Quick Brick

Just to be clear, the post on RG shown in post number 5 in this thread was NOT deleted and remains there for all to see (on page 5 of the thread). It was at one point, moved to a "parking area", where the admins and mods could discuss it, then put back a few moments later. While not wanting to contribute to any speculation or rumors, the post seemed to raise some questions and they were asked in a respectful manner. The staff at RG decided to let it stay.

... yes, it is a shame that a cool brand like ORSA is affiliated with such a terrible place (3T). I am sure they would sell more watches if they were affiliated with a more friendly (legitimate) board. Just read they will be coming out with a new model soon ... the Sea Viper, and it looks as hot if not hotter than the Monstrum. Berg had some preliminary sketches ... looks to be available in November of this year.

I agree with peepshow up there. White dials look good with light colored straps: ... but of course black goes with everything:

I think you will find only the last one is available at the moment if you email Josh. However, that watch with free shipping is a REALLY GOOD DEAL.

Them be mine . I love ostrich: .. the yellow one is destined for a PVD I don't have in my possesion yet.

Why is this forum empty??? Don't you fellas have any strap makers out there? I KNOW some ppl here have some killer strap collections ... so why no strap love??? I can start. Here are a few of mine: ... the green is a Taikonaut genuine fish skin and all the others are custom made Ostrich Leg skins. The yellow is new and waiting for PVD. It doesn't have to be cow-less ( I have a few of them too). Show me your straps!

I don't believe Andrew has any of these in stock, nor does Josh. These have been long gone for a while. I think if you found one, you would expect to pay a premium for it.

Bead Blasted Pre-V:

Thanx frankt ... I was a bit skeptical in the begining as well. I have worn this just about eveyday since I got it and I can tell you, the finish is indeed, tough. Unless you were to get a really big, deep scratch in the case, the finish seems to "hide" any small imperfection ... certainly better than my polished AND brushed examples do over time. As for the darkening, I would assume that unless you took a toothbrush and soap or something to it, "stuff" would collect in the matte finish giving it a sort of patina. I am not saying this has happenened to mine yet, just that I am told that it will.

PM'ed Thanx for the kind words all. Really having a TON of fun wearing this at work today. Found a co-worker I didn't know was a geek at all who did a double take ... and had a "starer" sitting next to me in a meeting this morning . @ Sweattdogg ... really, on a gen PAM. I have never seen one ... I am not sure I would have the [censored] to do this to a gen .

capice, no coating afterward ... that is just the raw metal finish. That is what allows it to darken over time. PAMman, Rex actually builds a LOT of sterile watches. It seems to be his specialty.

Sorry man ... maybe I wasn't clear. My bad. The case is blasted SS. Rex offered to do a Ti case for me, but I was afraid the soft Ti wouldn't hold the finish, and there would be no way for me to repair it like with brushed or polished. Unfortunately I do not know what media he used. [ edit ] Fixed my original post to be more clear. Thanx. [ /edit ]

Hey all ... after my 177 Ultralite CF dial with Ti case project was over, I had a few spare parts (well, maybe more than a few ) ... I was going to do an 005 project but then ran into somebody on another forum named Rex450 who showed off a few bead blased cases he had done, and I had to have one. The goal was to build a near perfect PAM 036, sans the Ti case. This blasted SS case has a smooth, soft look, but all the edges are still sharp and crisp. I haven't been able to stop looking at it since it arrived today. He tells me the finish "wears" very well and will darken over time. First some overview shots: Have a look up-close at the fine casework ... this finish still blows me away: I had Rex blast an engraved buckle for me. Neither one of us knew how it would turn out or if the engraving would survive the blasting. I picked out the most deeply engraved buckle from my collection: This got a nice swiss movement that used to reside in my PAM 172 (incorrect for that model .... but that has been fixed now too ). It already had a high cannon pin and was correct for the 036. My original was not: This manages to look modern and vintage at the same time. I can't wait to give this baby some wrist time Hope you all enjoy the pics!

These "fantasy" carbon fiber dials can be found at some of our dealers, but usually on the asian movement without a swannie or with a closed back, either in Stainless or PVD. I had never seen one in Ti or with one of the nicer movements. The dial came to me as part watch I ordered before I found the boards ... it arrived DOA. I pieced the rest of it together from other donor watches and parts I was able to find on EBay. From my perspective anyway, there isn't one part on this watch I would change. The only PAM that gets equal wrist time is my beloved 172. If you can source a dial and follow asad's tutorial, you can build one too .

Thanx for the kind comments all. Teejay, I considered it, but the real CF on the dial and the faux CF on the band seemed to fight as opposed to match. Believe it or not, for the moment I have settled on the rubber strap. If Panerai ever built an "Ultralite" version like this, the rubber strap just seems to complete the package and make sense.

As an aside to asad's 100 dollar DIY post, I did nearly the same thing. I did indeed go off on the fantasy side a bit more ... but to be honest, I have been waiting forever for Panerai to build this watch to no avail , so I built it myself. I used many of the same parts asad did, altough I did have to pay a little more for them as I did not source them in bulk like he did. About a month ago, I got an idea for a Frankenstein project. To some, this may just look like a menagerie of parts, but to me it is the watch I always wanted Panerai to build. A full Ti watch with a real carbon fiber sausage dial. Here are the parts I used: 1 real carbon fiber dial and hands from an old fantasy Yahoo! Auctions rep Ti Case and fat Ti Crown from my PAM 036 Crown Guard from the same watch, which I reshaped to the case with flushed the lever pin 1 6497 unbranded movement from sizzlinwatches on EBay 1 Sapphire crystal with light AR I scavenged from another project 1 Ti see-through case back with a minimal amount of engraving 1 Ti engraved buckle ... and 1 old rep strap for the photos . My Franken is MY watch and no one can tell me my "6" is squished or my 2 is not quite right ... my "L Swiss L" is too close to my "6" because there is no gen to compare it to . I LOVE the way I got the AR to pop in this shot. I could never do this again if I tried: ... and my unbranded swanie ... it's a Franken so no one can call me out :

All, Have been a lurker here for a while. Lot's of really great posts and pics here. I sure wish I would have found this place before emassing a small collection of reps to go with some gens (all brands). I am considering my first purchase since joining the board here. I have been a PAM fan for quite a while but never taken the plunge. It took a while to slog through all the really good info on here and hem and haw about my decision. I will probably purchase a PAM177H with the swiss mov't from Andrew within the next couple of days. Anyway, my question is, is there a good rep source for titanium buckles??? ... it seems the Swiss and Chinese versions of the 177H on Andrew's site are offered with different types. I also notice a lot of the Ti gen models are offered with a Ti deployant clasp. Boy if I could get a rep of one of those (like we now have a good supply of the SS ones) I would surely be in Heaven . All help is much apppreciated.

Guys, remember Rado has been making ceramic watches for years. I have a gen Cupole Ceramic and it looks like the day I bought it 12 years ago. No chips or scratches. Also a real ceramic band feels "silky", at least mine does. IMHO ceramic is an ideal material for a watch and the Channel (from the sounds of it) proves it can be convincingly repped for less. .. and yes, I'm a n00b .