Smab

Well folks, how about a poll? How many of you DSSD geeks would buy a DSSD fresh from factory with superlume? I think many of us would be on the fence for such. They have made the ol'SD, as well as GMT Master II and Explorer II with superlume. Aren't there also a Sub with such? WHEN do they make the DSSD with genlike blue superlume?????? Please dear dealers and makers, we have waited long enough! When can we expect such a make? I guess you can sell it for 450-500USD with swiss movement, if you were able to sell the "Ultimate V" for about 400? I reckon most people would offer that kind of money for such a holy grail:-) And by the way, try to get the pearl and circular hour markers right as well, and try to make a little better finished bracelet and clasp - I know you can manage:-) Here is my vote: 1

After some years into this hobby, it has come to my mind, why do they never manage to make the easiest details right? They make superb cases, crowns and pushers, also dials are very often pretty spot on, but the bracelets or straps are more or less allways crap, and there are allways some minor details they never manage to get right. Example: wrong shaped bezel pearls - misaligned bezels or bezel pearls - misaligned hour markers - wrong shape hour markers - missing AR, or wrong color AR - misaligned text - wrong font on datewheel or bezel numerals - poor applied lume, or no lume at all - lume is ok, but is missing in some areas, compared to gen (missing rehaut lume on earlier versions of AP Diver, SOSF, Hublot Oceanographic 4000m i.e.), different color lume on hands than dial markers, or different lume color on bezel pearl, the list goes on and on. I will go so far to say I suspect they deliberately put in some minor defects and flaws - Things that would be easy to avoid, even so are still aparant. Finger prints and dust on hands and dials, on movement parts (I have a PAM359 with some fingerprints on the rotor). Why on earth did they not use glowes???:-) My theory (and probably many of you have come to the same conclusion): They simply will not make everything right, even on the Ultimate, Super, Final editions. Reason is, if they make a REP too close to GEN (and believe me, I know they are able to make it, so one must use a microscope or lupe to see the difference), they will have massive trouble from the GEN manufacturers, problably from the authorities as well. Since they currently make 90-95 % REPS, it is allways possible to compare to GEN and find the weak spots, at least for the trained eyes. I think factories like Rolex, Breitling and Omega and others, would try much harder to get this business to an end, if they risked having their customers choosing REP models over GENS, because they were so good even the AD would have trouble to see the differences at first sight and items were sold as GENS on EBAY without the geeks like us beeing able to tell them out (still some stupid **** try to put some add and say it is GEN, but these are often really bad REPS and they get reported to EBAY and other sales forums and get banned). The only way to have a near 100 % REP, is to mod the crap out of it, using GEN parts. But then, you really cannot call it a REP anymore, it is more like a hybrid. But the market for Frankens is so little, only a small percentage of the REP buyers go to the extend of dooing this to get as close as possible. Many of the Franken makers, spend thousands of dollars, this is not the market loss for the GEN manufactures. The marked loss is from those with enough buying strenght to afford a GEN, but still they buy REPS (or both REPS and GENS), because they think they are good enough to pull off to their social network without beeing busted. The majority of the REP buyers are people on holiday, or people like us, getting into the wonderful art of mechanical watches, without having the buying strenght to get all those GENS, but still have a small taste of it. Also it is more convenient, as you can have lots of REPS and if you, like myself, get easily bored by one watch or a few alone, you can aquire 10-15 pcs, you tend to use 2-3 watches a week, then change to another 2-3 the next and so on. But the quality of the REPS have improved greatly over the last 5 years, still the same mistakes are made over and over again. Why is there not a proper REP DSSD on the market yet, with proper pearl, proper hour markers and superlume all over? And a properly finished bracelet. If they can manage to make such a nicely finished case and bezel, why can't they make a nicely finished bracelet and deployment clasp as well? The DSSD seems to be a great seller since it was introduced, but they have not made it with superlume yet. I guess the people here liking DSSD would be all over it and it would be another DSSD craze. Plenty of opportunity to earn more cash for the makers and dealers. No superlumed Daytona or Submariner (or have they?) No superlumed Omega PO? And why not any superlumed AP ROO, other than the AP Diver? Instead, they make a superlumed SD and Explorer II.The market for those, I reckon, is far less than the market for DSSD. The bonus is, we have started to have lots of superlumed PAMS. The PAMS have gotten really good over the last years. Maybe Panerai is not such a big treath to the makers as Rolex, Breitling or Omega?

