Rolex Submariner Black Zz Ar Nail N Factory Comparison
The Rolex Submariner model is produced by Noob Factory with a high-tech ceramic case, standard case diameter and ETA 2824-2 caliber in Swiss norms
The article is a bit long and the number of images is too many. If it doesn't open, please try refreshing a few times. Thanks!!
As far as we know, before making the black water ghost, ZZ Factory was producing Roger Dubuis' Excalibur Knights of the Round Table model and it was not well known; So you may not know him very well. But as I said in my previous article, ZZ Factory did a pretty good job on most details after making some comparisons with the original.
Of course, there are other factories; VRF and V9F, for example, also produce some successful water ghosts. We compared AR, Noob and Nail; I think these are the most popular and best versions right now.
Below I will make a comparison as objective as possible; Please correct me if I say something wrong. Let's get started with today's real vs. replica review.
Looking at the details, how do the ZZ Factory, AR Factory, N Factory and NAIL (Nail factory) replicas actually compare to the original Rolex black water ghost?
From the photos of the original, we can see that when viewed from the front, the filling color of the bezel numerals is grayish white, and when viewed from the side, it appears dark silver.
Because real platinum plating is used, the ZZF's bezel filler color is the same as the original: grayish white from the front, dark silver from the side. But to be honest, the color in real is a little darker than what we see in the photos.
However, in natural daylight, ZZF's digit color appears much better. I will make another comparison under natural light in the following part of the article; Wait for that part too.
AR Factory's bezel filler color isn't bad either, just a little whiter than the original. Its coating looks a little rougher than the original and ZZF.
The Noob and Nail versions are clearly different from the original. According to our past experience, N Factory's color fades over time; We don't know yet whether Nail is like this or not.
Instead of engraving the marks on the ceramic bezel with a laser, ZZ Factory produces them directly with a mold; In this way, the 3D effect is much better than laser engraving. As seen in the image, the bottom and side surfaces of the groove are extremely smooth, there is a perfect right angle between the base and the side surface; which is closer to the impact and depth of the original.
AR Factory also produces ceramics with a mold. I think it's as close to the original as the ZZF in terms of shape and depth, not bad; Just a little rougher. It is not possible to notice this at a normal glance.
Noob and Nail engrave the marks with a laser; I think you all guessed what the result was.
The date magnifier (cyclops) has been sandblasted from the sides to create a light matte effect closer to the original.
The curve of the magnifying glass window of ZZ Factory and AR Factory is very close to the original. Noob and Nail are wrong on this detail; Both have a window with sharp, crooked edges.
ZZ Factory's triangular, rectangular, and dot hour markers all have rounded corners.
In AR Factory, the corners of the triangle and dot marks are rounded, but the corner roundness of the rectangular marks is not very noticeable and looks a little sharp.
At NOOB Factory, all signs have sharp edges; It doesn't look very good.
In NAIL Factory, corners of triangle, rectangle and dot marks are rounded, but this roundness does not seem to be very noticeable in rectangular and dot marks.
In my opinion, AR Factory is the best at dot markings; ZZF is best for triangular and rectangular signs.
At the same distance and same viewing angle, ZZF, AR and NAIL use the same blue Luminova material as the original; The filling ratio is equal and all except Noob seem to have a slight transparency effect.
ZZF is obviously the only factory currently producing solid center shafts; This was to the liking of many friends.
ZZ Factory has captured the lug curve, but the height of the step is low; noticeably lower than the original.
AR Factory has also captured the ear curve, but the height of the step is too high; noticeably higher than the original.
NOOB Factory is obviously wrong again; There is almost no height.
Below are a few more detail photos; I won't say anything for now, let's see what you notice.
We used a white A4 sheet of paper as a background for comparison. As a result of the comparison, we found that these four factories are largely the same, with only minor differences between them.
ZZF and Nail may be a little better.
The thickness of these four factories is almost the same. The thickness of the original is exactly 2.0 millimeters; When producing replica sapphire glass, there is usually a margin of error of 0.05 millimeters.
I must say: compared to the original, these four factories are also not very good in this regard. It even seems to look better than the AR Factory original because it has such a clear 'crown' shape. I don't know how to define this either, it's best for you watch friends to see for yourself. haha.
Many friends have already noticed the difference from the previous photos. From the images above, we can all see that ZZ Factory's engraving is not aligned very well; This is especially evident at position 6.
ZZ Factory, AR Factory and Nail use laser engraving. Noob is the only factory that engraves with the etching (acid etching) technique; so at this point NOOB did the right thing.
I have made the bezel comparison before; The photos here were all taken under natural light.
From the back of the bezel, we can see that: in the original Rolex black water ghost, ZZ Factory and AR Factory, the bezel was pressed into place; In Noob and Nail, it is attached with glue.
N Factory didn't do this right; others are close to the original in size.
The shapes of the small screws are different from each other. In terms of the sound produced when turning the bezel, AR and ZZ Factory are closer to the original. It is not possible to explain this with a photo.
I tried fitting AR Factory and ZZ Factory's steel bracelet to the case of the original Rolex black water ghost; They are indeed interchangeable.
Noob and Nail's craftsmanship is similar; They look like they came from the same factory. We can see the same 'ST9' code and almost the same details in both, but this is just a guess.
After careful comparison, I think AR Factory's steel bracelet has the highest quality texture among these 4 replica watches. Do you watch friends agree?
Lume under natural light: AR and NAIL are well filled, water droplet form, and the color is also accurate, just like the original; in a milky green tone. ZZ's work is a little weaker, and N Factory's color is completely wrong.
The ZZ Factory dial is the only model with a sunken engraving on both the central axis and the edge of the date window; but in the original this doesn't seem to be as obvious as it seems in the ZZ.
Different factories use different font versions because they are produced according to new and old versions; Therefore, not much comparison can be made between them.
Looking at the photos, ZZ Factory and NAIL look closer to the original Rolex Submariner black in terms of font thickness and size. But since the versions are different, he cannot make a definitive judgment.
ZZ Factory is the only factory that makes solid center axis; I don't post photos of others. However, it is a little lacking in the processing of the hour and minute hands. The one that does the best in processing must be AR Factory; but he lost the photo.
Since you've come this far, you now understand how to choose. Currently AR Factory V2 version Rolex Submariner black has updated the date font and reached the same thickness as the original. Since the photo was taken before, I am not including it here. For now, the ones most worth recommending are AR and ZZ; I hope the other two factories update soon so we have more options.
If you want to know more, you can consult Abi. Thanks for watching!
ETA watch guide — caliber archive
This post → Rolex 3135 · Nearby: Rolex 3235