Victoria

2. SMP (Swiss): apart from the hard to remove bracelet screws (understatement of the year)

Oh no! I just bought one for my father. The Rolex screws are very simple. What do you recommend I get ahead of time with this? Or just take it to the watchmaker and save the bother?

4. PAM212 (A7750b): arrived in good condition. Didn't get wrist time, so it has been sold after 2 months.

Maybe I'm too new to the hobby, or it's just not my personality, but I can't imagine selling any of my longed-for rep "babies". Not even if they go to waste getting no wrist time whatsoever.

I just got a G10 'Bond' strap from timefactors, so I'm trying it on my beat-up SMP GMT that has a broken bracelet.

..still not sure I'm loving it.

If I may be allowed an opinion, Everythingape, you look mighty sexy with that watch. I love the NATO Bond strap; goes well with your complexion and wrist-length.

That's perfectly normal.

In other words: EMS TRACKING SUCKS!

According to EMS, Paul's package is still in Guangzhou, in the mystical "Sorting Office", though it arrived at my home on Thursday morning. Hehe.

the PAV 91 is one of the best to be sure.....our resident strap collector V likes to taunt us with these beauties like these (click here for his PAV thread)....

deltatahoe

Holy schnikey. That V sure is lucky!! I even love the PAV99! By the way, I was super busy today, but I finally got my Andrew 111h.

Ladies and gentlemen, if there is such a thing as falling in love with an inanimate object, I'm a total goner.

The Panerai is by far, the most distinctive, addictive, sexy watch on the world stage today. I'm TOTALLY hooked. Ordered the PAM 199 already.

Since it's a thread about straps, here is the one I put on the starter 111:

http://timeconnection.biz/Merchant2/mercha...Product_Count=3

Maybe to you guys who are used to buying Mario Pacis, and those gorgeous hides from our various vendors (like Greg Straps as mentioned by Chieftang below), maybe you see this and go, eh. So what, Vic, seen better, cheaper too. But I tell you, it's stunning. Wrist-shots on Monday, when I get a little more time!

By the way, Elliot couldn't have been nicer, and speedier in delivery either. I respect other people's opinions, especially older posters, but the rep he has here SO FAR seems nonsensical.

Either way, MWAH! Me love PAMs!

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-6/1028476/PAV91.JPG

"Mario Paci Special Edition original leather PAV 91 with MP Brushed sewn in buckle for Panerai watch"

A steal at U$269. Sigh. Too rich for me right now, even with the other forum discount.

After 4-5 years of reps ...with more than 20 reps..... had an average of 30% problems.

I'm well on my way to 20, in one month.

But you know, that means nothing because I bet you most people in this forum prefer quality over quantity, and my stupid little $150 watches will fail, had I just saved to buy one with Swiss ETA for $350.

Maybe the rep game is, to borrow a phrase, the triumph of hope over experience.

Excellent reasoning.

Also, most of the illegal activity in this world you alluded to, whether prostitution, gun-running or drugs dealing has a decidedly violent undertone. We just love expensive watches. It seems to me that though we could theoretically get into trouble with the law, Customs, etc. MOST of us rarely do (touch wood), and it's the dealers in fact, whose lives might be in greater danger than ours.

Tangentially, maybe this is the reason why they don't produce 1:1 copies that are at least cosmetically perfect. A bad font here, a missing numeral there, etc. It just can't be the rush to get out the product to be able to make $$.

I have a suspicion part of it is not to fly too close to the sun, as they might get their wings singed -- in other words, these companies would really crack down on them if their copies were too perfect, possibly in ways we cannot imagine in the West...

Yaaahhh.... tell your BF i wasn't implying you were being really BUTCH ... ireally thought you were a guy and when you explained how Stallone was soo goergous ... well you can imagine wat i was thinking.. LOL..

No worries! No offence meant or taken.

have a panerai weekend.. check out Davids board too he has some TI with brown dial ... for 2 or 3 cheaper watches you can get a good swiss movement with Ti case .. from Josh, Andrew or David....

Will do thanks, Lanikai.

Also read the posts above, and might just take sssurfer's offer at some later date, for the brown dials! Meanwhile, I think the 199 or a destro, so I'll keep you guys informed.

