sssurfer

Thanks Pix for the great comparison & revue!

Screws in the gen movement are plain SS -- not black, not blue:

It seems that, as usual, rep makers are making some details better (the central part of the rotor without the saw-like appearance, the "HUBLOT GENEVE" text engraved on the rotor rather than stickered on it), and some other details worse (the black central screw and other blue screws, the odd "LIMITED" "EDITION" text on the caseback).

In order to get an almost perfect piece, we should mix a V1 and a V2...

Thnx! I think you just pushed me in the direction of my first Davidsen .

Great!

Just don't miss to tell DSN about my advice and remind him to send me my 5%

Agree.

My tryings with the SS blackener were intended not to blacken a whole case (what I tried for the sake of experimenting, though), but rather small bits like screws, lever, lever pin, crown (it was a time when PVD crowns were not easy to find), and minor scratches on the PVD surface.

Also, hard to find a PVD company in my country.

I am uninterested in base models, just a bit more interested in marina models, so I'll go for the hard way and give you my opinion on marina auto models.

088

Would you say that the font on the 088 is just as accurate as on the 089?

Yes.

Even more, I personally find the DSN 088 dial even better than the 089 (same excellent overall quality and crispness, but no blue-vs-anthracite issue, and a better small seconds subdial size).

Even more, I think that DSN 088 is possibly the best PAM rep currently around.

Shame on me because the panda style is not my cup of tea, else I would have already jumped on it.

Here is another pic for you to compare, this time DSN 089 vs DSN 088:

I still have the most basic question. Is the color on the 89 dial accurate to the gen. Has anyone held the two together?

Yes kruzer, that is the $1million question.

I hope that someone will be able to enlighten us one day.

Interesting. How about some pics anyway? Unless its a hassle:)

ASAP, and as long as I manage to find back those parts I tried... I might have thrown them away, in consideration of how bad they had come out.

Is it just me or is the font slightly thinner than on the gen? Especially the GMT numerals look a bit different.

Uhm... I would not say so. Often in gen pics the small white numerals look bolder than what they actually are, because of poor white balance and/or focus and/or unequal contrast in different parts of the picture.

Here is a large compare pic, where the gen is not from a photo shot, but from a scan from the official OP catalogue.

Here you can see how lighting plays tricks, as DSN font looks thin in the most lightened parts of the dial, but perfect in the darkest parts (look at the pic in its full size, don't leave it reduced).

Actually, also considering DSN's shots in his gallery, I feel it likely that DSN's GMT numerals are as good as possible...

Also -- black case & date: only the very axpensive and rare 028.

Overall it's a very good rep, but I still see a few flaws:

1 - Blue dial tone, instead of anthracite. Is it just the pics? Else, this is the only evident flaw.

2- (Minor). Hour hand still not 100%. Lumed part a little too long.

3- (Very minor). Numbers and indices a little too spaced from the outer border of the dial.

4 - (Very minor). Caseback's domed border a little too thin, and OP/BB/serial a little too small.

Still, a 99% caseback, and a 99% rep if the dial color is near correct.

and the backcase numbers problem...

What was the problem with the caseback numbers, mate?

EDIT & P.S.: The date does not show clearly in DSN pics...

it seems to me the seconds hand is too thin and short, and the minute hand a tad too short. It also looks like the numbers aren't close enough to the outer edge of the dial

Inaccuracies in the seconds and minute hands are at the level of needing a loupe or a magnified pic to detect them, i.e. beyond the expected limit for rep accuracy, IMHO.

Rather, I would say that the less correct hand is the hour hand (size of the lumed part).

You are right about the distance of the numbers and markers from the outer edge of the dial. Still, a pretty small difference though. Barely detectable at naked eye.

Considering the overall quality of this dial, I would not be so disappointed at it. Personally I feel that if every similar complex Pam dials were repped at this level, we rep lovers might consider ourselves lucky...

Sorry for chiming in here so late, I missed this thread until now.

Caswell Inc is selling a product that they claim able to blacken stainless steel:

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm#stainless

In reality, I tried it and it did not work on rep cases other than on quite unusfeul parts like the bezel's inside.

Hi debbie, welcome aboard.

DSN stands for Davidsen (also Davidsenjpn), and yes, he is both a manufacturer and a dealer.

He has a section here, in the Trading Zone forum, Accessories sub-forum.

If you cannot see it then you need to upgrade your membership.

the image of the Vespucci is inverted in the engraving (instead of being polished).

Oh my!

You are absolutely right!

I did not notice that until you pointed at it.

I was hoping to find the perfect Pam rep!

Unfortunately, there is no such thing like a perfect Pam rep in this world...

... but I would say that DSN's 088 gets quite close.

Fish, my rating buttons seem vanished, else I would rate your post a gold star!

I still can't understand how to feel DSN markers pushed too inside after looking at the gen pic I posted...

As far as I know the PVD on that watch is not PVD. My guess is anodizing.

Anodized it is.

Fellows, you know how I love you, but, with all due respect, I don't think it is anodized.

Stainless steel cannot get anodized (i.e. oxidated, as anodizing is an oxidation process) at common temperature and pH.

Anodizing stainless steel would be more expensive and far less effective than applying a true PVD coat, especially if a low-quality, low-cost PVD.

From Wikipedia:

Anodizing, or anodising, is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. ... Anodic films are most commonly applied to protect aluminium alloys, although processes also exist for titanium, zinc, magnesium, and niobium. This process is not a useful treatment for iron or carbon steel because these metals exfoliate when oxidized; i.e. the iron oxide (also known as rust) flakes off, constantly exposing the underlying metal to corrosion.

My guess is that it is true PVD, just low quality and performed without any former beadblasting (therefore its shiny look).

DSN's 082 is excellent.

The markers are correctly spaced from the border of the dial -- possibly even a tiny bit less than the gen, surely not more.

The caseback is incredible.

The hands on the gen are black.

OP, BB and serial numbers on the gen are engraved on the case (like in Radiomirs), not on the caseback.

Here are two high resolution scans from the OP official catalog for you to compare:

Neurologist and psychiatrist, researcher on cognitive science, and director of a mental hospital (seriously, I am not still a patient there)

Apologies on the long time it took (I am really slow at taking pics), but as we say here:

"All promises are debt".

Here they go.

Is the Jimmy Fu a sandwich dial?

No, it is neither sandwich nor sausage. Rather like vintage.

printing I wanted to stay came off just wiping it off w/ the cloth.

Great advice, archibald, thanks!

I am going to try it as soon as I get a special dial I am waiting for.

Or a Jimmyz Fu base dial ....if you can get one!!

I happen to have a couple. Maybe I'll put them on sale if I just get a figure of how much they are worth...

Gorgeous.

Just, please, put a crystal on it!