kilowattore

Happy B'day Vale!

I might be wrong but I think some time ago the guy did something wrong on rwi as well. Maybe a the sales mods over there have some details about him.

Very interesting research, thanks for sharing. I think I saw 1-2 turnograph builds and at least a bubble back but that's it afaik. I can't really recall which, if any, parts were rep and which were gen in those builds though.

If you want a great dial for your build contact bigwaved as gmg_3 suggested. He's a member on rwi and here too I think if you can't reach out to him at HF. It will bring your build to another level. If you want to mod that dial you will have to separate the two layers, relume the bottom layer in a yellower color, eventually adding stains with a darker color or coffe or else. I would leave the top layer as is unless you're familiar with spray painting. Regarding hands, remove the top.coating with some fine sandpaper then place them in a closed recipient with a boiled egg. Smash the egg and cover the recipient. Leave them for an hour or two. Once done stain the lume with some coffee or tea or relume. That's the easiest way.

Hey there C., glad to see you around! I can't stay away from vintage Panerai for long... It's been a mess since RWI went down butI 've got something for you, a little off topic but just a little

A new 2533 project I planned to take a break from building during Christmas holidays, I almost did it but couldn't REALLY stop you know I suddenly got the inspiration to finish this project and here it is. This was my reference: The biggest thanks goes to Emilio666 from HF. The dial I bought from him a while ago is the best 2533 dial I have seen so far, featuring an incredible texture and perfect RP engraving. It is the corner stone of this build, all parts have been chosen subsequently. The maximum attention went into the aging details, especially on the hands (dial was already perfect). Bezel and CB were "stolen" from another build of mine as they looked perfect for this build, just a little blending with the other parts was needed. Here's a list of what went into this build: - River case set reshaped and aged, tube hole drilled and soldered to accept 7mm Oyster Patent crown, lugs soldered again. - NW hands relumed and rusted - Emilio666 dial - Molnija 3601 from Belkin12 - Strap is from Stach. Aged is not enough to define this leather, I have no proper adjective. Exceptional. A few more pics: That's all for now, but there will be more to come. Hope you enjoyed the reading and pics

It looks like a 21j version. I would rather buy the one linked above and have a more gen like watch with better movement than spend more money trying to fix this. Just my 2 cents of course.

Rolli!

Oyang case? That's legendary congrats! If you plan to use a three piece dial you're going to need one of neckyzips tall CP and HW sets or you won't be able to install hands. You can also use brass hands.with the dial you showed, I saw them in a few gens. In this case you can have tall tube hands from nightwatch, river or athaya. Much cheaper than tall CP+HW set. Final.advice.is.to have someone finish the dial for.you. I reckon tr0y dials are.not easy to.deal.with due to the very tight plexi fitment needing some modding, and since there are so few around I would not risk damaging it. Contact Bigwaved in conus or mark_midlands in uk, I bet they can help you

Hats off, perfect in every detail.

Don't tell me so... I think I still have a couple, I guess I shall get ahold of them then.

Well, leaving aside exotic cases as per your request, first thing to do is get a hold if a noob case. Buy a used 111, 005, 390, the older the better generally speaking. Lugs will have to be drilled to fit double screw bars (WSO are the best), crown tube hole will have to be drilled to accept the correct round crown tube (DSN has it, rolli might help you with this as well). Davidsen's pre-v crown is pretty good and the only option afaik. Crystal is better replaced by Davidsen's "french" sapphire. Provided you don't find a "fatty" CG (I couldn't find one in the last two years), DSN is your man for a pre-v CG also. Hands are not a problem, FGD hands will come with your rolli dial and they are your best option anyway. Contacting Jakob is no big deal either, he has his own section cover at repgeek. In short: Rolli/FGD: dial, hands Jakob: caseback Davidsen: crown+tube, crownguard M2M: case set EBay (WSO): lugbars

That would make it a 001 with luminova dial. If I'm not mistaken first 111 series is E. Movement should be caliber OP XI without cotes de geneve decoration, same as PAM127 as far as I can tell. Current kw 127 is very nicely decorated and features Y incabloc. A 111E build with gen dial and hands would be awesome imho, provided you can find a correct and well made case back.

