Jump to content
Ilovethiscity

Ok ok I say WOW! It’s the ARF DAYTONA 116500LN (very pic heavy)

Recommended Posts

Ilovethiscity

Good afternoon to you all around the globe! 

Firstly I’d like to say thank you to RWG for having us in our time of need. I woke up this morning and wanted to try give something back while we're on hiatus!

Every now and then a watch comes along which takes the hobby a whole leap up. I think this ARF Rolex Daytona is one of them. I think people focusing on the non Chrono part of this movement are missing out big time. This watch is barely thicker than the gen and sits perfectly on the wrist. I’d take that over functioning Chronos any day of the week and the big second hand working is the cherry on the cake so you can’t really call it out. 

In all my years in this hobby I had never even given the Daytona a second thought due to the previous versions being obscenely thick clunker compared to Gen which is a super obvious tell. Then along comes the ARF Daytona in 904l steel. Honestly this watch is special looking. I’ve been lucky enough to own 4 gen ceramic rollies in my time and I do think the “shine” that gen owners speak of is very present and near perfect on the ARF. I tend to be obsessed with modding every watch in my collection. This one only needed the bracelet to have a night in baby oil and the rotor silencing. As the old saying goes, it’s “running like a champ!”

A few years back I once tried the original white dial Daytona and felt it wore way too small than my gen hulk. The ceramic bezel  was such a great addition and beefs it up a bit! 

The cost of this watch in gen form is hugely inflated especially here where I live  (they are selling like hot cakes on Blowers etc for £15k which is amazing to me!) honestly I personally feel this thing is so well made I’m getting a ton of the enjoyment before even modding it! 

I would also say fellow members beware on QC pics I think people have gone a bit mad on rejecting these watches for silly reasons that you can’t see on the wrist. There’s even gens on the TRF 116500 thread with slightly misaligned 60 markers on the bezels! Mine was delivered in 3 days flat days before Xmas from Sead’s EU stock because it had been rejected and I’m so happy with it. Even in some of my pictures you will see the bezel markers look a little flat but in real life and on the wrist it’s perfect IMO no paint mods needed here! 

As always I will let the pictures do the talking and see what you, the real professionals, think. 

kNiWPUB.jpg
w7Y2tri.jpg
lKVVMgV.jpg
Lp7RQbN.jpg
SsYvXwC.jpg
oT8GVkX.jpg
BExjCgX.jpg
R6HPQ5I.jpg
CXH8kuz.jpg
qTGGCEO.jpg
gb6c2V6.jpg
sWFN75h.jpg
bkiYuqG.jpg
dVBMQbC.jpg
3cCmgBc.jpg
zB8x6KW.jpg
Spl8FIA.jpg
WbevREa.jpg
uZLKjeX.jpg
zaRUV0Q.jpg
rbDesbq.jpg
La8TmB1.jpg
oM7iLJM.jpg
OZgtVYi.jpg
QrO6T1X.jpg
WFvk3LS.jpg
ektTx80.jpg
umVDS5H.jpg
qTZeRLI.jpg
JSWWIfl.jpg

When David meets Goliath!

b5qZ0qn.jpg
bJzIeJP.jpg
imUcbRd.jpg

Wristies!

LUTwdG3.jpg
9PRZPn6.jpg
qMavteT.jpg
axel4E0.jpg
WFMLTXQ.jpg
w7DzvRM.jpg
MrqBaIn.jpg
4jDsFT3.jpg
h7XMFq7.jpg

Gen on top Rep on bottom

sPsHBFq.jpg
J55MLHO.jpg


 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Explorr

That's a great thing you have here, sir. Wear it well and in good health.

Would you please share who Sead is, of whom I have not heard.

Merry Christmas

E.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
jamesezra

Mine says hi’ :)

Cracking watch.

f8a7ea736a9c0eae74131c80e3368492.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
tripdog123

Sead is Supermirrors.

Good looking watch, the 904 steel does make a difference. Not sure why somebody would have rejected that - looks about as good as you'll ever get for a Chinese Rolex.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
CAESAR1

Beautiful looking watch!  Thank you for sharing your awesome pictures.

If I ever get a Rolex this is the exact one I would pick.  Stunning!

I hope you get many years of enjoyment from it.

Congrats

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Ilovethiscity

Thanks fellas for all the kind words! 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Replica01

Great review and pics! I bought the jf version earlier. I didn't really fell in love with, so I sold it. This version seems very nice.

Just bought the latest version 116520 from ARF last week,coming in next week. very curious about that one!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G928F met Tapatalk

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Herc

Much prefer it with the white dial - great piece paL 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Glaude

Great watch, great pics, thank you for your review !

6 hours ago, tripdog123 said:

Sead is Supermirrors.

Good looking watch, the 904 steel does make a difference. Not sure why somebody would have rejected that - looks about as good as you'll ever get for a Chinese Rolex.

:D Not sure either why somebody would have rejected this watch, but what I'm sure is that it's impossible to tell 904L steel from 316L only by those pics

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
tripdog123
11 minutes ago, Glaude said:

Great watch, great pics, thank you for your review !

