In recent months, VS Factory has brought us a lot of new things, including the 100th Oyster Perpetual Rolex watch and the so-called free-sprung movements, but I do not think their 3235 and 4131 are true free-sprung movements.
Why the 3235 and 4131 are not true free-sprung? Please check the pictures below.
The picture above shows the new clone 3235 movement with free-sprung balance made by VS, the factory firstly installed this movement in the titanium Yacht-Master, later, they equipped this movement in their Datejust.
Although you do not find the extra regulator, but it is hidden below the balance cock.
Remove that balance cock, you can see the extra regulator hidden below, it is used to adjust the error.
The 4131 movement made by VS also has the same issue.
Are VS Factory able to develop the true free-sprung movements? I think they can, but in a short period they won’t, maybe the better true free-sprung movement will be their next move. However, the so-called free-sprung 3235 and 4131 from VS are meaningless, what is the purpose of VS to do so?
It has been a long time since I saw a watch this attractive. Rolex still clearly knows what it is doing when it comes to design. Now I’m really looking forward to seeing which factory will be the first to release a replica of the new Yacht-Master Rolex introduced in 2026.
Compared with the new Panerai PAM1698 that VS just released, this Oyster Perpetual looks much more appealing to me. VS’s release of the Panerai PAM1698 feels more like something they simply had to get out of the way.
But this 100th-anniversary Oyster Perpetual feels completely different. With so many factories recently flooding the market with new free-sprung movements, VS releasing this watch almost feels like a statement to the entire replica watch industry: I’m still the boss when it comes to Rolex.
VS Factory equips this watch with the DD3230 movement. One thing worth noting is that this should already be the third version of the movement.
I remember that a few years ago, when VS first released its super clone version of the 41mm Oyster Perpetual, it simply used the DD3235 movement, which meant the movement plate was still engraved with “3235.”
Later, VS developed a proper 3230 movement by removing the date mechanism. As a result, there is no longer an unused date-setting position when operating the crown, making its crown operation much closer to that of the genuine Rolex 3230 movement. Unscrew the crown to wind the watch, then pull the crown out to the first click to adjust the time directly.
It is also worth mentioning that this is the third-generation DD3230 movement. One of the main upgrades is the auto rotor, which now uses a bearing system with 27 ball bearings.
I already said that VS Factory will publish the free-sprung 3235 movement before in my last article at https://www.susanreviews.com/2026/06/08/two-big-news/, now the movement comes, but is it the true free-sprung 3235 movement? Everybody has different opinions about this, but I do not think it is a real free sprung movement, it does not have weights, just like the clone 4302 movement they developed for AP 15500 before.
Look at the clone 4302 movement from VS Factory, there are no weights on the balance wheel. To correct the inaccuracy, you still need to adjust that regulator I marked.
Genuine AP 4302 MovementFake 4302 Movement from VS Factory.
How about the one with new free-sprung 3235 movement from VS? Please check its pictures below first.
New VS Free-Sprung 3235 MovementOld VS 3235 MovementGenuine Rolex 3235 Movement
At first glance, we can clearly see the new clone 3235 movement indeed lacks a regulator if you compare it with the old 3235 movement from VS. But if you compare the new clone 3235 movement with genuine Rolex 3235 movement, you will find the former does not have weights on the balance wheel. However, with a solid case back, people do not see the movement inside, that’s also the reason why a lot of people think it is no need to buy the free-sprung movement, because almost all Rolex models have solid case back.
After this 3235, I think VS will publish the free-sprung 4131, but I do not know when. For all DD series movements, the free-sprung movements published by VS factory in future will not feature weights.
In the Rolex field, many factories have now released free-sprung balance movement, including QF, ERF, Rich, and others. Among these names, some are new to me, and honestly, I am not even sure whether they are newly established factories or just branches of some older factories.
For example, I previously talked about RG. It sounds like a new name, but it is actually operated by RC. RC’s business has really expanded quickly. Last year, their Day-Date became extremely popular across the whole market, and now they have successively released the Daytona and the GMT-Master models.
Alright, let’s come back to this Daytona from QF Factory.
QF Factory’s current marketing strategy is somewhat similar to what Noob Factory used to do. For almost every hot-selling model, they like to keep releasing new versions and create new selling points or gimmicks, but in reality, the actual upgrades are often not that significant.
For example, this 4131 Daytona is claimed to be the V5 version. This kind of naming easily gives people the impression that their Daytona is the best one on the market. However, in terms of overall workmanship, there is still a gap between QF and VS, not to mention compared with the previous Clean version.
