TeeJay

I'm curious how folks gift reps. Do you tell the recipient it's a rep? If not, isn't there huge potential for embarrassment if the rep dies or the recipient is called out for wearing a rep? If you DO let on, how is the news taken? Who would you feel comfortable admitting "inside the tent" about the replica world?

I've given several reps to friends and family members this year as gifts, and they all knew that they were reps because I told them so. None of them are watch enthusiasts, so they just appreciated them as 'watches'. As for who would I let 'in the tent', that doesn't really apply, for the reason that none of them are watch enthusiasts, so none of them would want to start a collection and need contact details. The closest I have come, was forwarding StrapCulture's website address to a friend I gave a 111h to.

Bonus question - does your spouse/SO know you're wearing a rep?

Of course. As Victoria mentioned, someone would have to be pretty sleazy to try and convince an SO they were wearing gens rather than reps, and, as mentioned, said discovery could have some potentially disastrous consequences. Honesty is the best policy, folks

Absolutely awesome straps, like Victoria, I'd buy the 2nd strap 'as is', although for a thread recommendation, personally, I'd chose the 3rd thread, as that would be the closest color to the leather, and, with a nice leather like that, personally, I wouldn't want to distract from it with a differently colored stitching. Just my .2c. Have you thought of making and selling matching strap/belt sets? (actually, that can go out to any of the resident strap gurus) That would definitely be something I would buy...

No idea where you'd get one, but how about this?

Says the Omega-guy that didn't like PAMs at all a few months ago... And now you have various models????

Good to hear, though

The actions of a PAMophile trying to convince themself that they really did prefer wearing Omega watches so as not to give into the addiction of PAMs. Didn't work, did it

One doesn't! Never. But some men need grooming tips.

While those are males, all the time they dress and associate thusly, I doubt anyone would ever consider them 'Men'

As I said in the previous thread on this issue:

Only one... Oh boy... I'd say it depended on your intended circumstances for wearing it.

If you're someone who travels to other countries, then I'd personally suggest a 029a. If you're not much of a traveller, then a 112h is very nice. I suggest the Luminor rather than Radiomir line, simply because that then gives the option to wear an SS bracelet on the watch if you choose

In response to the points Tom made, I would agree, PAMs are by no means perfect reps, and yes, they do generally look very similar, but, my collection of them is not of various models to 'find The One', but because there are different aspects of different ones which I like. For example:

111h (which I wish was a 112h) - I really like the simplicity and the sandwich dial. It looks as good on SS as it does on leather, and it's not a watch that everyone recognizes.

PVD 111g (again, which I wish was a 112h) - The PVD makes for a different look to the SS. It doesn't matter that the movement has the different bridges I like, or AR on the crystal, yes, those things make it a technically superior watch, it's appeal to me is aesthetic - it gives a totally different look to that model watch.

029a - GMT functionality so excellent for travelling abroad. I'm not a fan of date-windows and cyclopses, but, having the cyclops inside the crystal is an improvement in design than Rolex's tired habit of fixing it to the outside, and spoiling the line of the crystal. Again, looks good on SS or leather (although personally, my ss bracelet doesn't allign properly to be worn, but if it did line up, it would look damn sharp) so a versatile watch which many folks won't recognize.

127 - Different size watch, combines the 111h/112h dial aesthetic, has a different shaped case, so from that perspective, not purchased in an attempt to 'improve' on the 111h in my collection, but bought as something completely different. Also, as the watch worn by Orlando Bloom in the movie Elizabethtown, it comes under the catagory of 'movie memorabelia', which is something I collect, so bought as both a time-piece, and a movie collectable.

Of course, everyone's going to have their own reasons for choosing certain watches, or buying similar watches, I just wanted to show some examples of choosing watches which (despite some basic similarities) are distinctly different in various ways, and, that those differences wer ethe reasons for purchase, rather than solely looking for 'improvements on aesthetics/fidelity of replication'.

[Edit to add]

If it was a case of only one gen, then (disregarding my opinions on consumerism and price inflation) I would probably go for the 029a for the simple reason that it would be 1) versatile and look good on ss or leather, and 2) have the widest range of functions, ie time, date and GMT, rather than just 'time', so would be more usefull in a wider range of situations.

how about to buy silver shoes ?

If one's tastes run to such things, why not...

[Edit to add]

Personally, I'd rather buy a pair of nice brown shoes...

I'm having a really hard time getting this off my wrist

Tomorrow, I'll be wearing this again though

Indeed, this watch definitely looks nicer on a brown strap. That's not a problem though, just buy new shoes and belt to match the strap

Just adding my voice to chieftang's and dadog's voices, and agreeing with subzero.

@TeeJay: cyclops can go together with AR at no problems -- just, if it's single-side AR, it must be applied after the cyclops.

