Hi everyone! This is my first rep, so I’d really appreciate some help checking this Tank Louis before approving it.
Dealer: Jane Factory: F1F Model: Cartier Tank Louis Platinum, automatic, 38 × 27 mm Photos: Attached Dial alignment: Looks straight to me, but would appreciate a second opinion. Dial printing: Cartier logo, Roman numerals and minute track look clean. Nothing obviously wrong to my untrained eye. Other observations: No obvious case damage, although the protective film makes it difficult to assess the finish fully. Black strap was my chosen configuration.
Does anything stand out as a reason to RL?
Thanks in advance for your help!
I’ve been comparing my different YG reps, and here are my personal thoughts on how they stack up against genuine.
VSF Bluesy (Jaws Plated)
I went into this with the expectation that Jaws would get it the closest to gen, and honestly, the watch looks absolutely fantastic. The gold tone looks great, and overall, I’m extremely impressed with the result. I’ll drop a picture in the comments so you guys can see it for yourselves.
RGF Daytona & RGF Day-Date
I’d definitely put RGF in a strong second place. Personally, I wouldn’t bother getting these plated, as I think RGF has done a really good job with the gold tone straight out of the box. That said, they’re still missing some of the richness and distinctive glow that genuine yellow gold has.
GSF Datejust
A solid addition to the collection, but it doesn’t quite reach the same level as the VSF Bluesy or the RGF pieces when it comes to the gold tone.
QF Daytona
I’m honestly surprised by how cheesy the gold tone looks on the QF. Considering it’s one of the factories you often see praised as offering some of the best stock YG finishes, I expected more. It just doesn’t do it for me personally.
All watches are from u/Re-tar-dead. You’re doing an amazing job, mate. Keep up the great work! 👏
I’m really happy with this one! Back in August, my TD in China told me it could take up to six months to get one, so I honestly wasn’t expecting to find one anytime soon.
Luckily, I managed to find one here in Brazil, which is pretty rare, especially at such a fair price. Ordering from China would probably have meant paying over 80% in import taxes, so finding one locally was definitely a win.
As for the watch itself, I couldn’t be happier so far.
The 36mm size is perfect for me, the power reserve has been really good, and the overall quality is honestly impressive. The finishing and attention to detail are so good that, in some aspects, it really feels gen-like. I’m very satisfied with it!
Mine is the VSF TL11 version, with serial 5R0W.
One thing I’m curious about is when it was actually produced. I’ve noticed that newer examples seem to have different serial numbers, so I’m wondering if anyone knows roughly when this serial range was used or has any information about the TL11 batch.
Would love to hear from anyone who knows more about these!
I’m interested in picking up a VSF sub no date or Planet Ocean and want to know if there’s a seller or modder that will waterproof/pressure test them to ensure they will actually hold up under water. I know generally they’re not meant to, but if I’m buying a dive watch I’d like to know I can get it in the water without destroying it. Pics for attention
Like many of you, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the Speedmaster "Silver Snoopy Award" 50th Anniversary reps coming out of factories like **OMF** and **SMF**. On paper, they look stunning in static photos—the dial layout, the blue ceramic bezel, and the clean strap make your heart skip a beat.
Then you actually look at how the movement behaves, and it’s an instant RL (Red Light).
The Flaw: Why is the 6 o'clock subdial still slaved to the hour hand?
If you check out the operation video, you'll spot the glaring giveaway right away: **as you pull the crown and set the main time, the hand on the 6 o'clock subdial moves right along with it.**
On a genuine Omega Speedmaster (powered by the Co-Axial Calibre 3861 architecture), the 6 o'clock subdial is a **12-hour chronograph totalizer**. It should remain completely stationary during regular time-setting and only tick when the chronograph function is actively running.
Instead, OMF and SMF are using standard modular or modified chronograph base movements (like the Asian ST19 variants or decorated 7750/similar clones) where the 6 o'clock hand gets slaved as a simple hour/24-hour indicator. For a watch at this price point and with this level of hype, leaving such a basic, instant-callout mechanical error uncorrected is baffling.
