PAMman

I totally agree. The UPO is a great rep 'out of the box' with the crown / tube being the only weak link. Fix this when it needs it - otherwise leave it alone. If you start buying gen dial, hands, bezel, insert etc you will spend a fair chunk of the price of a used gen and still have a rep. Don't forget that used Omegas can be bought at reasonable prices. IMO, in most cases buying a pile of gen parts is a pointless investment and is missing the whole point of having a rep.

I have a gen 'long arrow' 005 and it's exactly as described. The arrows extend further upwards and downwards than the later 005 / 000 logos. The 'long arrow' 005 and 195 had the same logo as the original 5218/201A preV logo watch - it's also slightly lighter or slimmer than the normal 000 / 005 and this can only be seen if you compare tham side by side. However Davidsen's 5218/201A looks all wrong because he has copied the current logo instead of the historic one.

Yes, they'll fit the ETA movement as Breitling uses the same movement as their base movement, BUT WHY?? I can't think of any watch less in need of this mod??? Put a gen strap on it for sure, and possibly a gen crown and tube if you can get them but the dial and hands are the strong points of this rep.

In one of the above posts I mentioned an article that compared the older preVendome cases with the more modern Swiss cases. Here's a link (replace the hxxt with http) hxxp://www.paneristi.com/archives/casedifferences/index.html If you compare one of the normal rep cases it should be obvious that it is closer to the 5218/201A case than the more modern PAM88. Not only are the lugs different but the overall shape of the case is different. The rep has higher corners and is less curved overall. Jimmy Fu's is the same as the main casing of the PAM88, which is compared in the photo, but don't forget that the autos have a different profile bezel to the handwound watches

The genuine rubber strap is only

Yes. However, most of the preV cases did not have threaded lugs and used a solid threaded bar / tube with a short screw through both lugs instead. It needed 2 screwdrivers to remove and was very fiddly, but had the advantage of any damaged threads being in the removable bar which could be replaced easily. BTW there is a comparison shot showing the different profiles of the preV and later cases on one of the Paneristi or ViaPaneristi Archive sections. As far as the rep crystal fitting Jimmy's case is concerned I fully agree that it fits perfectly if you are using his bezel and teflon ring. That's what I have in my franken, with a gen tritium dial, gen tritium hands, gen crown & stem, gen CG & screws with a Jimmy Fu case & bezel. It all fits together 100% correctly and feels like my gen 005 - SWEET.

All the dealers seem to have the same dials except Davidsen. Some of his have the low crossbar of the A corrected but the rest of the dial, including font size & thickness, digit and marker size etc is totally wrong. The normal rep dial is a much better bet. Frequently his 'NEW & IMPROVED' versions are far worse than the previous offerings.

Same story here. 'Sorry out of stock but I can get you another one' (at an extra 40%). Thanks, but no thanks.

I have seriuosly thought about getting a correct dial made. I understand that they are printed from a vector file which could be copied off a good scan but I have no faith in getting any of the manufacturers to actually print it properly. Davidsen's dials are even more incorrect that the regular reps so I doubt if he would help much.

I have been trying to come up with a solution to one of the most annoying Panerai issues, at least it's the one that annoys me the most. I am particularly interested in the closed caseback handwind models i.e. the 001 and 002. These are the easiest to get modded to almost 99% accuracy but are let down by the wrong font that is evident in the too low crossbar in the capital A's of MARINA & PANERAI. The 002 has only PANERAI so it has a lesser problem. If this issue could be dealt with then an almost perfect rep could be created. SOLUTION: A dry transfer similar to 'Letraset' which was common in every drawing office in the pre PC / CAD era could be applied as a small sliver of black to eradicate the incorrect crossbars and then a similar white dry transfer to create the new, correct one. This material is so thin that the small amount of black would not be detectable within the outline of the A and the new white crossbar should be similar to the painted font. I would suggest that, if any trace is visible under a loupe then varnising the whole dial would get rid of any traces. My thoughts are that this material would be easier to handle than attempting the same thing with paint. If this would work successfully then maybe the L SWISS L could be similarly modified to T SWISS T. Just add a vintage lume to recreate the desirable 001, 002, 004 or 009 'T' dial PAMs. Any thoughts or comments???? Any advice on better material? I know that Letraset is not available in sizes small enough for what I have in mind but, from memory, the bottom margin of each sheet has a 'blurb' relating to copyright or patent rights that is written in very small print which may be fine enough to suit. However it is easy to lift a small section off the sheet with a scalpel after it has been rubbed when not in contact with artwork.

There are obviously different versions of the black SMP. I also have a gen and use the rep as a beater. Mine (from PT) has the correct He valve position and correct length hands. Both the dial and hands have better lume than most other reps but the gen really does glow like a torch. The major weakness is the total lack of AR - more noticable than the Bond SMP, possibly because of the black dial.

Yes, the genuine Omega hands will fit the ETA movement. However, I have a black rep SMP and the hands are spot-on. So is the HE placement. It's one of the better reps but instead of replacing the hands you should consider getting the crystal AR'd.

Jimmy Fu is a respected Paneristi and he had an idea to produce his 'own' watch similar to a Panerai. Consequently he had 200 cases, bezels, plain display casebacks and crownguards manufactured using his D series 001 as a pattern. These parts were 1:1 copies of the genuine Panerai 44mm models and remain the only rep case with the correct shaped lugs and case profile for the Vendome (Swiss) series of watches. The normal rep case is closer in profileand lug shape to the preV case such as the 5218/201A logo watch, although it has threaded lugs like the later production watches. A small number of preV watches had threaded lugs so it may be an accurate copy of one of those. As an interesting aside, amongst the first decent Panerai reps were the 005 models which had a very accurate copy of the 5218/201A caseback. This caseback carries the 0348 serial number, which belongs to 'Mr Yellow'. It would be interesting to know if he was a willing participant in the first generation rep production, as I understand he's from that part of the world also.

Congratulations, it looks excellent. I have all the same parts assembled for the same project too so if it turns out nearly as good I will be well pleased. BTW, had you any problem with the lug threads on Jimmy Fu's case?

Check out this SD that was recently sold on a gen UK forum. There are some great close-up pics for reference. *Change the hxxp to http hxxp://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34833

If the 'same' watch was also being offerred with a 'genuine Swiss movement' at a significantly greater price then I would say that there was no deliberate deception involved in this instance. However, you would have needed to 'read between the lines' as it should have been described as an 'Asian, movement, based on the original Unitas design. There are so many variations of this movement, mostly mimicing the Panerai modified ETA movements, that it is hard to keep track of them all. The most dubious of all being the so-called "Genuine Swiss" E (or H) series Panerai style movements with the Panerai type bridges and Swan-neck regulators. These may be built upon Swiss ETA baseplates and carry the ETA markings but all of the Panerai styled bits are Asian. Where do you go with one of these when you need parts? I'll stick to the closed back models with unaltered ETA movemets on the grounds of longevity and reliability and also because these are the most desirable of all Panerai models. Ask any of the Paneristi.

The crown and crownguard look better than usual. Can you post some close-ups of these, particularly the CG from all angles (top, bottom and sides). Thanks, and enjoy your PAM.

Only accurate insofar as it is a Unitas design. The current Swiss ETA is also described as a 'Unitas' but that is not strictly correct as the Unitas company no longer exists. The only movement that could accurately be described as 'high quality Unitas 6497' would be an older movement actually manufactured by the Unitas watch company which was bought by ETA / Swatch. However, to most people the description best fits the current Swiss ETA although this one wasn't described as Swiss. Sharp practice at best.

Asian copy of the Swiss ETA 6497. Higher beat than the ETA 6497-1, similar to the ETA 6472-2.

I have one 47mm 'Big Pilot' style watch and I agree that it's too big to wear comfortably so the smaller size would probably be more usable. I also think that an unbranded dial would be preferable and I'd prefer the 5004 style. I'm looking forward to seeing how this will turn out.

I had the same problem and it was the same solution as FxrAndy. Mine was in a PAM 112 with a display back and each time I wound it 'dial up' it slipped but when I turned it over to see what was happening it wound OK. I had to hold it above my head and look up at the movement when it was being wound and then I could see that the main gear wheel was loose and the effect of gravity was pulling it out of line with the ratchet. Simple fix, but be careful that you don't wring the head off the screw - it has a thinner shaft than the size of the head would suggest.

I have 2 to send for this run. I'll respond to your email later this weekend.

The 'Lemania' handwind is normally a Seagull 2 register chrono movement that is highly reliable and a much better long-term prospect than the Asian 7750 modified to the 7753 3, 6, 9 layout.

Mismatched dial and movement.

Judging by the overall length I assume these are from a 47mm case. My very first Panerai style rep had this screw arrangement which is almost the reverse of the preV Panerai set-up. The preV 44mm models had a solid bar, the same dimensions as the normal later tubes, with internally threaded ends that took a short stuuby screw of a similar thickness to the later, long screws. If you can visualise the tube being solid and a short screw threading into each end where both lugs are unthreaded you can understand the preV setup. I don't think that the arangement that you have was ever a Panerai feature and apart from the cheap and nasty first rep that I had I haven't come across it since. Your only hope is probably to go back to the supplier of this watch to get spares.