I tried both single-side and double-side AR on PAMs. As I already reported elsewhere, the effect of single-side AR on the dial is small, but on the date readability is awesome!

So, even single-side AR is an excellent fit on "cyclopsed" PAMs.

Ahh, that would certainly make sense if the cyclops is also treated to the AR coating process

I dunno man, there's something about the crystal on the 029 that is particularly bad about washing out the dial. I think it's because it's so incredibly thick and has that subtle dome to it that really makes reflections pretty awful. It's probably the worst rep I've had for the washout effect. Which is why I'm pretty excited about the new cyclops and the double AR. The nice thing about both K2222' and chieftang's AR coatings is that they are very high quality, so they generally just make the crystal less visible, unlike some of the crappy rep AR's that flash blue in a glaring fashion. I've seen the quality AR effect on my Inge with it's textured dial. It didn't make it "in your face", it just let you see that there was actually texture to the dial. Before the AR, you could only see the texture from a few, very limited angles.

Or, put another way, good AR lets the dial become a prominent part of the watch design and look. Without AR, the crystal (rather than the dial) is what becomes the prominent part of the look of the watch.

It's interesting that you should think that, as I would say that the 2531.80 is one of the worst offenders at 'washing out', but, interestingly, the 029a and 2531.80 share many common design features. I have to admit, I don't find the 'washout' on my 029a as annoying as I find the the distortion at the edge of my 127 from it's shaped crystal, so I guess it is a case of personal taste and opinion. The one thing I would say, is do you find the 'washout' on a 029a annoying because the watch has that detailed dial rather than being 'plain', and would you find the same degree of 'washout' annoying on a watch like a 111h?

Oh deary deary me.

Let's be fair here, Victoria's point was a totally accurate and valid one. In the 'grand scheme of things', and personal choice, of course a person is free to wear whatever color combinations they like, regardless of how it looks to others, as it is their choice to do so. However, this must be balanced with the standard 'rule' that when dressing, matching leathers like shoes, belt and watch, are the details which pull an outfit together. Are they essential? No. Are they obligatory? Of course not. It is, for want of a better term, the icing on the cake.

R11co, your post to Victoria was as high-handed as the standards you accuse her of displaying. Her 'hissy fit', as you put it, was only made when Doc made an unnecessary personal comment about her own tastes, rather than simply disagreeing with her. It is one thing to try and act as a negotiator, but doing so in a way which insults one party is not particularly impartial, nor does it de-escalate the situation. If you feel that that is an insult, then my apologies, I was merely stating how your post may be perceived by others.

I'm sure you'll get lots of happy hours wearing it

Unless you get the Cyclops removed, and an AR coated Chieftang 7mm cyclops installed instead. That's what I'm doing. I don't care that the gen does not have AR, my rep will. What's the point of having a tuxedo dial if you can't see it clearly? The non-AR coated standard crystal completely washes out the dial and it's texture. K2222 is dong the crystal removal, the cyclops replacement, and the double AR coating, great service!

I know it's a matter of personal taste, but I'd have to say that's a bit of an exageration... Okay, so reflections can obscure the dial a little, but I never found them so obscuring that the texture was un-noticeable... Then again, I like the 'subtle' quality which that gives the tuxedo dial, less 'in the face'... Either way, AR coating will definitely show the dial better, so best of luck with the procedure

I did buy from Eddie. And at that particular time his mineral crystals had AR coat and his sapphire version did not have AR. I ended up getting the single sided coating from Chief. I had not heard of the newer version other than the subsequent Davidsen ones. Is this one Davidsen?

No, I bought it from Tony. Comparing it to photos Victoria posted a while back, might this watch I have, be the same 'base unit' that Davidsen aquires to then modify? The structure of the case/crown guard etc certainly appear to be the same...

[Double post]

At a guess, I would think that the watch (rep or gen) would not have AR because the cyclops would mar the appearance of the AR.

Only one... Oh boy... I'd say it depended on your intended circumstances for wearing it.

If you're someone who travels to other countries, then I'd personally suggest a 029a. If you're not much of a traveller, then a 112h is very nice. I suggest the Luminor rather than Radiomir line, simply because that then gives the option to wear an SS bracelet on the watch if you choose

You sly dog you! I knew it couldn't have been the same quality, since it just sparkles compared to the other one. I think the camera might have something to do with that though.

I believe my dealer also sells a more expensive version, (appears to be out of stock at the moment, could've also been my imagination ) which has the swan neck regulator on the movement, but, movement asside, the physical case appears the same as the Davidsen 127 you once reported issues with, which was eventually replaced...

As for what Kru asked, the very first ill-fated Fiddy I bought, arrived with an exploded sapphire crystal. It was an Eddie Lee "Super Fiddy". Gorgeous to look at but I counsel TeeJay here, to have a Davidsen crystal to hand, just in case. He sells them separately!