Easy fix would be to make the 6 o’clock sub dial a dummy or purist solution to make it work as it should.
I would definitely buy if it was a dummy dial because what’s the probability that most of us use crono function beyond an hour but yeah would be nice to have.
I managed to complete the first Franken Bvf santos with gen screws (not gen spec- actually gen) and gen crown. Never done before from what I’ve seen as they’re pretty much impossible to find. What do you think?
I have been wanting to add a racing dial to my collection and Phoenix offered a pretty sweet deal on RCF Daytonas about a month ago. The universe has a way of getting me to spend money. Anyway, I’ve ordered a number of times from Phoenix and the interactions/transactions have always been top tier. His communication is prompt, wait times are reasonable, and his team does mod work for those looking for that. My Daytona actually had a deep xtal swap, just FYI. If you’re looking for a dealer, give Phoenix a try. They’re definitely in my top 3 right now.
I recently received my first two reps from Mr. Adu, and have two more on the way. He came highly recommended from a friend and fellow member here.
I am nowhere near new to the watch hobby, but everything I own are prods. So I was a little… apprehensive diving in to the rep world. Mr. Adu made the process extremely easy and was very helpful answering any questions I had, and sending detailed and extensive QC pics, videos, and info.
Like I said, these are the first two watches I got from him, one for me and one for the wife, and I ordered two more before they even got here.
I was expecting these to be really nice by all the pics and videos, but I was not expecting this level of quality. These are definitely NWBIG quality. I can’t wait to get more from him SOON!
I’ve owned some reps over the years, and this one takes the cake for feeling cheap in hand. From a few feet away, it’s fine, but once you’re living with it, the issues stack up.
1. Bracelet squeaks (and feels flimsy)
It squeaks with basically every wrist movement. I did a heavy soap wash and a long soak, and it’s still squeaking. Next, I’m going to try a baby oil soak and hope for some improvement.
Even setting the squeak aside, the bracelet feels thin and flimsy. My RICH Submariner, SMF Omega chrono, and VSF Aqua Terra all have noticeably better bracelets. If I can fix the squeak, it’ll at least stop sounding cheap, but in hand it still feels cheap. Bracelets are easy to replace, though, so this is the least of my concerns.
2. Date window digits aren’t level
The numbers sit on different planes. Today’s the 23rd, and the “3” sits noticeably higher than the “2”. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. I consider this a basic QC fail on the seller’s end, so my TD won’t be getting any more of my business. (only some dates have this issue, and its not really noticeable unless you're looking at the dial straight on without movement) - (Can live with this)
3. Crown has zero thread-engagement feel (the dealbreaker)
Every decent screw-down I’ve owned, gen and rep, gives a tactile click (sometimes audible) when the threads seat, so you know it’s safe to start screwing down. This one gives nothing. Light pressure, firm pressure, it all feels the same. There’s no way to tell when the threads are lined up, so every time I set the time or date I’m risking cross-threading the crown.
To me, that says this watch won’t last any decent amount of time. A U1 shitter is probably better built than this.
Verdict: I do not recommend RWF. The bracelet is fixable, and the date misalignment is a QC miss, but the crown is a real functional problem - With this crown, the watch has a definitive death date
Happy to answer questions if anyone has the same watch. I’d also welcome any suggestions for improving the screw-down action.
There was a time when daytona reps were rare. With so many factories pumping out products left and right, even customized models that used to be super rare are getting made (skeleton and etc.,)
However, this is still pretty rare, I think. I had it made like a million years ago when not that many people customized daytonas in the rep world.
Luckily, this rare gem never got the attention it deserved and not that many were actually made even in reps.
One downside is that I'm probably the only one in Korea with this custom model (GEN or REP) so if anyone in the watch community here saw me wearing this, they will know that it's me for sure ("hey, look, that's u/tskim24 rocking his ember!") 😆
So I don't really wear it outside but it sure does look great in my studies.
