hackR

hmmmmmmmmmm.... happy birthday you ole sot!...

forgot to add the benefit of understanding the Queen's English, too, my friend! i agree...i've been buried of late and definitely will plan some time to shoot some pix of the pieces i've built and or modded...my 252 is with Mike for dw raising - can't wait to get that one back...ya know, the 252 with Z's blue lume?!...

hey Pete...not sure of this - but i have seen the cycle of changes in the forum over the years i've been here... i've sure learned a lot about PAMs from many of you...its actually one of the easiest watches to build for those interested in tinkering/modding...matter of fact - 4 of my favorite PAMs are not replimaniacally accurate...i've decided to build models i like using various cases/parts in configurations i enjoy...i do find its the joy of the "journey" or "quest" of building something you are proud of and enjoy wearing... i've "met" many a good friend/colleague thru the PAM forum - and the others i frequent here...what many "buyer only types" miss are the friendships gained thru this hobby...you don't get this from simply buying OTB...it takes all kinds to support a forum - so i just accept the fact that we're all the better due to the diversity we bring... hang in there...everything happens in cycles... R-

+1

very nice, J....very!...

my old skool Broad Arrow rep...(pix taken before i had the 6 o'clock subdial frozen)

hey T...nice work on the website... question...i subscribed to the classified section at the "top" classified level...and all the sub-forums (watches, tools/parts, etc) show they are subscribed to...but i am not receiving any emails...is there something i need to do?... thanks...R

congrats Z...

hey T - lost my Platinum, too... thanks...R

gorgeous, Pete...my favorite Navi dial... is this gen dial and rep slide rule ring?... was the 7753 movement modded to make it tri-compax?... wow!

totally agree with A...this is an awesome piece...i love the arabic dial Navis...i love my black dial rep tri-compax... what are the details on this piece...age, etc...if you don't mind sharing a price "range" that would be cool, too... thanks and wear it well...R

to my knowledge, they are not selling the best model...as you know, the term "ultimate" is subjective... the best models are actual hybrids...there are definitely combos of builds based on assembling various components...i know this first hand - after "study" and after many different purchases... the early fish had gen eta movements with eta date wheels...some of the versions with breitling date font have eta clone movements...the dials vary a lot too...typically the earlier models had better dials... the cases vary, too...the better cases have more pronounced "flats" on the crown guards...and better profile where the bezel and case overlap... lastly, some have crystals that extend slightly higher above the bezel...which is wrong... based on my experience, the best franken is a combination of the original v1 versions and the latter versions with better breitling date font date wheel... my franken has a combination of the better case, xtal, eta movement with rep breitling dw, gen dial and rep hands (being relumed)... long and short - probably not an "ultimate" in the wild - and the best is typically a combination of builds... ingredients: 1. crown guard with well-pronouced flats on the crown guard; sharp edges and less rounded, all in all... 2. xtal that is flush with bezel; clear double ar 3. earliest version of dials; better detail 4. eta movement (this varies between some models that have 2824 and 2836 - but the key is gen and not clone... 5. breitling date font date wheel and not eta date wheel... hope all this rambling helps... R-

not sure anyone has said this yet - but be sure you see pix of the exact watch you are getting from any dealer/seller... last i knew - there are limited quantities of v2 models available - if not, sold out...the timeshop price is terrific - almost tooo good to be true...v2s were definitely closer to $300usd total cost... typically v2 models sell for more than v3 models... R-

geee...i remember when you were just a newb...so proud of you growing up to be the man you are... thanks Stace for your contributions and friendship...R

pin appears to fit tighter and flatter on the gen...only thing that jumps out on me... 25x?...rep is a winner!

verrrrrrrry close......... thanks for sharing...

tobacco PAM post here! here's mine...enjoy...

some gen pix of the gilt dial, meters first pieces from the early 60's seem to have both silver and gold hands...any info on what hands were used and when is appreciated...in either color, they definitely appear to be brushed or aged that way?... also - what size lug holes should be drilled?... looking also for a nice mellowed/vintaged insert/pearl... thanks...R

a great reference thread as i mod my v1 Fighter... a couple questions... 1) did you ever file down the lug horns?...(hesitant to do so, but would make a difference)... 2) is the gen black dial a matte, gloss or semi-gloss finish?... 3) how much of a gen dial needs to be shaved down to fit in this case?...(the answer is probably in Pete's thread)...even tho gen dials are works of art - it seems that without a gen slide rule, its still just a hybrid...does the gen slide rule fit into these cases?...could be a moot point, as it seems that finding a gen slide rule is tough... thanks, Gents...

damn Droid phone...couldn't see that...thanks, A...

i'll add a couple of thoughts/comments to the ones above... 1) Importr and PolexPete are great references for modding this piece... 2) Importr brushed his rep Fighter and also owns the gen Fighter... 3) I wouldn't make it into a Fighter (due to the dial) and agree with Andrew that you should consider making it a "regular" Navi - keeping it polished... 4) Mike has access to some gen Breitling crowns - suggest you pm him for details and specs...obviously requires tube change, too... questions - is this a v1 Navi case?...is the old movement high or low beat?...if low beat - you may have problems with mounting the hands on a high beat skyland movement...the v1 Navi has a sliderule that lines up nicely (not perfect) but close...the v2 doesn't...so just wondering if this rep slide rule comes close to aligning with the gen dial markers... either way - nice piece...will be fun to watch the transformation... R

really nice pieces, J!... nice pix, too... R

here's Justin's younger sister Tudor...

ohhhhhhh...that caseback engraving is to die for... looks great, Justin...i couldn't have built mine with you, Mike, Ubi and countless others...

Thanks, Pete...you rock!... (was actually thinking/hoping you might!) R