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Every now and then in this hobby, the right piece just lands in your lap without any thrill of the chase. A different experience than the norm, but one that can be enjoyed all the same in the end. I think Ubi had known that the final resting place of this one would eventually be in Chieftang's watch box. And so it is... The only difference today is that thanks to a little Zigmeister lathe work, this one is now wearing a genuine bezel to compliment the bevy of other gen parts already put in place by Ubiquitous himself. A quick photo of this sleek, sexy and timeless piece as it stands today: More to come...

What did the Germany lady say while being fondled by Herman Cain? Nein! Nein! Nein!!

I've been thinking about this. It makes no sense to me that Panerai would have purposefully used unfinished movements to increase profit. The total run of 150 watches is so low, how much are they really saving, 150k? 300k? Richemont group had Gross sales of €6892 million and Net Profit of €1079 million in 2011 (according to their financials). 300k is a drop in that bucket, and they could stand to lose much more from this incident than they saved in terms of Goodwill (which they listed at €441 million in 2011). It seems much more likely to me that they were against some deadline, had to rush this special edition out the door, and ran into a supply problem on finished movements.

Everyone is entitled to their own approach on gens, reps, frankens, etc. The one thing I would say (and you learned the hard way) is to avoid posting reps or experiences regarding reps on gen forums. Feel free to spend time wherever you want but we very much discourage discussing reps (posting pics and links is actually verbotten here) on gen forums as all it does is infuriate the gen guys and serves no purpose from the rep perspective There is no reason to hide as the rep market is a huge market and in reality there is not much the gen forums or brands can do about it but there are plenty of folks on this and the other rep forums who are also gen collectors and participate on both.

So having spent some time collecting parts and researching, I decided on my next project which I have finally completed to my satisfaction - For the moment ! This model is to me what OP is all about That is "No matter what you may know there are exceptions to everything" and this applies more than most people realise to OP during the PreV, PreA and early series.... much less so in the later series but it still occurs The gen of this watch has appeared in several places and I am sure what some will immeadiately realise is this is not what you should expect to see. The beauty is that even a knowledgeable Risti might assume the gen is a franken or a rep of some kind and its a good lesson, when it comes to PAMs..."They are not all the same and nor do all the models follow the rules" During OP's final year and into the confusion that followed as Cartier took over.... some (arguably many) variations occurred: this model is one of them.. This franken is based on a model which is basically a PreA (6500 case) PAM 002... the variation is that it has a PreA logo dial.... This is the same dial as the PreV 5218-201a (The Logo) but it has PreA lume and dial treatment... Unlike the PreV dial this dial was treated as most PreA dials tended to be and similarly to some of the 5218-209 and the 5218-210 which were the last models produced by OP before the take over (not forgetting the 5218- 218), this was during a time of 'partnership' (phased handover) between OP and Cartier hence the change of case and CG etc. Therefore the gen model has all the details you would expect to see in a PreA 6500 model except for a Logo dial, though the Logo dial was also treated as a PreA hence the indices were filled more and there was a distinct lack of varnishing compared to the PreV treatment. I nearly went for the 5218-209 originally but given none of the CBs available anywhere are even slightly accurate and that I found in my research a few others had decided to do it I chose this option... I tried my best with the pics, hopefully it will get better Lastly and most importantly I really want to thank my friend Mike for his input and advice and to Rob [& J ] (Zig) for his touches on the dial & hands and, as some may recall from his threads on the GD section making the tube and stem

If it is authentic it would definitely be a conversation piece and I suppose somewhat of a rarity...

http://www.1-pc8838.com/rlss01008-black-dial-classic-2008-update-asian-2836-p-5708.html You must press this link 2x for the correct page to appear. The first press will take you to the home page. Second press will go to the watch.

F, come out to CO and practice on a 14'er with me. (Although I must admit, I am a fair weather hiker when it comes to doing a 14'er). Also, if you want a Find Me Spot satellite tracker to let your friends, family, and forum know your whereabouts when out of cell phone range, or to dispatch a helicopter if you get into $%^, ping me. I have one collecting dust.

Thanks guys Much as I apreciate your words S... you will find, as I had the pleasure to, that as you get around more on here... there are some absolutely fantastic reps and frankens that would put my efforts to shame... but its that journey that makes it so much fun and satisfying plus you get to meet some great people along the way... I would urge everyone to try at least one build of their own just to experience the enjoyment and fulfilment it can bring... and the sense of pleasure wearing it on your wrist can give you over buying something straight out the box... You make great friends in doing so and it even helps increase your knowledge of PAMs and its history

Pete, that PreA logo is PURE SEX, I mean that. It is the NUTZ!! Before I read the post I thought it was a 209 due to the CG and brushed two tone CG lever. I did NOT even know there was a PreA logo!!! CRAZY!!! LOVE the polished rehaut as well. One of w0lf's latest custom cases? I am also curious to the parts in this build. OK, I call dibs on this and may I have 1st right of refusal if you wish to sell this BEAUTY? THIS and your 202/a have climbed into the top 5 of my MUST have pieces. CONGRATS, don't forget the little people

Awful..hideous...worst i have seen yet :wub: :wub: