PAMman

I really like the grey dial - it looks good.

I have looked for them as well without any success Ross. Maybe Cousins would order them if there was a demand. After all, they didn't previously stock the higher cannon pinions until 'we' started ordering them. These ETA wheels should be wanted by everyone who has a Swiss ETA PAM036 etc. It really would be the finishing touch.

That's awful. I really cannot understand why the manual wind Panerai models aren't replicated properly. They must be possibly the easiest watch to replicate as they have simple cases and dials.

Excellent Franken. The top quality movement and the T48 crown really finish this off.

If it is a watch that I really want to keep, then I will want an ETA movement. I don't really care if I buy an Asian clone as long as it is straight swap for the Swiss ETA - I don't wnt to be messing about with wrong hand sizes and cutting off dial feet etc. I have bought loads of reps and all (apart from the secs @ 6 Portuguese) have run faultlessly. The chronos have all been Asian 7750's but they're still all OK. My SOSF, 3x SMP, UPO, Ingy, etc etc have supposedly been Swiss and I expect that the earlier ones actually were - maybe they all are. My Panerai have all been Swiss 6497 (original bridges), plus ETA2893 PAM029 and ETA2892 PAM027. I know that the majority of my reps are genuine Swiss and I don't really care about the rest. The only watches that I have upgraded and spent money on are the Panerai and they all have gen movements. The rest were cheap but good quality watches in their own right and if one packs up and needs a new movement then I will drop in a Swiss. Otherwise I haven't spent any further money on them and don't intend to, other than maybe having the Ingy AR'd.

Don't worry about the L dial for a 004. The 004B had an L dial - at least the majority of them did.

Re bracelet - Yes, the bracelet is brand new from Rolex. It is a 7836 with 358B endlinks which I understand is a standard service replacement item. Unfortunately it has the shield emblem but at least it feels correct for the period and it cost

Just a quick progress update. After concluding that the original crystal was the problem with the loose bezel on mine I replaced it with a Clark Tropic. Now the whole assembly is totally tight. I needed to use a crystal press to get the retaining ring on after the crystal was fitted on the case. The retaining ring was hand tight on the bare crystal but obviously the rim of the case expanded the crystal sufficiently to ensure that the ring would no longer push on by hand. Now the whole bezel assembly fits like it should. My next problem was to find an appropriate bracelet so I went along to my local AD who ordered a Tudor service replacement folded link bracelet and end-links, complete with springbars. It has got the Tudor emblem rather than the Rolex crown but otherwise it feels good and is probably close to the original of that era. Just need a good bezel insert and I'm set. Maybe a gen crown and tube to complete the package.

The movement in the 000 & 005 actually differs from the A - D series in that the decoration is CdG stripes on the original ETA bridges, similar to both the preV and preA movements. Different orientation of stripes to either and wider than the preV stripes but the same idea.

I know that the Zodiac Cal 72 isn't a Vj 72, but I was referring to the Sea Chron which does have the Valjoux 72.

Just a heads-up, and I have no link with the seller. http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=62863 It is claimed that this watch was serviced by ATG Vintage Watches. It's certianly Alistair Gibbons type of watch and I have no reason to disbelive the seller. I know that ATG prepare watches very thoroughly and this movement is likely to be 100%. Very nice watch in its own right but at this price, with the

There have been so many different versions of the SMP that I have lost count. The biggest drawback with this case is the grossly oversized crown - it's far too thick / wide and a genuine crown would lost in the wider CGs. I have 2 old versions at the moment, an early Bond with the inorrect HE position but a good dial, hands, back and bracelet. The other one is a black SMP with everything almost perfect. However, I have bought a gen black so I am considering swapping the Bond into the accurate rep case. However, the Bond bracelet won't fit the accurate 'closed factory' case because the Bond's lugs are shorter and the 'closed factory' version is correct. If I do carry out the swap then I will have to wear the recased Bond on a genuine leather strap or buy a gen bracelet (or at least gen end-links). Maybe I would be better selling both and forgetting about it..............I have enough hassle and too many watches as it is.

