Watchmeister

I would request a dial swap as well. I am assuming that you didn't flip off the case back and try and fix the dial yourself. Dealers can miss things as well and it sounds like both of you are working thru this in good faith.

V- Very pretty. Keep us posted.

That one is kind of a mess. Definitely send it back.

Yours looks similar. Prior to Rolli the only aftermarket PVD opportunities I was aware of were Jack at IWCC who has changed his coating, the original Palpatine DLC, a couple of pieces coming out of Australia through Ajoesmith/David and Finepics. Palpatine actually went to the trouble to find an OEM supplier to PAM. But the maufacturer had stopped doing Ti processes by the time hw got to him. He had moved on to DLC. I had a piece done that way but it was way off. What we didn't know is that it is most likely the DLC on the gen 195. I suspect Jay would remember the name. Finepics had a good coater but the guy definitely had good and bad runs and ultimately they stopped doing watchs. I have a Bell and Ross with the Ajoesmith/David PVD coating. The color is good for a PAM but the beadblasting is off so you ended up with a flatter finish relative to gen A and B PAM's. I did mine through Finepics a couple of years ago.

The now extinct Finepics TiN or TiAlN (can't remember which): By the way, if anyone has a dial or case upgrade please let me know. The A's drive me crazy.

S- They both look great. As you know it is all about the bead blasting methodology and chemical compound applied. The older PAM's were done at a time when the state of the art technology was TiN or TiAln (can't remember which is which). Both finishes are inferior in durability to more contemporary DLC which is what is on the 195 and looks very different. In terms of flexibility to manipulate color I believe Tin is what is used by architectural firms seeking to mimic existing pieces. It is also what is used as the base for durable gold plating. The problem with comparisons is that pictures can vary dramatically based on external lighting and flash used. And to make it more confusing no two batches of PVD are exactly the same which is why you can see differences from one watch to another. What I will say is that if one case matches up better to the gen crown that is probably the better coat. Having said that both coatings look beyond reproach. Jack's stealth max looks very different and is $600 including bead blasting. And by the way I have several PVD crowns from the A and B automatics and they vary as well.

Beautiful watch but I must confess that the wrong metal always drives me crazy. I had this happen to me once with the PAM 194. The other guy certainly didn't notice as we weren't discussing watches or staring at wrists but it drove me nuts. That particular watch has never seen the light of day.

I draw no conclusions from absolute prices like $xxx is a silly price. But I also think about reps the same way I think about gens. Would I want to own and wear that particular watch irrespective of price. Than I decide whether I can afford or am willing to pay for the gen and how good mechanically and aesthetically the rep is relative to the gen (i.e. relative cost). And on the rep I factor in all the other costs (service or movement swap, aesthetic mods, etc.) I will require to bring the watch to a personally acceptable level of similarity to the gen. What has disappeared is the ability to buy them as novelty items as we used to be able to do. And by the way the better reps (DW, MBW, etc.) were always significantly more expensive than the norm. And irrespective of the price gouging which I, of course, dislike I am glad the 3 high end factories do make high quality reps. If there is that much profit in the business rep manufacturing is not rocket science and other factories will spring up. So my answer factoring in weakness in the currency and improvements in the aesthetics is that there are not sill prices - just silly watches. And we have to get over the old days of buying everything and then figuring it out. I think you will find that most folks who have been buying for years still buy but fewer and more carefully. To this day I am still working on my first $600 + honpo reps and getting great enjoyment out of it.

Sorry to hear it is broken. It will have to be taken apart again. I presume you know that the day always changes before the numerical date. The movement doesn't have enough power and as such is not designed to change them simultaneously. And depending on the age of the movement when the changeover starts and stops for both can be as early as 9 pm (mechanism actually engages at 8 pm) on the start and as late as 3:30 am (mechanism completely disengages around 4 am). If neither change I would guess it is unlikely to simply be a stuck day wheel.

If you love the watch and are willing to invest a little money I would go a different way. Put put a WTB for a broken (read as cheap as possible) stainless Radiomir. The gen 231 actually has stainless or WG screws - not gold colored. Then use all four screws and chuck the Asian Radiomir. You might check with Silix or Paul for a low end new one if no one has one for sale cheap around here.

