Ztech

Yes, I was surprised that he felt the need to lie to sell a watch. He's got a few others stuff on sale as we speak so I hope whoever deals with him will have better luck than I. Hey sssurfer, do you have a link to one for that price? I've seen some for $200 but not for under $100. For that cost, I think I could just by it for the parts. Thanks.

Thanks. Omega's are tops in my book. Always end up having one in my collection.

Thanks asad. I figured whatever it is I'd only mess it up more if I tried to fool with it, so I'm gonna have it looked at by a pro.

So can anyone please tell me if the movement is dead now? I figure that I let the mainspring unwind completely and that's why it's not running anymore. So, given that's the case, what can I do to get her beating again. It was a brand new 6497. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

They actually don't carry the 300m diver, but they do carry their "cheaper" line. You'd have to go to a Japan/Europe only shop to find the 300m.

Ok, so now I'm on the hunt for those parts. Will I need matte black hands? Gloss? Thanks.

Thanks asad. By the way, do you think I killed the movement? It's brand new and now it's not working. Did I do something wrong? I heard, what seemed like the mainspring(?), unwind I think. Now it's not running. Is it repairable?

Hey all, look what I put together on my spare time today. I know it's a "fantasy" watch, but I think I did a pretty good job for my first try. I've got a thick skin so fire away on your comments. I got a 6497 swan neck movement (unbranded) from Helenarou (ebay) and got a PVD'd Marina Militare (not Panerai) case with a seethrough caseback. I slaped on a PAM005 (Logo PAM) dial with some gold hands and there you have it. Oh, I couldn't get the darn second hand to fit. I think the dial must be too thick as the second hand didn't reach the the stem on the movement. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Also, I didn't put the two tiny things that hold the movement in the case. Well, I tried, but couldn't get that little screw in the hole for the life of me. While trying to for what seemed like a lifetime, I dropped a screw into and under one of the bridges. I had to unscrew a bunch of screws to lift off the bridges to get the screw out. While doing that I heard something metalic unwinding sound, like a bat outta hell really. I was able to get everything back together and get the watch finished, but the watch doesn't seem to be running now and there's not beating sounding from the watch/movement. Did I kill it? I've wound the thing, but still nothing. Some help would be appreciated. My frankenstein lived for a precious few minutes before I turned the lights out on her. I'm thinking of sending her out to a moder to have some work done and then maybe I can keep her and alive. Enjoy.

Yep it will. I have a 7.5 to 7.8 inch wrist and I have to take out links, but I'm certain that a 8 in. wrist will fit.

I did just that kruzer. I got a 6497 w/o the bridges, the one that's got large 2 piece bridges? Well, I got the entire thing apart down to all those cogs and stuff. The take down was easy, but the re-assembly wasn't. I used my digicam to take pics along the way so I could remember what went where and got her all back together. For some odd reason, the thing won't work now. I guess I'd better leave that stuff for the pros.

Thanks Vic for your input. Well, I can't say for now. I'm still getting used to her for now. I'm a little split as you can probably see by my posts. I do like the CG and the crown, almost as good as a gen IMHO, but the dial is what kills it for me. I actually like the caseback and the movement, even though it might not be correct to the gen. I'm thinking about sourcing a better dial and having it sent out for some mod work. Then she'll be ready for the cruise.

Thanks guys. Well, luckily for me it wasn't a large sum of money and I just chualk it up to 1. it's a learning experience 2. if the guy needed the money that bad... well... 3. I've had worse experiences with purchases with gen stuff that made me go nuts. Now that I do have her though, I'd like to see if I can collect enough parts to get her fixed up enough to get her to the prom. I do like the size and huge domed crystal on her. So you never know, it might not be too later for her afterall. You can't keep this Marine down.

You have great taste. It's one of my favorites.

Thanks for looking. Yeah I guess I'm just your regular lost cowboy when it comes to it. I've down the high end with Rollies and other stuff, but that didn't last long. Even went down the PAM road a number of years back, but I can't seem to settle down in one place. The thing I do know is that I favor larger watches with a minimum of 44 to 45mm in diameter, divers and all must have awsome LUME.

Oh no. I wish I could do my own repairs/mods. All I can do is look stupid and take things apart. Putting them back together correctly is another story all together. I'm going to have the watch sent out to a reputable modder to have the work done.

I thought I'd bring a lighter side to my posts (please see other recent posts regarding rep purchases) by posting some pics of my gens that I have lying around. Here they are... Doxa 750T Military Sharkhunter Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Seiko SKZ255K1 commonly referred to as the FrankenTuna or the FrankenMonster Hosted on Fotki Orient Star 300m Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Omega Planet Ocean 45.5mm Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Ernst Benz Chronoscope Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Omega SMP Hosted on Fotki Bell & Ross BR01 Hosted on Fotki As you all can see I'm very particular to large watches and divers in general. Got a few others, but I'll have to get them rounded up some other time. Hope you enjoyed the tour and thanks for looking.

