Watchmeister

Yeah, couldn't resist. We are either geniuses or idiots. You know the rep game - hope springs eternal.

And at this point I am so turned off to this rep that it turned me off of the gen. Well the bright side is that the two reps have saved me the cost of a gen. Back to the vintages and waiting for the Ultimate SD.

Doesn't the ceramic bezel insert look too thin (like v3)? Dial appears to have no (or very little) bevel on the date window but better shaped and lumed markers. I gotta admit this particular rep is getting frustrating. I have been through two versions, etc. and don't really feel it is much closer.

Congrats on a beautiful project. And yeah, the lume work Ziggy does is pretty incredible. Wear it well.

Honpo is a better version of the 7750. It has the recessed datewheel. You would have to go with the 7753 to get proper date placement and no recess. The case and its dimensions are inferior though. You can't win on this one. I suggest sticking with what you got.

You can print it in 2400 dpi but as far as I know the best resolution swiss clear vinyl stock takes only 12-1400 dpi at best.

Looks great. Wear that one well.

The waiting list at Tourneau went from several months at introduction to please buy it at a 15% discount now.

P- As I said, that is a fabulous project. I know you snapped quick pics and I am guessing your pics were taken with flash. Whenever you have a moment in the next few days please take a few additional pics in natural light with no flash (or visa versa if I have it wrong). Selfishly speaking I am about to redo an old 28 project I have had sitting around for a few years and you have the standard by which all PVD coatings should be gauged. Thanks so much for sharing and wear it well.

Congrats on a wonderful project. Wear that one well.

Why the one which you supplied the case for.

That is completely possible. Although specs from legitimate steel manufacturers are pretty tight who knows where these guys get their steel from. Is 316L really 316L, etc.

Having tired of wearing a number of the usual suspect very thick vintage straps lately I couldn't resist going to the other extreme and picking up a 233 gen "tunnel" strap for a new project. I threw it on my 03 while waiting to finish the project which it will ultimately go on and I have to say that I love it. Although not cheap it is a welcome addition to anyone who wears PAMs frequently. It is remarkably comfortable and visually very different from most other leather straps - very diminutive on the wrist In truth it finally dawned on me that this is really just a very elegant version of the original rubber strap in glove soft leather without the somewhat cheesy (IMHO) "Officine Panerai" all over it. It fits beautifully around the wrist tapering to the tip and is just so comfortable. Here are a couple of pics. Notice the same taper as the rubber deployant which makes it oh so comfortable:

Gio- Fabulous thread. Much thanks for what I know was a lot of work.

Great info guys. The steel differential is fascinating. We know that Rolex added their own foundry capability as part of their own upgrade to ensure consistency in precious metals (just in time for a 23% drop in sales). Maybe they are doing the same with the stainless. I have had the opportunity to compare generic 9xx to 316L steel in ingot form and it is not that different. In fact a well polished 316 piece can outshine the other. I wonder if they could be throwing in a dab of rhodium (is it possible?) into the SS for the DSSD. And thanks you guys just saved me a good amount of money as I was about to build an Ultimate DSSD combining the best parts of the V3 and V4 watches (unfortunately I already own both watches) and sharpening the edges of the date window (one of the few benefits of having to matte spray the dial is you can file, repaint the small area and then matte coat the dial). But I am not going to bother if the metal is that far off.

And the sublust does not get better. It's only a matter of time.

Then go with the 03A: I just put mine on a tunnel strap (my new favorite strap) and am wearing it today.

Congrats on a great watch. Definitely need to swap that datewheel. I built one with a rep dial but gave it up to our mutual friend when he, like you, scored a gen dial. Gen dials are always the coup de grace. Wear that one well.

Absolutely stunning work. I have one of your early 6152's but I am definitely saving up my money for a new one. You have raised vintage work to a whole new level. Congrats and keep up the good work.

IMHO, it depends on the 03A dial. If the dial markers look and glow like lume and the dial says t swiss t then I wouldn't do it unless you are going to relume in "vintage tritium". If the dial says L swiss L then you don't want an A caseback.

As far as I know the secs at 12 on AP's are all the same movement. The basic movement is well designed according to folks around here but the principal issue is getting one that is not all gummed up. On this particular movement I think we just have to budget a service into the cost. It reduces the number of watches we can buy but ensures that what we got actually lasts. Jon- If you want to sell the HBB you should snap some pics and offer it in the trade section. It is pretty tough to say what you would pay with out pics and description. If you don't like the price you can always pull it.

Would you expect any different? Still a very nice execution of a relatively simplistic movement. P- Thanks for the link. An enjoyable read. Over the years I have learned more about movements from reading watch smith movement breakdowns than anywhere else. That is why I regard Ziggy's movement reviews and breakdowns of our movements as priceless. It is not just about being able to do the work but being able to clearly and concisely show the breakdown and explain what is going on.

Absolutely beautiful. Wear it well.

Welcome to the forum. Nice to see a very organized approach to this hobby. Log on, read for a while, make an informed decision and most importantly end up with a happy outcome on your first purchase.

Welcome. Dip a toe in the water and then go for a swim.