babola

Not half bad, Miles...;-)

Many thanks for this explanation G, let's hope it was just a single case this time, but as you pointed out it is a design fault nevertheless and an 'accident' just waiting to happen.

Thanks mate

Thanks R for another great review. BTW, have you tried comparing the inner diameter of that A7753 DW with the 7750 DW example? To me it appears that while the outer edge of the A7753 DW is the same as ETA7753 DW, the inner one could well be within specs of the smaller diameter of the 7750 DW, or not? Also it appears the teeth on these A7753 DWs are aligned with the middle of the printed numerals like on the 7750 DWs and unlike 7753 DWs where the teeth 'sit' between the numbers...what do you think...a 'swaparoo' with the aftermarket 7750 DW with slightly bolder print is possible or not?

Oh crapola... I wish I haven't see that video G. So it appears the quickset date wheel is "securely" held in it's place by the bottom of the dial only, pin at the bottom of the wheel supported and rotating on a single jewel only? Wonder if that wobbliness is only a single case or a design fault symptomatic to all new A7753 mov'ts Thanks for the mov't tear-down and a review, once again!

The thicker gasket fix may well work and sometimes may not, depending on how much 'play' there's left in the crown stem and how far away the lever from the dish is. The photo showing the position of the crown in reference to the case would help a lot...

Could you post a picture that shows the crown/CG, please. Slightly longer crown stem is just one of the ideas that spring to mind at the moment.

Dr, that's the old-school one, alright. Keep it, who knows it may come handy one day

This is very true for watches from Davidsen. Just about all DSN casesets I've handled and owned in the past had a slightly deeper rehaut. That's just the way it is with his cases, I'm afraid Here's 2 pics of gens for comparison...the rehauts on these appear even deeper than on most of my old-school reps. PAM001 A-series: PAM005 G-series: Again, the extra depth of the rehaut on these photos may well be artificial, due to shoting angle, light etc. But definitely there if you're looking for it

Believe me, Pete - I'm even more glad... I'm the way I am, sorry...can't help it. I know there's a doctor or medicine for this but so far haven't been able to find one that works

I think it's bit of both, W. And I agree...it was a much more enjoyable place in the past, lot less egos etc....we just talked watches, Maurits and the few (most of them are gone now, though) kept us intrigued and glued to our computer screens with his knowledge about all things Panerai, especially pre-V stuff. It is a very different place these days, for better or worse. For me it's the latter, sorry. I rarely visit the main 'risti forum page these days anymore, few times a month to check the sale forum and that's pretty much it. There' so much more fun in rep-dom and this wonderful 'underground' hobby of ours Also, big egos and crybabies don't survive for long on rep forums, people are much more 'onto it' here, bullsh$tters easily identified and ousted. And the sheer knowledge of the folk on our rep forums, let alone all the experience of the watchmakers we have access to...sheesh, I won't even go there.

+1

Ahhh, the one and only old-school 196 You could still add few finishing touches to the exterior, like better crown, flatter lever pin and maybe slightly better lug screws, but even so - it's a beauty Too good for a paperweight, bud... Enjoy!

Chad, nothing to worry about mate...the rehaut appearance varies even even on the same gen model for different series sometimes, old or new models. I've seen 201/A with what appears a supper thin rehaut ring, as well as a very deep one. IMO, this would be the result of xtal edge finish, thickness and properties of the xtal gasket as well as the depth of the bezel area inside which the xtal is pressed in. The angle of photo as well as lighting can also play a part. No worries mate...there are many more issues with the reps, rehaut depth diffs is IMO one of the least evident.

Shorter subdial hands? I also have a reservation about metallic silver subdial finish on the rep. Let's hope there's not that much of a difference in real life.

Not sure about those Ti Chronos, but S/S PAM224 Firenze Chrono is currently in the works, confirmed by one of the cartel guys. Let's just hope they get the 'electric' blue dial finish correct

Wow - stunning pieces! Great PVD finish as well. As Rolli said above - I wish you a 'long joy' as well

Thanks M! Well, I asked Andrew (Trusty) ...he said this is it and no new versions being planned by this factory, "this is as good as it gets" he said. He also pointed out that the factory is now cognizant of the CG issues and are a little more careful during the assembly. I don't know what that means exactly, sorry. I heard some rumors by some members of the rep forums about "V2" with updated CG/crown assembly possibly on a horizon soon, but Andrew quickly denied it. Who knows at this stage mate...

Very nice result Brian! Yeah, the gen Pams can be all over the place when it comes to CG pins, even as new. Some are perfectly flush with the top of the CG, some little sunken. I believe the pin on a gen Panerai allows a little more travel, so if you push it little too far in it can end up looking sunken. Not 100% sure about this but that's what I noticed on many a gen Pam, though. My Jimmy Fu CG pins are the same, while flat on top, if you push them a little further they will end up being sunken. Most of the other cartel rep CGs I have don't 'travel' that much in. cheers!