No hangover here, since I am not an american , but hope all of you US guys had a great smashing celebration yesterday For today is AP Montoya:

Happy Thursday to all AP lovers (and the rest of you, AP-wannabe's;-) Had to try to take some better pics of my AP Juan Pablo Montoya Ti with the APBANDS Deep Ocean Blue Croco strap. I think they turned out as good as one can manage from a less-than-lousy cellphone camera. Tried to emphasis the beautiful brushed and polished surfaces, as well as the texture of the carbon inlay in the bezel and chrono buttons/CG. I feel this model has not had the attention it deserves at this forum, but it is a love/hate item. Some love it, some hate it due to some details very different from the traditional ROO models (different bezel, different buttons etc). Still, it is more toned down, than let's say a RBII, it is not so bulky, has more elegant lines, IMO. Still, some people keep clear of it because of it's Ti, said to be a scratchmagnet. I have tried to be as careful as possible with mine, it looks good still, but haven't had much wristtime yet. What I think is extraordinary, is the different-from-SS shine of the Ti, both on satin/brushed and polished surfaces. Looks very nice in sunshine Of course, since it is Ti, it is also quite comfortable to wear. Here they are. Happy viewing.

Hello there. I saw a video on YouTube from making of AP watches, and the watchmakers at AP used a screwdriver for the bottom bolts for the hex-screws, that looked like they hade made themselves from a pencil or similar material made out of wood. Probably to avoid scratching the polished surface screws in the caseback...

Thanks a lot, legendkiller:-) The RG version is awesome as well. About the links, this is the best fit I was able to manage from this APBANDS strap. The cut-outs for the links looks actually better on the rep-strap that came along with the watch. But, it does not show very easy when you wear it. Only on macroshots. I am happy with it. all though I had one hell of a struggle to get it fitted. Did not get the lug screws through both links without some serious tweaking. Took me about one hour;-(

Velkommen Daniel! Har hatt denne hobbyen i 4 år. Ikke alltid like enkelt å finne ut hvor man skal finne den beste handelen. Husk, de fleste forhandlerne i dette forumet har de samme klokkene fra de samme fabrikkene. Det finnes ikke veldig mange utgaver av samme modell, men det kan finnes V1, V2, V3, Ultimate Super Final edition osv. Carrera 16 har vært med en stund, og de du får kjøpt nå for tiden er veldig bra. Kjenner en som har en Carrera 16 (day/date) med sort skive og stållenke. Den ser veldig imponerende ut, ser mye større ut enn de 43mm skulle tilsi. Finnes også med swiss 7750, da koster den tett oppunder 900 USD. "Normal versjon" med A7750 verk (kinesisk kopi) koster litt over 300 USD hos våre tiltrodde forhandlere. For å finne våre TD, se i menyen øverst over "links". PS: de fleste forhandler liker ikke at du poster QC-biler på forumet. Noen går også så langt som å si at det kan påvirke forholdet mellom deg som kunde og dem som forhandler osv. Du vil ikke finne en 100 % perfekt replica. Alle jeg har kjøpt har hatt mer eller mindre små detaljer som ikke stemmer med originalen, eller små avvik i finish osv. Dette er dog detaljer som ofte bare vises på makrobilder, ikke når man har den på hånda. Husk, de færreste du møter på, går rundt med en lupe eller et mikroskop foran øynene. Lykke til med jakten. Welcome Daniel! Have been into this hobby for 4 years. Not allways easy to figure out where to buy. Remember, most of our TD (trusted dealers) have the same watches, from the same makers. There are not many different makes of the same models, only improved editions, like V1, V2, V3, Ultimate Super Final edition etc. Carrera 16 has been with us for a while, and the ones you can buy nowadays are very good. I know a guy with a Carrera 16 day/date, black dial and ss bracelet. Looks very impressive, and wears much larger than one would think of a 43mm. Also available with swiss 7750, for about 900 USD. A7750 is a little over 300 USD at our TD's. PS: most of the dealers does not fancy you posting QC-pics on the forums. If you have doubts, ask them for more pictures of the details you are uncertain of. Happy hunting:-)