I have just talked to my local AD, who is a service agent, and they have phoned Rolex to confirm that they can supply a hollow link Oyster bracelet for a Tudor. I really want this for my 'fakey/franken' 7016/0 but I also have a genuine 38mm Prince Date that I can bring in to the AD. The Prince date also has a 20mm lug width so my query really is "are both bracelets the same?" If I order a hollow link bracelet for the Prince Date will it be the correct one for the 7016/0, with the correct end links etc? Does anyone know what the correct part nos for the Sub bracelet are? Is the Tudor bracelet for this generation of a Sub the same as the Rolex Sub (5513) of the same era? The AD knows nothing about Tudors and is happy to order whatever I ask for as long as I pay a deposit. Seems like too good an opportunity to miss. I will check the price of a gen insert too - it would save all the messing with aftermarket parts and swapping pearls. The irony is that I have only a minor interest in Rolex / Tudor and getting the bits seems so easy in comparison to Panerai.

If he wants to start a dial project get him to tackle something that really needs doing and which could easily be done to perfection: the PAM 002 / 112 L SWISS L

If you can get a dealer who is able to deliver an accurate PO dial could you also persuade him to get accurate Panerai dials? An accurate Panerai 002 / 112 L SWISS L 'painted' would be so simple in comparison to the PO dial and I can assure that there would be a willing market.

Are they both the same movement? 28,800 A7750 or 21,000?

I have a genuine used caseback to get you started. Get a Precista PRS14, add the gen caseback and source a dial and you're there.

Hardly surprising but Panerai feature high on my list. I currently have 8, including 2 gen, 2 franken and 4 highly modded The Zigmeister creations, plus a serious collection of parts. I also have 3 gen + 3 rep Omega, 1 gen + 4 franken/modded/rep Breitling, 1 gen + 1 rep / franken Tudor and 4 franken/modded IWC. I have loads of other genuine watches including a gen B&R 03-94 + a rep B&R. I currently have a list of at least 30 gen and rep to sell or trade so will be active on the sales forums shortly. I serously need to dispose of so many if I am going to get any proper use out of the main collection.

That's a really lovely piece. I know what you mean about gens being the real keepers. I have recently bought a gen chrono Avenger and as a result I will be selling my series 1 franken rep CA which has a gen dial and is being refitted with a high-beat A7750 to cure a movement problem. While the franken is so close to the gen there's nothing like the real thing. Enjoy your new watch.

Yeah, maybe you're right Ross. It's just seriously hard to tell. I thought that it may be an illusion at first, then one of the shots along the plane of the dial convinced me that the indexes were actually raised. There are a number of 201As in the pipeline at the moment so there should be an opportunity for a great photo gallery some time soon.

Don't use DSN's case - the CG is unlikely to fit properly but more importantly the lugholes are too big. Also, it's hard to tell from your pics, but the crown position of some of these cases is totally off. The 'T' crown is designed to fit a standard rep case, with a slimmer shaft than DSN's crown. DSN's is sprung and fits either a gen case or a JF case so the tube of the DSN case will be too big for the 'T' crown. What's up with the FGD dial??? It seems to have been lumed to give a 'sausage' effect, which would be correct for the A series T SWISS T dials but totally wrong for the preV (201A etc) and preA dials which have recessed numbers and markers. The unaltered FGD dials are excellent but shouldn't be modified in this manner. Check out this link for reference; http://www.paneristi.com/archives/PreA_Pan..._A_Panerai.html

If your dial with the L SWISS L happens to be one of Jimmy Fu's (which only had the L SWISS L and no other text) then none of these methods is likely to work. Nothing short of an angle grinder will get the text off his dials.

I completely agree. I have had nothing but rubbish from DSN and I cannot begin to understand how he has any customers at all. His product is complete tripe, his service is woeful and his manners are the pits altogether. The only thing that sets him apart from the rest is that his stuff is different, but in the main that is a bad thing.

Yeah the 'Risti are the same. I remember Jack @ IWW posting a picture of a PVD 183, probably about 2 years ago, on a thread that had been started to discuss the concept of a black Rad. It provoked a huge debate on the merits v demerits of PVDing a Radiomir. Not one single response picked up that the watch in question was a rep. I emailed Jack and discussed having a PVD job carried out and he admitted that the 183 was a fake and he had forgotten this prior to posting the picture. He expected it to be caught on quickly and was really surprised that no-one spotted it.

Yeah, that's a fake caseback. BTW, I have a gen (civilian) caseback for the SM300 if anyone is searching for one - correct flat top As etc.