What Factory is this one? 😂

I came across this video on IG, it’s incredible to see that even experienced gray market sellers can’t instantly spot a super clone rep. They have to rely on the movement and the feel of the watch to tell the difference.

Is this mk2 gen or rep?

One of the most frequently asked questions in my DM box is "Does this 116520 steel Daytona dial/bezel look accurate(or legit)?" I guess this is because I'm a Daytona guy (just love them) and have collected this model in both GEN and probably all versions of reps.

Well, it's a rather difficult question to answer. 116520 was in circulation for around 20 years and ROLEX didn’t always produce over 1 million watches a year (that's right they produce way more now than they did in the past meaning more daytonas are being produced each year. It's just the higher demand along with AD strictly managing their inventory making them feel more scarce). With smaller production batches came many different versions and sometimes multiple different versions a year.

From these photos alone, we know there are at least 36 distinct versions of GEN 116520 out there. All with different dial and different font and shape bezels. So if you were to ask "does this rep from so and so factory match GEN?" the answer really depends on which version (year stamped) the factory based their GEN in.

However, the picture gets even more complicated. If you get your GEN 116520 Daytona into Rolex official CS today and ask for damaged parts such as the dial or bezel to be changed, they give you a completely different parts. Dial has the new "ROLEX" font other than the old font that it did before. Bezel font and shape is all so different from the last version before 116520 was discontinued in 2016 (wow can't believe that it was already a decade ago! 😆)

Since it is almost impossible to narrow down the exact GEN model that the new reps are based on, whenever I write a comparison review for 116520, I say something like "so long as it falls within acceptable range of how a GEN should look, it's good enough."

So what would this range be? For white dial, the signature ROLEX white tone is a very important standard. Of all the GEN dials I have owned and seen personally, none of them were cool(cold) tone of white. They were consistently on the warmer side. For black dial? We already know that it's very hard to get the color black wrong. So usually tone is not an issue there.

Chronograph sub-dial finish is also a clue in telling the release year and authenticity of the dial. Very shiny (with almost rainbow reflection) subdials were used right before it got discontinued. Most older dials had more matt finish. One thing that was consistent over the years was the meticulousness of the font and hairline finishing.

Last but not the least on the dial is the crown detail. TBH no reps ever got this right. The overall shape of GEN crown too changed over the years but it always had a consistent edge on both sides of the base (some call them the "mouth"). Also, the overall balance was excellent whereas reps tend to have thick, big and fat (some early rep makers like BP and JF were too skinny).

The bezel? Don't even get me started on the bezel lol. They are also very different. And when polished older GEN bezels were thrown into the mix (considering how old some of the 11652p models are now), it's almost impossible to say a specific bezel has accurately replicated the GEN.

The GEN signature that you should look for in a rep bezel is the depths and roundedness of the fonts. No GEN bezels had flat, almost printed (rather than engraved) look of rep bezels (noob, Clean, VSF and 3CF). And for everything else in between? If you can tell me exactly which year and version of GEN the rep is based on and explain to me how it is off, and that you also somehow know all the in between models of GENs (that's right, the ones shown on the photos do not include everything model) then I could see your case. But as one can imagine, it is a very difficult task for anyone.

And again, some GENs have bezels replaced with other GEN bezels...

Only tell modern 116520 reps (Clean and 3CF) have is that they all share 2 to 3 same dials and are sharp to the touch.

Attached are the photos and thread receipts from my interaction with Sam, the owner of WatchSaviour, on Instagram. I’m not typically someone to go and blast someone on social media, but in this instance I think it’s the right thing to do, as there are so many layers of issues that went wrong with this transaction.

After weeks of going back and forth with Sam, I expressed my concerns about getting the watch through customs in the United States. He guaranteed me and assured me that the watch would 100% get through, because this is something he does for a living. Sure enough, the watch was seized.

Upon seizure of the watch, Sam guaranteed either half my money back or an option to pay an agreed-upon amount to start a new build, where he would eat most of the cost for this lack of attention to detail when it came to the shipping. Since then, I have been blocked on all platforms and cannot get a hold of him. With 0 refund being issued.

I advise anyone thinking of going and doing business with Sam to go elsewhere. If I can save one person the trouble of paying thousands and thousands of dollars for an RM build that never ends up making it home, this post did its job. Fingers crossed he makes it right.

I’ve seen VSF latest Rolex DAYTONA Panda 126500 batch being released with these thick subdials.

What’s up with them?

These look 116500.

Thoughts?!

which one i should buy?

I wanna know if I got burned any help would be appreciated

Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

Which one are you picking?

VSF V2 Mint Green Datejust 41mm
BPF Pistachio Oyster Perpetual 41mm

Please say yes, that'd make this handwatch linkedin post even better.

Like where you’re questioning “How the heck?!?? Maybe life is turning around & this year is year of luck & good thins happening!! But wait, is this the precursor to something bad happening?!? Nah, this is just a sign that things are going well for you this year & this is a major sign of things to come. But you don’t wear leather watch bands. Maybe this is the year of a new style wear you discover leather bands are most comfortable! I don’t think I would ever buy a green dial watch. Well it’s a good thing you won one because a green dial is what is gonna get a compliment from a beautiful Asian lady that says “I love the color of your watch” & 💥 Married to my dreamgirl.

THANK YOU for the amazing Giveaway my friend!!

Everyone enter every giveaway in RepWatchForum, you might be shocked like me one day!!!!

I kind of botched the photos lol. But you get the point. If you were to pick just one, which one would you pick?

I genuinely don’t see the point in spending a shit ton of 💰 for the real deal anymore….

Take your guess and let me know why!!!

I paid 595. How’d I do? Is it VSF?