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Standing the test of time is always the challenge for any business once it has manages to establish a foothold. Rolex gets this and through consistent marketing and slow careful changes to its model lines maintains a consistent image, quality and as such similar customers through time. While Panerai is anything but in decline, I do think that some of their actions have confused consumers. The multitude of model choices can be confusing and some changes like moving from the old style strikingly different bracelet to a plain bracelet have been regressive moves. I also think it may be a bit of a backlash from their success - the watch was unique in size and its crown gaurd but now many watch brands have larger unique looking watches such as the IWC Big Pilot, AP 44mm ROO, Breitling Super Avenger etc so the choice of a large watch is much wider now.

Interestingly, even Stallone who helped inadvertently revive Panerai has somewhat moved on by wearing other watches such as the U-Boat. I think Panerai will ultimately consolidate its model line and remain successful.

A final note is a watch store owner who carries Rolex, Breitling, Patek, Tag Heuer and Cartier told me that he once tried to carry Officine Panerai and found the brand very difficult to deal with and that Panerai had a real sense of entitlement in its business dealings and abandon the idea of carrying the line..........in the end it is a business.

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At one time a few years ago but from other posts on various forums I understand that the supply is gone. Best bet is a good used model. I have the watch in navy (not for sale) and it is one of my favourites.

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I have the red/rose gold PO on the rubber deployant strap. Movement has been reliable but as others have noted the sweeping second hand is not as smooth and if I shake the watch the second hand will stop slightly like all Miyota moements but I don't think 99% of folks would notice and if it is reliable, which appears go be the concensus, then i can live with the sweeping hand shutter (by the way the shutter for me is worse from 12 to 3 on the dial).

I think we will see more Miyota movement watches now that the etas are gone and sellita movement become harder to source. Also, most of the so called ETA swiss movements coming out of China were a mishmash of parts. Some swiss parts, some local parts and often old swiss movements according to my watch repair person..

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Next week Tuesday from an unnamed source from the spirit world.......Shirley Maclaine, same watch she use too see when she hung out with the Pharohs........not!

Seriously, not a of pvd watches, i have bought a few but usually the picture is bettter than the in hand item, prefer ss. Have a Top Gun and a Breitling Blackbird but still no wrist presence, like an ss watch

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You will find various degrees of what you have listed, I added the between the lines aspect in brackets:

1- Excellent Communication (prior to sale and advancing funds)

2 - Awesome Replicas (pretty much all sell the same items)

3 - User Friendly Website (i guess all, but some sites like Toros are bare bones)

4 - Fast Shipping (this is relative but true of most)

5 - Reliable - the watches or the seller....

6 - Stands behind product. (Yes, all of the ADs stand behind their products, way behind their products - the bottom line is low margins, cheaper goods and the AD will not go to great pains to make you happy. Usual line is send back and we will fix...... never send a watch back to China unless you are into the M side of S&M, buy a new one or go get it fixed locally. Best case scenario is an AD may help with parts, if you know what you need.

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All you can do is try to source new links and install them. Ask yiur original AD. There is a difference between them and I have switch mine around to deal with this issue. But as someone posted this is true on the oem watch sometimes also.

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I highly doubt any TD is going to admit that the so called "Swiss" movements are of questionable quality.  As stated, It is well document on the boards and I would take any "Swiss" claim with a HUGE grain of salt!!

Overall the asian movements are getting much more reliable.  I can remember a time back say 9 years ago when any Asian 7750 was a ticking time bomb and now they pretty good reliability.

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So let me get this straight: there's a chance that my $300 illegal copy of a $8,000 watch made in China using out-dated equipment might show up not fully functional or *gasp* flawed? 

Yes, the the same ones sold as being of a good quality and only sent after a "thorough" quality control (QC) system. One and the same...........

I had the same problem with my LMPO blue titanium from Toro but with a supposed Swiss movement.  According to The Zigmeister (when he was repairing watches) it was one of the most messed up movements he ever saw and the watch came with a crown that was not even attached to a stem and the stem was not in the watch!! (so much for QC).  My advise, do not send it back to China, the general consensus on the various rep boards is this will take forever and the package may go AWOL.  

My suggestion is you have 2 choices:  1) get it fixed or have a new movement added by a local watch maker or 2) buy the same watch again (perhaps new seller) and keep this one for parts.

After letting my Swiss LMPO sit for over a year, I finally got the movement repaired for $150 and then the titanium clasp would not stay shut so I bought an oem clasp on ebay for $125.  Total to date: Watch $365 + $150 repair movement and crown + $125 for a working clasp = $640........................... but the frustration was priceless!!  

Now that I have worn the LMPO a number of times I am not that taken with the watch either.  Live and learn!!

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Toro is a trusted dealer with good sale service until you have a problem and then like many TDs the trusted and the service disappear.

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This one? Pic on Ofrei site:

Omega 20 mm 94522023 Deployment Buckle

This 20 mm Omega Deployment Clasp works with the Omega Metal Mesh Bracelet 021ST1962.

OME-94522023

$325.00

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I am not an Omega expert but try ofrei parts web site and see if you can match it to the clasps they show. They specialize in Omega. My guess would be that the clasp is for the double ridged rubber strap for the Bond seamaster and other seamasters with a 20mm lug width.

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http://www.repgeek.com/showthread.php?t=92184&highlight=little+watch+store+houston

For repair spots.

A quick look and I saw a few in Toronto, Mississaga, Edmonton. Take a closer look for repair in Montreal.

