peepshow

Exactly, Kruz. Unfortunately for the perfectionists among us, close enough in the rep world is usually..... well.... close enough.

I agree with the staff's decision 100%. Sadly, this is not the first time TTK has made threats once he has been "called on the carpet" about issues. A tough decision, but the right one, IMO.

Gotcha. Thanks for the heads up, TT!

Well, since my original post was deleted, along with at least one post from Neil, I'll post it again. Get well soon, Neil. If you've lost any friends over this, perhaps they weren't really your friends to begin with...

UJ, there was also an Oris in After the Sunset (a rubber bezel TT1) and Keanu wears an Oris in Constantine. Here are a couple more for the list: Family Man - Rolex National Treasure 1 & 2 - Rolex Weatherman - Rolex It seems that Nic Cage is a Rollie fan despite his MB spokesmanship. I think Jeremy Piven wears a Ritmo Mundo as Ari Gold in Entourage (not a movie, but I LOVE that show) That's all I got for now.

Tootall, I said I *HAVE* been very pleased with it.

I dunno if tootall has used Renapur or not. I started using Pecard's at tootall's suggestion and have been very pleased with it.

I think if you want to find photos to compare, you'd be better off finding photos *NOT* shown on the Panerai website. Panerai.com is famous/infamous for using photos of "prototype" or "pre-production" models that are, in a lot of cases, not accurate representations of the watches actually sold.

LOL, it was worth a shot. As for what I get with the gen over the reps -- Yes, build quality is one thing, certainly. Another is that it signifies accomplishment in my personal and professional life for me. I'm proud of being in a situation where I can afford to splurge on expensive watches. If that makes me shallow, I can live with that. Don't misunderstand, we're not rich. My wife and I have had to work hard to get to where we are. Indulging in something that we both enjoy is a small reward for all that work. Believe me, if I wanted to buy a gen in order to flaunt it or have it recognized I sure wouldn't buy Panerais!

TeeJay, how far north of London are you? I'm in London until the 20th, I'd love to continue this discussion over a pint...

What good is uniqueness if I don't like the unique design? I didn't buy my Panerai because of any horological innovation (if I wanted that, I'd buy a Seiko Spring Drive), nor did I buy it as an investment. I bought it because it was a solid "luxury" timepiece that I enjoyed the styling of. The exact reason I'll buy a gen Luminor within the next year or two. I agree with you about innovation being a big part of the draw, but I'd prefer a Damasko which uses technical innovation in the case construction and design and a standard "chronometer grade" ETA 7750 for $2250 over a $10K AP ROO. I coulnd't afford the AP even if I *did* like the styling!

I'm a technology consultant and I wear nothing but PAMs, typically. Although, the last time I was here in the UK, I wore my Ocean7 G-1 GMT so I could easily tell what time it was back home (I also wore my PAM210). I've yet to meet anyone who recognized any of the watches I wear (although the project manager on the last gig I was at was wearing a Tag Monaco LE chrono). Wear what you like...

Why not just use your cell phone or a $20 quartz Timex, then? We all know that people here are watch fans, first and foremost, rep collectors 2nd. The quality of my 210 is leaps and bounds past any rep I've owned. Is it worth the 10x price difference? No, but then we're back to the "all luxury goods are overpriced for what they are" discussion. I'll stand by what I said in my earlier post. My rep collection has enough "variety" for me now. So from this point, I'll gladly take 1 used gen over 4-5 modified reps.

I would take the gen. Put it another way, say you buy a Swiss 6497 powered PAM for $300. Upgraded crown and installation = $120; Dial relume = $120; High/flattened cannon pin = $100? You're at nearly $650 and you haven't even replaced the crappy rep strap! I've got over $700 into my Davidsen 010D and almost that much into my 001B. At that rate 4-5 modded PAMs gets you a good condition 2nd hand gen. As the owner of one gen PAM, I would take another gen over 4-5 more reps... YMMV

Uncle Jay, it's good to see you around these parts! Those are two spectacular watches. Absolutely stunning. The franken-201A is about as perfect as a "tool watch" could get, IMO. Better than any of the frankens that were shown on the Garibaldi ship referenced above. Oustanding! And the non-matching hands/dial? Forget about it! Thanks for sharing those with us. You are a lucky, lucky man.

There is a HUGE flaw with that watch. It's not in my watchbox! Congrats, the 024 is my favorite Sub.

Yep, gen, despite the uneven lume on the "2" in the 12 and the 6... Goes to show that even Panerai doesn't get all their dials perfect.

Nope they should be high, I believe, just like in Victoria's picture...

kasigi, what is the serial number of your Fiddy? IIRC, there were far more crystal problems with the 05xx (0581?) serial number than the 0117 case. Some people were theorizing that the different cases exerted different amounts of pressure on the crystal and that the design of the 05xx case made it more prone to broken crystals.

Huh. Thanks for the link, PAMman. The pictures in this article: hxxp://www.paneristi.com/archives/PreA_Panerai/Pre_A_Panerai.html Made it look like the 201A and others have the taller, more steeply angled bezel (albeit without the "step" around the bottom of the bezel), to me at least. Anyway, thanks. It's obviously been too long since I've read that article about the cases...

The PAM111 or 112 are great "first reps". If you're looking for something as close to gen as possible, perhaps one of the new "Ultimate" automatic PAMs are a better bet? The "Ultimate" PAM104 that a lot of our dealers sell might be right up your alley. Since you're going to try to dress the watch up during the week, I'd stay away from the Submersibles and the 47mm models. Do you want a handwind or auto movement? Are you looking for SS or Ti? A little more direction as to what you're looking for would be helpful.

Bingo. The taller bezel is correct, but the real Pre-A's crowns weren't that high. Perhaps the the dials were further away from the crystal than the more contemporary models? I don't know the answer...

Don't sweat it, avitt. This is one thing that most people would never pick up on. Especially in the flesh. I just look for it now because I'm a freak...

I agree it was a huge step and I think it's BEYOND great that he undertook the project. I just wish he hadn't quit improving the dial once he got close...

You could have sourced this watch from most of "our" dealers in some iteration. FYI, that appears to be an Asian movement (as it should be at $165), but the ad just says "top quality 6497" or something like that. Not a terrible rep, the movement style is wrong for that watch, the shape of the 6 is off, but the 12 and 3 don't look bad, fonts are decent, crown actually looks pretty good. It's missing the "L"s or "T"s on either side of the "Swiss Made", too. You can always mod the CG pin to look better after you get the watch...