Ok finally I got around to taking some pics of my first rep purchase, the PAM127 Fiddy. I purchased this from another forum member for $450, but unfortunately I'm very dissapointed with how it arrived. Unfortunately, I diassembled the watch before taking any pictures so I only have what I have now. The pictures... Hosted on Fotki I don't know if you can see it from this pic, but there is a scratch/stain/mark between the 1950 and the center hole for the hands. It was even more evident under the crystal and in daylight or under lights. Hosted on Fotki I don't know much about movements, but this one is very clean and seems to run quite well. That's one positive. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki The watch was used, so the case had numerous little knicks and scratches. I purchased one of those scratch remover kits and used it to give the entire case a once over. Looks nice now don't you think? Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki The CG was in terrible shape. Although I don't have a before pic, the lever portion stuck out 1mm or so beyond the CG and it was looser than a cheap hooker. So I took some sand paper and my dremel tool to grind it flush and gave it a once over. What you see is the finished product in the pics. I also used a set of plyers to pinch the CG down on the lever so to take out some space between the lever and the CG itself. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Those are the pics of the scratched hands. I don't know if these pics capture it right but it's there and it looked even worse under the mag of the domed crystal. In certain angles and lighting conditions it looks terrible enough that I didn't want to wear it out. Have yet to do it and now since it's apart I won't till I get some work done on her. Overall, the watch was ok. It's just that the seller lied about the scratches on the hands, I asked him and he denied it, and the stain/mark on the dial. When the watch arrived it was missing a screw for the CG, which still hasn't made it's way to me even though the seller states that he sent it twice. I've asked the seller nicely to see if we could meet at some compromise, but it seems he must need the money more than I do. I think if I can get some new hands/dail and have them super lumed I should be able to be satisfied. The thing is by then, this watch is going to have cost me $700+ probably. A lesson learned I guess.

Ok PAMman, I'm going to take your advice and try this out. So I'm gonna acquire these... 1. E type dial 2. ETA 6497 movement 3. SS B series caseback Now my question is which SS case do I get? Will any do from any dealer? Thanks a bunch for showing me the road.

@Hike: Thanks! I can't wait. Thanks everyone for the input. Yes, I guess you're all right with regards to trying to mod something that's not gonna get too far in the first place. Back to the hunt!

I'm mostly likely going to send this one out to a modder to have some work done. Any advice on what I should have done? Thanks.

Well here she is. My new PAM113 from Tony. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she got here so quick. I'm not very good with pictures, but I'll let them do the talking... Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Now my impressions... 1. The case for some reason seems off. Maybe too rounded? And the crystral seem too domed? 2. The CG and crown seem very good. Not slop and very tight. The crown actually gets depressed a mm when you close the lever. Thumbs up! 3. The dial seems off. The white look too glossy and the black of the numbers off too. 4. The lume is very sloppy. There's lume that's been applied outside of the black circular dots. Bad. 5. The cannon pinion is to be upgraded. 6. Needs super lume!!! Anything you guys see? Please chime in all you experts. I have very thick skin and need to learn.

Thanks TJ, I really appreciate that you took the time out to post your advice. I think you just hit the nail on the head. I guess what I'm looking for is a top quality rep. One that I can get "attached" to. Yes, my first step into the reps hasn't been that great and it has put me back a step, but other than a bit of frustration I guess it won't kill me. By the way, I'll try to get some pics up of her when I can. It''s just that I'm terrible at taking pictures. I've decided to slow things down a bit and not get all impatient with this, as I think I've been. I've now got a few reps in hand and although they're far from satisfactory to me, they're the jump-off for some creative upgrades. So right now, I'm going to send a few pieces off to modders and wait till the right one comes along. The hard part is... I have no idea on how to tell if I am looking at a "keeper" or not. Every time I look at a for sale ad or a web site, I can't tell from left or right. I guess that's why I've been pestering everyone here for a pointer or advice on who (dealer) to buy from and what not. Every time I hear from someone that I should go with Davidsen, I see another negative write up about his product, which is confusing to say the least. I think that's what's been a bit frustrating to me, but I now know that in the rep game you have to have patience and take some chances. So, I've decided that I'll stick to this game and see where it'll take me... So TJ, you don't have a dealer to recommend do ya?

There's an ebay seller (Helenarou) that sells Marina Militare dials w/o any mention of Panerai. Hope that helps. I'd also like to know if you find any other sources. Thanks.

Wow!!! That is absolutely stunning. Really, where can I get one???

Thanks guys. I appreciate all your comments. It's not that I can't be satisfied by a rep. I've read enough to know that a rep will never be a gen. I guess what I'd really like to find is something that could be 95% close to the gen. I mean the last thing I'd want people to say as they saw it would be nice rep. I'd rather have the option to let them in on the little secret, if you will. On top of all that, the process, or what seems like an arduous process, to obtain an "ultimate" rep seems to either cost almost, yeah I know, as much as a used gen or lead you down every wrong dead end before you realize that you've been wrong all along and the "other" dealer has got the goods. I guess that's the dilema I'm currently facing. It's, do I continue on the quest for quests sake or do I just turn back now and get a gen and never know what the journey would have been like. I've said this before, but I'd love to be able to own a genunie ultimate rep that I can be proud to wear. Am I just being overly OCD???