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RepJunkie

Black Bay 58 ZF v2 vs Gen

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RepJunkie

So after wearing the ZF v2 Black Bay 58 for just over a week and the gen for about a month, here is my review on how it fares to the gen. 

 

Bracelet

Let’s start with the bracelet, its decent and fits just like the gen. Looks very close to the gen including the tapered fit, the rivets on the side of the bracelet are close to the gen but appear to be slightly smaller. However one thing to note is the bracelet rattles. Not something you would notice when the watch is on your wrist however if it’s off your wrist and you shake it ? It rattles and sounds kinda cheap. The clasp gap is an issue I’ve seen brought up a few times. Mine does a have gap bigger than the gen but I don’t think it’s very noticeable unless you really look at it. 

Now let’s move on to the watch itself. 

 

Dial 

Here is where probably all of my issues with the watch lies. The black on the dial is very washed out. The dial is somewhat smother than the gen and comes off to be a slightly lighter colour than gen. Not a complete deal breaker but very obvious in bright lighting. Important to note that this bothers me more than it should since I’m used to the colour of the gen. 

Hands, slightly a lighter shade of rose gold than the gen and in really bright light there is a slight mismatch in lume colour on the hands and hour markers. Hour markers don’t pop as they usually do on the gen, not to say they’re dull but the rose gold doesn’t shine or reflect light as well as the original and is completely outshined by the reflections of the hands. 

Lume, as expected, does not last as long as the gen. I would say a couple of minutes at best. Due to the difference in the type of lume, most of the places where the lume is applied also seems whiter than the gen. 

The crystal is a little thicker around the edges, so there is slight distortion there and it makes the swiss made sign a little hard to see. Not too big of a deal tho. 

 

Bezel

Bezel wise, the rose gold is probably just a tiny bit lighter than the gen in bright light. Bezel pip is also a little flatter than the gen. Clicks well enough by my standards, good as gen ? Nope. Good for $288 ? Definitely. 

 

Case

Case is decent, although the back of the lugs are a little sharp.. not sharp enough to cut you while wearing it, in fact when its on you don’t feel it at all, but sharp enough to feel them if you press the right spots. Crown tube is slightly longer than gen. Noticeable ? Probably. Does it ruin the watch ? Not at all. Not even as much as some people make it to be. It has never affected my wearability of the watch nor had an issue of it digging into my hand or anything. Rose logo on the crown is good as well.  Caseback and everything else seems as good as gen to me. 

 

Movement

Runs on A2824, easy and cheap to fix and maintain. Is it close to the gen ? Not a chance, its louder, has a lower power reserve and has a date complication which is hidden and only noticeable when you pull out the stem. But hey, this is a rep and your probably already knew that. If movement is a big deal to you, you’re probably better off getting a gen.

 

Review on TD

Got it from Li over on JTime. Great guy and absolutely pleasant to deal with. Contacted him via Whatsapp and made payment via a local bank account. QC pictures within 4 days and second batch of pictures the day after. Shipping took a little longer but I doubt this was their fault as it shipped out about 2 days after i GL’d it. 

However, please understand this is my viewpoint after using the gen for a couple of weeks. Most people would not notice a lot of the things i mentioned earlier if they haven’t worn the gen. 

Pictures here: https://vgy.me/album/ANNuGasO 

 

TLDR; 90% of watch for 9% of the price. The bad ? Washed out dial, slight colour mismatch between lume on hands and hour markers, horrible lume performance and bracelet that rattles. The good ? Everything else. Should you buy ? Unless you want the best 1:1 AAAA++ Swiss Grade NWBIG uncalloutable absolute perfect watch, you definitely should! I would say the only reason to not get this watch is if the washed out dial really bothers you, which again is only something you notice under really bright lighting conditions. Although, if a v3 ever comes out with a darker dial, I would definitely be getting it. 

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Devil

Nice review for your first post, I have one of these on the way... It's been 3 weeks mind you. I do love me a Tudor :)

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GingerApple

Awesome comparison, thanks for bothering :thumbsup2:

Side by side, there are quite a few differences as you say, but equally,  none of them would bother me; they're both great watches, there are just small differences between them (movement aside).

Well done!

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Pics embedded to make it easier.

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RepJunkie
16 hours ago, Juggo said:

Nice review for your first post, I have one of these on the way... It's been 3 weeks mind you. I do love me a Tudor :)

Oh that sucks dude, but the wait would be worth it, trust me!

 

16 hours ago, TheGingerFerret said:

Awesome comparison, thanks for bothering :thumbsup2:

Side by side, there are quite a few differences as you say, but equally,  none of them would bother me; they're both great watches, there are just small differences between them (movement aside).

Well done!

Well, thought this would probably help someone when deciding if they want to pull the trigger. Also, thanks for posting the pictures here!

Edited by Del
Don’t need photos twice!

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Rokerite

Thanks for uploading the pics Ginge :thumbsup2:.

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BadApple

Cheers Oh Ginger One....

This has been on my radar for a while and the review hasn't put me off. 

One thing I have noticed and not mentioned is the bezel number sizes don't match - it could be the photos and unless you have them side by side it doesn't need to be given a fig. 

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RepJunkie
12 minutes ago, BadApple said:

Cheers Oh Ginger One....

This has been on my radar for a while and the review hasn't put me off. 

