324 Movement Comparison Reviews: GEN, ACE, DDF+ACE+22K, PPM+18K, DDF Original

Introduction:

The ACE, PPM, DDF, and other factory movements discussed in this article are based on the Dandong 324 movement as the base, modified by changing parts such as the bridge plates and oscillating weights. These movements maintain the core structure of the Dandong 324. The modifications mainly focus on appearance, assembly techniques, and fine details, so although they may differ visually and functionally, their underlying technology and movement structure remain the same.

The 5 Movements Compared:

1st Movement: GEN 324 (Original, unmodified)

2nd Movement: ACE 324 (18K Gold Rotor)

3rd Movement: DDF 324 + ACE Engraved Bridge + 22K Rotor

4th Movement: PPM Engraved 324 (18K Gold Rotor)

5th Movement: DDF Original 324 (Unmodified)

1. High-Resolution Details Under the Magnifier: Bridge Plate Finishing & Fonts

1st Movement: GEN 324 — The Standard

Bridge Finishing:

• The Geneva stripes are even and finely spaced, with clean start and end points.

• The holes and chamfers are well-polished, showing clear edges without burrs.

• The flat surfaces display a uniform, subtle sheen.

Fonts:

• The engraving of “PATEK PHILIPPE / GENEVE SWISS” has consistent stroke thickness and sharp edges.

• The depth is even, and the lettering aligns smoothly with the bridge contours.

• The fill is clean and precise, with no overflow.

2nd Movement: ACE 324 (18K Rotor)

Bridge Plate Finishing:

• The Geneva stripes are coarser than GEN, with uneven depth and noticeable machining marks.
• The hole chamfers are present but the high gloss is not as sharp as 1, and the borders are slightly dull.
• The overall cleanliness is acceptable, but the finishing lacks a bit of refinement.

Fonts:

• The font is thicker and more rounded, with the letters “P,” “A,” “H,” and others appearing fuller.
• The gold paint has a slight yellow-orange hue, with some edges slightly blurred.
• The curve of the engraving differs from GEN, and the letter spacing is tighter.

3rd Movement: DDF 324 + ACE Engraved Bridge + 22K Rotor

This is essentially a DDF movement base with an ACE engraved bridge and a 22K gold rotor.

Bridge Plate Finishing:

• The Geneva stripes, using the ACE engraved bridge plate, are very similar to 2, coarser than GEN with noticeable machining marks.
• The difference is that the overall texture of this plate is slightly better: the holes and chamfering are cleaner than 2, and the high gloss is more consistent, giving it a “neater” appearance.
• The finishing still doesn’t reach the hand-finished level of 1, but it is one of the more orderly pieces among replicas.

Fonts:

• The font molds are essentially the same as ACE: the shapes and thicknesses of the letters are very similar to 2.
• The gold paint is controlled slightly better than 2, with less overflow, and the edges are sharper, giving it a cleaner appearance than 2.
• Among the replicas, if only the fonts and engraving quality are considered, 3 is the closest to GEN (although a direct comparison still reveals it’s a replica).

4th Movement: PPM Engraved 324 (18K Rotor)

Bridge Finishing:

• The Geneva stripes are broader and deeper, with strong contrast between light and dark, but less refined than the earlier movements.

• The start and end of the stripes aren’t clean, showing a noticeable “fold” effect under side lighting.

• The chamfering is present but the polishing is darker, lacking some depth.

Fonts:

• The font is slightly taller and narrower, with uneven letter spacing, especially in “PATEK.”

• The gold filling is the brightest and most yellow, standing out from the base metal color.

• The arc of the engraving appears too high, creating a visual “push” upwards.

5th Movement: DDF Original 324

Bridge Finishing:

• The Geneva stripes are the coarsest and sparsest, with a strong wave-like pattern but lacking refinement.

• The chamfering is narrow, and in some places, it’s almost non-existent, with machine-made straight edges.

• The highlights are minimal, and the overall appearance is “flat.”

Fonts:

• The font lines are thin but shallow, resembling laser engraving with minimal depth.

• The gold filling is pale, almost champagne-colored, and has a weak presence.

• The small text surrounding the circle is a gold blur at a distance, barely distinguishable up close. It has a significant difference in sharpness compared to GEN.

2. Overall Appearance in Natural Light (Rotor, Stripes, Gold Color)

Natural light photography mainly focuses on Movements 1, 2, 4, and 5 (3rd Movement is sold, but video is available).

1st Movement: GEN 324

• The rotor’s rotation texture is fine, and the reflections are smooth, without noticeable “steps.”
• The edge chamfers are fine and continuous.
• The gold color is deep and warm, giving it a 21/22K oil-like appearance.

2nd Movement: ACE (18K Rotor)

• The rotor’s rotation texture is coarser, with noticeable “CD texture” visible under sunlight.
• The edge highlights are present but not as fine as GEN.
• The gold color is noticeably lighter and more yellow, characteristic of 18K.

