Lately, discussions within the replica watch enthusiast community have predominantly centered around replica watches with increased weight, a trend that has gained significant traction in the latter half of this year. While the replication of watches has progressively approached authenticity, enthusiasts continue to pursue perfection. Notably, some individuals in the market have undertaken custom-made projects on replicas produced by renowned factories like Clean, ZF, and VS. Among these, Clean, ZF, and VS were among the first to incorporate cases with increased weight into replica watches. Subsequently, other factories, including GM and GS, followed suit, releasing Day-Date replicas with increased weight, garnering considerable popularity upon their introduction to the market.
A notable addition to this trend is the emergence of TED, a factory specializing in YachtMaster 226659 replicas with increased weight. TED is rumored to be a sub-branch of the VS company, although some believe it to be a small independent studio with strong ties to VS. Presently, the most discussed factories in this context are Gold and APS. Gold focuses on replicating Daytona and YachtMaster models with increased weight, while APS specializes in Daytona and Royal Oak 15400 replicas with increased weight, with Gold gaining more popularity.
There are speculations surrounding Gold factory‘s origin, with some suggesting it is operated by Clean. However, the prevailing belief is that Gold is an established watch part factory with years of experience in the market. Gold currently exclusively produces Daytona and YachtMaster models with rubber bands. For a detailed comparison, images of the Daytona with a gray dial and rubber band from both Gold and APS were captured and analyzed.
Both Gold and APS utilize tungsten steel in their cases, albeit not in its pure form. Instead, a tungsten steel alloy is employed, as pure tungsten steel is excessively hard. The weight of the APS Daytona measures 145.2 grams, slightly heavier than the Gold variant at 142.9 grams. In comparison, the Daytona from Clean weighs approximately 109 grams, making both Gold and APS models over 30 grams heavier than their counterparts from Clean or BT. Despite this added weight, there remains a discrepancy compared to the genuine Daytona, which weighs around 160 grams. The use of tungsten steel affects the polishing of the case, as it is inherently harder and less easily polished to the smoothness achievable with stainless steel.
The primary distinction between the two lies in the movement. Gold Factory employs a Dandong 4130 movement in its Daytona, while APS opts for the Shanghai 4130. The Dandong 4130 has established itself as a reliable movement over the years, whereas the Shanghai 4130 is relatively new to the market, currently featured only in Daytona replicas produced by ZF and APS. This could explain the higher price tag of the Gold Daytona compared to its APS counterpart.
Both watches share a remarkably similar case shape and size, suggesting they may originate from the same watch part factory. The gray dial exhibits a slight variation in color between the two, with no clear superiority. On the clasp, the engravings on the APS Daytona appear thicker and deeper, with both Gold and APS utilizing 904L stainless steel for the clasp.
In conclusion, the provided images showcase the Daytona from Gold Factory, distinguished by a dog head icon, and the APS Factory variant featuring a green sticker.