Tantalium vs titanium Daydreaming of a 172. Can it be done? As most of you know, in 2003 Panerai released a few models whose case was made of Tantalium, the most appealing to me being the PAM 172 produced in 300 pieces only for F series. "tantalum (redirected from Tantalium) Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Related to Tantalium: tantalum, tantalum oxide, Tantalum capacitor tan·ta·lum (tan't?-l?m) n. Symbol Ta A very hard, dense, gray metallic element that occurs chiefly in columbite-tantalite and is exceptionally resistant to chemical attack below 150°C. It is used to make electrolytic capacitors for portable electronic and computing devices; superalloys for aircraft, missile, and nuclear reactor parts; filaments; and surgical instruments. Atomic number 73; atomic weight 180.948; melting point 3,017°C; boiling point 5,458°C; specific gravity 16.4; valence 2, 3, 4, 5." Gen pics: Notice how the case seem to change color in the pics? Visually tantalium looks pretty similar to titanium, but it has a darker shade of gray and tends to appear lighter or darker depending how the lights hit it. Besides, unlike titanium, when high-polished it looks closer to stainless steel. The reasons above made it very difficult to obtain a proper looking case set to be used in a rep or an homage. Afaik only Davidsen released a PAM 172 tantalium version and he worked his way through the color issues using titanium for the darker brushed parts and stainless steel for the lighter colored polished parts. The result is nice, but not very close to the gen reference. Overall the rep case set looks too light colored but still good. I know the difference is subtle, but you know how these things go... I wanted a 172, but I wanted the case to have the right color so I started researching and found a few interesting processes, mostly based on a combination of reaction to chemicals and heat. I then sourced a couple of titanium case sets to use for experimentation These are the results of the first method I tried. They look nice to me so if I'm lucky I could call it a day already, in any case I'm posting to keep track of my results and to hopefully hear your thoughts and/or advice though I know this is not the most sought after Panerai. Please don't mind the details such as dial, hands, CG and crown. The watch has been built with spares only to test the durability of the case finish. Work done on the bezel: I experimented on the titanium bezel to see how close to SS I can make it look. I have a few different polishing compounds and I know from my experience that they may affect metal color when used. Bezel has been first sanded then hand polished. It still needs work as I did not remove completely the brushed finish before polishing, but this is just a preliminary experiment to check how its color compares to the SS CG after my polishing job so it will do for now. I used sand paper in increasing grits from 1500 to 5000, then polished it with three different dialux polishing compounds. Next time I will start with 1000 or 800 grit in order to obtain a perfectly smooth surface before polishing. I expect no need for coarser grits since titanium is softer than steel thus easier to scratch. Work done on the midcase: First thing I did was cleaning the case with soap and water, then I rebrushed it to get a crisp finish, Next it was thoroughly degreased with vinegar (or the likes). You need to remove all grease from the case. After you cleaned it, you better use gloves to touch it. For safety reasons gloves are required anyway for next step. The watch was then submerged in boiling water (circa 300 ml) and then a tablespoon of oxyclean powder was added (any other cleaning powder containing sodium perclorate you can find in your country should work). Let it stay there for 30-45 minutes then clean it and carefully dry it with a paper. After a few cycles I obtained a color close to my goal, but the chemical reaction created some funny color spots (bronze, purple, blue shades) that had to be removed. I found the best way to do it is using a steel wheel on a dremel, but you need to be extra careful and make very light passes with the wheel or you will remove the patina and will have to start again. Done Notes for next try: The brushing is not as defined as I'd like it and the color is not perfectly uniform. Case must get out of the "bath" darker than desired, in order to allow a final brushing step, or the initial brushing must be coarser. Now, let's see some pics. In order for to you to understand better the color difference, I photographed another titanium cased watch I built from parts (call this the poor man's 040 ;)). So, I would really appreciate your opinions on this. Do you think it looks ok already or I should better try and find another way around? Thanks for reading anyway

I thought these were long gone, or are they currently produced?

Someone who does not know what he's talking about...

Wow Rolli! Which case set did you use for these pics?

Another outstanding result. This would make such a nice couple with my brown 036...

I keep coming back to this thread... I already have a nice 205/A built around the awesome rolli dial, but it seems I still don't have enough I never built a pre-A and the information is maybe even scarcer than on pre-Vs. Lugs look thinner than pre-v so I was thinking to use an old H fac, or maybe a KW case set as a base for reshaping and add a sead a-f polished cg. What do you guys think?

Rolli, your help with this build has been invaluable. Thank you!

It would take me some 25 hr+ to attach every single pic one by one Now I can't seem to be able to edit the thread any longer...

