Watchmeister

Stephane- Yours is looking really good. Frankly, every bit as good as the gen if not better. IWC AR is good but not that good. :laugh: Someday I will have to add the AR. I elected to go with a croc strap to dress it up. I think Euno came up with that. In any case, wear it well.

DSP- That is the crown tube. And it can be either more or less waterproof. Your two variables are how closely you adjust the case tube and how well the gaskets seal around it. Some people have elected to change the gaskets for an even tighter seal. In that case the crown seal, anyhow, should be every bit as good as any other watch. Given that the crown springs open I would guess the seal is better than a typical rep set-up. But it is all about how well you fit the crown and ensuring that the lever pin contacts the crown and actually applies pressure on the crown. Remember that gen crowns are much deeper than the reps or the Palps. If you haven't previously shaved down the lever for a Lello or Palp 2.1 you should be fine though.

Today: Tomorrow: Friday:

DSP- I don't think I would monkey around with the power reserve area. The indentation is much less pronounced on the A dial and the printing does a reasonable job of giving the appearance of it being indented. Remember on the 27 we are talking about paint on brass. Not a lot of room for compression. What you will do is scratch the dial and once you do that you not only have to repaint but most likely have to clear coat it as well.

Congrats on a fabulous purchase. I know you will truly get many years of enjoyment out of it. All the best, Kruz

FGD- Those pieces are looking really good. I expect no less. By the way, just got your gift and I know exactly where to use it. Thanks again. And on Ziggy and putting ships in bottles I suspect that other members could find a way to utilize his time. :laugh:

Thanks for the kinds words. I did fall-in love with the combination. As those who collect straps can relate it is a thrill to find that "perfect" strap for watch whether rep or gen. T- I appreciate your offer to "take it off my hands" but I think I can "dispose of it" myself. :laugh:

Bought myself an early Christmas present. Every once in a while you put together a strap and watch combo where you know you can happily epoxy in the strap pins. Here is the Xmas strap on a Ziggified 27A (tritium relume, lello datewheel and Sssurfer cyclops).

I may have a crown. I have been swapping out the rep crowns for gens on the Daylights so I will take a look to see if I still have it. You will have to get a stock 1.2 ETA stem though. If someone else takes care of you before I have a chance to look let me know.

I do know water resistance which is as good or better than a rep can be achieved. What I don't know is if you have to swap the outer gasket to achieve it. How it compares in terms of water resistance to a gen I can't say for sure. I have gone swimming with at least one (not diving though). I don't recommend this to anyone else and Ziggy is not in favor of it either. I just ahd to try it. If mounted properly the seal and springiness of the gen crown on the rep when the CG is opened does compare very favorably to the gen. Unfortunately that crown springing out is addictive and now I find myself changing over all of my PAM's. Remember the gen crowns we have have the original 3 gasket stem set-up rather than the newer 2 gasket system on gens . Interestingly, Panerai seems to have used a 3 gasket system when they were making watches for the military so it must be reasonably good.

Could you swap the bridge plates and/or swan neck from the Asian movement onto the ETA movement for the ultimate Fiddy? By the way are the bridges finished much closer to gen? What is interesting is that there is a whole misnomer about a lack of Swiss ETA movements. They are readily available in bulk but just not to China and not at discounted enough prices to allow rep manufacturers the same profit margins. At least one major supplier (I don't remember who) is offering virtually every ETA movement including 7750, 1,3's, and 2892,3,4's in quantities from 1 to up to 100 at a time. ETA is finally getting smart.

Most auto PAM's have required modest enlarging (but not destruction of) case tube. Just use fine swiss files. If you have access to a proper drill press you can yank out the existing tube and use surgical tubing. I have done both. I know Ziggy uses the files as opposed to a drill press and he has done many of them. I have not heard of anyone being unable to use the crowns for this reason though. So far, using the file method Ziggy has installed crowns on my 24, 27, 29, 63, 196, 188 and Jimmy Cases.

This was the breakout year for brands other than Rolex and Panerai. My favorite out of the box reps in 2007 are the BCE, HBB Mellow Yellow, Pilot 3717 and MBW Nautilus. It was also the year of break-out prices and slow down in ETA based reps. Can't show any pictures though. None of them are still in out-of-the-box condition. :yeah:This was the breakout year for brands other than Rolex and Panerai. My favorite out of the box reps in 2007 are the BCE, HBB Mellow Yellow, Pilot 3717 and MBW Nautilus. It was also the year of break-out prices and slow down in ETA based reps. Can't show any pictures though. None of them are still in out-of-the-box condition.

One picture has the cannon pinion looking good. the rest do not. Can you add a side pic of the crown guard. I was curious to see whether the lever sits in the middle of the crown guard.

If it is the original MBW that blue dial and correct pins is what makes it a fabulous Patek replica. I vote for blue.

Congrats on a fabulous project. It may be fantasy but they should have made it.

It looks beautiful. Wear it well.

Unless you have a flyback movenment your reset pusher (bottom) is likely to"float" until you have pushed the top "start/stop" button and stopped it.

If you are looking for one PAM and don't intend to do any modifications than pick your favorite hand wind. If stuck on Davidsen go with latest 127 or one of his corrected dials. Now if you want a super rep go with one of the 2893 GMT's or old case 7753 196's and plan on sinking real money into it. If done correctly you will have way too much money into it $800-$1,000 but it will be better than any other "super rep" out there. Why? Because you have an original movement watch to keep for a lifetime. I know everyone swears by the HBB and it is excellent. In fact I went to the trouble to make the most accurate HBB out there with actual Swiss 7750 attached to module, etc. But if we are being truthful if your watch has titanium inscribed on the back or has gold plating on it you have a rep that doesn't even have the right materials in it. :laugh: And as for the comment that folks buy multiple PAM's because they are not super reps and want to get the next better one that is often not the case. Many of the folks who own multiple PAM reps also own gens. They are just obsessed.

Went with black croc but mine is sitting with a certain watchsmith (who is on hiatus) being freshend up. The black croc strap makes it a very dress watch. Good complement to a CD on rubber, GST ti on bracelet and Inge on SS bracelet. :smile: Now all I need is the Big Pilot to complete the set. :laugh:

Wow, I didn't know it had been discontinued. Glad you got a good deal and you are enjoying it. Wear it well.

Yes, it should be clear that Ziggy is still doing watch work. He simply finds it too frustrating to tilt at windmills here. He has told me he will post interesting projects on occasion and from my end I will continue to post new projects as they are completed. In fact, I have three going on with him as we speak which I hope to be able to post in time for Christmas.

This is actually an experiment to see how desperate rep buyers are to improve their watches. $2,000 for a $50 movement; $700 for a crown guard? I am curious to see if anyone shows up as well.

A very sad day. Those are well-spoken heart-felt words and I understand your frustration. I do hope you return and it is sooner rather than later. I also hope that people take his words to heart. Modding is now an ever more integral part of our hobby and accordingly the forum needs to be just as vigilant with people offering services. Hopefully that is the one good thing that comes out of this.

Very nice collection. You have obviously gone to great lengths on the custom one and it was well worth it. The AP ROO is one of my gen holy grails. Some day..... In any case I am saving my pennies. :laugh: