Watchmeister

Sounds like a great price. With the rebirth of Radiomir Panerai's with the in-house movement there are now more straps coming up for sale for good prices. But that is especially good.

Now those are properly blued screws. Wear that one well.

I love the "I have $4500 into it" line. He should have just listed it on the forum.

All is right with the world. I know Ubi is getting as much pleasure seeing his project on the right wrist as W0lf is wearing it.

I had noticed the wrong color (but frankly not size) but the strap looks good and I must admit I have bought at least one strap from the local boutique in the wrong bag.

Congrats. In truth the gen feels relatively light as well. And for Patek owners it is a weekend toy watch.

Wow, old school. Haven't seen one in a while. Wear it well. I love that tan strap.

I say gen. Other people can weigh in though.

I picked up another Fiddy strap brought it home and I noticed that there is no other Panerai that I have bought more straps for over the years. In fact I count 8-10 currently- 4 OEM's (black croc, rugby, cognac, JV), Gunny, Xamas, DiStefano, Orloff, etc. And that doesn't include the straps that have come and gone. Are all other Fiddy owners like me? What is it about the 47mm that causes us to buy strap after strap? Is it the watch or the owner of the watch? Stupid question but just curious.

Yes, I meant to say old. If Jarpo has a person who will do it reach out to that person. I have always wondered what they use for the metalic shine. I would be curious to know whether Fleed had to do a relume (repaint if it isn't lume) or whether you can repaint the edge without ruing the black on the markers.

Most people who are interested in purchasing a Fiddy are waiting for an improved version from one of the better PAM factories. I would say there is general sentiment (and we are hearing it from the dealers) that it will come. The real question is when and what will be better or worse from past versions. If you do need to buy one now than take a look at DSN's version as has been suggested.

Wow! I can't imagine how much work those cases are but you are bringing Pre-V to a whole new level. Everyone should put away their Fu cases and save them for a more contemporary project. If you are building a Pre-V these are state of the art. And yes, I can't wait for mine either.

I suspect it will be difficult to find someone to do it because ultimately it is going to require a heck of a lot of hand painting and the marker outline is actually polished metallic if I am not mistaken. I have had black outline dials repaired for select numbers or markers on olf dials but that was a tedious job. I would guess (and it is a guess) that you would likely have to relume as well. But perhaps someone has actually tried it.

Looks great. Not too far behind now.

Congrats. Very nice piece.

You're certainly not the only one but I don't think the factories/dealers see thousands of younger folks with that interest which is what it takes to really make a new version complete with accurate movement.

The thing is that vintage Rolex is a whoie other level of sophistication and tends to be appreciated by older folks. The big buyers now of reps (remember factories and dealers don't care what you do to your reps afterwards) are the kids (it is all relative ) who will buy several at the same time and want the latest "it" watch. A vintage Rolex is not going to facillitate a 20 something picking a girl up in a bar .... well maybe if he is going cougar.

Assuming you are talking about Offshores seconds at 12 models they tend to all come from the same factory. And it is not that there are different versions but rather new models. More recent models may have have better crystals and/or better date placement but they aren't different versions of the same model per se. You now can also request a mod or two like asking the dealer to round off the chrono pushers, etc. There are a new generation of limited edition gens now coming out in rep form with different pusher shapes, clear casebacls, etc. - the Grand Prixs, etc. but the verdict is still out on them.So my suggestion is to decide which model you want and then do a little research or ask. Other people have taken the approach of trying to choose based on what people think are simply better models with the attributes previously mentioned.

I don't know that he has retired. I know he (or his watchsmith) was either running behind or having some issues with projects so that was slowing him down.

Good stuff. For those wanting to make an early or Pre-V Pam it is a great opportunity. I have certainly availed myself of that opportunity. I would also second the fact that my original PVD watches from a few years ago are already showing the change in color which is what happens with PVD.

I love the gen movements, reverse datewheel direction, perfect date placement, feel of winding, quietness of the rotor, etc. It is a real luxury if you can afford it. But the issue for a 1680 is always as has been said previously is that you will be well above 50% of the cost of a gen at which point I am saving my pennies for a gen. Now if you are building a 1665 or Red Sub or anything which would normally sell for $7k or more it makes a lot more sense to me. And of course the best part about gen parts is that you can always sell them for what you paid (if you bought intelligently) and get your money back that way if you want out.

Welcome to the club. Anyone who is not a watchsmith or with similar tools and skills who changes AP straps is bound to ultimately lose one of those little buggers. At some point Homer will figure this out as he did for the Panerai and make them too.

Here is how it happens. Facebook originally came out of the top schools in the U.S. and spreads there (Harvard - Yale, Stanford, etc.) and then it spread to the UK and EU. At each school facebook becomes an inherent part of college student life. College students become grad students and grad students become professors. And along the way all high school students want to be college students....and underage students want to be high school students - a vicious circle isn't it.

Everyone always mentions the lack of good vintage Rolex product (and I am a fan so don't misconstrue the comment) but I have always wondered whether there is enough demand to justify a major ramp up for upgraded products. It feels like the numbers necessary for a factory to get excited have moved from the hundreds to the thousands and I suspect they may be skeptical of the demand. At the end of the day though it all begins with a real gen movement replacement which in theory would start with that 3135 clone everyone is talking about.

This is kind of like the lottery. You know there is a lucky winner. It is just a matter of time before he reveals himself.