Now QF has free-sprung versions of the 4131, 4132, and 3235 movements. In fact, for Rolex Datejust and Daytona models, it does not really matter that much whether you choose a free-sprung movement or not.
However, for some exhibition caseback models, such as the Le Mans Daytona and the newly released Daytona in 2026, you can choose the version with the free-sprung movement. And in the current market, it seems that QF is the only factory making a Daytona with the free-sprung 4132 movement.
I have learned from some suppliers in the watch market that APS will be back. If this is true, that will be too good. But the bad news is Victory Factory(VF) may never be back to this business. I explained the connection between VF and APS in post at https://www.susanreviews.com/2026/05/15/want-to-sell-this-blog/, but VF makes Rolex replicas, that’s the big problem, and the watch parts of their Rolex replicas are made by the same parts suppliers as Clean, and Clean Factory’s thing is not over yet, so you would imagine what happened next.
Not sure when APS will be back, or they have been back? ZF already got the 4302 free-sprung movement and 4401 free-sprung movement that were owned by APS before, now everybody knows they can buy good quality replicas of AP 15500 and AP 26240 from ZF. What watches APS will bring to us if they back, Rolex?
Another good news is VS Factory will bring two new movements, which are free-sprung 3235 and free-sprung 4131.
There are many factories manufacturing Rolex replicas with free-sprung movement, such as QF, ERF, Rich, etc. Among them, QF is the one with the most potential. About the free-sprung 3235 which VS will bring to us soon, I advise you not to expect too much. Because last time the 4302 they adopted in the AP 15500 is not a true free-sprung movement, because it does not have weights. I am not sure if the free-sprung 3235 and 4131 from them will have the weights on the balance wheel.
Last time, I introduced the replica watch of one of the new watches published by Rolex in 2026, it is the Ombre green Datejust, however, please check the article at https://www.susanreviews.com/2026/04/27/new-datejust-from-clean-2/. This Datejust replica watch is made by a small factory in the market, not by Clean.
About this Ombre green Datejust Rolex, VS just published the replica, compared the one I introduced before, the dial color is better on VS. Please check the picture below. The left watch is the V2 edition which VS Factory published this time, the right one is from a small factory. The gradient effect on the VS dial is more pronounced, transitioning from green in the center to black at the edges. However, on the right dial, the gradient is less noticeable, with a clear distinction between the black rim and the green center. Just look at the area of the green part in the middle of the two dials, and it becomes clear.
Watch the video below, the bezel on this V2 Datejust looks very shiny.
This Daytona from CBD is a weighted version, there are two movement options to choose, one with regular balance wheel, the other with a free-sprung balance wheel. Its price is even lower than the 116500 Daytona from VS, BT and V. I do not think it is a wise decision to buy this Daytona from CBD now. VS, BT or V may publish this Daytona replica watch later, but I am more looking forward to the QF version, because it will be heavier and the movement will be the genuine 4131 free-sprung.
In recent days, you might have seen the following picture in a lot of social media platforms, it is a Datejust watch with ombre green dial that was just published by Rolex in April. You can not get the genuine watch in the boutique, but can get a replica right now. This is quite ridiculous, some factories are always keeping an eye on new product launches and taking action very quickly. You may notice the sticker on the replica watch, it saying “3235” and “CLEAN”. “3235” means the movement model the replica watch is using, “CLEAN” means the factory’s name of the watch. But is this replica Rolex really made by Clean factory? Absolutely not. Even before Clean closed down, this factory was already selling Rolex replica watches in the market under the name of the Clean factory. The “3235” used in this watch is also not the best DD3235. You need to be very careful when buying online, the sticker on the watch can be changed to any factory’s sticker.
There is another new watch published in last week, it is the IWC IW388108. The replica was only made by TW Factory before, now TW is still a good option if you take the price into consideration, but this one made by APS now is the best one. TW Factory offers two bands for the watch, but currently APS only offers one rubber band for the watch. Please check the following pictures, which tell you the difference between them.
Made by APS Factory, the small dial at 6 o’clock is the small seconds subdial, this is the same as that of the genuine watch.This one from TW Factory, with two bands. But the small seconds subdial is at 9 o’clock, which is different from the genuine.
By the way, APS uses a super clone 69385 movement, so the watch’s case thickness is very close to that of the genuine watch. TW Factory uses an Asian 7750 movement in the watch, so the watch’s case is thicker than the genuine.
More pictures of the IWC Pilot Chrono watch from APS.
