Watchmeister

My wife is far more resentful of the time spent on this forum than buying the watches. She never notices any of it except that when she occasionally rummages around the basement she will notice that I have a half a dozen more watches than the last time she was down there.

It is last year's model.

Great job. I am wearing mine as we speak (having already been to Ziggy) and it makes a huge difference.

Now I am truly confused as the gen does not have the tick mark after "12" and the old version (I have very early serial numbers of the 7753 196 and 188 and got them long before factory #2 started making them) does. It also has the elongated 6 marker (too close to the sub-dial) so I would have guessed old model. My newer Pandas do not have that tick mark at 12.

Great advice.

Very helpful.

Yes, I want to be a king.

We all wish they would make a 7753 dial with the better characteristics of the new 7750.

Nice find.

Gen is around $6,000. On the reps - all of the versions in the inferior case can be loaded into an old case - either an old 7750 or 7753. That version comes with an uncoated crystal so you can put on the proper AR coat rather than the light one on the new versions. You also can do the usual Palp crown and relume as well. I am planning to mount a pair of Pandas into old cases. I love those 7753 movements and the current rumor is that ETA is in the process of discontinuing the 7753 movement.

The 7753 250 not only uses the poorer case but it also uses a dial which has the original 196 sizing and spacing for the subdials. It appears to me that on the gen 250 and 251 they shrunk the subdials resulting in repositioning relative to the outer dial and numbers. Once again the newer 7750 250 version appears to have adjusted its subdials accordingly. I would be curious to know whether others agree. It is clear that the 7753 250 and 251 were made by Factory #2 which made the inferior original 7753 196's and 188's. Factory #1 which made the better cases is making the new 7750's. Check it out. Asian 7750 with correct subdials and bezel: ETA 7753: Not only are the subdials incorrectly sized but the bezel sizing and profile appears to be incorrect too. Here is the Genuine: Oh, and Panerai changed up the crown guard on the new versions to contour with the case in a similar matter to the new Historics while the crown guard didn't change on the reps.

Very nice review. IMHO, they are a fabulous value. They look great and I am glad to hear they soften up quickly. I still need to get buckles to start the break in process.

Good luck with the gen dial. I have been searching for one since I got mine. Especially after Pug's postings. Now that is one rabid fan.

You are a sick man. Looking forward to the next "Timex" test.

Very very nice.

Apples and oranges. The bracelets on both are excellent. By the way I have had the Ingenieur for a couple of weeks and have had no problem with the crown. The wobbly crown comment is more relevant to my GST. Actually now that I reread your post maybe that is what you are referring to.

Yes. It is a beautiful watch. The only thing I have noticed is a couple of the days (not dates) don't line up perfectly in the window but I think that is fairly common. It certainly shouldn't stop you from buying it though. Choose the dealer who you feel will give you the best service if there is a problem. I did notice that some of the dealers no longer have them in stock but several still do.

Archie- What have I been missing? I got to find that post. V- Just a liiittle more.

I believe I see a genuine White Letter in your future. Happy thanksgiving to all the Canadians out there.

It is the stock Asian movement version of the Power Reserve. I perused his prices and some are reasonable and some are not. He is sketchy on some of his listings as regards what the movement is so you will need to ask.

I wish my straps did cost more than my watches - both rep and gen.

Unfortunately, when a model changes you get the flaws from other reps as well. On the date and magnification I am hopeful we will ultimately be able to fix the date font but the cyclops appears to be mounted in the crystal as it is on most PAM sub reps so you can't replace it. The hour markers suffer from the issue of wrong size and way to thick metallic rings around those markers. From the pictures it appears to me that the bezel is not identical to the 87 as the bezel markers look to be better positioned (closer to the outside of the bezel) on the bezel relative to the gen. The font on the bezel markers does look worse though and the markers on the gen sit much lower in the bezel. But that may just be the pics. Not trying to dissuade anyone from buying. It is still an excellent rep and I am definitely considering buying. But we should always know the good and bad.

The best part of straps is they are fully interchangeable on reps and gens so I buy what I want knowing that I have many watches to rotate them around on. I often buy them second hand as I prefer worn straps. I do own a few Pre-V gens and so those are expensive. Beyond those I don't think I have spent more than $150 or so. IMHO, a good strap is far easier to justify than another rep. Not that that has stopped me.

I find that watches that I can easily take swimming fall prey to radical changes as well. Just yesterday I accidentally wore one into a hot steam shower and pulled it out after only a couple of minutes. I did get condensation on the inside of the crystal. Although the dial and crystal are now clear the silver seconds hand has dulled so I will definitely have to take it apart. I am assuming it is related to the seal on the crystal/bezel. This has happened to me on a gen as well. My assumption has always been that the top of the watch gets banged frequently and so it can slightly dislodge what was a proper seal between the crystal ad bezel.

Actually it is the white datewheel that does it for me.