panerai153 Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 I've seen several Tournak-Rayvilles on the sales forum, but they were all sold. Does anyone know where these can be found? Also I have seen reps of vintage Fifty Fathoms.Are these available? Lastly, Reps of the modern Fifty Fathoms are available, but the only ones I have seen are the chrono versions in SS or Rose Gold. Does anyone make a rep of the modern non-chronograph Fifty Fathoms? Thanks very much Arthur I posteed this on the "other brands" forum as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 (edited) Davidsen is the only one currently selling vintage Fifty Fathoms reps, though you used to be able to buy a pricier rep on Jewelryandwatch.com. eBay is still plagued by these Vietnamese fakes, as well as by "Polish Navy" type watches that are based on later models. If you're interested in an FF/TR-900 homage, you can get these from MkII (Stingray), Precista (PRS-50/50B), or Corvus (Bradley). I own a DSN FF95, which is based on the original '53 LIP-Blancpain. It's a solidly built watch with a terrific presence, and it's one of my favorites. As reps go, none of the Davidsens (there are many dial/bezel/hands variants) will match a genuine in a side-by-side comparison. The DSN Blancpain takes features found in Fifty Fathoms models spanning a couple of decades, and averages them out in one case. That said, the best Blancpain reps of his lineup are the FF95 (LIP-Blancpain), the FF21 (TR-900), and the FF01 ("No Radiations"). The Tornek may be the best of these three, as the original has a thicker bezel than the other early FFs. The thick bezel of the Davidsen is perhaps its biggest tell when compared to genuines. Scratch that: The biggest tell is how new and clean these watches look! Unfortunately, no one reps the new non-chrono Fifty Fathoms. Here's a recent wrist shot of my DSN. The acrylic bezel insert looks fantastic in the plastic: Edited October 31, 2009 by LHOOQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker01 Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Davidsen is the only one currently selling vintage Fifty Fathoms reps, though you used to be able to buy a pricier rep on Jewelryandwatch.com. eBay is still plagued by these Vietnamese fakes, as well as by "Polish Navy" type watches that are based on later models. If you're interested in an FF/TR-900 homage, you can get these from MkII (Stingray), Precista (PRS-50/50B), or Corvus (Bradley). I own a DSN FF95, which is based on the original '53 LIP-Blancpain. It's a solidly built watch with a terrific presence, and it's one of my favorites. As reps go, none of the Davidsens (there are many dial/bezel/hands variants) will match a genuine in a side-by-side comparison. The DSN Blancpain takes features found in Fifty Fathoms models spanning a couple of decades, and averages them out in one case. That said, the best Blancpain reps of his lineup are the FF95 (LIP-Blancpain), the FF21 (TR-900), and the FF01 ("No Radiations"). The Tornek may be the best of these three, as the original has a thicker bezel than the other early FFs. The thick bezel of the Davidsen is perhaps its biggest tell when compared to genuines. Unfortunately, no one reps the new non-chrono Fifty Fathoms. Here's a recent wrist shot of my DSN. The acrylic bezel insert looks fantastic in the plastic: Beautiful watch! How's the lume on them? and I dont get it why they don't REP the non-chrono ones! I've been waiting for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted October 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 LHOOQ, thanks very much for the information. I have been away from the forum for a while, and have lost track of some of the dealers. How does one get in touch with Davidsen. thanks Arthur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 LHOOQ, thanks very much for the information. I have been away from the forum for a while, and have lost track of some of the dealers. How does one get in touch with Davidsen. thanks Arthur You can send him an email at davidsenjpn@yahoo.com or davidsenjpn@gmail.com. Buying from Davidsen can be a minor hassle compared to other sellers (especially with regard to payment), but he moves quickly once paid and I feel his watches are worth the extra price and effort. I've ordered this Blancpain and a PAM 00082 from him, and both purchases were positive experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 I've had the DSN BP Tournek-Rayville... Great watch, but I ultimately ended up parting with mine to fund other projects. Would I buy again? Not sure... If I were to give the FF design another try, I might opt for one of Bill Yao's hommages instead to try something different... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 If I were to give the FF design another try, I might opt for one of Bill Yao's hommages instead to try something different... I like the cleanliness of the MkII Stingray and Sea Fighter, but there's something about Eddie's PRS-50B that really appeals to me. Maybe it's how the dial reminds me of the JLC Polaris I love, but can never afford! HikeUSA: Sorry, I didn't see your question earlier. The lume is above average overall, but disappointingly weak on the hands. It's outshone by the lume on Davidsen's more recent Panerais, or even by the hands on the better Planet Ocean reps. That said, it's a sweet-looking pattern if you get it charged properly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted October 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Ubi, The MKII is a great buy, unfortunately, the Tornek-Rayville was made in a limited edition of 15 watches and those are all long gone. I've been communicating with Warren at MKII and they are going to have a 2010 Edition with more watches available, but time frame is some time in the future. I will probably wait for one of those as I had a MKII Stingray and it was a really nice well built watch. I Hope to be around a little more, lots of non-watch things going on and my time seems to be more limited. take care Arthur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 it does need a little relume work up North but well built .. IMO.. AC Lani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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