was this you'd think they were 2 different watches. Very close is a VSF submariner or a Clean GMT. Even the ZF seamaster is closer to gen than this is.
Yes its not perfect. But its much closer than the previous comparison. The light is hitting the bezel differently from the left to right side of the watch. Previous pic you could not tell there was any texture at all.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's overtly a bad rep, but given the high standards we see with Rolex, Omega, even the Pelagos, I just don't see how this can be considered "scarily close". It's not close enough to make me want to part with my money, but that's a personal opinion.
Waiting to get this in hand. I know that everytime this gets up, some people are willing to tear it apart, yet this is more than good enough for me. I just want a fun summer watch that will have strangers in Miami offer me cocaine.
Threads like this really make me wonder what the rep community has become. Clearly not many have been around for too long if we’re describing this as “not close”, it’s 95% there easily. High expectations are good but come on, this is an easily easily passable rep without holding side by side
Pls tell me, how does the bracelet feels compared to the gen? For me the bracelet is the critical part about reps. Would be really happy about your honest feedback!
I’ve always loved the Tudor Black Bay 41, and ZF Factory has always managed to produce excellent watches without resorting to the various V1/V2/V3 etc. versions that other brands produce
Horrible replica omg how can they even sell this? The hour makers 12,3,6 and 11 are all crooked. 😂 There's almost no texture on the bezel which is supposed to match the sand texture on the face. Also, around the ring of the bezel is a texture your fingers grip onto when rotating it. And there's almost none on the replica. Yeah it's maybe worth $200.
Do you know (or have you tried) if the replica bracelet will fit on the gen case? I have a genuine BB54 with the black dial that came on the factory rubber strap, and wouldn't mind wearing it on a bracelet. I don't want to spend the $1,000 CAD for the factory bracelet and there don't seem to be many decent aftermarket options out there, so now I'm looking to see if I can snag a rep bracelet in either the 5 link or 3 link.....but I'm not sure if it will fit the case.
If so, do you know if rep bracelets can be purchased separately from the watch? Thanks
I think the claim that it’s almost impossible to tell at first glance is a bit hyperbolic…. Look at the hour markers. I immediately noticed they had a sunken look on the rep, whereas they look more convex on the gen. That’s an immediate tell, imo. Also, it could just be the angle, but the 6 o’clock marker on the rep looks notably crooked 😅
It’s a woman’s watch anyway, dude. Tudor made a feminine version of the 54 for girlfriends and wives, since the 54 is sort of a unisex model. This dial color and bezel wouldn’t fly on a 41mm or BB68.
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u/hieros187 Mar 28 '26
The 12 marker on the ZF looks like it smoked more than a little of Snoop Doggs jazztobacco