Timeshare

For a watchsmith take a look at Rep Geek there is a thread there about rep friendly watchsmith in various US and Canadian cities. Welcome to the Forum. Love Heuer also and have several of their watches -Autavia, 810s, Monacos.

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My post on the Omega may be incorrect as to the manufaturer as I see that on the KW site they claim to be the manufaturer of the watch. I had read the V6 factory and added that to my post.

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What is that, a 1-series? 

 

What do you hate about it?

From a few other owners I know, the 1 series does not have the reliability (quality?) of the 3 series. I have a die hard friend who got a 1 series in their first year of release and said it had a lot of problems and reoccuring problems. If it is true, it is unfortunate as it is a nice looking car and fast. I have two 3 series and have always had good luck with them and they are a pleasure to drive.........fast!!

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So I finally received the PO Rose Gold yesterday (March 4th), a few days short of 1 month since the order was mailed by EMS. My country's postal service decided that the watch was important enought that it should be given a tour of the country and then looped between 2 cities on the east coast (watch went to each location 5 times before it was rerouted after I phoned to ask "What's Up?").   As a side note, it is a good thing that Trusty/Andrew provides a picture of the waybill with the address filled out as the postal service tried to claim the problem was the wrong address on the waybill........not!  Anyway, on to the watch.

Overall,  the watch feels and looks like the real thing and the red gold/rose gold is very well done and accurate to the oem watch.  The overall fit and finish is very good, no gaps or spaces between the bezel and the case and the crown screws out very smoothly.   The rubber strap (which typically does not come on the oem as Omega uses a fitted alligator deployant strap) is very nice it has a PU rubber finish like the oem and the wave pattern on the inside of the strap is very nice.  The fit to the case is tight and the strap does not pull away from the case when it is worn tight (anyone who has Omegas with fitted straps will know what I am talking about). The strap which I was originally going to replace, I think will be kept and used as it is very good quality and fits nice to the wrist and watch case.  The spring bars are straight and have not been bent to fit the strap to the watch case - a good sign.

The lume on the watch is strong and evenly applied.  I believe this watch is done by the V6 factory so the even application of lume is not a surprise as they are usually very good from Hublots I have owned.  The difference between the green minute hand and the 12 o'clock marker and the blue hour marks and the blue hour hand is very noticeable, not always the case with other Omegas where this has been tried with less success like the rep Blue Ti Planet Ocean I own.

The only bad item on the watch is the sweeping second hand. As a result of the lower beat Miyota movement the sweeping hand does not move as smoothly around the dial. Compared to my Blue Ti Planet Ocean with the higher beat movement the second hand on the Miyota seem slower and more jerky - this perhaps may settle down a bit once the movement runs for a period of time.   I knew that the second hand may not be as smooth with the Miyota movement when I purchased the watch but I have also had excellent luck (knock on wood) with Miyota movements and they are know for their reliability, so it was a trade off.  This certainly was not the case with my Blue Ti 45mm PO (from Toro) which came with the most messed up movement The Zigmeister had ever seen, when he tried to fix it a few years ago. Indeed, I only recently managed to get that watch working when I decided to bite the bullet and pay the high cost to have it repaired.

I can post pics if there is interest but in short, excellent look, quality and finish but the trade off is the low beat movement and the impact on the smoothness of the sweeping hand but hopefully another reliable Miyota movement.  Hope this information helps others in deciding if they wish to purchase this watch.

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I have many of the watches shown in this thread/post such as the Graham, the BFF, the Explorer II and many watches that are not shown but I have to agree with those that stated the Noob PAM 111 is the strongest lume and more importantly the longest lasting illumination.

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I will give my impressions when mine arrives.  It came into the west coast of North America about a week ago but despite having the correct address on the waybill (I have a pic) it has gone on a tour (Lost Parcel Tour of 2015) of the County. it is presently playing on the east coast going back and forth between 2 Cities..........

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The PAM 187 were G and H series. G = 2004 and H = 2005. Since they were produced only for these 2 years and so long ago, it is expected that the reps would disappear as their production ceased also some time ago also.

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EMS shipping before CNY and before X-mas is a craps game, never know what you are going to get. Around those times you may get bad tracking, no tracking or no movement of your item as it sits in the EMS warehouse. Best advise is do not buy around these times.

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Are all of these 45mm RG on rubber strap from the same factory? I see one dealer lists the maker as V6 which is good news as they make a quality item, at least their Hublots are 1st rate.

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I have bought from Toro so many times I have lost count.  I have always had a good experience with him and he has always addressed any issues that have arisen.  I have learned in buying reps to relax, I know we all want the watch asap, qc pictures yesterday, etc but we do need to take a longer term view and realize it is a purchase of a few hundred dollars (on average).  

I obviously know nothing about this particular case. from either the buyers or sellers perspective,  I am just sharing my own personal buying experience with Toro who has always acted as a gentleman in all my dealing with him.

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There are a few Pam 111 that have strong and bright lume. The most accurate answer is no specific brand or model of rep, ask you TD about the lume or read the description. Do not go by the sellers lume pics alone as they can be misleading.

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"Don't know how to avoid this in future except perhaps just buy from TD that ship DHL/Fedex etc. What has been your experience with"

Fed ex is no guarantee you will get the watch. I bought a white dial Chrono-matic and had it shipped from China using Fed Ex in December a few years ago. All was fine, parcel hit Anchorage and was then scanned in at its arrival in Memphis hub. Then the parcel disappeared. Not a trace and Fed Ex while they supposedly check into it could never find it.

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