RWI

Factory profile

Clean Factory replica watches in 2026

a.k.a. Cleana.k.a. CF
Modern watchmaking facility interior with technicians assembling mechanical movements at long benches under cool LED lighting

Status

Reported raided, July 2025

Specialty

rolex

Community guide

Removed in February 2026

Checked

Oct 2026

Stewart Charette, watch industry analyst, holding a brass loupe at a watchmaker’s workbench
Stewart Charette
Updated

Clean Factory (CF) was the leading Rolex replica factory until July 2025, when r/RepTime members reported a raid. In 2026 the community does not treat the original factory as producing: the February 2026 update of the "Who Makes the Best" guide removed Clean. Watches still sell as "Clean" or "Clean Plus". Buyers describe the first as leftover stock, and the second as a newer operation with no verified link to the original factory.

Clean Factory at a glance

Status, October 2026Reported raided in July 2025; removed from the community guide in February 2026
Known for, until 2025Rolex Submariner 126610, GMT-Master II, Daytona 126500, Datejust, titanium Yacht-Master
MovementsVR3235 (Submariner, 2023), SH3235 (most Datejust batches and 2026 leftover stock), Dandong (DD) movements for the GMT and the Daytona
Clean PlusA name that a dealer account announced in September 2025; the Dandong 3235 at launch; JH3235 and DD4131 in 2026 listings
C+A different factory name from Clean Plus, according to a September 2026 thread
Community guide, May 2026"Clean*" with an asterisk is first in one row, the Air-King 126900, and appears in two notes; the guide gives no legend for the asterisk
Where to buyClean Factory Watches on our Trusted Dealers list sells Rolex models under the Clean name

What happened to Clean Factory

  • June 13, 2025: a buyer wrote that their dealer reported a seized Clean warehouse, mostly Datejusts and Yacht-Masters. A top commenter wrote: "A wholesaler for ZF and Clean got raided. Not the factory itself."
  • July 14, 2025: r/RepTime members reported that Clean was raided. A commenter wrote: "My TD confirmed many arrested." Another compared it with Noob: "They got raided and never came back."
  • July 15, 2025: buyers reported that VSF sold out or had waits of several weeks.
  • September 19, 2025: the dealer account PureTimeWatches announced "Clean Plus". The post said that the parts factories were safe, that new owners had taken over, and that the first releases were the Datejust 41, the Daytona 126500 and the titanium Yacht-Master 226627. Many commenters doubted it.
  • February 20, 2026: the guide maintainer "Removed all mentions of Clean Factory (sad day)". The update put ARF in place of Clean for the Explorer II and VF for the Explorer 39 mm.
  • June 10, 2026: asked why dealers still list Clean, a commenter answered "It's like a bait": buyers ask for Clean, and the dealer then says it is not in production and suggests another factory.
  • July 21, 2026: a reviewer on r/RepWatchForum wrote that Clean, the "clear market leader", was "raided and gone", and that seller claims of "old CLEAN stock" are "all probably a scam" at this point.
  • October 10, 2026: a member still showed a never-worn watch that the member described as pre-raid Clean.

What original Clean made well

  • Case and bracelet. Buyers often heard that Clean had the better case shape and feel. In March 2025 a top commenter answered that the case shape difference was so small that it showed only with the two watches side by side, and favored VSF for its movement and crystal.
  • Dial and bezel. An October 2025 Daytona 126500 review found the Clean and VSF dials so close that the reviewer mixed the watches up, and called both factories' ceramic bezels excellent.
  • Rehaut. A 2023 owner comparison with a genuine Submariner praised the Clean rehaut engraving.
  • The weak point: the crystal. In January 2025 a buyer had heard that Clean crystals were "pretty bad" next to VSF's; a commenter answered that the new Clean crystals were "on par with VSF now". In May 2025 another commenter wrote that, from their reading, the Clean crystal looks milky on a black dial. In March 2025 a commenter wrote of a preference for VSF for its movement and crystal.

Clean Factory movements

  • VR3235 in the Submariner: a 2023 owner comparison called it "the built-in Shanghait VR3235" and found it smooth to wind.
  • SH3235 in most Clean Datejust batches, according to an April 2025 discussion, and in a leftover 126610LV sold in April 2026.
  • Dandong movements for other lines: in April 2025 a commenter wrote that Clean used DD3285 and DD4130 movements, and others said its GMT movement could take genuine parts.
  • A dispute: the September 2025 Clean Plus post said that Clean had just moved to the Dandong 3235 before the raid. An April 2025 commenter said Clean never used the DD3235 in the Datejust. Nobody settled it.

Clean Plus and C+

Clean Plus. The September 2025 announcement promised the Dandong 3235. Owner reports in 2026 vary:

  • A September 2026 owner had a Clean Plus Datejust 41 overhauled and found that the movement looked like an SH3235, not the expected DD3235.
  • In other September 2026 threads, buyers listed a Clean Plus Datejust 41 with a free-sprung JH3235, and a Clean Plus platinum Daytona 126506 with a DD4131.
  • An August 2026 buyer liked the Clean Plus bracelet more than VSF's. In October 2026 one member found the Clean Plus crystal less clear than VSF's out of the box, and another called its dials better than VSF's.

C+. In September 2026 a top commenter warned: "C+ is different factory than Clean Plus." The May 2026 guide lists C+ second for the Submariner 124060 and the GMT-Master II 116710LN, and first for the Explorer II 216570.

How to judge a Clean watch in 2026

  1. Ask the dealer if the watch is original leftover Clean, Clean Plus or C+.
  2. Ask for a movement photo, and compare it with the movement the dealer names.
  3. Check the crystal in daylight QC photos.
  4. Compare the QC photos and the price with a VSF version of the same reference.

On our Trusted Dealers list, Clean Factory Watches sells Rolex models across twelve lines under the Clean Factory name, with a 2-year limited warranty on its policy page. Ask which version each watch is before you pay.

For the head-to-head view, read Clean Factory vs VSF in 2026.

Sources

All dates are the posting dates of the threads.

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VSF Factory

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Submariner 126610 (3235 clone, NWBIG)
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Named best pick in 82 rows (May 2026)

Factory · Raid reports, June 2026

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Noob Factory

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Listed as closed (May 2026)

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