P.S.: Drool over the movements, Tourby! You guys are so lucky.

The 203 Auto is more accurate in terms of sub dial spacing - the second hand is the correct distance from the hour hand, whilst the 6497 one isn't. The auto never came in a brown dial though - the 6497 did, and if you're lucky a seller on cqout.co.uk may still have them (tonyxkf - described as a Panerai 8 days brown dial). It'll need a relume, new strap, correct CG (it's upside down) and maybe an AR coat on a replacement sapphire. Even then, it won't fool anybody because the movement's wrong - but you're looking at $3,00+ to change the motor in a 203!!!

I don't mind the mods.

Thanks for the info about that chap!

Forgot to mention - if you want an Auto black dial with C3 superlume, I've got one for sale somewhere in the trading section.

Well, I believe I can't go to that forum until I do a VIP upgrade. But there's another sticky wicket.

I have totally changed tack, and now I want to buy this one:

http://www.pam111.com/product_info.php?cPa...products_id=982 ($119, with diver strap and deployant)

Paul again, but I'm still limited financially, and I want to do the VIP upgrade soon. Joe had an excellent review about a year ago, on it -- comparing his gen 199, to a rep he had bought, and modded.

He mentioned Paul by name, though I'm not sure he actually bought it from him.

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=1698

uh oh....looks like you've got a growing case of paneraitis

have you considered the pam 232? there is a good thread about it here....

deltatahoe

I do have it badly. One thing is that I have YET to really covet a Radiomir, though. I dunno. To me the crown guard is the most distinctive feature of the PAM, and it feels less of one without it.

Perhaps a newbie snobbery, that I'll get over one day.

Yes,.. both Joshua and Andrew will be up and up with you ... email Joshua.. he is on line now and he can advise you correctly on the 2 movements ... good luck and as i have found .. good luck with the addiction ..

It's a good/bad addiction! And yes, I will email both of them before placing the orders, especially for the pesky bridge thing.

P.S. you are le femme ... sorry thought it was a feminine guy before ... (not that there's anything wrong with that)....

LOL! Right. In fact, I made my boyfriend read this and the other thread earlier tonight. Don't worry, he loved it.

Joshua advises to go with the Auto movement, mail Josh and ask .... i think it was something about the bridge on the manual wind... can't remember ... just the usual the lume is weak in the numerals, hands need to be mod. but for the price it's a pretty good buy... just need to throw some money into Flav or The Zigmeister for mod.

Great, I will Lanikai!

If he doesn't have this PAM in the brown dial, or one in destro version, I'll just keep looking though. And The Zigmeister or Flav will definitely be getting my money, eventually.

Wow, I may have to thrust myself into the world of erotics! I have seen Reg come up with a couple decent ones. These are classic and are truly a part of horology history imo (becuase there is science in those [pun]movements![/pun])

First, love this thread. Love the watches, and second the call for no Paint proggie censorship!

Secondly, I have nothing really to add, save to say that King Leopold II of Belgium was famous for his pr0n collection at the time, which was said to include the largest collection of pornographic watches, along these lines. I tried to Google, but no pix came up.

Also, an anecdote: I once interned at a sports photography studio, whose staff photogs seemed to follow Anna Kournikova around like glue. One day, the head photog got a smashing, but today rather common-place shot of Anna adjust her knickers surreptiously behind her. We sent them all over to interested customers, including ESPN the Magazine, SI, and European newspapers.

I was in front of the computer, when I got this email from Marca, in Spain:

"Anna pic great!!1 Please have you more erotics?"

I have dined out on that story for years.

Since starting 3 weeks ago:

1- Patek Phillippe Sky Moon Tourbillon (Paul): Flawless and gorgeous. Does not have a lot of power reserve, but a good shake every night keeps it running. Arrived in 7 full days from placing order.

2- Gucci Twirl (Andrew): Impeccable. Arrived in 4 working days.

3- Rolex Daytona/Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chrono (Jay @ watchsilix not silix-prime): AP RO arrived with broken bracelet. Daytona doesn't keep time very well, though it's a Quartz. The bracelet also had some problems, which I however, was able to fix myself. Arrived in 10 full days. He said he would send a replacement bracelet for the AP RO this Monday. On hold.

