seraphe

Yes, the direction letters NSEW are inserted into the cutouts (as in not engraved, if that's what you want to know). This is not the screwed in version that is like the gen. Here's some comparisons: Gen: Ultimate 092: There're some differences: The NSEW and square markers are thinner than gen. The slope of the curved edge not as smooth/gradual. The teeth around the edge not as sharp/long. But these differences are just microscopic and I'm just being anal

Found these pics on Flickr and some of them shocked me utterly... hxxp://www.flickr.com/photos/uwatches/sets/72157601021487598/ *Someone get me the pail... I wanna rant!*

I'm still at 'anything but a Breit or a HBB'... Was once a 'mainly Rollies'... now am a 'mainly Pannies'.

I don't carry much... just a few essentials.

Amazing. Your color combinations with clothes really puts considerations of each strap in a different light! Well done, V!

I too have 7" wrist size and my straps are 125x75mm with 5mm thickness. Savage gave me a table for an idea how to choose my size...

My concern is that as far as I've seen in gen sausage dials, the non-lume color of the lume under sunlight or florescence lamps are more whitish than greenish. Most of the lume on reps I've seen seem to me more greenish. That's why I'm rather picky in selecting my PAMs.

Great! Is that the same for all gens like Daylights and Submersibles?

Coming to the topic of SS bracelets on pannies, does anyone know if the OEM SS bracelets that come with some of the 44mm pannies are 24/24 straight or 24/22 tapered? The reason I asked is because I have two polished/brushed bracelets from different dealers, one is straight and the other tapered. I'm looking forward to install one of these onto the coming 111H that will be arriving soon. Personally, I prefer the tapered one. However, quality of the straight one seems better. Also, it seems that most of the dealers are offering only the straight one. Hence my question.

After reading all previous reviews on the Ultimate 092 (incl. one by taiji at RWI http://www.replica-watch.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29738 which inspired me to pull this trigger), my order of this baby finally arrived! Just a few pics to share. (Pardon for the horrible pictures taken. These are the best I can do for now with a FinePix camera...) I just love the stealthy look of the hands. Also, as mentioned in all previous reviews, the CG needs to be changed. It looks horrible! The AR. It's not as much AR as the DSN marina, but still obvious in the light. Again, the CG and the crown. This could use a palp or gen crown for mods. The wrong caseback. Nevertheless, unless you own one or do a side by side with a gen, it's not significant. Side view of the CG. The front surface (dial side) of the CG seems a little too flat. Isn't this side supposed to be concave curve over and under the lever and the thicker in the middle? More wrist shot. Lume shot. Taken in the filing cabinet of my office desk. (PS: this is my 2nd PAM . Love it already!)

It's definitely still there. For a while, I thought I'd be disappointed from a fruitless trip. But then it dawned to me that China is a massive and largely populated place. You may lose a dealer or two (or even a whole bunch), but you will NEVER lose the rep watch business in China. Not to worry too much. In the worst case, rep watch business will go underground (just like how it is for us now) off the street for a year or two. You think people are going to stop eating? IMO, the rep watch business will not disappear. It may evolve, relocate, reorganize... but never disappear. Take GZ for example... not only do they do wholesale for rep watches, they also have streets after streets of fake leather products, sneakers and clothes. That takes up to about a quarter of the GZ city already. Will the Chinese govt really want to reshuffle their economy when it's just picking up?

