rmcsherry

I just wondered if anybody knows about CWC's - I was thinking of buying a Tritium-dialled V7765 based (no-date) chrono - they're not cheap, so didn't want to waste my money by buying something that has been made in the back-streets of China! 'Fake' CWC's If the rep factories are making these, are they readily available as reps? It'd be interesting, as I'm reluctant on spending over

Stunning. Panerai should really consider releasing a SE 44mm case with domed plexi - it looks awesome!

I've heard an OEM replacement CG directly from Panerai would cost around $40 - obviously, you'd need a Panerai and certificate etc. If this is true, that is one over-priced chunk of metal on the 'bay!

The Angelus movements are in various states of disrepair - perhaps not as exciting as it originally sounds! I wasn't being funny when posting the message earlier - just pointing out that the sub-dial spacing is infact 8mm ish (on every Angelus based Panerai - I have images of an Egiziano in pieces, and it is a standard SF 240 movement). I'm trying to collate some information that should help people who are interested in vintage Panerai's - here's a sneek-preview work in progress: (Sorry for the poor renders!)

Using a low-res picture with a slight perspective is a little misleading. I don't know where Davidsen got his 8.2mm measurement, but he is right; the 4 Angelus Calibre 240 movements in front of me all have 8.2mm spacing to the subdial - the 2mm makes a big difference on a 39mm dial! I think if a movement with the correct spacing (even with incorrect functionality) can be found, it would be worthwhile using - then any hard-core modders out there can put the right movement in it! Unless, of course the Chinese can make a decent Angelus movement copy (personally I wouldn't like to see this though).

I agree with Archibold - even though you do see Tiffany branded Angelus 190's going for as little as

I agree with a lot of these comments, you really do have to see it in real life to appreciate it. It amazes me how many people are obsessed with buying U-Boat watches, a Panerai Egiziano, Omega Railmaster XXL, Bell & Ross etc - these watches are so much different in person than they appear on screen, and really do need to be seen to be believed! It's a bit like nit-picking over details on reps - when you're looking at a 5x life size image on screen, fair enough the 'L Swiss L' is obvious, but when it's on your wrist, nobody will notice it's not a T-dial, or the font is 1/4mm too low! The internet is a great thing, but there are far too many people who stare blankly at a screen, casting opinions rather than seeing these watches in real life. Go on, get down to your nearest AD and I promise you won't be dissapointed!

The watch itself has several major flaws - the placement of everything on the dial (the dial looks smaller, everything is squashed), the case back is terrible (and is not screwed to the case), the crown guard is the wrong shape, the case appears to be brushed whilst the bezel is polished- the list goes on. The quartz movemnt doesn've bother me; I've got a couple of Miyota reps that are as reliable as any watch I've ever had. The sub dial features can be accurate to manual movements, too! If anybody can help me out, I'd appreciate it - I might try to register and hope for the best, although I suppose my preference would be to find a reliable dealer / English site to use. Cheers for your comments.

A cheap and nasty Graham, but it's not as cheap or nasty as the one I was wearing earlier, so I thought I'd give it a go!

I've found a very unusual (fairly cheap) rep that I've been after for years, but the site is Turkish and I've not got a clue how to go any further - online translations are few and far between for Turkish/English! The main site is http://www.hemalhemsat.com/, if anybody can help me to translate it and place an order, I'd be very grateful! Alternatively, if anybody lives in Istanbul, I'm sure the watch I'm after is probably in a street market for half the price!! Please PM me if you can help, I'll do my best to return the favour one day.

DSN's right - CNC is the way forwards. I'm getting a custom 6152 dial routed, engraved and hand finished at the moment - there are a limited number of people out there with the skills, it's a matter of searching for them - try contacting a number of people listed in local directories with CNC / routing / engraving capabilities. Unfortunately the guy who is working on mine is having difficulties working to such small tolerances and wouldn't do it again!!

It sounds terrible, but if you paint a DSN dial (the text only) with an acrylic paint, and use a damp lint free cloth to wipe off the paint immediately, it leaves the text white. I did this after re-spraying my dial, and it worked a treat! P.S. Don't blame me if it goes wrong!!

The 203 Auto is more accurate in terms of sub dial spacing - the second hand is the correct distance from the hour hand, whilst the 6497 one isn't. The auto never came in a brown dial though - the 6497 did, and if you're lucky a seller on cqout.co.uk may still have them (tonyxkf - described as a Panerai 8 days brown dial). It'll need a relume, new strap, correct CG (it's upside down) and maybe an AR coat on a replacement sapphire. Even then, it won't fool anybody because the movement's wrong - but you're looking at $3,00+ to change the motor in a 203!!! Forgot to mention - if you want an Auto black dial with C3 superlume, I've got one for sale somewhere in the trading section.

He replied to my emails, and now states it was sent went he said - if it's not here in the next 3 days, I'll get a paypal payment to refund me. I won't hold my breath, but in this situation I can only give him the benefit of doubt. Thanks for the replies - hopefully we'll work out a system to stop people being ripped off soon - something like an automated system where names of scammers are replaced with [i steal from people] (similar to the way that swear words are automatically censored in PM's). Anyway, I'll post the outcome in a few days.

Cheers tourby. It's my own fault - I should have checked out his name on the boards first - lesson learnt, and no more deals based on trust!

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Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, but I sent a watch to 'submersible24g' (an IWC Porto chrono in perfect condition) - as a trade for a 6263. When he received it, he claimed to have been on holiday and had sent the watch to somebody else - to rectify the problem, he'd send it back with a MF strap as compensation. Very nice I thought. A month on, it's clear that he is a scammer, and has now been banned from all of the boards. His board name is submersible24g .aka. pamelover1. Does anybody by any chance know his email address, or have any means of getting in touch with him? I know I won't see the watch again, but if I could at least spread the word, then some good has come of this. Thanks for your time.

Interesting that you can call out many IWC reps by the 'Schaffhausen' text being to large in comparison to the day/date - this one being no exception. Is the veneer encased in plastic / laquered? I'm interested in how it compares to the original. The rep looks amazing though, I'd better start saving!

I can't see any delays in making those, the movements look pretty straight forwards

I was interested to see how close the colour is to the gen 203 out of curiosity! I'm not too worried about the lost sale - I've spent a fortune on reps recently, and the money is better of in the vintage projects I've got on the go. The auto 203 has the correct position of the seconds@9, no recessed pin and the hands aren't a million miles away from the gen cal.240 ones - it's just annoying that the tobacco dial was never released in this model. There's something so much nicer about brown dial PAM's - I think I'll have to settle for an 036 instead...

I don't want to be anal, but is the buckle the wrong way around?

Thanks for the suggestions, very interesting! I've decided to let the Porto go, it's up in the VIP trade area - I've decided that I'd get much more wear from a less formal watch (being a scruffy designer and all!).

Could your engraver turn the '616' into '618' whilst he's doing an amazing job on the Rolex sign?! I assume that's a mod that you've had done to it? It looks great, maybe the case back would look better brushed? I'm never sure if the originals were polished or not. I assume it's a DSN case as well? It looks great, but I really wish he could change the font - 'Brevettato' is more compressed on vintage Panerai's, and one of the few things that is an immediate give away (to me anyway!). As ever, I'm amazed by your efforts, they really do look amazing, well done!

I paid for it about 20 minutes after you posted this thread, but there's no watch! He claims it was damaged and he couldn't send it - I explained I was only after the dial anyway (!) but no luck. I don't know if anybody else pulled the trigger and got the same response, I'd be interested to see a few photos when yours arrives, though.

The HBB makers may well be playing with a gen right now...