:D Not sure either why somebody would have rejected this watch, but what I'm sure is that it's impossible to tell 904L steel from 316L only by those pics

En fait, tu vois, du coup, genre, .  . . . Quand tu sauras de quoi tu parles, tu verras que l'acier 904 is plus blanc, plus brillant que l'acier 316. 

Moi, je vois la difference - un jour peut-etre toi aussi tu la verras . . . ou pas.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Glaude
32 minutes ago, tripdog123 said:

En fait, tu vois, du coup, genre, .  . . . Quand tu sauras de quoi tu parles, tu verras que l'acier 904 is plus blanc, plus brillant que l'acier 316. 

Moi, je vois la difference - un jour peut-etre toi aussi tu la verras . . . ou pas.

Keep it in English here, that's better for everybody.

And no 904 isn't whiter than 316L take a look at every thread about it on every watch forum or steel forum.
You can have the same result with 316L steel.

Your aggressivity is totally unnecessary by the way, you can disagree with me, don't need to be rude and a smartass with it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Khronos

904 steel looks exactly the same as steel on any other watch I own. But your thread made me question my decision on the color of the dial..Thank you for a great thread with some exceptional photos! My black one ( still in plastic, not sure if it's a keeper ) says hello:

20171223_103622.jpg

20171223_110112.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Khronos

I see absolutely no difference in color

20171224_092025.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Ilovethiscity

Hey all thanks again glad you like the pictures. Yes I agree it’s not whiter but the ‘out of the box’ shine seems closer to gen to me than my noob V7’s etc which in my opinion would require a professional brushing to get a similar result. Maybe it’s just the overall fit and feel giving the illusion instead. Either way it’s a step in the right direction for sure! I like this watch enough to have it thinned down and get the ETA rotor installed etc. 

@Khronos yes I understand black dial for me is a bit more serious of a watch. I’m a jeans t shirt and blazer guy and the panda just seems a bit more fun but i’d definitely consider both now that I have realised I like the Daytona so much. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Moondustesp

Looks great enjoy 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
tripdog123
9 hours ago, Glaude said:

Keep it in English here, that's better for everybody.

And no 904 isn't whiter than 316L take a look at every thread about it on every watch forum or steel forum.
You can have the same result with 316L steel.

Your aggressivity is totally unnecessary by the way, you can disagree with me, don't need to be rude and a smartass with it.

You're right, I don't have to be rude and a smart ass, but it's Christmas.

 

1 hour ago, Khronos said:

I see absolutely no difference in color

20171224_092025.jpg

So because you can't see it, it's not there ?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Khronos
1 hour ago, Ilovethiscity said:

Hey all thanks again glad you like the pictures. Yes I agree it’s not whiter but the ‘out of the box’ shine seems closer to gen to me than my noob V7’s etc which in my opinion would require a professional brushing to get a similar result. Maybe it’s just the overall fit and feel giving the illusion instead. Either way it’s a step in the right direction for sure! I like this watch enough to have it thinned down and get the ETA rotor installed etc. 

@Khronos yes I understand black dial for me is a bit more serious of a watch. I’m a jeans t shirt and blazer guy and the panda just seems a bit more fun but i’d definitely consider both now that I have realised I like the Daytona so much. 

Pictures are great! What camera did you use? And please don't tell me these are some phone pics... ;)

I agree on the shine, this thing shines and sparkles like a star. It's a whole new level of finish in the rep industry, I haven't seen such a rep in my life and I had over a hundred by now, all more or less super rep level.

I asked my watchsmith about silencing my watch before ordering and installing the gen ETA rotor. He said that the decoration is glued on top of the rep rotor and that he would have to tear it appart in order to oil the rep rotor to silence it. I'm not sure if I'll go down that road, my movement is not too loud anyway. Just your typical 7750.

The black version looks awesome, but I've noticed that I have way too many watches in this color scheme. I bought a Certina Precidrive chrono recently that looks very similar and I think I'll sell this one and get the white one for diversity sake.

20171224_104213.jpg

15 minutes ago, tripdog123 said:

You're right, I don't have to be rude and a smart ass, but it's Christmas.

 

That's the spirit :D And yeah, I'm the one who decides what exists and what doesn't. And I say it's not there, period. Anyone who thinks or says otherwise is a moron. It's Chrismas, right?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
deju
6 minutes ago, Khronos said:

Pictures are great! What camera did you use? And please don't tell me these are some phone pics... ;)

I agree on the shine, this thing shines and sparkles like a star. It's a whole new level of finish in the rep industry, I haven't seen such a rep in my life and I had over a hundred by now, all more or less super rep level.

I asked my watchsmith about silencing my watch before ordering and installing the gen ETA rotor. He said that the decoration is glued on top of the rep rotor and that he would have to tear it appart in order to oil the rep rotor to silence it. I'm not sure if I'll go down that road, my movement is not too loud anyway. Just your typical 7750.

