ScotchSoda 0 Posted January 10, 2013 (edited) Finally recieved my SOSF V2 after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting. In fact it only took about two weeks to get to me even considering New Years customs backlog - was sat in Coventry for nearly a week! I bought the watch from WI, and Mary and Rochest were extremely prompt on any questions I had, making for a really easy purchase - and after trying almost all of the TDs here I think this time I'll stick with WI for my next purchase. I went for the SOSF V2 from H-Factory: Asian 2836 automatic movement 44mm case (advertised as 43mm from WI.. think this is incorrect) 16mm thick Blue dial Solid stainless steel Case Solid stainless steel bracelet Sapphire crystal with AR Solid case back Deployment clasp Hours, minutes, seconds and date display functions This watch is absolutely stunning, better than I hoped it would be. I'm used to wearing a Rolex Submariner LV daily, and since I held this for the first time my Noobmariner feels like a flimsy bit of tin! ...I do still love my LV but for comparisons sake, this Breitling feels twice the watch for the money. After only getting into the Rep hobby in June last year, and not getting my first rep until August - I'm still pretty new to this. Instead of jumping in at the deep end I started off with the cheaper options, in hope that I'd learn enough to really appreciate the pricier investments in the future. I tried to learn as much as I could before making purchases and I finally decided last year I was clued up enough to step it up! All the reps I had bought until this point were Quartz or 21j - so the next step was an Asian clone. I picked the SOSF largely due to the look of it, but it was the reports of the rep being so close to the gen that tipped it for me. I appreciate the quality will never actually match a gen but when you have to take high res photos to point out differences... it's pretty close for the cash difference! Anyways, here it is being sported by my office tea monkey.... I took a few photos with my phone - as I usually do with new reps, but this time I realised it was time to brush the dust of my Canon SLR to get some real photos. I made a quick studio from A4 paper and used my iPhone to provide a light source and took some snaps! Here are the results - I didn't set the camera up properly as I was doing a rush job at the end of my day in work - some are a bit overexposed but the detail is there still for the most part! Overall opinions... Case: The face is stunning, with a much more true to gen blue colour and shine than I was expecting. Although it is a little different to the gen I compared it with. The lume dots are actually a nicer shade than I was expecting too, slightly more green/cream than the perfect white I have seen on some rep SOSFs. The chrome numerals are also pretty spot on, along with other face metalwork like the breit logo and date frame. The whole face is more than acceptable! The bezel is perfect, from what I can see its pretty spot on to a gen 'X-Plus', complete with the 'B' shown above. Rotation of the bezel feels spot on, good click! The caseback is also pretty flawless, likewise with the crown. Movement: I have lined up a video (haven't uploaded it yet) of my Asian clone's movement next to a gen SOSF movement and the difference is unnoticable. I knew this movement would be a lot faster than the 21js I was used to but I expected it to be jerkier than the gen, but no - not at all. Definately put me off moving to a swiss eta just yet (until I get bored and want to burn even more money on this hobby). Super smooth when setting time and date, feels very flush, everything clicks when its supposed to and doesnt when it shouldn't! I haven't taken the back off of my SOSF just yet so I can't comment on the look of it - I am wondering whether there are any branded details on it! Strap: The strap is nice and chunky, heavier and hence more of a quality feel than other reps I'm used to (Rolex), needs a bit of oiling though as a couple of the links are a tad less mobile than others. The clasp is also of good quality, nice engraving on the outer - no cheap print engraving. And the correct French wording on the inside clasp with 'BREITLING' in the correct font also.. Think I missed this on the photos. My only criticism on the strap is teh screws used, some are flat, some are rounded and some are in the middle. Luckily as I needed to take out 3 links, I was able to remove all of the screws that looked non-uniformed. Next to the gen... sort of.... Managed to rob my bosses gen SOSF for a quick comparison. Turns out his is actually a 2006 Superocean Steelfish 42mm - which was replaced by the 44mm giant we know and love now. Orginally it's replacement was called the 'X-Plus' model, but this suffix was dropped to make the new 44mm version simply - the Superocean Steelfish. Sadly for my camparison, the gen I got my hands on was also quite a few years old and hadn't had a scrub for a while - nevermind a polish! I asked a few people at the office which they prefered without letting them know which is the rep and mine was picked every time, admittedly probably because the rep is bigger, newer and cleaner. So lets take a closer look at the quality differences in the Replica SOSF 44mm (LEFT) and the Genuine SOSF 42mm (RIGHT)..... You can see right away a difference in the blue face, the gen is a bit closer to black/blue. The printing of BREITLING 1884 is also a lot clearer and more precise, which is correct for all white printing on the face. The metal flying B anchor is pretty close, though - but admitedly the gen still wins (obviously...) The difference in max depths and latouy/colour is of course model specific to the 42/44mm versions. Same again for the white printing - gen is clearer and sharper. The main difference in the Superocean text is the tail of the S, the rep just isn't sharp enough to capture the correct shape. You can see see here how the gen face actually has recesses for the lume dots and numerals which looks great, sadly the rep doesnt. The lume dots are pretty close - in daylight (I didnt get a darkness shot! I'll try tomorrow). They appear slightly different shades in this example but they are almost