projectologist

Thanks to w0lf's recommendation for the dial turning out so nice. Straps are one of my weaknesses.

Interesting read explaining the story behind NOS 2nd Gen PreV style straps being sold... http://www.network54...e+know+as+Dirks

Shark strap and it's gonna look awesome on his build

Deep indices pic taken in direct sunlight (2nd pic) to show the nice depth of his more recent dials. The font is bolder per gen than the earlier ones (not quite as big in real life as the pic was taken with a wide angle lens). Missing the subtle serifs, but a none-issue on the wrist. Thanks again to w0lf for steering me to the correct finish/texture for the dial surface... Tamiya TS-79 clear coat. Cut's down the metallic sheen so the dial can still look black in certain light. The shark is another choice I'm thinking of, so may sell the tan version. Who knows... but I'm grateful to have the choice. And thanks to SERGEANT_AT_ARMS for helping with the FGD hands. By the time this project is done, there will be a lot of folks to thank. It's one helluva community!!! Indice fill is glossy but hard to see in direct sunlight...

Nice work on the case. Much better after replacing the DSN dial. Well done... you'll find a lot of love here for the 201/A

Click on the "5218-201A, deep ind" in the side menu, then click on the thumbnails. The same sharky sitting unused in the box. http://www.vannic.it/sitoframe.html

Cool, thanks. That's going to make the tritium color really pop!

Would love to see a pic of that sharky! Timing wise, I bet we "take delivery" around the same time

So I saw the ad in the Accessories forum @ p.com for these 2 Dirk straps with refurbished (by Dirk) PreV buckles. Since the seller was local, we met up for lunch and I picked up the calf. My favorite sharky is the green khaki version that originally came with the 201a, so I passed on this olive brown version Bit of a mystery surrounding these "refinished" strap/buckle combinations, but the stitching is correct, the PANERAI stamp and logo on the reverse is legit and the buckle is stamped per the original with the proper slightly flattened "R" (as opposed to both 1st and 2nd gen Dirks with the more rounded "R") All I know is these typically sell for about 1/5th the price of a documented original PreV strap and supposedly shares the same DNA. So a quick sale of a rep 5002 with a gen strap and this baby will eventually end up on my 201a project when it's done. Some quick phone pics for now...

Outstanding! Working with the same ingredients myself and your awesome photos assure me that the time to completion is certainly well worth the effort

All of the Panerai buckles were flat up until the early 80's. So this one would be perfect for some of the new models coming out that are based on the vintage/military watches. It would be perfect with the recently released 372 (on the right in the pic below next to my 6152/1)...

It's typical OP schwag like their caps and shirts. This new key fob is replacing the the rope key chain they gave away for years. Most of these promotional freebies are handed out to promote sales , attract new customers. But most of these items are given out to attendees at GTG's. OP or a local AD will put together OP shopping bags filled with schwag to hand out.

I didn't think I'd actually use it one day, but then I thought why not... they're free giveaways... what's the point of leaving it sitting in a drawer??? Actually it's the first time I have ever had my keys attached to anything but a plain 1" ring. The buckle is so nice, it's tempting to use it for a custom strap at some point. why I still like my old iPhone and holding out for the 5 next year...

Yeah, what is it about the lume? I compared it yesterday with the sausage lume on a gen L series 005 and 5's lume had an almost plastic look to it. My dial's lume (and I've seen the same with other L SWISS L dials) has a fine textured look to it, almost like it was applied by hand. I believe that the movement ended up going into a franken Fiddy project.

Perfect!!!

Thanks! The iPhone camera is awesome.

Thanks! Just checked the pics and all seems to be in the right sequence. The first 7 pics came out of a folder dated Jan. 2010 and the last 4 this week.

This one started out almost 2 years ago as a stripped down JF mid-case (no bezel, no case back or crown tube). Shortly after acquiring it I was asked if I was interested in a gen 111e part-out. Well duh... I ended up with the movement, case back, dial and hands. I found a gen CG from another part out (a gen I series 005 which fortunately worked perfectly with the solid-state T48 I had). I needed a crown tube and member MP5 happened to have a spare gen Not only the crown tube, but he also had a gen bezel and an nice EL crystal to go with it. So once completed, I wore the watch for about 6 months. Then I sold it, and it was parted out again. I believe the movement went into a franken Fiddy and the case back I recently saw posted at viapaneristi.com. The EL xtal was replaced with an OEM xtal from a 000 J. The gen dial and hands stayed and got hooked up to a ST-36. I have the opportunity to have it back again, MP5 was cool with me checking it out first (THANKS D, much appreciated!!!). Feels good to have it back. It's showing a little more love, but this is one of those watches you want to wear a lot I'll probably leave the CG on there for now, not sure I want to bother looking for the correct one at the moment. Here are some pics taken right after the part out 2 years ago. Dial, hands, movement and case back... still needed a crown tube, bezel and xtal... done... and the first watch pics I took with a cell phone (3G) 2 years ago... Now... 2 years later with a solid case back a gen movement seems a little extravagant... L SWISS L ... my favorite On my "go to" ammo strap... 4G and Camera+ this time

Thanks! No special technique other than lots of practice and even more patience (Dremels aren't a good idea for this). Hand file work is required for this. Working with magnification (I use an Optivisor), good lighting and a secure method of holding the CG body in place so both hands are free. These things may sound obvious, but leave one out and you stand a good chance of less than desired results. The key to accuracy is (especially if you plan on working on reps a lot) is to invest in some high quality jeweler's files. The difference these made over the cheap ones was huge. A couple of the basic shapes will work for most of your watch needs... no need for a deluxe set.

The following are some pics of the Pre-V CG I received prior to doing the final finish work on it. Before it arrived, I had assumed all it would take was maybe 30 min. tops to get looking good. Well that's what I get for assuming... out came the small jeweler's files and an entire evening just to get the lever to fit neatly into the CG body opening (which also required plenty of micro file work). Some corners needed squaring up and connecting edges made straight and true. A couple of evenings before I could get to the brushing. The brushing was pretty straight-forward. I just had to stop and check the 320 wet/dry often for any build up. Always brushing in one direction only, NEVER back and forth. Lever pin will soon get trimmed and crimped, the lever tip that meets the crown will get it's final shaping once the rest of the project arrives. If and when these CG's come available again, be prepared to have to do a little work on them. I suggest y'all get out one of those old CG's that's been laying in the parts box forever and start practicing after...

Yes... it's been making the rounds to all of the Boutiques and AD's along with all of the other new models about to be released. It started out pretty shiny at the beginning of the year. Look closely and you can see a couple of faint thumb prints (under the 15 and 45) that have "etched" onto the bezel over time. The evening I was there they tried to wipe them off with a micro-fiber cloth to no avail. Also note the gen doesn't have the quick release system, the rep does.

Promising? It certainly is I'm not sure any kind of plating could yield this effect over time.

Not bad, but i wish that someday the factories would replicate the correct OP I movement that's in the 360. Same as in the 000 and 390 as well. Square bridge plates and no swan neck.

Thanks. I used only one grit (3M 320 Wet/Dry) for all surfaces, including the lever. The sandpaper was trimmed into strips and mounted to paint stirring sticks with thin carpet tape. I used a friend's advice that all brushing should be in one direction only (never back and forth). I either drew the CG body across a stationary sanding strip or drew the strip across a carefully clamped CG. I took my time and made sure every stroke ran as parallel as possible with the surface length-wise.

Definitely not... Santa isn't coming to my house this year