Just got back from GZ/Macau/HK trip and I thought I should share some of my rep shopping experience at GZ... With all the hype gotten to me by previous reports by bklm1234's Reporting From Replica Capital, Guangzhou and tvt's Guangzhou Watch Markets "live" Report, I'm finally here at the replica watch capital of China. Having the luxury of a local driving me there, I found the Zhanxi Road/ Station West Road (站西路） very easily. Just like bklm1234 and the others who've been there, I felt the exhiliration of heaven. There are so many buildings selling watches (some of which I do not know the english name). With limited time (3 half-day was not enough), I could only visit the top three on the list. 1. Southern Trade Center of Horology (南方钟表交易中心) 2. Nanfang Horological City (南方钟表城) - opposite of Southern Trade Center of Horology 3. Eastern Horological City (东方表城) 4. Wangjiao International Horological City (旺角国际钟表城) 5. Station West Jiulong Watch Center (站西路九龙表行) 6. New Jiulong Watch Center (新九龙表行) 7. Station West Watch Center (站西路表行) 8. Sanyi International Horological City (三一国际钟表城) Day 1: The Prelude My first stop was the Nanfang Horological City, which was the one recommended for the IWC GST Chrono Ti. THe recommended stall from a previous post by a fellow dark-sider was empty. A quick inquiring around and I was told the guy doesn't sell anymore. I did not understand what that meant but within minutes I found another stall nearby tended by 3 women selling the GST Ti. Bargaining was tough. These women offers nothing less that RMB 1300 (USD 166). Not wanting to give in easily, I walked away just to find another stall with that same watch. Then something strange happened. With a swoosh of a second, all the stalls selling replicas started to cover their watches inside their glass stall displays with newspapers. At first I thought they were closing for the day (which was weird at 3pm), but when I realized what happened I should have known this could mean the end of the shopping for the day. Some groups of police (different uniform from the usual ones patrolling for petty theft) started appearing and all replica watches disappeared from sight. Even the first stall where I found the GST Ti had their watches covered up. When I asked to buy the Ti for RMB 1100 (since they became the only stall I know that has that watch), I was told there was no more watch. "No more, what do you mean no more? Do you have any other watch?" "No. No more. Nothing. The 'guy' has gone home." Guy? What guy? There was no 'guy'. There was simply no watch... Then I remember the post the other day: China announces new anti-piracy crackdown as Treasury Secretary Paulson visits, I realized what was going on. Crack-down is going to be frequent for this month and the next few to come. Oh no~ This Rep shopping mission is going to be tough. Walking around in the next buildings, I noticed a large crowd around a stall at the Southern Trade Center of Horology. Someone had just been arrested for selling replica watches and policemen were making notes of the place like a crime scene. Bystanders (shop owners and shoppers alike) were just looking indifferently like nothing was their business (and indeed they should). Even when the police were done and gone, the watches continued to be covered. I waited for another half an hour and still nothing moved, so I gave up. No luck today. Day 2 : Down to Business Two days later after a short trip to Zhuhai and Macau (and after some small winnings at the casino), I made my second trip to the rep city. This time round I started off with the Southern Trade Center of Horology . Don't ask why, but I got the hunch that a warm spot from a recent illicit deal gone bad would be the safest for a while. And I was right. After less than half an hour of browsing around for some good reps, I came across stall #B64 with some good IWC and decent Pannie reps. (It's got the GST Chrono SS I've been hunting for!). The stall tendant Mr. Z (let's keep his name anonymous) tending to the stall is a really friendly and helpful guy. Everytime I pointed to a particular watch I like, he would run off and return with that watch. Most other stalls would do the same, but what I like about Mr. Z is that I turned down many of the crappy reps he brought back and yet he had so much patience to keep going off and back with a better one. In the end, my harvest for the day... IWC GST Chrono SS for RMB 1100 (USD 140). I have been anticipating this watch for far too long (Taka and some GST Chrono fans might have noticed) and this watch does not disappoint me one bit. The workmanship is superb! It lives up to be one of the most accurate reps along with the Ti version (which I also ordered to be collected another day), if not for the inaccurate dial. IWC GST Aquatimer 2000 for RMB 900 (USD 115). Not the best rep for this model, but it feels great on the wrist. I could almost feel this watch as a replacement for TTK sub I was wearing, if not for the marker at 12 on the dial and the crown. From the Eastern Watch Center (just across the road), I got a rubber caseback opener, a 3-clamp opener and a Diamond Selector II... all for RMB 360 (USD 46). So I need to wait for the GST Chrono Ti. That means I will be coming around for a third time! Day 3: Touch Down! While I was on my way back to GZ from a 3-day stay at HK, Mr. Z called me on my mobile to inform me that the Ti was ready for collection. I asked what time he would open for business the next day and he said he usually starts at 11am, but would come earlier to accomodate to my tight schedule (since I would be returning home that same day). I couldn't wait. So when I returned for the Ti, I decided to buy a few more watches from him. My final harvest for the trip include: IWC GST Chrono Ti for RMB 1150 (USD 147) Finally, my GST Chrono collection is complete! Daytona for RMB 750 (USD 95) Another rollie I've been eyeing for a while now. Omega Planet Ocean Chrono for RMB 900 (USD 115) Picked this one for my brother-in-law. He asked for a BIG watch and wants one that will catch attention. I hope this is not too big for him... PAM 210 Radiomir (non-sapphire) for RMB 650 (USD 83) Picked this one for my sis. Thought a Radiomir would be nice on a feminine wrist... And a PAM SS strap for RMB 150 (USD 20) I did pay a visit to Mr. Lin over at Eastern Horological City to help service my watches. I seeked his help to install a gen dial onto the GST Chrono Ti but he said he couldn't as it is too tricky and will not be stable. I will have to take on this challenge myself then. So that concludes my watch rep shopping at GZ. My dad, who was with me during the trip was impressed with the quality of the GST Chrono SS/Ti and the Daytona. He's staying for another week at GZ and is thinking of visiting the place himself now...

