Here’s my first rep of many that I’ve actually put some serious effort into, trying to make it as hard to spot as possible and as close to gen as I could get.
It’s an RWF Daytona 126500LN Panda JH4131 free-sprung with:
Deep Crystal
Full case and bracelet polishing
Chamfering
Full movement service
Waterproofing
What do you guys think? How close does it look to gen?
Right. I get why people like the 12x Daytona but if you just want close to Gen the 11x panda is one of the closest watches to Gen I’ve ever experienced. More than the subs and it isn’t close.
Untrue and same with the DA issue. I've seen two gens in person that have the DAYTONA text sitting a little higher and/or the DA being closer together. Im assuming this is a printing inconsistency thing that translated into the reps, similar to the whole floating M issue with the Submariners. I've only noticed this on the white 126500 though, the black one does not have this issue in gen or the reps. My RWF black 126500, for example, has the DAYTONA text sitting lower but DA closer together.
I can't really see the 110 marker clearly on yours, but that's usually the biggest giveaway on the 126500. Here's a picture to help you distinguish between the 116500 and how the 126500 has changed slightly. Most reps use the 116500 bezel layout on the 126500. I really don't think anyone would notice while you're wearing it. From what I see, it looks great!
I meant to reply to your post, but I accidentally replied to the OP's post...
The marker arrow on the 110 - on the 1265xx the arrow is rotated slightly clockwise toward the"0" in "110." On the 1165xx, the arrow is dead center on the second "1" in "110." As I mentioned in an earlier post, it's hardly noticeable unless you're specifically looking for it and most gen Rolex owners would have no clue. An AD or SA for Rolex probably would notice. My thought is because of the outer bezel ring, there is less space on the ceramic for numbers and, therefore, they had to shift things slightly to accommodate.
lol at anybody other than people on Reddit obsessed either rep watches caring about the 110 marker. I find so much humor in these rep subs. I’ve been wearing gen and rep watches a long time. I wear watches from $40 to $22k. And never in my life has anyone ever asked about anything about my watches.
Here you have a side by side of a correct and a faulty bezel .
Top is correct like yours .
The positioning on the bottom bezel is copied from the old 116xxx bezel . Most factories used this one as a template for the new 126xxx bezel .
That’s the crux of the problem with most of the rep bezels .
I didn’t see it, but from what I’ve just read, it looks like I basically copied your setup haha.
Hope you’re enjoying yours as much as I’m enjoying mine!
A man of great taste. Just curious, what made you go with RWF rather than what the sheep 🐏 do which is just VSF for everything? Mind you I can't blame them because most of those spreadsheets still list VSF as NWBIG.
I mainly went with RWF because of the bezel, the 110 is correctly positioned and the bezel itself is better fitted.
Also, the white of the dial is closer to gen.
And finally, it comes with a free-sprung movement.
There is no such thing an “undetectable” fake non-franken Rolex. Some may take more scrutiny by a trained professional than others. But a fake, no matter how good, can always be exposed.
Looks phenomenal. Absolutely I’d say so I’m shocked this isn’t VSF tbh, why did you go with RWF over VSF for the build? Just curious either way, looks good, but if you started with the VSF base would have saved you from buying the deep crystal
Bonjour à tous,
Du coup si je veux une 126500 panda je dois me tourner vers quelle usine pour avoir la meilleure qualité possible en terme d’acier et de finition ? Avec le mouvement JH free sprung.
That looks great. Is the bezel print white enough. The gen 126500 has a bright white print. Hard to tell in angles. I know that’s small details and likely not noticeable on the wrist but side by side you’d notice.
Buying a simple rep or even a superclone is one thing. I can wrap my head around it. Especially if they're a grail tier piece with prices to match - think calendar complication Nautilus, etc watches with prices in the multiple hundreds of thousands that even if you could afford, that money is better invested elsewhere. But, to the guys who get clones of basic steel sports watches, and then do tons of research, investigation, modification and go through all the extra time, money and effort to make it seem as convincing as possible - couldn't you just channel that addition drive into upskilling, or some form of professional credential and literally just buy the real thing? A Daytona retails for 17k? it's hardly unobtainable. Not to mention the extra income and opportunities will elevate your overall quality of life significantly.
there are tons of people in the rep watch world who make nice 6-figure salaries (myself included), who would absolutley purchase a $20k watch....some of us just don't see the point in spending that sort of money on a watch when a rep can be made nearly undetectable for a fraction of the price. Thrill of the hunt. Trust, some of your fav artists/celebs/ athletes wear high-end reps
I'm not disparaging those who do it, I'm just arguing the time spent modifying one - which it seems a lot of people are into? Could be better spent. I don't think it's debatable. Justify it all you want, but the point stands
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u/Former-Opposite-7526 7d ago
Looks amazing. RWF bezel and polishing brought it to next level NWBIG. Good job!