w0lf

Thanks guys, it started life as a 111J case. Lugs shaped and drilled, polished rehaut, "drooping shoulders" that flow into the top of the lug profile, case pillow edges shaped & softened, etc. I've made a couple of jigs and special lug and bezel protectors in the process so this is definitely reproducible

Evening folks, Please excuse the grainy pics, it's getting late and I thought I'd share this with you right now as the case is actually done. I will keep adding, hopefully somewhat better pics here when we get a bit of sunshine tomorrow. To say that this has been a long time coming would be a massive understatement. In any case don't want to build this up much, you can see the important bits already. Needless to say the geometry is the most difficult part when it comes to both lug shape and the case edge shape. A Panerai case is always a collection of beautiful curves and arches, from the original vintage models all the way to contemporary line, with PreV cases of the early '90s being no exception. The continuity of case geometry must be strictly observed, otherwise the end result immediately looks off even if you can't quite put a finger on it. The bezel has been removed for the duration of the shaping process but in the coming few days this will become a LOGO build with all the missing bits in place. If you're not sure what to look for - these couple of collages are pretty self explanatory, they show the difference between a contemporary sharp-edged case and a "softie" PreV case. The 111J case marked up in red is thrown in the mix to illustrate but some of the areas that need to be worked on. Case / Lugs&Curves

so the only part not oem is the midcase?

Depends on what you're building, op6500 is really difficult, the only case suitable is the very old case circa 2005 which is impossible to get' it came on 111f with a weird thin top cg. The only alternative is to reshape a case like 111j. Op6502 is Jimmy Fu or if you're not bothered by crap bezel and super soft steel then 005 or 318 from h factory. In case you're using newer cases youll need to replace the hex tube with a custom one and you may have to countersink crown area depending on the crown you'll be using PS You need to use a contemporary CG for PreA builds, goin CG is incorrect.

i'd go for DSN handstack, they have the best definition, texture and are not made of reynolds aluminum foil the lume is weaker but it's a small concession, and you can always get them relumed

that's great news, chiman - keep us posted please

diz, all my experiments are circa late last summer, both the mbw white dial and the pc/pt1680. i did have four pt/pc1680s pass through my hands and not one of them was exactly like the next. i'm guessing that my case i ended up trying with mbw and later tried a gen dial in mustve had a larger rehaut.

pam153, It's the other way around, at least with newer mbw 1680 cases. They're the same case as the no-date 5512/5513 so the rehaut is smaller and the gen white dial will be too big for it. China 1680 case will take a gen dial without any rehaut mods, however I'm not sure its gen dial worthy. So you see it's a catch-22, if you're building a budget white 1680 based on China 1680 case - an mbw white dial will slide freely thru the rehaut and if you're going all out on a mbw build you'll have to keep the stock white dial or mill the case.

Whew, that's a relief. I'll wait for the open heart tourbillon dial...

Personal antipathy towards this model aside, your best build sheet goes something like this. N-factory PAM111J case, crown, CG lever & movement H-factory PAM005K CG body & crystal Jakob Caseback DSN dial & Hands High quality DLC coating sell the spare parts to offset the cost.

111J

Ohh, before I forget, Sander about your PAM48 from awhile back (a thing of beauty that watch), so on an off chance you actually sacrificed that build to make a 119/120 for your wife, I'd like to ask you to give me a heads up if you're going to sell the old 48 dial from that watch. My wife's MBW PAM48 sorely needs a new transplant Thanks!

Amazing build as always BTW, 120 was an E & F series watch so besides the handstack you may also need a new caseback if this was built on a 48/50C oldschool base watch. Maybe you can get one of these casebacks - http://www.puretimewatch.com/product/pam-050-40mm-automatic-stainless-steel-black-dial-stainless-steel-steel-strap-a7750-28800/

This guy's wearing a a really bad replica of PAM49.

Ahh, well best of luck in your search. If you already scored everything else then you're way ahead of the curve and it's just a matter of time

If anything it'll help with the nuveau riche "EL" riff raff

The h-factory hands have a slight curve from the stamping machine which causes the problem you describe, sometimes even the tip of the minutes touches the seconds hand. Other times they're just set badly, and the hr had is jammed on the wheel pinion too low or the seconds ride too high. In addition, you have to be very careful when you work with these - they use some sort of a handsetter at the factory that mars the hand hubs so of you're not extra careful the paint will come off if it hasn't already. Make sure to dress both the dial and your hand pullers and have some flat back acrylic touch up paint and the finest bristle spotter brush.

I'm sorry mate, that ship has sailed back in 2009. That's when I sold my last fiddy build, just stay put and hopefully we'll see a reasonably priced well made rep this year. All signs point to it.

Funny thing is if I remember correctly the 581 caseback fiddy is the v5 that has the worst case, so it's not worth more than $150. The caseback itself is more rare because of the serial but the watch is garbage, bad dial print, wrong handstack, too much metal on the case, mineral crystal, wonky movement engravings. At some point when I was into fiddys I just bought it for a song and just used the caseback. Am I missing something here?

Yes, yes there is, W. Dibs!

ST4, there's no room to install a stem adapter in 6497 based watches, the only thing it can be in case of an auto Ti crown is a tap10 re-threaded tap6 stem.

Seagull ST25xx

Since we're on the subject of coatings, the original Panerai 5218-202/A has low quality PVD even by Pre-Vendome standards. It was performed by a smaller Italian shop that didn't necessarily specialize in coating smaller instruments, and as a result it's the most fragile PVD coating OP has used to date, barring only the galvanic "rodiatura" method they used on lug screw heads, buckles and CG lever pins. The shade of 202/A PVD was also different from later PVD that would come with 203/A in 1994 due to numerous complaints. I also think that many 202/As were re-coated at a later date as a direct consequence of the original subpar coating. In addition, newer Vendome models - PreA, A & B also came with robust and durable coating, somewhat similar to 203/A but now from a different PVD shop with which Cartier had an established relationship. I think this third shop is the one The Zigmeister uses for his PVD. Not surprisingly, the resulting coat is one of the most rich and warm shades of black you can get, and it's also more durable than other cheaper mainstream offerings not to mention more appropriate for older models.

got an expensive MBK 40mm PAM48K from Reg over a year ago and it was one of the best purchasing experiences from start to finish.

It looks like there's enough of the broken stem left over for you to latch on to with a pin vise and unscrew it. Be careful not to break the remainder off leaving just the threaded part stuck in the crown, if you break it the process of removing can be long and painful. Btw the crown is in fact OEM and hopefully a 1.2mm tap6 for manual wind movement - then you can get a new stem on eBay, from ofrei or cousinsuk. You'll have to cut the stem down to size to fit your watch, it's a measure twice cut once process. Just do a search for crown installation guides.