PAMman

Correct crossbar on 3 of the 4 A's, but the 4th too low (just to remind you this is a rep and Davidsen is a complete [censored])???

I have a gmail address which worked the last time that I contacted him. Admittedly that wasn't recently though. I've sent you a PM if you want to try it.

Try Kurt at 'The Watchboys' on Ebay. These are hard to beat. http://cgi.ebay.com/FOR-IWC-Buffalo-Kevlar...id=p3911.c0.m14

+1 An ETA based MBK/MBW Tudor snowflake would sell all day long. Most of the Rolex fans would be interested and so would non-Rolex peeps too.

Mine has arrived with the case number 737718 and the dial is slightly different from both this one and Freddy's. Mine has the 'SUBMARINER' slightly lower than this one - with a larger gap between it and the '200m - 660ft' above and tighter to 'ROTOR' below.

Mine has the same text spacing as the 'gen' rather than Freddy's 'rep'. Just how many variants are there?

My Tudor arrived today and seems to be pretty much the same as everyone else's. Case number is 737718, case tube has no external gasket. The watch is running fine so far and keeping good time. I am a complete Rolex 'virgin' and I honestly hadn't a clue what to expect. My only previous experience with a Sub was an MBW with a full package of mods including a gen crown & tube. The gen Triploc crown arrangement felt better than this does so maybe an upgrade is in order. The crystal retaining ring isn't a tight fit on the crystal but is snug on the bezel. As a result the whole bezel arrangement, including the crystal retaining ring, lifts off easily as one complete unit. Does this mean that I will need a new crystal with thicker sides to grip the retaining ring in order that the bezel will be secure? Best source? Also need a nicer bezel insert / pearl. Again best source anyone? Is the brushed finish on the lug tops correct - I know that they should be brushed but should this finish be more refined, similar to the sides of an Omega SMP? Overall I like this, particularly for the price, and it gives me the chance to try a non-Rollie Sub. If I can easily secure the bezel the way it ought to be then I will stick it on a Nato and see how we can get along. The bezel is a priority because it is liable to get lost if left like it is.

IMO the best version of each are of equally good quality. I have an old Bond with the 'best' bracelet, curved links, pins etc and a black SMP with a pin bracelet, polished sides, segmented end-links etc and both are v good. The black SMP is the 'old school' ETA version with the correct HE valve position, correct length hands, correct pattern caseback-- but not available anymore. The bracelets aren't interchangeable as the springbar holes aren't in the same position. The Bond bracelet is too loose on the black SMP and the Speedy-style bracelet won't go onto the Bond. Both excellent watches BTW although both may now be for sale to pay for some gens.

I have been watching this one too. Not long to go now.

Lovely watch, although I am not into Rolex at all I can really appreciate the history of this one. My local Rolex AD is also a Rolex service centre where you can actually talk to the guy who will be working on your watch. Surely the same facilities are available elsewhere, meaning that you would be able to have it serviced by a Rolex centre, with the usual warranty etc, and still have control over what actually happens to your watch.

Hi and welcome Gavin.

I have one watch that I refer to as a 'franken'. It is a 'Panerai' built using a genuine preA1 dial, gen tritium hands, genuine crown, genuine crownguard, genuine lug screws, a Jimmy Fu 1:1 case, uncoated non-OEM sapphire crystal, decorated CdG ETA 6497-2 movement (same decoration pattern as the genuine preA) and a rep caseback. Aside from the accurate looking caseback there is no outward sign that this is anything other than genuine as the case truly is gen quality and I have a couple of gens to compare with. This may not truly be a 'franken', depending on the definition, but it sure feels like it.

Of course the gen PO is perfect, in the sense that it's perfectly accurate and is of good quality. However, I thought that the bezel of the gen would be significantly better but it feels similar to my UPO. Mine is tight and turns very smoothly and precisely but I expected the knurling on the gen to feel better

You shouldn't hold back - just say what you really think, LOL. While I may not put it so strongly I have to say that the gap between the rep UPO and the gen PO is not that great. The PO is one watch where I would never be tempted to upgrade from the rep (UPO) to the gen, totally unlike the step-up from the rep SMP to the gen. The gen SMP really is a quality piece and I consider both the Bond and the black to be classics. Curiously, my 'really-old-school' Bond SMP rep also feels like a quality watch although it has the typical rep SMP inaccuracies. It sits comfortably in my watch box alongside a gen black SMP and there is no way that they will be joined by a gen PO.

