Noob Factory replica watches in 2026

Stewart Charette· 8 years in the watch community

Updated October 14, 2026

Noob Factory, for years the best known Rolex replica factory, closed after the 2021 raids, and the r/RepTime community does not treat it as back. Watches still sell under the Noob name in 2026, but no source shows a link between them and the original factory. The May 2026 update of the community "Who Makes the Best" guide marks Noob as closed.

Noob Factory at a glance

What happened to Noob Factory

The dates come from r/RepTime threads. Most of the details are second-hand reports from dealers and members, so read them as reports, not as official records.

• June 2019: members reported raids and order delays, and a commenter said Noob was laying low for a while.
• July 2021: a member answered that Noob stock was already gone and that nobody knew if the factory would return.
• August 2021: a member wrote that dealers had confirmed that the chances of a Noob return were almost none. The same post said that the Dandong factory that made the 4130 clone movement was also searched, and that Daytonas still on sale were assembled from leftover parts.
• December 2021: a member shared what reads like a translated Chinese police report on the "2-19" counterfeit watch case, which the member said came from contacts. The report described 38 arrests after an investigation that started in March 2020 on a complaint from the agent of a Swiss watch group. The poster matched surnames in the report to factories ("Xu is N, Liu should be vs, Zhong is ZF"); the quoted report itself does not name the factories.
• June 2025: asked if Noob was open, a member answered that the original Noob was raided and shut down about four years earlier, and that a factory now "just using the name" sold Noob watches.

What the original Noob Factory made

The Submariner. In August 2021 a member wrote that Noob was the best for the Submariner until VSF released its 116610 with the VS3135 movement. After that, Noob fell behind.

The Daytona with a 4130 clone. In 2021 members wrote that Noob was the only factory with a Daytona with all sub-dials working, because of its 4130 clone movement. The movement came from a separate factory in Dandong. In 2021 a buyer wrote that only the "real" Noob V3 and V4 Daytonas had this functional chronograph, and asked why a "Fake Noob" V8 Daytona used a 7750-based movement instead.

Owner memory. In July 2025 one member said a Noob Submariner from 2017 or 2018 still kept good time and survived swimming. That is a single report, not a reliability record.

"Noob is back"? The claims from 2024 to 2026

• November 2024: an owner reviewed a "Noob V2", also called FNF (Fake Noob Factory), Sky-Dweller in Everose gold. The owner found the fluted bezel more precise than the bezel of their ZF Sky-Dweller, and said that many trusted dealers could not source that version.
• December 2024: the dealer account PureTimeWatches announced on r/RepTime that Noob Factory "has officially returned", with a Day-Date prototype. Members criticized the date wheel print, and the dealer called the watch an early prototype. In another thread the same week, members said the Noob name had changed hands several times and that anyone could claim it.
• May 2025: an Instagram seller called a new Oyster Perpetual "Noob". The member who posted the exchange did not accept the claim.
• April 2026: a buyer received a GMT-Master II "Batman" listed as Noob by TrustyTime, for about 350 USD. The bezel was hard to turn and the blue was lighter than it should be, but the buyer liked the rest of the build and did not know if it was old stock or a new factory with the old name.
• July 2026: a member checked the serial and clasp code of a "Noob" Submariner from the same dealer and said it pointed to Clean, or to a fake Clean.
• May 2026 guide: "Noob v2" is the second choice for the Sky-Dweller, after ZF. The original Noob appears only as "Noob (Closed)".

How to judge a watch sold as Noob

1. Ask the dealer which factory made the watch, and why they call it Noob.
2. Ask for movement photos. Compare them with owner photos of the version you pay for.
3. Compare the QC photos and the price with a VSF watch of the same reference.
4. Do not pay extra for the name. The original factory is closed.

What to buy instead of Noob

The May 2026 guide gives these first choices for the models that Noob once led:

NWBIG means "not worth buying in gen", the top mark in the guide. Members reported a raid on an ARF warehouse in June 2026 and a new name, ONE, in August 2026, so ask your dealer what is in stock.

On our Trusted Dealers list, VSF Factory Watches lists VSF Rolex models, and RepTime Boutique covers Rolex and several other brands. Ask either dealer which factory version is in stock, and ask for movement photos before you pay.

Sources

All dates are the posting dates of the threads.

• Who Makes the Best guide, spreadsheet updated May 29, 2026, linked from the May 30, 2026 update post (r/RepTime)
• Noob Factory raided? June 16, 2019 (r/RepTime)
• What happened to Noob Factory? July 17, 2021 (r/RepTime)
• Factories closed, August 1, 2021 (r/RepTime)
• Update on Noob situation: they most likely not coming back but the 4130 is here to stay, August 18, 2021 (r/RepTime)
• Fake Noob V8 Daytona 7750 confusion, October 11, 2021 (r/RepTime)
• The complete story behind the raids, December 3, 2021 (r/RepTime)
• Noob V2 / FNF Sky-Dweller review, November 12, 2024 (r/RepTime)
• Noob Factory is Back! New DayDate is coming! December 3, 2024 (r/RepTime, dealer post) and Is Noob factory back? December 3, 2024 (r/RepTime)
• Didn't know Noob factory is back, May 12, 2025 (r/RepTime)
• Is Noob factory closed? June 6, 2025 (r/RepTime)
• How good were Noob compared to Clean and VS Factory? July 28, 2025 (r/RepTime)
• First rep: Noob Factory Batman, April 18, 2026 (r/RepTime)
• Neo NOOBs, July 15, 2026 (r/RepTime)

Related pages

• VSF factory profile
• Clean Factory profile
• Best Daytona factory in 2026
• Replica watch movements explained
• Trusted Dealers list