APS Factory closed, or renamed?

What did the rename change?

Only the name on the door. The Royal Oak 41mm references we build - the 15500ST and the 15510ST - are the same references, from the same workshop, at the same prices. If a page you read last year said APS Factory and today says OCTA, that is the whole of the change.

Why does the old name still get searched?

People search for the name they first heard. The rename is recent enough that both names circulate, and a workshop changing its trading name is normal in this trade. What is not normal is a site that keeps the old name in the headline and then cannot show you a single watch it has built.

How do I tell whether it is the same workshop?

Ask for photographs of the specific watch, taken after the order is settled, with its reference and dial legible. Our QC step exists for that reason: the order is settled on the thread, your own watch is photographed within a day or two, and you approve or decline it before anything is dispatched. A workshop that cannot do this is not the workshop you were looking for, whatever its name.

What if someone told me the workshop had stopped?

We cannot speak for what anyone else told you, and we do not comment on other sellers' claims. We can tell you what is true on this side: orders are taken, watches are built and photographed, and the reference list on this site is what is currently available. If a reference is not listed, it is quoted per order after the workshop confirms it.

Is APS Factory gone?

The APS Factory name is being retired in favour of OCTA. The workshop is the same one this site is built around, and the references it builds have not changed.

Is OCTA the same as APS Factory?

Yes. OCTA is the current trading name; APS, APSF and APS Factory are the older ones, and buyers still search by them.

Does the name change affect an order I already placed?

No. Nothing about the process changes: order, payment, QC photos, approval, then shipping.