One thing I have noticed and not mentioned is the bezel number sizes don't match - it could be the photos and unless you have them side by side it doesn't need to be given a fig. 

Difference was too small and I thought it was just me, so I left it out. But yes, the bezel on the gen seems to be a little narrower than the ZF.

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BravoDelta

Nice comparison.

Which one of those is the gen? :blind:

I dont see anything I couldn't get over for $4000.

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gramsus

The right one with darker lume is gen.

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RepJunkie
8 hours ago, BravoDelta said:

Nice comparison.

Which one of those is the gen? :blind:

I dont see anything I couldn't get over for $4000.

Exactly my point! It's really good for $288.

5 hours ago, gramsus said:

The right one with darker lume is gen.

Correct! And the one with the time set around 7.

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Mystery Shopper

Very nice review, thanks for posting. :clap:

None of the differences between the 2 would bother me. I'd be wearing the rep most of the time & keeping the gen in pristine condition.

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Del

@RepJunkie Excellent write-up! Thanks for this. :thumbsup2:

I can honestly say (as a Tudor fan) that I wasn’t immediately sure which was rep or gen! :lol:  Having said that, once you know, it becomes more obvious (the uncharged lume colour discrepancy is clear to see in the pics, for example) but on the wrist, without a gen beside it, the rep looks very good indeed!

 

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RepJunkie
On 22/03/2020 at 14:17, Mystery Shopper said:

Very nice review, thanks for posting. :clap:

None of the differences between the 2 would bother me. I'd be wearing the rep most of the time & keeping the gen in pristine condition.

No worries!

To say the differences don't bother me would be a lie.. but they're something I can definitely live with. About the gen.. I've already posted it for sale! Personally don't see the point of keeping a watch if you're not going to enjoy it and the ZF is good enough for me.

On 22/03/2020 at 16:06, Del said:

@RepJunkie Excellent write-up! Thanks for this. :thumbsup2:

I can honestly say (as a Tudor fan) that I wasn’t immediately sure which was rep or gen! :lol:  Having said that, once you know, it becomes more obvious (the uncharged lume colour discrepancy is clear to see in the pics, for example) but on the wrist, without a gen beside it, the rep looks very good indeed!

 

No problem! 

That's the worse part! Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it :sad: But I remind myself of the price differences, for $288 you really can't complaint!

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BravoDelta
1 hour ago, RepJunkie said:

About the gen.. I've already posted it for sale!

Next comparison...ZF BB vs Dhgate BB :D

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NCRich
5 hours ago, BravoDelta said:

Next comparison...ZF BB vs Dhgate BB :D

I have those two.

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Jasonbaylee
I have those two.


NCrich how u find those sailcloth strap?
Appreciate your input.

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NCRich
2 minutes ago, Jasonbaylee said:

 


NCrich how u find those sailcloth strap?
Appreciate your input.

?  These don't have sailcloth straps. Do you mean Blancpain?

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Jasonbaylee
?  These don't have sailcloth straps. Do you mean Blancpain?


Omy... me bad.
Yes Blancpain. I wonder shld I ? Pls advise.

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NCRich
6 minutes ago, Jasonbaylee said:

 


Omy... me bad.
Yes Blancpain. I wonder shld I ? Pls advise.

I don't care for straps period, but the Blancpain one wasn't bad.  I put mine on a bracelet.

IMG-5443.jpg

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BravoDelta
2 hours ago, NCRich said:

I put mine on a bracelet.

Is that an omega bracelet?  I like it. I don't hate my sail strap but I don't like pin buckle straps generally. 

2 hours ago, NCRich said:

I have those two.

Side by side pic maybe? :D

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Intresting
2 hours ago, NCRich said:

I have those two.

when? when?  when ?  :Waiting:

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NCRich
23 minutes ago, BravoDelta said:

Is that an omega bracelet?  I like it. I don't hate my sail strap but I don't like pin buckle straps generally. 

Side by side pic maybe? :D

Ask and ye shall receive.

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Gate doesn't have a 58.  Just a 42mm that looks like it.  It looks nice, but the sec hand is so heavy that it stuttered really badly when I got it.  I went through 3 movements before I found one reasonable.  It ain't smooth, but it is far better.  Nothing wrong with the other movements, just individual variations in that indirect drive sec hand.  To start with it would jump 5 secs at a time sometimes.

The bracelet on the Blancpain is from Amazon.  It suits this watch very well and is one of the few 23mm ones available.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077ZLL5DM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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BravoDelta
1 hour ago, NCRich said:

Ask and ye shall receive.

Thank you. Shoot...besides the goldtone on the bezel, I can't tell much difference! 

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RepJunkie
22 hours ago, NCRich said:

Ask and ye shall receive.

IMG-6868.jpg
IMG-6873.jpg

Gate doesn't have a 58.  Just a 42mm that looks like it.  It looks nice, but the sec hand is so heavy that it stuttered really badly when I got it.  I went through 3 movements before I found one reasonable.  It ain't smooth, but it is far better.  Nothing wrong with the other movements, just individual variations in that indirect drive sec hand.  To start with it would jump 5 secs at a time sometimes.

The bracelet on the Blancpain is from Amazon.  It suits this watch very well and is one of the few 23mm ones available.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077ZLL5DM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I actually think the crystal on the DHGate one is a lot nicer than the ZF, less distortion. 

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