Don't know the part numbers off-hand but if you do a search I remember someone posting this info. They are just the regular ETA datewheels - a phone call to Cousins will get them ordered no problem. The low-beat movement with the V1 dial was available during the early period of production then changed to the high-beat but rumor has it that, at least some dealers have reverted to the low-beat movement. How can you tell which is which??? Just listen to it and compare with a known high-beat or low-beat movement. The two movements sound distinctly different.

The watch looks real enough but I think that I have had dealings with this guy before. If it's him, he claimed to have a 001/XXXX of some 44mm PAM (I can't remember which model). He wanted funds transferred to a friend of my choice, via Western Union, and a copy of the transfer emailed to him as proof that I actually had access to that amount of money. I haven't ever used Western Union but I understand that once he had the details of the transfer that he could pick up the funds anywhere in the world. The watch that was being touted was well known in 'Risti circles and didn't exist.

Agreed, the 201A is a must.

wholesaleoutlet really is the pits. I ordered a bezel insert and got the wrong item twice then a pile of bad manners and grief when I explained why I wasn't leaving any ebay feedback - he requested that I leave feedback and when I told him that it would be negative he told me that he would leave negative feedback on mine if I dared to do it. Complete [censored].

I have had a number of SMP reps and I fully agree that the gen just feels better than the best rep,mainly because of its profile on the wrist. That's why I have a black gen SMP. However I have a UPO and it wears similar to the gen except there is something about the shape of the SELs which slightly alters the feel on the wrist. IMO the PO is not nearly as nice a watch as the SMP and I certainly wouldn't be tempted to get a gen. The UPO, like the SOSF, is one of those reps that is perfectly good 'out-of-the-box' and doesn't justify chucking money at it.

Mine is en-route from US to UK and I'm really looking forward to this one, in spite of the fact that I have no knowledge or interest in Rolex generally. I wouldn't recognise a 'Tropic' if it bit me so I am going to need a lot of help and assistance here. What do I need to do to improve or upgrade mine, particularly in relation to the 'crystal, its retention ring, bezel insert' etc? I just want to get it close to a gen in terms of bezel and crystal fit, getting rid of glue and stuff that shouldn't be there. What do these need in order that all the bits go together the way they should?

I have a Tudor on its way to me but apart from a 'Palp' modded MBW DRSD and an earlier 5717 from ioffer (both now gone) I haven't ever had any interest in Rolex. However, reading this thread may change that. Maybe it's just the presentation and quality of the photography but these look really good.

It was only available for a very short time and is probably one of the rarest 44mm PAMs - also one of the best.

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I think that either of the unbranded bracelets would be a very sensible way to go. I know that older, genuine Rolex / Tudor bracelets don't really have a quality feel to them anyway so I wasn't considering going down that route. A Nato is obviously going to be the first purchase and then possibly one of the unbranded options. Thanks for the pointers.

IWC GST Ti (modded with ETA & gen dial) IWC 3717 (modded with ETA and Ziggified dial) Tutima Flieger (Poljot 3133) Panerai preA1 franken (JF case, gen dial, gen crown & CG) Panerai 003B franken (gen case / crystal, gen dial, gen crown & gen CG) Breitling SOSF

With one of these on its way to me I'm wondering if there is any rep bracelet which would be appropriate. Any advice from the Rolex experts (for someone who knows absolutely nothing about the brand) would be appreciated. Otherwise it will simply go onto a Nato. Curiously it was a passing interest in Rolex that brought me to the rep community in the first instance, but then I quickly added Panerai to my established love of Omegas and apart from a MBW DRSD I have avoided Rolex altogether. I have a gen Tudor chrono so I hope that this will be good company for it and it may lead to a 'Snowflake' someday.