Then I reckon you're a bracelet/rubber/kevlar guy when it comes to watches Well, it is hard to avoid those leather products. Leather in my waist belt, leather seats in my car, leather on the steering wheel and shift stick, leather in my shoes. But then again, if you were to look closer at the REP industry, that we are all a supporter of: what kind of working conditions do you think the people who assemble and build these products, must undergo? They certainly do not have 8 hour days, Monday-Friday, and I guess they do not have 2-3 weeks of paid vacation every year. Probaly they work 12-14 hour days in non-airconditioned factory buildings in south-China were the summers are + 40 Celsius and 90 % humidity, 6 or 7 days a week, only holiday is Chinese New Year and Chinese Autumn festival + May day. They probably struggle to earn enough to sustain a decent life standard, and the big money goes to the owners and the bosses (and perhaps organized crime?;-). We are all supporter of that, wether we like it or not. I think that is maybe a bigger moral issue, than buying exotic leather products from reptiles that were only hunted and killed for their hides. Edit: No offence to Dani or any other for their opinions - I too, do not want to support hunting of endangered species or for that matter, the industry of fur animals, beeing kept in tiny cages and killed only for their fur. I have no respect for animal cruilty or any unhuman treatment of any animal whatsoever, wild animals or cultivated animals. I respect all opinions, and there is nothing better than a debate in a civilized manner. I see from previous posts, that Dani has had items with leather straps, so I guess his opinion is only regarding exotic skins from (possibly) endagered species. God knows were the hides from this APBAND crocstrap comes - they state it is from North - and South American crocodiles. If they are hunted in the wild or kept in captivity, who knows. But as APBANDS state: " All of the hides used for AP Bands products are legal and sanctioned through the appropriate authorities. We are also certified by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service."

Running Stealth today - Custom 380N Black Seal in 292 full ceramic caseset and pilot strap from Panatime - by the way, C1 superluminova by H-Maker is the best lume I have seen on a rep. Even a little shade makes it lit up like a Las Vegas neon sign. It is on par with my GEN SOSF:-)

Finally, here is PICS with the Montoya Ti and APBANDS deep ocean blue croc. The watch is amazing - When I see the level of detail and complexity of the case and dial, I understand why these cost so much. The watch wears a lot smaller than I expected, problably because the size of the dial is rather small, compared to the case size. Still, a substantial picece. And the best thing, it wears very comfortably. It is heavier than I expected, expected it to be feather lite, since it is Ti. But the again, it is quite thick, and the sapphire crystal on front and back, as well as the movement has some weight into it. One thing, the small Hour dial arrow is not perfectly centered in this pic, but that sorted out when I started/stopped the chrono and pushed the reset button. It is perfectly centered now.

Finally I got the custom PAM380 (ceramic PAM292 caseset, custom build by H-Factory). The black strap that came along with it (the more expensive alternative) is the best rep-strap I have seen, but since I ordered some stuff from Panatime to go together with this picece, I just had to swap the strap and this is how it looks:

Hello. Finally some pictures, and I think the mystery is solved. Seems this is a fantasy model, taking some elements from the PAM372, some elements from the PAM422 and making it look like a Fiddy-style model with vintage lume, vintage gold hands and polished case. The case is even engraved between the lugs like the PAM372, it even says "PAM00372" between the upper lugs and OP 6835 on the lower lugs, even the PAM372 has no second hand. Movement looks like the one in the Fiddy, nothing like the movements in the PAM372 or PAM422, which are in-house Panerai movements. Movement even has a swan neck regulator, and it is highbeat 21600 (as stated on the dealers site, as well I can tell from the QC-pic with the timegrapher). Even if the info on the dealers site says "Sapphire AR coated", I think it is actually plexi! Looks really cool, and there is much less reflections than one could expect from a sapphire, even an AR coated (single) one. Maybe AR coated, but I still think plexi. And it has some strange duplex reflexions, something I have never seen on a sapphire, at least not so obvious. As you can see from my somewhat lousy pictures, the magnifying glass effect is very much apparent. I really like the piece, even though it is not an actual GEN model that looks like this. Only downside is, the CG is a little too hard to pull out/push in. Any tip on how to improve? Also it is not so nicely finished as the CG on the 1950 models (312 etc). + are great sapphire (plexi), great looking polished case and see-through caseback (very impressive at first glimpt, but perhaps not totally accurate to a GEN movement), great looking dial and hands (patina lume, Tritium-style, and oversized gold hands). I even like the modern CG (with spring roller assembly) over the more old-fashion type on the Fiddy. Also Fiddy is brushed case, and has not this patina lume, that looks just awesome. - are it is a fantasy model, CG not so good finished, but can perhaps be tweaked, plexi is bound to get some scrathes, and not easily polished without scratching the polished bezel. But, it should perhaps show some wear and tear, it is after all named "Vintage Marina". My wet dream would be a Fiddy, with patina lume, polished case, modern style CG and true sapphire crystal, but maybe the plexi will grow on me after all. It has much less distortions than the Fiddy sapphire from the latest release and dial appears much clearer. Compared to the much less curved sapphire on my 359 (which states has AR, but very poor indead), the 359 is like a mirror and dial view is very distorted. I've put in a picture of my 359 for comparison. 359 sapphire is very foggy and unclear, compared to the Vintage PAM 372/422/127 multibreed fantasy model. Here is:

Great topic, and timing, as I am waiting for a Ti Montoya, and an APBANDS Deep Ocean Blue Croc strap to go with it:-)

Hi there mrlittletlm. You haven't gotten much feedback on your question, sadly. I wish you good luck on this quest, and can suggest this great strap from Panatime: http://www.panatime....towiwhst5m.html I recently bought it my self, for the PAM162 (chrono). It has a similar color dial and numerals as your example PAM029 GMT. Think it will be a great strap for that watch as well. See pictorial of this combo of mine at another topic I posted last week: http://www.rwg.cc/topic/147564-pam162f-and-panatime-vintage-tobacco-with-white-stiching-great-combo/ The strap is really chunky, 5mm all the way, and has thick white stiching, matching the color of the numerals on the dial. Case shape on this PAM162 and PAM029 is more or less the same, apart from mine beeing a chrono.

Hi there, CherryRu. Try APBANDS (dotcom). They have quite a few straps that fits the Shaq, T3 and Arnold caseshape (these models have same case shape).They have some 20+ different straps, from 149USD. As you state, you don't want to use more than 100-150 USD, this should do the trick. APBANDS are perhaps not sheap, but considering straps from our TD's (rep straps) cost from 80-90USD, IMO it is not expensive at all. APBANDS are high quality straps, way better than rep straps. And they have a 100 % fit to the cases. The Arazzo Carbon fiber strap (169USD) is also available with red stiching, which maches the red detail on the Shaq dial. The carbon fiber patern should complement the dial patern on the Shaq real nice ( http://apbands.com/shop/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=T3-ROOSHAQ-ARAZZO&Category_Code=APROT3&Product_Count=19) Good luck:-)

Hi there Relaxman:-) Is that a GEN Lamborghini? PAM088 looks great as well

PAM162F with Vintage Tobacco 24/24 "fatstrap" from Panatime. Strap offers great value for money, only 49,99. Highly recommended if you're after a fat and chunky, yet soft and subtle strap for these PAM babies.

Hi guys. I recently got my straps from Panatime, but not received the watches I ordered yet. By mistake, they went via UK. Hope they will land here anytime next week. The strap I was thinking of putting on the BlackSeal Ceramic 380N is this one. I think it will be a great combo. The strap from Panatime is massive, at least 5mm thick all the way, I think it is almost 5,5mm. And the PVD rivets and buckle will be nice together with the dark ceramic case. Here is the strap, watch and strap togheter will be posted, once I am set with both.

