PAMman

Looks like a good rep but I just think that they are brute-ugly watches.

Apparently he has loads of them, of both types, so our crown problems may be resolved now.

Ross, if you're planning using this crown for your preV then the best starting point would be one of the regular 44mm rep cases which were originally fitted with the 'wobbly' sprung crown. These cases are a good shape for the preV with more rounded lugs and they are already fitted with a tube which fits DSN's sprung crown, so I assume that it should suit the gen crown as well. DSN's & JF's tubes seems to be the same size and I have tried one of DSN's crowns in the rep casetube and it fits perfectly. I don't have a gen crown loose at the moment to try it out.

Try one of DSN's tubes for his latest crown - it seems to be the same as Jimmy Fu's.

Where did you get the notion that his reps are 'better quality'? Check out this issue by reading the relevant topics on the forum.

I have dealt with this guy in the past and can confirm that he's 100%.

Tried that Kostas, my problem is that there isn't even an AD in Ireland and anyhow I have bought my gens pre-owned so it was a 'no go' for me.

As late as 18 months - 2 years ago Panerai still had a very close relationship with a few enthusiasts who were probably instrumental in the brand being promoted in the US - we're talking about the most respected names amongst collectors and on the 'Risti boards. As a result, parts were more readily available to these guys than they were to ADs, if indeed ADs could even order parts at all. I had a very rare dial and one of these guys contacted me about it and when I told him that I was planning to build it into a watch as soon as I could gather up all the parts that I needed he offered to order anything that I needed. At that stage al I needed was a stem and crown and he ordered these, using the case number of my 111F. The stem and crown cost me a mere $25 and it was posted to me before I paid anything at all. I had to email him to find out how much I owed.

001B, no contest. Get a cannon pin fix and one of the 'Palp' style crowns that are proposed and you will have a great watch well within your budget.

I bought my first gen crowns that way but can't get any more as Panerai won't supply parts to anyone now. In fact I was able to buy a gen crown and stem for $25, ordered for my 111F, but those days seem to be over.

Yeah, maybe he is insane but he also bought item #220236947656. Lets assume that he already has a complete Jimmy Fu caseset, including CG, bought ages ago at $150 complete with crystal (that's what Jimmy sold tham for a couple of years ago). Add an ETA movement and solid caseback and you have an ultimate 003B for between $800 and $850 - still sound completely insane? - check out the price of a new gen!!! This would be a watch that feels and functions 100% like a gen and all the parts will fit together properly. Now (hypothetically you understand) to really top this off he could already have an ex-Hamilton 6497-2 which would mean that even if a hardened 'Risti was to hold this watch to his/her ear it would also sound right. Yeah, you're right, he's nuts but he's in good company here.

PVD is correct up to PAM004 009 and 026 and no further. I don't want to join in a debate here but the 4 & 9 were PVD models for the preA, A & B series and the 026 for the A & B only. I have a fairly large collection of pics of genuine examples of all of these models, mostly the 004 & 009, and the majority of them, both 'T' & 'L' dials, including some preAs have PVD'd pins. However a sizable minority have polished SS pins but there is no clear distinction between each series or even a corelation between tritium / luminova dials and SS / PVD pins. It's probably fair to say the the earlier watches of these PVD models had SS pins and the later PVD, but, typically for Panerai at that time, the closest thing to hand is what went into any particular watch. I certainly have plenty of shots of both A & B series 4 & 9 with both variations so there is little reason to assume that the 26 which was being assembled alonside would be different. I know that the service centres have new crownguards in stock but these are not complete. They comprise of 2 separate components, the bridge and the lever c/w pin, and are priced and invoiced as separate items. These are replaced as needed and only assembled into a single unit if both are required as a service item. I seriously doubt that production of the later PVD watches would have been delayed because only SS pins were in the parts bin that week and I'm sure that this explains the variation. Don't forget tritium dials were used up in B series watches, and not only at the beginning of the run in the low numbers of the series. Also preA dials appeared in some B series but none are on record for the A series so an SS pin here in an 'L' dial 026 is certainly not that odd.

We all moan about the inaccuracies of the 'out-of-the-box' Panerai reps but if they were all as accurate as, say the SFSO (which I'm wearing at the moment), then there would be very little fun or satisfaction in having a watch like this. A cracking watch. Enjoy it.

I bought the gen L dial and I already have an unused NOS gen 003 T dial and tritium hands so I should be able to compare them properly when the L arrives. I will likely sell the T dial and reduce my total outlay on a franken. The easiest black dial to relicate should be the 2A 'T' dial. It has a dead simple layout, has the least amount of text and if it's handlumed in a creamy tritium colour this will result in the raised 3D effect of the genuine A series dials. To produce the basic dial should be a penalty kick for anyone with access to the correct manufacturing facilities, then pass it on to one of the modders for a hand lume.

The genuine white 'T' dials are exceptionally glossy, totally unlike the black versions.

It must be a lot harder than it sounds because no Panerai rep dial has got it right yet. If only DSN would repond to the feedback that he has asked for then maybe we would get somewhere. If you think that you can get Panerai dials replicated accurately you will have a queue at your door (behind me).

Painted brass it may be, but the dial is the 'soul' of the watch. Minor inaccuracies in the case are not that obvious but the dial is critical in any watch. Check out this dial - was it not worth $299? hxxp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220236947656&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=012

It's hard to put a value on this dial & hands but I wouldn't be surprised if no-one bids at all, due to the high starting price. This way the first bidder is in for 1K without the comfort of knowing that there's considerable interest pushing the price up to that level. It's much easier to chase the bidding up when there are a few like minded bidders, or even to 'snipe' it at 1K+, knowing that you will only end up paying marginally more than at least one other person thinks it's worth. I have the Marina version of this dial and while I prefer the base version of the black dial I think that the Marina is better in the white.

He built some great watches, including a WM based DRSD for me. It's a fantastic watch but I'm just not a Rollie fan and every time I think of posting it for sale I wear it 'just one more time' and then it goes back in the box. However it really should go to someone who will love it more than I do.

Stunning watch - Josh still shows this (smooth bezel) version on his website but does anyone know if it's still available?

Yes, you register an account and everything's straightforward after that.

The movement looks like it has a Swiss ETA base. I'd be surprised if I got a watch with only one hand too. LOL.

Unless '1st generation' Honpos were simply regular reps I would seriously doubt that this watch's provinence.

Jimmy Fu's case is a 1:1 copy of his 01D so is correct for the D series handwinds. Post-takeover Panerai (Vendome) outsourced their components to a succession of different suppliers and there may be marginal differences between the cases of the preA to D series but nothing worth talking agonising about. Therefore the most accurate dial for you case will be a gen 001, 002, 003 or 010 dial i.e. either black or white, base or Marina and either the

Why have I not contributed? Lazyness is number 1 - and has just stopped me a few minutes ago, as my CC is out in the car, it's 10 mins past midnight and I promise that I will upgrade tomorrow (honest). Seriously though, I tried to upgrade months ago and there was some silly complicated system that simply wouldn't work for me. Payment was supposed to be made as a subscription to an obscure magazine or something and I simply couldn't get it to work.