In this industry, if you want to get the highest quality replica Rolex GMT-Master II, I think many of you guys will choose the one with DD3285 movement, after all, thanks to marketing, this movement has a reputation that is widely recognized as the best clone Rolex 3285 in the industry. Even some stores in the market now do modifications on the SH3285 to make it look like DD3285 in appearance, SH3285 is good, but if you insist on the DD3285, the following pictures will teach you how to tell these two movements apart.
You can not tell which one is the real DD3285 on the pictures above. The movements look almost the same.
The left one is SH3285. Let’s see the difference in details.
The red wheel on SH3285 looks brighter. So we can clearly see the left one is the SH3285.
And on SH3285, the red wheel stands a bit higher above the movement plate. The red wheel on DD3285 is almost on the same horizontal line as that plate.
On SH3285, the semicircular area with engravings of “ROLEX” and numbers has not been polished.
On DD3285, that place has been polished.
But these two differences mentioned above could be modified in future.
Another more important difference lies in golden screw on one end of the balance bridge. On SH3285, it can be unscrewed and removed. While on DD3285, that screw can also be unscrewed but could not be taken off. Look at the two pictures below.
SH3285On DD3285, that screw can only be loosened up to a certain point; after that, it won’t turn any further in the loosening direction.
The shape of the hollowed-out area below the balance wheel is different as well. But the golden screw on the balance wheel is the key feature to distinguish them.
I mean in the replica watches market, what things will happen in 2026? First, some factories will be closed and some new factories will appear. Like Clean, some of those big factories here in the factories will be closed, maybe VS or APS. This thing happened every year. Second, more movements with free-sprung balance will appear. Currently we have seen such movements used in the Richard Mille and Audemars Piguet, actually in Rolex, some factories are also secretly using such movements, for example, UFO and QF. In 2026, we will see more factories participate in the development of free-sprung movements, and its technology will become more mature.
Another thing we care is which factory will become the main competitor of VS. We know VS has occupied the most market share of super clone Rolex, but this factory also has a lot of things that could not be solved, for example, the Rolex market is so big, VS can not take it all, many popular models are usually out of stock, so this is an opportunity for other factories, I think V will have a great development in 2026.
Why V? In the beginning of the closure of Clean, V claimed that the Rolex watches made by them use the same watch parts as Clean, this is important step for a new factory because at that time Clean still has a high recognition in this industry, everyone was looking for their products. And many distributors and dealers are promoting the watches from V. This is a great marketing strategy of V Factory to grow fast, you know, there are hundreds of distributors and dealers, absolutely the quality of V Factory watches is good, otherwise, their prices wouldn’t be even higher than VS’s.
What is the quality of the Rolex made by V? If compare with VS, I think the 40mm Submariner from V is very good, even better than the one from VS. Take a bezel on a genuine watch to make a comparison, the pear on V looks awesome, it’s luster and color are very close to the genuine, or even look the same. Like I mentioned in the reviews on Clean Rolex watches before, the polishing and finish on the hands are the best on Clean, the same finish is also used on the hands of this Submariner from V, the hands look more three-dimensional and do not have burr.
This black Daytona with 4131 movement is also from V. Like the 40mm Submariner above, its hands’ finish has the best quality, the hands appear more three-dimensional, while on VS, the hands look a bit flatter. While the chamfering on hour markers is rounder. For the 116500 white Daytona, perhaps the replica made by VS is better, because the white color on VS looks closer to the genuine.
Conclusion:
What we will see in 2026?
1.Some big factories may be closed. 2.More factories will develop the movements with free-sprung balance. 3.V may become the main competitor to VS.
In 2024, VS published the replica Explorer I 124270, this watch firstly appeared in the market with the iconic DD3235 developed by VS, later the factory developed the 3230 for the Explorer and Oyster Perpetual. When the Explorer 124270 firstly published by VS, there were two big flaws on the watch, first, the movement plate was engraved with ‘3235’, not ‘3230’. Second, the bracelet is the same width from end to end, that’s not correct.
The following pictures show the bracelet difference on the Explorer 124270 between VS and Clean. The left watch is from VS, the right watch is from Clean. The Clean Explorer has a much narrower bracelet, which is closer to genuine, while on the left VS Explorer, the bracelet looks much wider, this is not good. Absolutely this is the old version before improvement
The following pictures show the bracelet dimension of the watch after being improved this time.
After being improved, the bracelet looks much better now. Wider on the end that connects the case, becomes narrower on the clasp end.
The clasp width on the picture, it is about 16.1mm.
On the end that connects the clasp, the link has a width of 14.2mm
The end link that connects the case is measured to be about 19mm.
