After ten years of playing watches, I have seen too many “fake ceramics” – the bezel is ceramic, but the watch case hides a stainless steel inner liner, which is exposed with a “click” when the bottom of the watch is turned. Until last month, a friend gave me a new Haima 300 ceramic jet black model from OR Factory. I was stunned within three seconds of holding it: This thing is actuallyTrue full ceramic! Even the bottom cover is screwed directly onto the ceramic shell without any metal padding. As an old player who has dismantled hundreds of replica watches, I must say: OR Factory (that is, GF Factory) has gone big this time and has directly raised the technical threshold of the industry.
43.5mm is domineering, ceramics can also “grow teeth”
At first glance, I was struck by the size – the 43.5mm watch diameter is larger than the regular Seamaster, and it has a full presence in the hand without weighing down the wrist. Here’s the key point: the edge of the ceramic case actually “grows” precision tooth patterns! I took a magnifying glass to take a closer look and found that the depth of the teeth was even and the bite was tight. When the bottom cover was screwed in, it made a crisp “click” sound without any looseness. Everyone in the industry knows that ceramics are fragile when fired, so daring to directly make tooth patterns on the shell means gambling on the yield rate. In the past, all major factories (including VS) had to rely on steel lining reinforcement, but the OR factory just took this hard nut.
The “breathing” feeling of jet black ceramics will perform magic under the light
The case, bezel, and corrugated disk are all made of black zirconia ceramics, but they are by no means completely black. When the side light turns, the light and dark lines on the bezel glow with a faint blue luster, like the phosphorescence on the sea surface in the middle of the night. The most outstanding one is the wavy pattern plate – the depth of the pattern is controlled at 0.08mm, and there is a subtle undulating feeling when you touch it with your fingertips. Under strong light, it actually appears as a layer of ink and wash. The hands and hour markers are filled with two-color luminous light, and a warm green light glows in the dark. When people at the bar raised their hands to look at the time, the whole table asked: “Where did you buy this watch?”
Disassembly and actual measurement: 8806 movement is as stable as an old dog
Under the transparent bottom design, the black balance wheel of the 8806 movement swings at a constant speed. I wore it for five consecutive days and measured: the daily difference is +2~+4 seconds, and the power reserve is stable at 48 hours (nominal 55 hours). The adjustment feel is completely synchronized with the original – the quick-dial calendar has no idling, and the hour hand jumps independently to the calendar smoothly. The biggest surprise is the water resistance: I forgot to take off the watch when I was swimming last week, and there was no water vapor on the bottom of the watch after landing. The sealing of the ceramic case + rubber gasket is indeed reliable.
Why do I dare to recommend it?
This is not a brainless boast about a new factory. I have seen too many “flash in the pan” in the replica circle: a certain factory’s Nautilus was out of stock for half a year and was directly forgotten by the market. The OR factory relies on the Breitling technology accumulated by the GF factory for ten years. This time, the Haima ceramic model shows the calmness of the “old factory” from mold opening to quality control. Among the three colors, jet black is the most eye-catching – unobtrusive in business situations, yet eye-catching during sports. Of course, ceramics are afraid of hard knocks, so just wear them daily to avoid violent collisions.
The essence of playing with watches is to enjoy the beauty of craftsmanship. This OR factory Haima 300 ceramic model may not be 100 perfect, but it uses real materials to tell you: replica watches can also have technological breakthroughs. If you are tired of the “ceramic ring + steel case” routine, you might as well try this ruthless character that dares to screw the bottom cover directly onto the ceramic – after all, as the industry progresses, someone has to pierce the window paper first.