Please post pics when you receive. I want to see the new dials. Cape Cod works well on the DSN. Just remember to go slowly. I learned the hard way on one case. IMHO, your first choice on the 29 case is a milled jimmy case. But you need to have the movement spacer. If you don't have a gen crown you should pick up the gen ones which are pretty regularly offered. They are from A and B series PAM's so entirely appropriate. The DSN case may be fine too but you need to make sure that whatever dial you are using will fit without having to trim it.

I am never in favor of price increases but the realization that rep buyers would pay $400 and up has actually led to some wonderful new reps. Only now are we seeing manufacturers buying $10,000 + gens to reproduce them. The downside is you now have to take an almost gen approach to buying. The issue of outrageous mark-ups and misleading advertising is another thing.

Nothing to say other than silly comment. And by the way have you ever seen what professional divers or Navy Seals wear. It ain't no Panerai or Rolex. So perhaps he should sell all his dive watches to me at a significant discount and I will provide him with a military issue.

Congrats on a great dial. Can't wait to see the finished product.

You guys may be right. Here is a pic of a couple of gen dials to aid in the analysis.

The reason why I say that is that I am staring at my wrist with a gen black dial on and although the dial looks great (and is probably the best of this one I have seen) no one has ever gotten the inner curve on the 6's and the 9's exactly right. But then again it is clearly a compressed picture so who knows. On the face of it the font and spacing looks great. Can't see what is going on with the L Swiss L (t?) though. In any case, Asad has one fabulous watch and kudos to him.

I guess Davidsen on the dial. And if it is he has stepped up his game. The PVD doesn't look like his though.

It is very frustrating to see that just as the quality level of aesthetics on new reps over the last 18 months has increased dramatically so has the difficulty in obtaining quality ETA movements. Beyond the more sophisticated answer given by Euro there is also no question that new ETA's are much more expensive to everyone and that ETA is being much more careful as to who they ship to. And as a result the manufacturers are getting far more creative in selling "ETA" watches to ensure profitability and simply quantity. As Ziggy has mentioned new ETA's are readily available in lots of a hundred but the prices have gone through the roof - up 50-100% over the last year or two. ETA has made a very intelligent decision - sell fewer movements at higher prices. We also can't lose sight of the rise in the Euro. And now as the manufacturers are increasingly making watches based on non-ETA movements we are increasingly reliant on Asian movements irrespective of the difficulty of obtaining ETA movements. I too have moved more toward Frankens and using my existing inventory of ETA movements to selectively upgrade reps that I really like. And wait til you see the next batch of projects.

My favorite watch/attire combination is the standard attire for beautiful women on the beach on a couple of Carribean islands - White gold Daytona - and nothing else. And you often see them in pairs. The watches - you perverts.

Asad- That is one beautiful piece. Wear it well. -Kruz

They certainly can last a lifetime but it very much depends on the watch. The more modern 7750 movements are designed every bit as well as the ETA. But as everyone says you will probably want to get it serviced. And it is not just because of the movement. When you have the servicing done the watchsmith is defacto improving all the seals with the various watch oils, ensuring that the crown and pushers are properly attached, the crystal is seated properly, etc. If you like a watch enough that you want it to be your daily beater than it is well worth it.

The price differential was not nearly as great a couple of years ago though. Swiss 7750's used to be readily available in the $200-$250 range. And the price differential was more like $350-400. It also doesn't help that ETA has gotten a lot smarter about who they will ship their movements too and rep manufacturers are not at the top of their list. But if you are determined to have Swiss you should start looking around for good deals on the movements. I have always opted to buy the Swiss movement separately and than have it installed. My reasoning was always that in truth servicing on a chrono is not cheap anywhere and any watch that you were going to have a Swiss 7750 in you would also want relumed, properly AR'ed or with other mods.

Congrats on the watch. You are now a member of a select club.

I have it as well. It is a work of art but totally impractical (as is the gen on the 187). The buckle is just too big.

Great write-up. One of the original super reps. I too thought it was good enough to put in a Swiss movement. The stock date wheels are an added bonus. And its funny as I too elected to add double AR in spite of the gen not having it. I do envy the gen dial though. And yes, I do polish it up from time to time as the ti does darken.