QF Factory appeared in the RWI forum's 2026 Submariner comparison, scoring 268/340, the lowest of the six replica factories tested, below ARF (285) and RWF (289). Its label is not limited to one Rolex family: in a search of one dealer's catalogue in September 2026 the QF label appeared on 100 listings spread across Daytona (42), Datejust (18), GMT-Master II (15), Submariner (8), Explorer (5) and Yacht-Master (5). QF is often described as a Cartier factory in older summaries; the catalogue distribution does not support that description.
On this page
Is QF Factory still making watches?
The label appears across Rolex references in dealer catalogues and was scored in the RWI 2026 comparison. We have no statement from the workshop itself. This profile carries 1 reported brand line, 3 signature references and 2 cited sources, with 3 open questions listed below.
What is QF Factory known for?
This page records 2 points of note for QF Factory, alongside 1 reported brand line and 3 signature references, while what the trade repeats without a dated public document is kept separate further down the page.
- The widest Rolex reference spread of the factories scored in the RWI 2026 test
- Being frequently mislabelled as a Cartier-only factory in older summaries
Which brands does QF Factory build?
The trade associates the QF Factory label with 1 brand line, listed below; the source for the mapping is cited at the foot of this page.
- Rolex — Daytona, Datejust, GMT-Master II, Submariner, Explorer, Yacht-Master references
Which models is QF Factory known for?
This profile lists 3 signature references for QF Factory, seen across 2 model familys in a snapshot of 74 listings, each resting on a listing observation or a cited test, with its basis noted beside it and its sources at the foot of the page.
Model families under this label in the listing snapshot (74 listings): Rolex Daytona 37 · Rolex Day-Date 24
- Rolex Daytona 126506 (weighted version) — The reference QF is most often attached to; listings describe a JH4131 free-sprung movement (Community attribution (forum and dealer listings), not a published test)
- Rolex Day-Date 40 (228235 / 228238 / 228239) — Second-largest group under the label (24 of 74 listings in the snapshot); listings describe a JH3255 free-sprung movement (Factory labels and model families observed across 1,285 listings at one Japanese dealer, snapshot 2026-09-23)
- Rolex Submariner 126610LN — Scored 268/340 in the 2026 comparison — lowest of the six replica factories tested (RWI forum — 2026 Submariner comparison (ref. 126610))
Which references carry the QF Factory label?
In the 2026-10-01 listing sample, 12 references priced on this site carried a QF label. They are listed below only as references that appeared under that label in the sample: a label is what a seller writes on a listing, and it does not certify who built a watch. Each link opens that reference's asking-price range, its sample size and its date.
- 126000 (Oyster Perpetual · 11 listings)
- 126518LN (Daytona · 8 listings)
- 228235 (Day-Date · 5 listings)
- 228238 (Day-Date · 5 listings)
- 228239 (Day-Date · 5 listings)
- 126509 (Daytona · 4 listings)
- 126519LN (Daytona · 4 listings)
- 126515LN (Daytona · 3 listings)
- 228348RBR (Day-Date · 3 listings)
- 116508 (Daytona · 2 listings)
- 116518LN (Daytona · 2 listings)
- 126505 (Daytona · 2 listings)
Which name gets confused with QF Factory?
Commonly conflated here: QF as a Rolex factory and "QF = Cartier factory" as written in older summaries, separated by the checks in the table below, whose sources are cited at the foot of this page.
| Name | Name it gets confused with | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| QF as a Rolex factory | "QF = Cartier factory" as written in older summaries | The label distribution found in dealer catalogues in September 2026 was heavily Rolex, with no Cartier concentration. The older description appears to be out of date. |
What has not been verified?
The following is commonly repeated about QF Factory in the trade, and none of it is documented in public, so this site leaves it as unknown. 3 points are carried below as open questions, each one waiting on a dated source before it can be stated as fact:
- Production status today
- Movement supply — community summaries name several different movement families under this label
- Why it scored lowest in the RWI 2026 test, and on which categories
Sources on this page
This profile rests on the 2 sources listed below, dated and linked where an original exists, and any claim about QF Factory without a dated public source is carried above as an open question.
- third-party review · 2026-06 · RWI forum — 2026 Submariner comparison (QF 268/340)
- market observation · 2026-09 · Factory label distribution counted across one dealer's catalogue search, September 2026
Reviewed 2026-10-01. If a source here is wrong or has been superseded, the correction is published on this page. See About.