Hi guys. For you who experience the same thing - I managed to fix it with a little superglue and some hefty handwork. The small button is made up of three parts, as well as the small spring. Everything came apart, but I managed to glue the button parts back togheter, then pushed it back into the hole, after putting the spring back in first. Then it kind of just stayed in place, but I put some very tiny droplets of superglue in the joint between the outer rim of the button assembly and the rim of the hole. So hope it stays in place for the future. The button feels a little jerky now, but it works. Also ordered some replacement springbars from Panatime, just in case. Who knows when the other button decides to pop out?!? Then, I fitted my new GEN Python Vintage Panatime strap. The combo is great. Pictures will be posted in another topic later. Happy weekend!

Good afternoon all PAM lovers. I ordered a few straps from Panatime. Great value for money! And the delivery was superfast. I can recommend highly. Here is my PAM162F, which I ordered from Josh before XMas, on an SS bracelet. Now it is equipped with a great Vintage Panatime strap! Even though people say this model is off on the color of the subdials, I think it is a very nice watch, and it looks and feels like a gen, especially with this fat strap. The watch is totally different with a good strap! I don't think I will put it back on the SS bracelet again. It weighs too much with the bracelet, almost 250 grams. Thought I should share some pics of this combo, which is a great combo in my eyes. What do you think? This strap was very affordable, at only 49,99 USD. The strap is 5mm thick all the way, 24/24 and comes with a great PRE-V screw-in buckle. I did not bother to replace it with the REP Paneria buckle, this is equal or better, and pretty chunky. Despite the thickness, it is quite soft. This thickness perfectly complements the chunky look of the watch.I would say the whole strap is chucky as a Dodge RAM or Chevrolet Big-Dooley, if one can compare with cars;-) PS: also bought a GEN Python Vintage Gold strap for my PAM359. I think I have never seen a better combo, it matches the patina numerals and hands 100%, and the GEN reptile is so much nicer than the look-alike straps made of reptile-grain leather. Even this trap was not very expencive, only 58,99. The strap is quite thick, 4mm and is very soft and nice. Maybe would wish it to be a thad thicker, but it looks more elegant this way as it is. You can clearly see and feel the scales of the Python hide on this strap. It is just amazing. Pictures will come later. So, here is the PAM162F:

Hi there, fellow members. So I finally am closing in to get among the APholics. In this craze these days over the AP ROO Diver, I did not follow the mainstream. So, my first AP, a Ti Montoya, is finally on the way to me, after some stressfull days with QC-pics and evaluation. It is my most expensive REP ever. Even so, I have learned that it is not complete, without a proper high quality strap. So, in the meantime, I have done a fair amount of scrolling down the sites for the assorted straps from APBANDS. They do have a Montoya style strap, but I thought it looked too much like the one bundled with the watch. Instead I finally landed on an Illustre Deep Ocean Blue Crocodile made per OEM size to fit the newer case ROO with deployant clasp (this: http://apbands.com/s...Product_Count=1) What do you people think of this combo? I am truly excited. Once I discovered the real feel of a GEN reptile strap (a while back I ordered a Vintage Gold GEN Python strap from Panatime for my PAM359, a stunning strap for this watch, by the way) I will simply not settle for the look-alike straps. For me, it must be real reptile leather, or else you should only settle for a standard leather strap. The difference from a real reptile band and a "look-alike" or "croc/alligator grain", is like comparing a tailor-made italian suit and a suit at WallMart. The wis people who know APBANDS say they are the best and offers a fit to the case, unmatched by no one else. I hope so, since it costs nearly an arm and a leg (almost 290USD with freight). These straps are "handmade" in Italy. Some of their customers even report back that it "is better than OEM at half price". They also stock real Hornback Croc straps, but they are from 349USD ++. I think it is a little too much, that is the price of a REP AP ROO Diver V3. But, what have i done??? When I come to think of it, this combo will have a total retail price of about 900 USD. Luckily I got a small discount, so I am about 50 USD below that. I think I must be a little crazy. One could purchase a GEN for that price, at least a midrange quartz;-) I will arrange pictures once it is in my possesion. I ordered the strap yesterday, and it was shipped already, yesterday evening! APBANDS seems very quick, once they have items in stock. Only downside was express freight costs about 60USD (FedEx 1-3days). I could have opted for a slower freight at half that price, but risking it takes another two weeks and I have no patience