I'll bear it in mind that they're prone to exploding, but, as it's not intended to be a 'regular wearer', it wouldn't be an emergency if it was to blow

Without knowing who the dealer is, how does this one compare with the original Eddie Lee "Best Fiddy" with sapphire of a couple of years ago? Your post is timely as I just picked up an SC Legend strap and it has renewed my interest in the Fiddy. I am wearing it for the first time in a year or more as I write this post.

Personally, I have absolutely no idea I'd be glad for others to comment though The 'droplet test' suggests a sapphire crystal, (it was advertized thus) and, when it catches the light properly, there is a very faint 'double' reflection in indigo which could suggest AR. I don't think it's the 'light AR', as that would be a constant color, but this is only when the reflection is right (and it is also distorted slightly by the different shape crystal to a 111 series...) and nowhere near as noticeable as the AR on my 111g (but, again, the shape of the crystal/light distortion might be a factor...) If anyone else can make the comparison, by all means feel free, and, if anyone has any other questions about mine, again, feel free to ask

Ah yea I can see some of the differences now, thanks for that TeeJay By the way, did you get the new one from the same dealer?

I did indeed. That said, he slipped me the slightly more expensive version for the price of the original

This post almost got lost in the mix, TeeJay.

Stunning, stunning, stunning. It looks SO MUCH nicer than the first, absolutely. The bridges, the printing on the dial, everything. And whatever magic in photography you did, it looks nicer on your wrist!

I know Emily has very kindly offered you to get you that Orly Bloom hommage strap, but screw it, I'll include an extra Fiddy strap just the same.

You always need a little variety.

Thankyou

I'm glad you approve, I know the 127 is one of your favorite models

Nice watch TeeJay I'm thinking of picking this one up as well, or the Radiomir Blackseal. By the way, can you tell me in what way this one is better than the first? I'm still quite a newbie at Pams and so can't spot these things immediately

Thanks.

Thanks Here's a pic of the first one I had.

The most noticeable improvement is the crown guard. This one actually closes properly It also has the REG. T.M. indented into the metal rather than just etched on the surface. The colors of the dial, in all fairness, the first pictures were quick shots, as I knew I wasn't keeping the watch, so some of the variation is just down to differences in ambient light. Also, this has the (correct?) movement bridges which I prefer to the other bridges. I admit, the foils could be better fit to the bridges, but, it still looks nice I will admit though, that the strap on the first watch was much nicer, and cashmere-soft. In an attempt to soften this one up, I was twisting the strap at the places I needed it to fold, and I actually 'burst' the top layer away from the bulking of the strap at the side Oh well, it was never intended to be a permanant strap, so no real harm done

[Edit to add]

I'm not sure which crown is the more accurate, but the shape at the end of the CG lever is much nicer. The buckle is also nicer, as it is brushed rather than polished, and has 'PANERAI' to the right of the buckle indent rather than centered, and I understand the off-set logo is the correct version

I not saying that i wear Gucci and Prada when i wear my REPs ... but u gotta play the part... but i also work with a guy that has 2 gen omega speedmasters and a gen rolex sub and drives a 93 honda to work everyday so its 50/50 on that rule...airport watchspoting is the best i drive my girlfriend nuts with it

As you say, you've got to at least look presentable. As Keith mentioned, bargain clothes can be good quality (I've also got a load of really nice clothes from Tesco which were dirt cheap) it's just a case of working with the materials available to create the desired effect

When I was at Alicante airport a few weeks ago, I spotted someone wearing a rep of the Planet Ocean Chronometer. The pearl and lack of AR were the give away Other than that though, the guy in question was smartly dressed, so sometimes, one has to rely on the watch itself for the tells

As Jon and Kuba said, wearing an expensive watch, but maybe driving a crappy car, or wearing from the Bargain Basement are certainly potential give aways. I wouldn't judge location too much, as people do go to various places, and, who knows, someone might be travelling, so going into the first bar/eatery they find. I'm sure we've all done that at least once in our lives on a vacation... Things like fiddling with a watch, rolling up sleeves etc, I would say were individually judgeable. What might be one person's "Look at my watch, bitches!" might be another person's unconscious habit or style choice. Overall, I'd say the best tell, is obviously, the watch itself Fascinating subject though, and one which makes watch-spotting in stations/airports all the more fun

Now that is being Cool

Congratulations to you and your wife

Title and description says it all really I'm sure there are flaws, I know it has a 'ding' on the inside of the CG 'hollow', but boo-hoo, I can live with that that gives it character Lume, Canon pinion, AR, I konw these things need doing, but for now, it'll certainly make a nice 'swap into' watch