Do they sell parts like Sub dial/inserts, hands for 2836-2 or quality bracelet straps etc? And you mentioned you got IWC GST Ti... What about GST SS? Do they have those? Same priced at $140 or perhaps lower? As I have already mentioned in RWI, I'm planning for a trip to Guangzhou in late December, so I'm already building my list of watches and stuffs to buy... I wonder if it helps to drive the prices lower if I speak mandarin...

Damn... You guys are not helping me curb the urge to pull the trigger on the 177h. Been eyeing Eddie's for a while now. Too bad David doesn't have 177h at the moment.

Let me correct myself on the font. Davidsen's font are actually quite accurate. After a bit of research and an advise from a fellow RWI-er, I looked closely at the font on my Davidsen 005 again and it looks like the font used on gen post-Verdôme/Richemont Panerai's. Separately, I've still not heard from David about my request for a replacement CG screw... Getting anxious. Does anyone know if the screws used on Davidsen's are standard that can be found in horological equipment suppliers? I realize there's one here in my town but have not contacted him yet since it's public holidays these couple of days... Anyone know?

... more pics from a pannie-noob. Just to compare this rep vs a gen (pic taken from Paneristi) How good is the font on this Davidsen? Still not as thick as the gen, is it? Take a look at the '6'. I think I won't be doing justice when the shots are at slightly different angles, but the font used on Davidsen's still look slightly thinner when doing a side-by-side. On its own, I didn't know. Davidsen's fonts are just so defined I actually thought the gen would be just like this.

Got this parcel today... WHAT IS IT??? From HK?... Could it be... I see a black leather strap! Yes, it MUST be!.... And what's this wrapped up like a bag of stash? Mon Cherry-Pannie... Ordered this baby from Davidsen on Sunday, exactly 5 days ago. While initially told that I might only receive my order in more than a week, I actually got on Monday a pleasant surprise when a tracking number in my email. David released to me his final spare... The bare lady... Angled for a view of the AR coating... Engraving on the buckle... and on the case back Now complete with the strap assembled. The black leather strap is thick, just as I requested. On my wrist... Because of my small wrist, the weight of the watch wobbles back and forth around my wrist. This is indeed a HEAVY watch. Not sure how accurate the weight is to the gen, but this is heavy... Super lume only on the hands, just like the gen. This is one FANTASTIC watch! I've never landed my hands on a pannie before. This is the first time. Only thing is... I've lost one of the screws from the case guard. Found it missing when I was inspecting the watch out of the box for the first time. Found the screw in the box. Thought this could be an easy fix, but apparently I did not screw it back tight enough. (And then I lost the screw when it came off again. Davidsen... help!~) Overall, I'm really happy with the worksmanship. I have all the confidence for David's work. Will definitely get from him again.

Thought I'd share a few shots of my favorite of all time, despite my passion for reps. This is my true cherry... I was just embarking into the first year of my first job when I stubbled into this beauty at a AD window display. I didn't know much about the Speedmaster Professional then, but I knew I was captivated by the sheer beauty of the design. I didn't think it was branded, nor did I expect it to turn heads, but I knew I'd enjoy checking time often if I had this on my wrist. So what did I do? I walked away. An hour later, I returned and bought it. Signed for installment payment with my credit card... That was 10 years ago. Today, I have 2 other gen watches... a Baume et Mercier Capland Chrono and a blue-dial Air King. Despite the more expensive branded additions to the collection, together with a new rep sub (which is now my daily), this blue-dial speedy is still my favorite. Being the oldest, there were fond sentimental attachement so much so that I even turned down offers for it at twice of what I paid. I'd keep it for my next generation.

YIKES!!! That's TTK's Noobmariner??? Now I really want this rep!

Oooh... Do you have pic to show the dial?

Better than this one? The SEL on this same rep are 3-pieces joined to 1 instead of the carved from single pieces. That's why I just love this rep... except for the dial.

Oh? Does it mean I should get another sub to replace this dial? There's no dealer out here who offers just the dial, huh?

Got a great sub rep from local dealer (not online). Only thing bothering me is the triangular M at 12. It's TOO WIDE!!! Any clue how I can get a more correct dial? I'd probably try to get it changed at a neighborhood watch repair shop. Wonder if he'd kill the nice rep...

The pannie ad we see here in Asia.