identicle in person... almost. The actual lume on the dots and hands is better than I'm used to seeing on my reps, but certainly not superlume (aparently this is only stardard on the swiss version V2). The biggest difference for me is the hands, at first glance you'd never see the diffence but under magnification you can see the massive difference in quality. The metal looks thicker and more precisly machined on the gen, and the lume is clearly set back into the metal. Even the centre of the face where the handss meet looks more solid. The red paint on the seconds hand goes a bit further up the hand on the gen... not sure whether this varies...? Also the red paint used on the rep is clearly glossier and thicker - almost rounding the edges of the square. The date whel is cleaner, whiter and the font is much sharper (should have set the times the same..!). The blue face visible inside the metal frame is also more defined - as is the metal frame itself. Lastly of course the date is slightly more centered on the gen. Lastly here is the two side by side to show the difference in the sapphires - the AR on the gen is FAR more blue... Last but not least here is a quick lume shot taken on my phone......... 10/10 - I don't expect reps to get much better than this Thanks to the members here that contribute and WI for the service! Edited August 15, 2013 by ScotchSoda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dalboy 2 Posted January 10, 2013 Looks all good.. The pics and the watch..Enjoy .. Dal.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffw69 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Thanks for the pics and review. Enjoy it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
<RJ> 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Nice review! Thanks. Im thinking of maybe go this way on my next sosf. Your boss dont treat his watch as it deserves! It needs a spa Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowtiefanatc 16 Posted January 10, 2013 Great write up! Threads like this solidify my decision for the SOSF, such an amazing quality rep. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScotchSoda 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Thanks for the comments Nice review! Thanks. Im thinking of maybe go this way on my next sosf. Your boss dont treat his watch as it deserves! It needs a spa Tell me about it! It really doesn't bother him! Great write up! Threads like this solidify my decision for the SOSF, such an amazing quality rep. Cheers , I'd 100% recommend the V2. I haven't seen a superlumed swiss version but I'd put money on this Asian clone being the most bang for buck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thedoccwc 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Great review - it really is a beautiful watch. I'm always amazed at how much difference 2mm makes. (NB: Comment specifically referring to watches and nothing else). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ronin007 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Looks great,heres the swiss V2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScotchSoda 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Great review - it really is a beautiful watch. I'm always amazed at how much difference 2mm makes. (NB: Comment specifically referring to watches and nothing else). Pahaha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maplebank 296 Posted January 10, 2013 Just got the SOSF in blue as well and absolutely love it. Got a black rubber strap as an extra but looking for a nice blue leather strap to go with it. Any suggestions (Del)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BadPickle 2,747 Posted January 10, 2013 beautiful SOSF, great write up too mate. its on the wish list for definite!! soon as i get some cash.................... oh the life of the poor!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hnic 1 Posted January 11, 2013 great watch! nice review thanks for posting Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LawKid 0 Posted January 11, 2013 Great post. Viewing their selection now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1littlegreen 1 Posted January 11, 2013 Great write-up! Thank you Kev Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry J. Miller 0 Posted January 11, 2013 MHBird - great review and a lovely watch. I think I like your rep better than the gen. Better value IMO. (damn these titty pic avatars are distracting....not complaining mind you) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScotchSoda 0 Posted January 11, 2013 Just got the SOSF in blue as well and absolutely love it. Got a black rubber strap as an extra but looking for a nice blue leather strap to go with it. Any suggestions (Del)? I was tempted to get a blue pro diver for mine but I'm not sure if the blue will match the face... Anybody got a SOSF V2 on blue pro diver? Cheers Henry! I would swap my rep for the beat up gen but only to sell it and buy more reps Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leigh 0 Posted January 11, 2013 Cool, great pics and great watch! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScotchSoda 0 Posted January 11, 2013 (edited) This watch seemed like a pretty good reason to make a signature! Edited August 15, 2013 by ScotchSoda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
corsa 0 Posted January 13, 2013 Great write up thanks, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scorpion 0 Posted January 13, 2013 Great review - I love reviews when they compare rep to gen, very informative and good photos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razorblade 0 Posted January 13, 2013 Good write up and great photos. Looks superlumed to me, although Rochest says otherwise. I think this will be my next! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScotchSoda 0 Posted January 13, 2013 Good write up and great photos. Looks superlumed to me, although Rochest says otherwise. I think this will be my next! I'll take some more lume photos when I get the chance! I think it's just generously and evenly lumed, I'll just HAVE to buy another watch with superlume to compare Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
