[Comparison] Rich Factory (RF) vs VSF Starbucks Submariner

Ever since the release of the new generation of free-sprung rolex movements, I've been really looking forward to getting my hands on some. After the extremely disappointing release of the "V2" fake free sprung movements from VSF, I decided to get myself one of the Rich Factory (RF) submariners to compare it against what I consider to be the current gold standard, the VSF submariner.

A couple of small things to get out of the way before the comparison:

• The RF submariner is a MK ii starbucks submariner, which means it has the lighter colored ceramic bezel insert, matching the latest version from Rolex. the VSF isa MK i starbucks, so it has the darker green version. Other than this, both watches are meant to be identical from the outside (which of course is not the case)
• Overall, these are both excellent reps. regardless of which you might choose, on the wrist, these cannot easily be identified as reps.

Crystal Clarity

• Both crystals are very good quality and have excellent AR. I would say that there is perhaps slightly better clarity on the VSF crystal, but it's very much a toss up.
• Conclusion: insignificant differences in clarity, both good

Crystal Magnification/Cyclops

• This is probably one of the most immediately visible differences between the two watches (besides the dial, more on that later). The RF has a much lower magnification of the date than the VSF. Additionally, the Cyclops on the RF is visibly more foggy than the VSF, which is perfectly clear. VSF wins this aspect, hands down.
• Conclusion: RF is foggier, VSF is crystal clear, VSF wins

Dial

• This, in my opinion, is the big one. The printing on the dials is entirely different. The RF is significantly bolder, and has much less of a prominent "dimple" in the middle of the dial, and i believe this dial to be much closer to gen overall. The one big weak point here is that the RF 12 o'clock marker is too close to the printed minute markers, whereas the VSF gets this spacing correct. Overall, both dials have impeccable dial printing quality and everything is extremely crisp sharp, but RF did their homework on this one, and it shows.
• Conclusion: RF nails the dial, with the weird exception of the 12 o'clock marker, but still win in overall appearance over VSF

Bezel

• I won't comment on insert color since they are not meant to be the same color. In terms of quality, both have the correct numerals, sharp cutouts, perfect lume pips, and nice even application of the silver deposits. no clear winner there. Other than that, the bezels themselves are quite similar, but the scallops on the VSF are a little wider, and the RF is a tiny bit sharper. I believe VSF is closer to gen in overall geometry, but unless you're looking up close and side by side, it's very hard to see.
• Conclusion: both are great quality bezels. Tiny edge given to VSF over RF.

Bezel Action

• Yes, I'm special, so I made this it's own section. for me, feel is everything in a watch. if a watch looks incredible but feels terrible in hand, I won't keep it. In this specific regard, both bezel actions are actually quite nice, but VSF is still king. The resistance and the "sharpness" of the click it makes is just much more satisfying to turn than the overall duller clicking sound of the RF, which, to be very fair, is still better than 90% or more than any bezel action I've felt on other submariner reps. As I mentioned before, we're splitting hairs here.
• Conclusion: VSF has the more satisfying bezel action.

Crown

• Both crowns are really very good, but they are slightly different. To be honest, I'm not sure which is closest to Gen, although based on online photos, i'm leaning towards VSF, which appears slightly taller and narrower compared to the RF, which looks a little wider and fatter, but it could be my eyes playing tricks on me. Flip a coin on this one, I don't think it matters. What dos matter is the knurling on the crown, and both are good here. no winner in this department.
• Conclusion: tossup, both good.

Exterior Case Engraving

• I don't know if anyone cares about this one, but here it is. The VSF looks like it was stamped into the metal, whereas it looks like RF machined/engraved this text into the case. I don't think either of these is "wrong", my understanding is that Rolex used to stamp these into the case, but are now laser engraving it instead. So technically RF is correct since it's replicating a newer model, which would also have the newer engraving.
• Conclusion: Different engravings, both are considered correct. no clear winner.

Rehaut Engraving

• this is going to be a big one for a lot of people. Both of these align perfectly, so nothing of note there. However, there's a huge difference here. VSF is a much thinner, cleaner engraving, which is most visible at the crown. The crown on the VSF is sharp, detailed, and thin. By comparison, the RF is much thicker and looks less detailed. The font on the RF as a whole is pretty bolded, which is not accurate to Gen. While the engraving is sharp, neat, and aligns well on the RF, it falls short in overall appearance, and loses to VSF
• Conclusion: VSF has a the better Rehaut engraving

Movement

• Arguably the entire reason anyone is looking at Rich Factory at ALL right now... the movement. The free sprung balance is RF's whole "thing" right now, and it is pretty cool to see. I will say that besides the free sprung balance, I'm not really convinced by the RF movement. some individual components (gears in the auto winding works, for example) look slightly better finished on the RF compared to the VSF, but overall, the VSF looks better. Particularly the engravings on the VSF look deeper and a little cleaner to me, whereas the RF engravings in the movement look a little darker and not as clean/polished. Finally, I must say that while the free sprung balance is cool, and a huge leap forward in Rep technology, it is much more tedious to regulate, and this RF came to me out of the box running around +8 to +13 sec per day, so regulation was definitely required there. it remains to be seen if the free sprung balance proves to be a valuable improvement when it comes to timekeeping across different positions, but so far, having observed the variance across positions on my timegrapher, I'm not seeing an advantage over the tried and true movement of the VSF. More to come on this movement, regulation, all that good stuff soon
• Conclusion: RF is "closer to gen" due to the free sprung balance, but doesn't beat VSF elsewhere. This one is a matter of priorities/personal opinion.

Bracelet

• I believe RF and VSF are using the same clasp but different bracelets. Why? simply because the clasps look and feel exactly identical to one another in every way. They share the F80 code and everything. If these are different, let me know how you can tell, because I cannot. That being said, the rest of the bracelet appears to be different. I say this because while the serial numbers/model numbers of the bracelets are dientical, the VSF laser engraving is much cleaner and thinner on the inside of the endlink, whereas the engraving on the RF endlinks is quite dark, bold, and doesn't look as precise. Quite honestly though, with all the similiarities, I wonder if they might be the same exact bracelet, but VSF might just be adding an extra step to clean off the dark engraving residue prior to installing the bracelets on the watches. Who knows.
• Conclusion: Bracelets are functionally identical, no difference in fit and feel. clasps are truly identical. not a determining factor when making the choice between factories.

Final Conclusion

• OK! that's it! so- who makes the best Starbucks submariner rep? I guess as with just about every single rep, it comes down to a matter of what matters to you. If you want the latest leap forward in movement tech and a more accurate dial, and most recent bezel color (ARF makes this color as well) then RF is for you. If you care about rehaut engravings, peace of mind of a tried and tested movement, and clickier bezel action and a better crystal, VSF still wins out. For my money, I'm sticking to VSF. That being said, I'm admittedly a bit of a VSF fanboy, and I am extremely excited that rep factories are now pushing into the free sprung movement space. Exciting things ahead! looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts below.