Watchmeister

Unfortunately, if I remember correctly you have picked the one model (1680) where the dial has to be shaved slightly. The 5512/13 and 1680 seem to fit fine. A couple of things to bear in mind though. If you are going with an ETA movement you are going to be "ruinging" the dial anyhow when you shave the feet so don't worry about it. But I would not spend the money on a gen movement when using a shaved dial. So either keep it lower budget and stick with ETA movement, upgrade to Yuki case with gen movement or pick a 5512/3 or 1680 instead. The Rolex experts can correct whatever I got wrong.

Just read this whole thread and I feel like they are apples and oranges. MBW when you are done will be substantially more expensive and better. I would go the Puretime route if I am keeping it as is. It is a very good rep for the price point but the more I look at the new case the more I like the MBW case. CG's are easily fixable but the lugs on the newer version look off to me and the he valve may look more like a working he valve but its placement and size looks suspect to my eye. Both of those fixes are far more difficult. Also you know from hundreds of projects exactly what you can do with gen parts on the MBW. I do think the new rep does offer a good lower end alternative though.

I understand your conflict. When you come upon a super rep that really does pass the smell test and has all the functionality and 99% of the aesthetic of an expensive gen it is difficult to pull that gen trigger. This is one of the seriously best repped pieces.I was seriously considering saving up my money for a gen DSSD (based on buying an earlier rep version). With the latest versions I have concluded any gen money I have could be better spent. Then again I am not planning on going diving 2 miles below the surface.

I guess all gen except for Yuki case.

YAHOO! A huge thank you to you George. It is only through your perseverance that this happened. And this is what makes this forum so great. George has been chasing after these parts and his source for close to a year and always kept me in mind. I do believe 2010 may be the year for AP frankens.

Looks stunning. I may have to get me one of those. Wear that one well.

I just saw this thread. And I was actually wondering about the overall height of the watch. I see you have a seconds at 12. I have always wondered if the height is correct to the gen. The rubber gasket has always looked way too thick to me and the case back looked off as well but I don't currently own a gen and there is a limit to how often I can walk into the AP boutique a block away. And no, I don't wear the rep into the Boutique.

Wow, that is the quickest 1.000 posts I have ever seen. T- Great to see you around under any name.

I can't believe I actually just read this whole thread. I gotta get a life. Good to hear RWI will be back up and running shortly. In the meantime I hope the folks who normally hang out at RWI will share ideas and watches with folks over here and visa versa. Forums come and go, moderators come and go but what stays are the wonderful friendships which come out of our crazy thirst for horological knowledge.

Even I can answer that question. This is his wonderful 1:1 3646 CNC project he told us he would be doing a couple of months ago. Congrats, they look fantastic. Can't wait to see the mid-case.

The DSSD I looked at when visiting the AD had an etched crown. I actually looked for it. Then again maybe it is a fake. The funny thing is that for all the ranting and raving the members did suggest a decent simple solution - putting in a technology solution like a micro-chip. Rolex is making enough money that they could afford this. I know people can always take watches apart but it would certainly slow down runs of a thousand reps. Alternatively they could move to open case backs or actually make unique movements. Needless to say, if anyone on this forum is caught posting crap on that forum they will quickly find themselves no longer posting here. At some level you are jeopardizing what it is we love.

I read the entire loop and I actually have sympathy for some of the less knowledgeable. At some level their little world is falling apart around them. I suspect a fair number will be paranoid about buying anything or at a minimum will try and gain comfort from overpaying at the AD. But it also proved to me again that the level of expertise here for both rep and gen is simply unparalleled. We really are whacked when we can spot a rep from 10 feet away and TRF folks need a a $40,000 Niton metal tester to be sure they are getting a gen.

Actually there are many Daytona replicas. You need to decide how much you want to spend and then folks can give you suggestions. The range goes from an Asian 21j to an asian based 7750 for reasonable prices to significantly more for a Zenith movement franken. And there are reps in between. I started with a lower end rep ($200-300) years ago and ended up with an El Primero franken which I am loving.

Avitt has it right. The most durable coating is gold layered on PVD/DLC. It is much less likely to wear away. Your only concern is if you actually get a deep scratch. As I understand it if you do there is no choice other than to strip the entire case completely and then either plate or use the PVD/Gold process. Interestingly, many fine watch companies actually use gold plated crowns rather than solid gold.

Parts do come up on the bay. But Ofrei also sells a number of the parts. Here is the link: http://www.ofrei.com/page_146.html You would want to prioritize those as the parts can run you into too much money. The basic rep is excellent in any case. Crown and tube is definitely the standard upgrade. the next level is insert if it is an orange one. The black insert is IMHO very well done. Dial and hands would come next. And then the HE valve. I can't comment on the lume as I don't remember how good or bad it is. If you are contemplating a relume check out the price of the gen dial versus a relume. No one ever got that logo perfect on the rep.

Really excellent work. I have some sense how difficult it is to do this type of bridge work.

Excellent analysis. The funny thing on reps is that almost every piece of the puzzle needs a little help. Many things you can either improve or solve with aftermarket modding. It will never get to true gen spec and that is why so many people who own reps also own gens. I have had the benefit of owning rep and gen of a number of pieces and had came to the same conclusion.

It looks really good but as someone pointed out it should be made of tantalum. People have posted the method to make ti look like tantalum in regards to the tantalum PAM 192 rep which was also done in ti. I think it was Oxyclean or something like that to darken the metal. But the weight is going to be very different. I am wondering if this will be a precursor to other ti AP's. Metal differences aside it is a beautiful watch.

Tanya- Stunning watch you have there. The 240 is one of the few recent models I covet - beautiful blend of titanium and tobacco dial. Wear that one well. Here are old pics of my two favs (yeah, I know it's not one):

My watch box isn't that large - never more than 8-10 PAM's (okay, maybe a dozen ). What's fun is the watches are always changing. And the parts thing is half the fun. I have some parts I have been sitting on for 3-4 years and I know what 3-4 I am trying to put together or purchase this year. And once those are done I have to torture myself on what to sell. But it is a lot of fun to send good frankens and gens to friendly homes. And as for the one PAM that remains my favorite it is the Fiddy. And if I hit lotto it would be a contemporary 203 - scratch that, a gen 6152-1.

I can't help coming back to this thread. That is an incredible project. And yeah, I would get a couple of shirts custom made for that watch. The person who made me a couple of dress shirts for the PAM's would keel over.

Very nice PAM History. Many wonderful pics. I too have been through a number of PAM's but tend to stick with a finite number of highly modded frankens or gens. But my two long term favorites contemporaries are still the Fiddy and 23A. The Fiddy is the contemporary homage to Panerai's 6152 heritage and the 23 with its Explorer bezel harkens back to the original Rolex Panerai connection.As you can tell I am more into the past than the present or future. So this year is my year for Franken vintages.

VDB- That is an absolutely stunning project. Congrats on the project. It is looking really great. That is one for the ages.

For me, it's not the destination - it's the journey. Oh, and who you are traveling with. And we have a number of wonderful travel companions. I have been "traveling" with some of my friends here for years and over those years we have become the best of friends. It is a fabulous hobby and an even better forum.

The other case is actually not PAM's. Most of the other PAM's are in various states of assembly or dis-assembly awaiting that next critical part.