3rd Movement: DDF + ACE + 22K Gold Rotor (Only Video Available)

• The 3rd movement’s performance in natural light further verifies this point. In the video, the 22K rotor’s gold tone is deeper than 2, closer to the rich, oily feel of GEN. When the rotor spins, the high-gloss reflections are cleaner and more consistent, and the gold appears thick and layered, very similar to 1.
• The Geneva stripes are slightly coarser than GEN but more refined than 2, with more even reflections, giving it a closer-to-high-end-replica standard overall.

4th Movement: PPM (18K Gold Rotor)

• The radiating texture is the most exaggerated, with strong step-like features, extremely eye-catching in sunlight.
• The highlights on the outer edge are intermittent.
• The gold is brighter and yellower, visually striking, but lacks the richness of GEN.

5th Movement: DDF Original

• The rotation texture is extremely coarse, with a CD-brush-like effect, appearing as a white block when the angle changes.
• The gold is light and dull, typical of a copper rotor with a gold coating.

3. User Experience & Timekeeping Stability

• 1st Movement (GEN 324): Impeccable! As an original movement, it’s precise and stable, with virtually no issues.
• 2nd Movement (ACE 324 + 18K Gold Rotor): Possible instability, including stopping or larger time errors. Generally acceptable but should be monitored for precision.
• 3rd Movement (DDF 324 + ACE Engraved Bridge + 22K Rotor): Good stability with no significant issues found. As with all replica movements, long-term stability is not 100% guaranteed, but it’s generally solid.
• 4th Movement (PPM Engraved 324 + 18K Gold Rotor): Generally stable, accurate timekeeping and normal amplitude. However, as a replica, future time errors cannot be fully excluded.
• 5th Movement (DDF Original 324): Several issues, including timekeeping errors, poor amplitude, and occasional stoppage. Overall, the stability is poor and needs attention.

Prices are subject to change; actual transaction prices may vary.

Movement	Price
GEN 324	Approx. $15,000 (price in China)
ACE 324 + 18K Gold Rotor	Approx. $2,100 (18K gold rotor; 22K requires special request)
DDF 324 + ACE Engraved Bridge Plate + 22K Rotor	Approx. $1,500 – $1,600
PPM Engraved 324 + 18K Gold Rotor	Approx. $1,200
DDF Original 324	Approx. $530（Watch）

5. Comprehensive Rating & Ranking

Based on “closeness to GEN, finishing details, and overall appearance,” my personal subjective ranking:

• 1st Movement (GEN 324) — S Class (Benchmark)
• 3rd Movement (DDF + ACE Bridge + 22K Rotor) — A Class (Best Replica)
• 2nd Movement (ACE 324 + 18K) — A– Class
• 4th Movement (PPM Engraved 324 + 18K) — B Class
• 5th Movement (DDF Original 324) — C Class

Summary in One Sentence:

1. For the true 324 craftsmanship, choose 1st Movement;
2. For the closest GEN-like back transparency, 3rd Movement is the best replica;
3. For value, 2nd Movement (ACE) is sufficient;
4. 4th Movement is more for visual effects, 5th Movement is a tool movement.

Balance Wheel & Rotor Mechanism

In this review, except for the GEN and ACE movements, all the other 324 movements use the traditional mechanical arm rotor design. ACE uses a self-developed arm-less rotor mechanism that theoretically enhances the stability of the balance wheel and reduces friction and jamming caused by the mechanical arm. However, this design has some risks, as there have been user reports of certain issues, especially over long-term wear.

Stoppage Issue:

The stoppage issue is usually caused by irregular movement of the balance wheel, possibly due to instability in the rotor design, improper balance spring or wheel adjustments, causing the wheel to stop or fail to run in some cases.

Timekeeping Error:

Timekeeping errors usually result from lower movement calibration accuracy, imprecise gear meshing, and unstable amplitude. Although ACE has made many optimizations (such as the arm-less rotor mechanism), as a replica movement, it still has certain limitations in terms of precision and stability, especially regarding movement calibration accuracy, which may not match that of genuine movements.

Conclusion:

Although ACE has made many improvements in its design and pushed the development of replica movements forward, these changes have not fully solved its inherent precision issues. Since it is a replica movement, stability and accuracy still have deficiencies. Therefore, I personally do not recommend choosing an arm-less rotor mechanism unless you can accept frequent maintenance. After all, issues with movements are not inevitable, and there is a certain probability of quality variation — not every one movements will have issues. However, frequent repairs and adjustments remain an unavoidable potential problem.

Special Note:

The 2nd ACE movement used here has been in use for over six months, and I cannot guarantee that the current batch of newly produced movements will perform the same.

I’ve been working on this article for three months, and gathering all these movements was not easy. I hope you enjoy it. Before the next post comes out, I will take a break from updates. Future posts might include reviews of the 5711A white dial, 5712A blue dial, or a 240 movement comparison. Stay tuned. Thanks again to RWI and my fellow enthusiasts. Thank you.