4- Vacheron Constantin 31-day Retrograding Calender (Joshua): Problem with first order, which wasn't caught until 3 days after being given the EMS. This was a substitute, at $10 more which he graciously comped. Arrived without the right strap. Strap on its way, but I placed a Cartier Tankissime watch order to sweeten the sourness for him. The watch itself is gorgeous and runs like a charm. Took 3 weeks to arrive...

5- Fantasy Mini-Fiddy PAM (Paul): See massive thread in the Panerai area. Not a horror story, but not good either. Paul hasn't at the time of writing said if he'll address the problem. I have good hopes he will. Took 2 weeks to arrive...

6- Vacheron Constantin Rose Gold Moon phase watch and Mont Blanc Pen (Paul): Arrived in a record-breaking 3 days after he confirmed EMS tracking #. Package locked in the porter's area of my condo overnight, so can't verify until Friday. Ack!

Still to come: Pam 111h (Andrew), 2 weeks; Cartier Tankissime (Joshua), ordered Monday; about to order, Omega SP007 (Andrew).

That's 50% so far of the ones I received and have vetted which presented some kind of problem, both serious and fixable. Shipping seems to be a luck of the draw.

It's not encouraging, but as long as you know what to expect once you've received your first order, it's worth doing, IMHO.

Having experienced my first taste of Panerai-mania, I want more! Yes, even with my PAM 111h on its way, I still want more.

I have long wanted one with a brown or choco dial, and after seeing this spread on a 65 y.o. vintage movement 203, I want it.

http://www.network54.com/Forum/169624/thre...intage+Movement

(I'm also partial to a Destro, FYI)

For reasons already mentioned, I only want to purchase a brown-dial PAM from Andrew or Josh. I'd like opinions about these in terms of authenticity, or any suggestions you may have:

http://www.ttwristwatch.com/index.php?main...products_id=470 ($188.00)

http://www.perfectclones88.com/pn20301-1950-days-p-549.html ($138.00/black dial tho', why?)

Don't worry about the 47mm. Turns out the 44mm looks GOOD on me, wrist-shots will confirm later. How this is possible, since I have a similar slim arm to Kollektor's wife I don't know, but I'll take it!

Going to research on my own, but any info would be appreciated.

Jimmy CG

PS sorry but this baby is not for sale, not even for 500$

Yuck. Comparing my mini-Fiddy CG to this one is like a Yugo owner staring at a Rolls Royce. I feel sick.

V, you are simply too good to be true. Congrats to your Italian boyfriend from another Italian.

Calabrese-Canadian.

"Non

It becomes clearer to me now....we are all gay.....or exgay.......http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/

LOL! I actually thought this was a site for ex-gay watches. I said, wow, talk about a niche market! Hehe.

Okay, last post on this thread. It deserves to die, die! Although I do have to thank whomever it was who posted those three lady "cop" pics. Laughed for hours.

So gay it makes Stephen Fry look like Ricky Hatton!

Stephen Fry = legend! And hey, Boris Johnson wears a PAM. How gay can it be? Remember his rugger tackle?

I think the gayest thing about PAMs is all this 'I'm off to change my strap' crap. How gay is that? A real man only owns one strap......surely? (and a plain black one at that!)

Even my father has more than one tie and pair of shoes, Emmzy!

They don't make 'em like that anymore, except for David Niven (oh wait, he's dead).

aww i wear breitling steelfish superocean.. does that make me gay?

Yes, yes it does.

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/7961/wilde1nw9.jpg

...wait, so if wearing a Panerai makes a man gay, it makes a woman extra-feminine, not a lesbian! Woo. I was worried for a moment. I think I'll go inform my boyfriend, Gertrude.

Wow, I can even see the light filtering between the CG and the case.

EEK! On the other side. And I thought the right-hand side of the CG was the only problem. What horrible workmanship all around...

Ok, it looks as the only fix may be a lever replacement (quite hard to source a spare lever for that model, though).

Sorry for your trouble, better luck next time!

Thanks!

I have already asked Paul for a complete crown guard replacement with screws, and though I hear in this thread that this might not be the wisest thing, because not all fit well, at least I'll have spare parts. Now, let's see what he says.

