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.
Quite a few new models have been released recently, especially since the movement exclusivity agreements came to an end. As a result, many new factory names have started appearing in the market. However, most of these so-called new factories have not actually developed anything from scratch. Instead, they are simply improving models that were previously released by the major established factories.
A good example is the WS Factory Nautilus 5712 that I mentioned in my previous post. WS made some very impressive claims in its promotional materials, but the actual watch is not nearly as good as they advertised.
A friendly reminder: whenever a new factory name appears and claims to have made major improvements to a particular model, do not rush to buy it. In many cases, you may simply end up wasting your money.
AR Factory
Just heard that AR Factory, which is also known as ARF, just changed its name to “W”. All these factories producing replica Rolex watches are operating in a precarious situation, never knowing when they might be shut down.
Clone 330 Movement
Last time, I mentioned that BBF was preparing to release a hacking-seconds 330 movement for the Nautilus 5711. Now, this movement has finally been released and has first been installed in the two Nautilus models shown below.
Meanwhile, 3K Factory is also feeling the pressure. It has just announced that it will release its own hacking-seconds 330 movement, which will first be installed in the two Aquanaut models shown below.
Seamaster 600m
Two new Seamaster models from VS Factory, black and blue models available now. Before, a factory named VS+ also made these two models plus one orange model. The new Seamaster 600m from VS has a case that is measured to be 42mm in diameter and 13.8mm in thickness. The movement inside is a clone 8912, which is derived from the super clone 8900 movement from VS. At this point, even if VS releases new Panerai or Omega models, I do not expect too much from their attention to detail or overall finishing, because VS is now focusing almost all of its resources on Rolex.
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.
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.
The 15500 from VS is good, so is this new 15510. But I have seen a lot of reviews about the VS 15500 online, many dealers said it is much better than the one made by APS, I do not think so, APS has been making AP replicas for many years, VS is just a new challenger in this field. Each of them has their own advantages in AP 15500, and in this AP 15510.
For this new AP 15510, currently VS Factory has the blue dial version and green dial version, the following pictures I show is the one with green dial.
The following is picture comparison between the VS 15510 and APS 15510.
The left one is from APS, the right watch is from VS. The dial color looks different. VS 15510 has a lighter blue dial color.The grid on VS 15510The grid on APS 15510APSVS
The tail of the second hand, its shape is different. On APS, it is rectangular, on VS, it is trapezoidal. The hollow-out part is much bigger on the second hand of APS 15510.
The lug shape is different. The bottom one is from VS, it looks bigger and fatter.
The end link on the bracelet of VS 15510 is more flexible, just like their 15500.APS Movement
The color of the auto rotor looks different, the movement below is the 4302 movement from VS Factory.
About the 4302 movement used by APS and VS, I mentioned the difference before, VS’s 4302 is not the true free-sprung balance version, because it does not have weights. APS offers two movement options for the 15510, one with regular balance wheel, the other with a free-sprung balance, APS’s 4302 free-sprung movement has weights on the balance. Besides these differences, VS also claims that the auto rotor uses ceramic ball bearing. VS also saying their 4302 movement has the same power reserve time as the genuine AP Calibre 4302, which is 72 hours, I do not believe this, currently no fake movements can achieve such a long time of power reserve.
Last time, I gave a comparison review on the AP 15500 replica watch between VS Factory and APS Factory, here is the review at https://www.susanreviews.com/2026/01/19/replica-15500-grey-aps-vs-vs/. Today, I will show you the pictures comparison on the blue Royal Oak 15500 AP replica watch between the two factories, like the grey 15500 I shown you before, the main difference on the blue one also lies in the dial color and bracelet end links.
Before showing you the pictures, I would like to express my opinion first. I do not think VS 15500 is better than APS, many dealers posted videos reviews and said VS 15500 is better, actually many of these reviews are not honest. I still recommend the one made by APS. The status of APS factory in AP replica is like what Clean factory used to be for replica Rolex. For a replica Rolex Daytona or Submariner, I think many people will still choose the one made by Clean if this factory is still alive. AP 15400 and 15500 are flagship models of APS Factory, they won’t just hand over this market to others, so in such a short period, the 15500 from VS factory will not surpass the one from APS factory.
The left watch is from VS, the right watch is from APS. The dial color looks slightly different. The blue color on the right looks darker, I do not know which one is closer to the genuine. APS 15500 has a stronger reflection on the dial, I like this finish more on the APS 15500, athough VS claims that their 15500 dial finish is closer to the genuine. Just like the Rolexs made by Clean Factory before, the hands have more three-dimensional polishing, while VS claims that their flat hands are more correct, I think more people prefer the hands of the Rolexs from Clean. While the nameplate of “AUDEMARS PIGUET” on VS dial is better, it is more tridimensional.
About the movement, APS Factory offers two options, super clone 4302 and super clone 4302 with free-sprung balance. The 4302 from VS is a false free-sprung movement, and the movement from VS does not have advantages if being compared with the movement from APS.
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.
