APS Factory (APSF) Watches: Guide Rankings and Current Status

The factory was known most for the IWC Pilot Chronograph, IWC Portugieser Chronograph, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and select Richard Mille and Jaeger-LeCoultre models. The r/RepTime Who Makes the Best guide (May 2026) placed APSF at or near the top for IWC Pilot Chronograph and Portugieser Chronograph references, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moonphase, and the Richard Mille RM055 NTPT. Multiple r/RepTime community sources from May and June 2026 confirm that APSF is now closed following a raid.

What the r/RepTime Guide Says

The r/RepTime Who Makes the Best guide (May 2026) ranked APSF as the best pick for the IWC Pilot Chronograph with a clone 69385 movement at Super Rep grade. For the IWC Portugieser Chronograph in all dial variants, APSF held the best position with a clone 69355 movement and Super Rep grade. The guide marks both IWC Chronograph entries with a note that APSF is now closed. For the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar, APSF holds the best position with a custom 9015 movement.

For the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moonphase, the guide places APSF at the best position with a 925 Clone movement and Super Rep grade. The guide notes that the APSF version has many stars on the moon decoration, distinguishing it from the ZF version, which the guide notes has fewer stars. For the Richard Mille RM055 NTPT, APSF holds the best position with an RMLU2 movement and Super Rep grade. For the RM055 Ceramic, APSF is the second pick with the same RMLU2 movement. For the Rolex Daytona gold 126XXX non-weighted models, APSF is the second pick with a 4131 Clone movement and Super Rep grade. For the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendezvous Moonphase, APSF holds the second position.

Reported Closure

An r/RepTime thread from May 2026 titled "APSF - Raided or not" reports that APSF was raided and is now closed. Multiple community members in that thread, including a top-ranked commenter, confirm the closure and report that several dealers confirmed it. The guide author (u/MajorWilliams) stated in a May 2026 update post that he removed APSF from the guide because the factory is now closed. An r/RepTime thread from June 2026 reports that ZF began taking over some IWC production lines after the APSF raid.

What the Community Reports

An r/RepTime thread from October 2026 titled "Who makes the best: post-APSF?" discusses the gap left by the closure. Community members in that thread report that the IWC Pilot Chronograph is the reference where APSF had no close rival, because APSF combined a clone movement (69385) with a quality dial in a way no other factory has matched. Multiple comments report that no current factory has fully replaced APSF for the IWC Pilot Chronograph. For AP Royal Oak references, community members in that thread mention ZF, DDF, OCTA, VSF, and TOP as current alternatives depending on the specific model.

Ask About Current Availability

Because APSF is reported as closed, new production is not expected. If you ask about an IWC Pilot Chronograph, Portugieser, or AP Royal Oak reference, ask us which factory version is available before you pay. Compare options against the current r/RepTime Who Makes the Best guide rankings. The shop sends QC photos and a video before any watch ships, so you can review the factory version and details before the order proceeds. If the parcel is lost or held by customs, the shop sends another watch at no cost.