Replica Rolex in 2026: Which Factory Makes Each Model

Stewart Charette· 8 years in the watch community

Updated October 14, 20268 min

A replica Rolex in 2026 is most often a VSF watch. The May 2026 update of the r/RepTime "Who Makes the Best" guide has 76 Rolex model rows, more than any other brand, and names VSF as the best pick in 33 of them, including the Submariner 126610 and the steel Daytona. ARF leads five rows, among them the Submariner 16610, the free-sprung QF leads three Daytona 126XXX rows, and ZF leads the Sky-Dweller. Clean Factory, a leader of earlier years, was reported raided in July 2025, and the February 2026 update removed it; one "Clean*" row remains.

The guide has two marks: NWBIG ("Best of the best") and Super Rep ("Good but not entirely perfect"). In the tables, NWBIG is shown; most other picks are Super Rep. The guide also warns that it is "directionally correct, but there are nuances": one factory can have the better case shape and another the better crystal.

Replica Rolex Submariner

For the other Submariners with a 2836 Asian movement, the guide names GMF first and BP second.

Replica Rolex Daytona

A note in the guide says that Clean*, QF and BTF update their Daytonas often, and that for some models BTF or QF beats Clean*, and for others the reverse. It tells buyers to compare the replica with photos of the genuine watch. APSF, second in one gold row, was reported closed in May 2026. For more detail, read best Daytona factory in 2026.

Replica Rolex GMT-Master II

The guide gives no GMT-Master II row the NWBIG mark.

Datejust, Day-Date and Sky-Dweller

VF, second for the Datejust 41, is one of the closed factories that the maintainer began to remove in May 2026. "Noob v2" has no proven link to the original Noob, which closed in 2021.

Explorer, Yacht-Master, Sea-Dweller and other models

For the Explorer 36 mm with a 3230 clone, the guide writes "no longer available". For the Oyster Perpetual 36, it notes that the VSF movement has two crown positions instead of one. A commenter on the May 2026 update wrote that "VSF don't make the Explorer 39mm 214270" and that it was a VF model, so check that row with your dealer.

The movements in Rolex replicas

• Clone movements. The guide lists clones of the genuine calibres: the 3235, 3230 and 3135 for the Submariner and Datejust, the 3285 and 3186 for the GMT-Master II, and the 4130 and 4131 for the Daytona. The prefix names the movement maker: DD for Dandong, VS on VSF watches, SH for Shanghai, and VR and JH for Jinghe. A member who services clone movements rates Dandong clones above Shanghai clones, and an April 2026 teardown rated the Jinghe JH3235 "as good or better compared to the Dandong 3235".
• Free-sprung clones. By early 2026 Rich and QF sold free-sprung versions with Jinghe (JH) movements. In May 2026 the guide maintainer "added free sprung from Rich and QF but still not NWBIG due to inferior crystal to VSF". A free-sprung balance "does not automatically make a movement more accurate", as a June 2026 explainer put it.
• Generic movements. Cheaper versions use Asian 2824 or 2836 copies of ETA movements, mostly from GMF and BP, and some cheaper Daytonas use a Chinese 4801.

For more detail, read replica watch movements explained.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

• July 2025 to February 2026: members reported a raid on Clean Factory in July 2025. The February 2026 update "Removed all mentions of Clean Factory (sad day)" and put ARF in place of Clean for the Explorer II.
• May 2026: the maintainer wrote: "I worked my best to remove the now closed factories of APSF, VF and some of the others." The same update added the free-sprung Rich and QF versions.
• June to August 2026: members reported a raid on ARF; a top poster wrote that only a single warehouse was raided. In August 2026 members wrote that ARF had been renamed ONE.
• September 2026: a buyer reported "a 4 month wait on this Submariner Hulk" from VSF, and a commenter had not seen a VSF Hulk in stock since April.

Where to buy a replica Rolex

Four dealers on our list sell Rolex models:

• RepTime Boutique: a multi-brand catalogue with 12 Rolex model lines.
• VSF Factory Watches: a Rolex-only catalogue in 12 model lines.
• Clean Factory Watches: a Rolex-only catalogue.
• Reverie Watches: 11 Rolex lines in a wider catalogue.

Before you pay, ask the dealer for the factory, the movement name and QC photos of your watch. Compare their terms on the Trusted Dealers list.

Sources

All dates are the posting dates of the threads.

• Who Makes the Best guide, spreadsheet updated May 29, 2026, the February 20, 2026 update post and the May 30, 2026 update post (r/RepTime)
• Factories closed, August 1, 2021 (r/RepTime), on the Noob closure
• Clean Factory got raided, July 14, 2025 (r/RepTime)
• RICH Factory Submariner/GMT release with JH3235/JH3285 free-sprung movements, February 11, 2026 (r/RepWatchForum)
• GUIDE: DD vs. SH vs. VR 32xx movement identification, October 22, 2025, JH3235 movement teardown, April 23, 2026 and VS, VR, Dandong and free sprung explained, June 8, 2026 (r/RepTime)
• ARF shut down? June 11, 2026 and ARF gone? August 18, 2026 (r/RepTime)
• With VSF wait times being CRAZY, school me on RCF, September 2, 2026 (r/RepTime)
• Rolex, Wikipedia: founded in 1905 in London, based in Geneva

Next steps

• VSF factory profile
• AR Factory profile
• Clean Factory vs VSF in 2026
• Trusted Dealers list