I am curious to know how certain dealers react, individually, because it's easy to be nice and pleasant in the good times. So far, Joshua was impeccable in dealing with my small problem, and Jay too, though I think he minded that I posted my problems on the board. But he too is sending me a replacement part.

The only one who hasn't had to rectify anything so far, for me, is Andrew...

Remember:

1. if you insure it and it is lost you have to show proof of purchase ... and Reps. are not exactly legal in all government views especially now with the trade talk about China and their conterfieting of various products.

Drat. I had no idea one had to show proof of purchase. I am so innocent sometimes...on the other hand, if it's lost, you can say it was a comparatively cheapish watch, maybe a Seiko, and have the dealer send you a bogus receipt.

Heck, one could go to a stationer's and buy a receipt pad and do it onself. Wow, this place brings out my criminal instincts! ("naww, Vicky, in a rep forum, really???" Hehe).

2. If it is really defected and you have a registered number and the parcel is lost I know one instance where Andrew replaced the watch no questions.

3 All watches come from the same factory with these dealers but some Senior dealers add their own detailing to some of the watches ... ie. AR coating etc...(that is my understanding anyway).. Joshua has a little say in what the factory does and he will inspect his watches

It struck me that Paul did too, for whatever reason. Oh, Andrew does AR coating, and the like, but he said he won't mod watches when I asked about the cannon pin fix. Heh.

4. Personally I would not order from European Dealers .. only because of customs.. I once was charged a full duty on a Rep that customs took as genuine ... the dealer in China overlooked paying "his" proper "taxes" to the powers that be. and European parcels being more scrutinized.....

Later in the thread:

I have a couple of spare CG's with levers if anyone needs help with them ... EL's 127 cost me an additional 150 to fix and mod.

VB let me know if these CG's and levers may he;p you?

Wow, an additional $150. Sucks...but I will certainly let you know, Lanikai!

Just now, I want to save for the lume job, and cannon pin fix on my Andrew PAM 111h, on which I am now placing all my hopes. This mini-Fiddy will be a kind of beater, and perhaps it gives me a little motivation to buy another PAM. As if I needed it.

I really want a choc dial, as I bought the GeF marrone strap already which I think will be gorgeous with it...

I know you said "long-winded" about your reply, but that's not the word I would use. Everyone in this thread, from Flavor, to SSsurfer, to you, have offered time and knowledge which has made me feel 10x better about this.

Thanks, Lanikai, guys!

True, the crown in Angus' pic resembles yours, but even a fraction of a millimeter can make a difference on these occasions, and I am unsure on whether that lever is the same as yours. I also wonder if that watch has the same issue as yours.

I would be curious to know what would be the result of removing your CG and putting it back upside down. Would you feel brave enough to try that?

You know by now I start with thanks to all, but really, thanks guys. Sssurfer, Lazarini, and V for the advice about not sending the timepiece back to Paul (I had decided not to, since I totally agree, it can be modded here by another member).

I'm not going to make this more than what it is -- namely, a newbie mistake on her first cheapo fantasy PAM watch. Okay, lesson learnt.

But in the spirit of trying to help other newbies, here are some rather detailed pics of my "Frankenrai":

(I think you're right, SSsurfer. Look at Angus' crown guard and then mine below)

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/1795/crownangustv3.jpg

http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/1231/closeupguard1ld7.jpg

Totally the same, substandard mounting highlighted in red.

(Then a freaky pic after removing the CG itself)

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/2079/holesguard1dt3.jpg

Looks like something out of Star Wars.

(Looking like a plain old Radiomir here, except for those ugly holes to the side)

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/6822/sansguard1oa1.jpg

Eh.

(I remounted it upside as suggested)

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/5757/up...wnguard1qc0.jpg

FUGAZE!

Awaiting a response from Paul, but I sent him an email asking him for at least another crown guard, and SCREWS as these are substandard too. They feel loose in the holes, no matter how tight you screw them.

I'm SURE that Andrew's Pam111h will be much more authentic, less problematic, and that one I will send to one of you guys, to Ziggify the lume. This one barely shows lume, and overall, I counsel anyone thinking of buying the mini-Fiddy NOT to, given my experiences.

I'm outties! Thanks for reading this sorry Pannie tale!

Great post by the way way. May be a good debate to have over on the dark side !

Thanks, likewise.