ubiquitous

Either Primero will probably work, but I'm thinking the extra 14 jewels in the 31j version are there for a reason. Since manufacturers are only allowed to count functional jewels this leads me to believe that the 31j version may be the better, safer route to take. So, I'm holding out for one of those as my 16520 franken will be a keeper!

An impressive collection of PAMs indeed! Nice mix... There's a little bit of everything for all occassions!

Very nice! I love the Vero Cuoio's... The tan Dirk Deluxe works out to be a very nice contrast on the PVD

To press the retaining ring on, I use this: The case is from an Omega Seamaster 176.007... Fits around the Tropics and the retaining ring perfectly.

As of today (08-MAY-2006), 85€ = $107.97 (1 EUR = 1.27026 USD).

RT- The first picture of the 5218-201/A has markers that were pre-maturely aged because of the reaction of the varnish applied to the Tritium on the dial only (these early models did not have the same varnish applied to the hands). The reaction caused the Tritium to turn an Orange-ish color, yet the hands remained 'normal'. These early versions are known as 'non-matching' because of the combination (later iterations had a different mixture of varnish applied to both dial and hands). The second watch pictured looks like an A or B serial 'T SWISS T' dialed PAM001; the markers on the dial have most likely aged naturally. If you're looking for a PAM that has markers that appear to be aged, you may want to consider one of davidsen's offerings... More pics this way...

I see he still has my old PAM004...

Holy smokes, Rob! Methinks that Glycine will dwarf a Fiddy!

The bracelets that incorporate the use of pins holding the links together are adjusted by pushing the pin(s) out, removing or adding links, and then pushing the pin back in. The arrow on the inside of the bracelet indicates the direction that the pin needs to be pushed out.

Congrats Steve!!

jf- That is a most disturbing image! Those bedsheets are terribly offensive! I can't believe the sales clerk at Linens n Things let Hayek Sr. walk out of the store with those

Thanks, gang! Much appreciated! I'm currently considering giving the watch a little clean up with a new dial, hands and bezel. I'd keep the original parts, tucked away nice and safe, but I'm a bit on the fence with this one since the watch is currently all original (except the bracelet). Guess I have some time to think about it...

Man, that is some bad luck. Sorry to hear! Now that I think about it, a fair number of the reps I've purchased have had some QC issues of some sort. Most are not major, and easily fixed, but I've learned to check the watches over when I get them. Most of the time, the defective or problematic part(s) get replaced when I mod the watch anyways But, you are correct- Even genuines are not immune to the problems and issue that we sometimes encounter with reps. And the cost to fix or service those can be much more expensive, depending on who you go with!

Jury Duty... Yuck!

Thank you! The 1665 is an MBW fitted with genuine parts: *Genuine insert/pearl *Genuine (flat) T-39 *Genuine crown *Genuine tube *Genuine springbars *Genuine 580 end links *Repainted dial on a genuine Singer base *Aftermarket hollow link Oyster *Replaced the ETA 2836 with a 2846 to better emulate the slow beat of the vintage movement The vintage Seamaster 300 is a gen. All original, except for the (genuine) bracelet, which is a replacement.

Mon: Tues: Weds: Thurs: Fri: Or so the plan goes...

Thanks, everyone for the kind words! I've been admiring this beauty throughout the day, and I'm glad I picked it up! Indeed- I had been finding a lot of frankens with most of the tell-tale signs (stubbies, hands, pointy 'A's, CERTIFED, etc). When this one came up, I couldn't believe it. When I discovered that the watch was an hour and a half away from me, it became a no-brainer Hmmmm... My observed ball park figues seem to be $900.00 to $3000.00 US, depending on condition, originality, etc. The frankensteins seem to fetch around $500 to $700 (from what I've seen)... Wrist shots and a couple of comparison shots- Cheers! R

Since I'm not certain if a good rep of the vintage Sea-Master will ever materialize, I gave in today and bought a genuine 165.024 vintage circa 1967. I've been looking off and on for the past month and a half or so, and happened to locate one that was local. After negotiating a bit, the seller and I came to an agreement on price, and made plans to meet today to swap cash for merchandise. The watch is all original except for the bracelet. It's got some wabi to it, but it just adds to the character. The bezel is split in two locations- '15' and '35', and the tritium on the bezel is spent, but that's to be expected I suppose. The bracelet is genuine Omega; it's just not original to this watch. I've been timing it against my MBW 1665 (Omega on my left wrist, MBW on the right), and it's been keeping excellent time! Between this watch and my new davidsen PVD, my MBW is going to have some competition in getting some wrist time! Look closely there at the crystal- Can you spot the signed Omega horseshoe in the center? Thanks for looking!

An excellent read, as always!! Reviews don't get any better than this! Top quality pics, and excellent techinal writing and detail on the break down! Thank you, Rob!

Pretty hard core, Ludo!! A great first attempt!

Exactly Paul Newman had his for sale at one point...

I need to revise mine... Today I'm wearing this one... I'll have something else to show tomorrow...

Frank, I believe that is correct. However, I was under the impression that the genuines with the engraved casebacks were actually given to the drivers that had participated in the 24 Hours of Daytona?

I love it! Absolutely brilliant!

Thanks for the kind words everyone! Having worn this one all day, I must admit that it's a bit odd looking down at my wrist and not seeing my vintage Sea-Dweller But, I love my new PVD! I have a feeling that this one's going to be getting it's fair share of wrist time! Actually, based on the caseback matriculation numbers (0099/1000) and serial numbers (BB970099), this would indeed be a Pre-A. It is true that the collecting preference would be an all original Pre-A with a T-SWISS-T dial, but there are a few instances where the original dial was replaced with an A serial dial.