For the life of me I can't seem to post the thread so that the pics are shown. Sorry about that, I'll try and find a solution later

Luminor Submersible Slytech Panerai 5218-205/A http://s5.postimg.org/hpbuwjzav/DSCN6638.jpg[/img] Well, how am I going to start writing about this build? A few days ago I read about Grimlocktime's new 5218-203/A and how that very watch was the one that dragged him to his Pre-v fascination. Well, for me it was the 205/A Slytech. I'm not sure why, I'm not that much a fan of Stallone, so the promotional aspect of the watch is not the reason. Most likely what attracts me is the combination of a four liner dial with tritium indices and seconds subdial, and the word "submersible". God knows what clicks in our minds sometimes. Anyway, I tried DSN's version of this watch and was very happy with it, as reviewed [URL="https://www.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/203590-DSN-5218-205-A-pictorial-review-PICS-HEAVY"][B]HERE[/B][/URL]. But I wanted more, I wanted it to be as perfect as possible. So when I heard rolli would have been making a batch of 205/A dials I sold the rep and started to prepare building my own. Last December, when Rolli released the dials, I thought I was almost ready for the build and the only thing that was missing was the dial. How wrong was I! In the last four months I went through three different case sets completely reshaped and refinished before I was "satisfied". Now that's where I'm at and although there's always room for improvement, there's no way I could have been able to do it any better than this. During the whole process of this build I have been in contact with Rolli, asking his advice on specific matters. He sent me links to reference pics, gave me technical advice, event sent me drawings. I bothered him especially in regards to drilling lugs and crown tube, because this was the first time I did it and I did not want to mess things up. Well, as a matter of fact I did mess up: the first time I drilled the case, the tube hole came out too large. I mentioned this in one of my emails and since Rolli was having a few crown tubes produced, he was so kind to have the maker produce one in a slightly larger size to fit my case. I was really in awe for this gesture, thanks my friend Here's what went into this build: - noob v3 case set completely reshaped: softened the edges, lowered the shoulders, polished rehaut, lugs drilled to accept Pre-V lugbars, crown tube drilled to accept Rolli's OEM spec tube. - Crystal replaced with Davidsen's no-AR "french" sapphire - DSN Pre-V crownguard with CG pin sunken and radial brushed. - DSN crown... I think. I am not sure how I came into possession of this crown, as I said I had a few cases pass in my hands and more than a few crowns. I even ordered one during the build process, and it is probably this one, but I'm not sure. Fact is the crown is different than every other DSN crown I have seen so far, the crown teeth have a crisp and defined bevel and the bevel itself is larger than in any other crown I have seen, except gen. Maybe it's a recent improvement from DSN, but I guess I won't be sure until I order a new one (very soon tbh ;)) Anyway, lucky me this crown is exceptionally nice - Rolli's new batch 205/A dial + FGD hands. No need to introduce this, you'll see for yourself. Black paint was removed from the inside of the minute hand tube in order to show a hint of brass. No other work to be done, except trying to avoid damage to these incredible parts. - Vintage swiss ETA 6497, CP and hour wheel swapped for a new H3 set with CP polished by me. - Jakob's perfect caseback. To make this build a little more special, I went for a 201/A CB with a serial number confirmed as one of the first 205/A prototypes presented to Stallone for acceptance before production started. - Last but not least, there was no better match to this build than an Orloff OEM spec black vacchetta strap with thin black stitching and a special sewn in buckle from a small batch he had made a while ago. Perfect strap in every detail Here's a few pics of the case work: http://s5.postimg.org/fsaje8j93/DSCN6734.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/fr0lkthfb/DSCN6735.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/b2klpms8n/DSCN6737.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/6hyfap8jb/DSCN6740.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/v4pouit13/DSCN6624.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/aw2b8stpz/DSCN6629.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/obpby927r/DSCN6731.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/5afw4qt13/DSCN6732.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/9z0hdo7lj/DSCN6605.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/bpjif5p4n/DSCN6620.jpg[/img] And here's the final product: http://s5.postimg.org/ddintt307/DSCN6596.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/teb96s0vr/DSCN6597.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/i0opvkqd3/DSCN6599.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/5d8yj2bg7/DSCN6602.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/933zy7xx3/DSCN6592.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/6zy64anhz/DSCN6615.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/fbtx5jkvr/DSCN6616.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/gcyr8er93/DSCN6703.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/tktjnlzef/DSCN6626.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/rit29d1fb/DSCN6628.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/b6j0jmn3r/DSCN6634.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/59f52t5yv/DSCN6637.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/61mefqzjr/DSCN6641.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/jv65r22rb/DSCN6598.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/hho801oc7/DSCN6603.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/h51f7lvg7/DSCN6707.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/b5do3yanr/DSCN6714.jpg[/img] http://s5.postimg.org/rqlajm1rr/DSCN6711.jpg[/img] Final wristie! http://s5.postimg.org/ize9pcign/DSCN6726.jpg[/img] Thanks for looking.

Very interesting information about the case engravings and CB! New hands are coming my way already, and a Y incabloc is under the radar. If the 061 case can be engraved, I might think to upgrade, although it will be hard to separate from a case I worked so hard on

Beautiful, I so want to build a 205/A!