Thanks guys, much appreciated. D, who wouldn't like to have a 162, the first Panerai Chrono model If they get those subdials right it won't be long until I pull a trigger on one of those. I believe there's someone on another forum that promised a 162 review of sorts, not sure. cheers!

Thanks mate!

Sure, no problems Brian. I used my garage workshop vice for this. It's best to use some sort of dampener on each side of the vice's metal bars. I use two smaller pieces of hardwood, but you can use other material. Place the CG inside the vice, it's feet tips to rest against these two wooden protectors. I place the CG horizontally (lever hole facing up) so it's easy to monitor the squeeze and effect it has on the rectangular cavity for the crown. Engage the vice and start turning VERY slowly. The important bit to note is that even though the CG is made of solid piece of S/S and appears to be something hard to change the shape of even by vice...the CG will bend very easily, so take it slowly, bit by bit...removing the CG from the vice and placing it against the case to check how far you're from that 'perfect' fit, then repeat. It took me about 3 tries. This method isn't perfect and not for everyone, I have to say. It's so easy to scr3w things up if you overshoot with the pressure and squeeze, as well as very easy to damage the end of the CG. Also, and this is VERY IMPORTANT to note for potential modders...since the CG isn't symmetrical, meaning it's solid on one side and has a lever cavity on the other - when you apply the pressure to the ends, ONLY the side with the lever cavity will bend towards the middle! There isn't a workaround to this at least not that I know of, it's simple physics and unfortunately you cannot do much about it. Go too far and you'll end up with one side bent too much and another not at all...not a great look, so please try to avoid this by having few goes at the vice, and re-check in between. Hope this helps. Do you have any photos of your mods at this stage? cheers!

I believe by now just about everyone would agree that these new A7753 powered Daylight Chronos are some of the best reps in general to hit the market in the last couple of years. The fit and finish, attention to detail and most importantly gen specs and measure make these reps head above the rest Panerai reps on the market these days. The only few smaller issues that let this rep down and may require a little attention to are around the CG and CG lever fitment and appearance. Like with many more here who ordered their Daylights in the last 2-3 weeks from the Cartel boys, my PAM236 wasn't immune to these problems. The lever was sticking out when closed by almost 0.75mm. Being a watch modder and usually interested in "how things work" in general, I took the crown and CG assembly apart and dealt to the "issue" Here's the (before) stock photo sent by Andrew's QC person. You can see the lever sticking out as well as gaps between the tips of the CG feet and the case: Having taken the bits apart, here's what I noticed, in particular. - the case tube 'sticks' a little too far from the case (due to this, there's almost no spring-loaded crown play like on the gen Panerai, the crown almost sits flush with the crown tube when opened) - the default o'ring seal used is just a tad too thick - the rubber insert inside the lever is made of a very soft rubber, much softer than the rubber insert that come inside my Jimmy Fu CG levers. My mate PeteM suggested some sort of rubber/plastic hardener to be applied, sounds interesting and who knows - it may actually do the trick - the bridge feet aren't cut to fit the case line, on 99% of the CGs I've seen (mine included) there's a gap at the tips of the bridge arc, where the CG feet need to fit the case. Actually the two main issues that IMO are causing CG lever misfit, are the fact the crown tube is too long (sticks too far out), and the lever rubber tube insert if too soft. First thing that will give in when the lever is engaged against the crown is the rubber insert, resulting in lever to stick out of the CG. The mods I've done: - replaced the thick o'ring seal inside the crown with a flatter and thinner one - "squeezed" the ends of the CG bridge to deal to the gap between the CG and the case. This alone has done quite a lot to ease the pressure on the CG lever, as now the arc of the CG bridge is slightly higher (we're talking 0.3-0.4 of a mm difference here, so not much but still enough) - flattened and polished the CG pin. The pin is already flat enough, so this step isn't really required for the naked eye appearance...we're talking microns here - re-finished the CG top by shaving off some metal at the top. My (and many others I've seen on photos) CG came with a little dip around the CG pin, making the top of the pin appear more sunken and round than it really is. I've just got rid of that little sunken part around the pin head, that's all. - re-brushed the CG top to restore the satinized brushed S/S finish. Few 'after' pics of the finished CG mod below: Hope some of the community may find this helpful...happy modding! As always, drop me a PM in case of any questions, or just post here. I'd love to see the CG/Lever mods of others as well...if you have any please post here...thanks cheers!

Oh OK then..there you have it Defender, 0.9 it is then, just make sure it's for the right mov't type

You'll be OK with either 0.9 or 1.2mm stems, the mov't inside that rep is A7750 and it will accept both. Just make sure the stem type you source is for 7750/7753 mov't. Sourcing a gen crown is a different story altogether. If I were you I'd follow Drule's suggestion above and get one of the T-48SL ones that accept 0.9mm stem. These should be readily available now. Have fun!