The black version looks awesome, but I've noticed that I have way too many watches in this color scheme. I bought a Certina Precidrive chrono recently that looks very similar and I think I'll sell this one and get the white one for diversity sake.

20171224_104213.jpg

That's the spirit :D

Yeah the fake rotor screw cap is gummy glued. I just used a pin to remove it. If fitting the gen eta rotor you also remove the decorations plate on the movement. 

Its simply held in by the movement mount screws. 

Definitely worth doing!! 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Khronos

@deju Thank you for your reply! Would you say that the power reserve is improved after fitting the gen rotor? Is the watch more silent? Do you perhaps have the part number of the proper rotor or can share where you got yours?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Ilovethiscity

@Khronos yeah those two look like identical twins :) so I think your plan is a good one! iPhone X man the camera is so so easy to use too. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Khronos
5 minutes ago, Ilovethiscity said:

@Khronos yeah those two look like identical twins :) so I think your plan is a good one! iPhone X man the camera is so so easy to use too. 

Quite similar, so I just neeeeeed the white dial version..I had to find an excuse and this one is good enough for me :)  And now I also have an excuse to get a new phone too :D My Galaxy S6 was great in the beginning, but the camera performance got much worse after an update earlier this year. It used to make great macro and low light photos, but it sucks big time now..

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
deju

I got mine from a Swiss seller on eBay:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F252697038696

I used möbius D5 oil. 

In fairness I can only speculate to an improvement to power reserve, as when I decided to order the watch, my research on RWI lead me to order the rotor at the same time. 

Swapped it before I wore it properly, the Gen eta rotor is heavier, in order to accommodate the movement decoration plate they hollowed out the rotor. So that’s why on top of being noisey it goes like a flywheel. 

Definately a mod worth doing!!  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
NCRich
45 minutes ago, Khronos said:

Pictures are great! What camera did you use? And please don't tell me these are some phone pics... ;)

I agree on the shine, this thing shines and sparkles like a star. It's a whole new level of finish in the rep industry, I haven't seen such a rep in my life and I had over a hundred by now, all more or less super rep level.

I asked my watchsmith about silencing my watch before ordering and installing the gen ETA rotor. He said that the decoration is glued on top of the rep rotor and that he would have to tear it appart in order to oil the rep rotor to silence it. I'm not sure if I'll go down that road, my movement is not too loud anyway. Just your typical 7750.

The black version looks awesome, but I've noticed that I have way too many watches in this color scheme. I bought a Certina Precidrive chrono recently that looks very similar and I think I'll sell this one and get the white one for diversity sake.

20171224_104213.jpg

That's the spirit :D And yeah, I'm the one who decides what exists and what doesn't. And I say it's not there, period. Anyone who thinks or says otherwise is a moron. It's Chrismas, right?

I think it can be agreed that you are all morons. 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!  :rofl:

I would say in the case of this watch that it is an awful lot to pay for a watch that has a movement that costs less than $20.  It has the same movement and is exactly 1mm thinner than a frozen chrono Regtona, and that is really indistinguishable on the wrist.  And on the Regtona the dial marker at 3 is straight, however the red printing is a bit less sharp.  I have had them both in my hands, and ground the 1mm off the back of the Regtona.  But that ARF is almost 5 times as much and over what I will pay for a toy watch.

That is what is wonderful about this hobby.  Opinions and tastes vary.  Enjoy your watch.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Uhrenfreund

But the watch have a non working Chronograph. Two Subdails are faux. I think what is it is not eorth money.

Because it can be easily called our as Rep.

You can also buy a 21J Daytona. This is easily called out as Rep like the ARF.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Khronos
22 minutes ago, deju said:

I got mine from a Swiss seller on eBay:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F252697038696

I used möbius D5 oil. 

In fairness I can only speculate to an improvement to power reserve, as when I decided to order the watch, my research on RWI lead me to order the rotor at the same time. 

Swapped it before I wore it properly, the Gen eta rotor is heavier, in order to accommodate the movement decoration plate they hollowed out the rotor. So that’s why on top of being noisey it goes like a flywheel. 

Definately a mod worth doing!!  

Thanks for your reply, much appreciated. I'll order one, either for this one or the white dial version.

This oil is exactly what my watchsmith uses. He was also pretty impressed by the build quality of this watch, but even more by the Vacheron Constantin Overseas I showed him. He used to be very sceptical about reps when we first met, but now he's always curious about what I'll pull out of my bag when I bring a new watch for oiling and cleaning :) He even bought a KW Zenit pilot for his collection recently :)

10 minutes ago, Uhrenfreund said:

But the watch have a non working Chronograph. Two Subdails are faux. I think what is it is not eorth money.

Because it can be easily called our as Rep.

You can also buy a 21J Daytona. This is easily called out as Rep like the ARF.

Huh? How so? Do you hand your watch to people who try to call you out? Grow a pair and tell them to fuck off..Those 15mm thick Daytonas look like shit. But you have to see one in the metal to realize that.

18 minutes ago, NCRich said:

I think it can be agreed that you are all morons. 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!  :rofl:

 

I believe so too :D Merry Christmas!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×