Hi there folks. After 4 years collecting reps, I still haven't pulled the trigger on an AP ROO yet, but damn, they are beautiful Mainly because of the price, almost twice that of a "generic" rep and doubts about the secs at 12 movements. Spending 500+ USD on a watch with a movement literary a "ticking bomb" bound to go off sooner than later, makes me very sceptic, so I write this post to try to convince myself that it is worth it, if I get some more input and info from you experienced AP collectors. Since they are all A7750, which in generic should not be a very expencive movement for the makers to obtain, I reckon the high price tag is due to the high level of details and complexity on the case and dial design and overall delicate finish, as well as the need for modifying the generic A7750 movements, to make it a sec at 12 without beeing too unreliable. After modding the movements over several years, how reliable have they become? Still bound to ship them to service once aquired? The ones I eager most after, are sadly not talked much about on these pages. They are the Montoya Ti and the T3 Grey dial (both in Ti, the latest creations from the makers). Mainly because they are big, yet the Ti will probably not make them too uncomfortable to wear. Also because they stand out from most of the "mainstreem" ROO range, with muliple color variations. Since there is little written about the latest creations, I tried to do some brief research my self. Found great pics of a gen on ebay (http://www.ebay.com/...=item5d33b18f5e) Compared to the one on Puretime, there are little to put the finger on. The hex bolts looks a little bigger on the rep (bezel bolts), also the crown sticks slightly more out of the case (is it a tad longer?) The blue min counter hand is a little darker on the GEN, but it may only be due to lighting conditions. Yellow and red counter hands looks spot on. So does the dial, apart from the subdials, which have consentric rings, but I do not see them on the pics of the GEN subdials. Maybe also only due to lighting conditions when photos taken. The font on the inner rehaut looks a bit thinner, sharper and more crisp on the GEN (the base tachymeter scale). The AP and Audemars Piguet logo on the dial looks like it is handapplied onto the dial on kind of a plate on the GEN, whereas on the REP the letters are applied directly onto the dial. I am not sure. But this is after studying macro shots. On the wrist, I doubt there are any obvious tells, perhaps apart from the person wearing it (it is a 45000 USD watch!, limited to 1000 pcs w.w.). I also reckon the rep strap does not have the GEN feel and looks, but it looks similar in the photos, at least. But can be changed to a better strap anytime. Regarding the T3 model, I have not done much research, but the latest real Ti edition on PureTime looks great in the video (the grey dial one). Only I dislike, is the way the strap is attached, somewhat untraditional to the usual ROO style. So, any advice on why one should NOT pull the trigger on these beauties? Any obvious flaws I have not any knowledge about? Again, since there is little to read about these latest realeases on the Forum (only some stuff about the older model T3 and not much about the Ti Montoya at all) I ask for your opinions, and maybe grant me the permit to step into the AP family? Thanks and happy weekend to all fellow members

Hi guys. I just realised that Josh added this item to his shop just a few days ago. I may be one of the first to order it. Anyone else pulled the trigger yet? http://www.1-pc8838.com/pn380n07-pam380-radiomir-blackseal-p-12186.html Seems like a fantasy build, since it is a PAM292 ceramic with PAM380 dial. I think the logo dial looks ûbercool on this installation. Even if it is a fantasy model, I think it looks stunning. Hope it will be in real life as well. I have ordered some straps from Panatime to go with this.

Hi there prb. It looks like the pictures from Paneristi forum: http://www.network54.com/Forum/353391/thread/1313931714/1314080204/Has+anyone+had+problems+with+the+quick+change+system+parts Only in my case, there is also a spring.

Any WIS can identify this model: http://www.1-pc8838.com/pnv47105a-vintage-marina-ssle-style-6497-p-11697.html I just ordered it, together with a BlackSeal PAM380N ceramic. It is not very expencive, and because I wanted a 1950 case, and this was the closest to the Fiddy, which are currently out of stock. It says brushed case, but the pictures shows it is polished (as the 359). I just love the polished 1950 cases Looks like the new PAM422, any ideas? (Reference http://www.paneraisource.com/watch_details/Historic_308.html ) Noted some cool stuff: Even the print on the dial has lume . Is this a pure fantasy model? It has the newest style CG with spring roller assembly, AR sapphire and highbeat manual wind.