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Manufacturing the Dome Crystals for PAM 212 and the larger PAM 127


BigCrown

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Manufacturing the Dome Crystals for PAM 212 and the larger PAM 127

Okay fellas, I thought I would pass along the information I have learned on the latest 1:1 crystal project. Below are the steps that Panerai's sub contractor uses to make one of their crystals.

DomeCrystalTutorial.png

The biggest hurdle, I am told, is the set labeled number 5 above. If the second mold is not lined up perfectly, the whole crystal is considered a 'reject' and is a waste of product. In mass manufacturing like this, a loss of over 5% can be disastrous to the bottom line.

This is why (I believe), this project has never been completed to anyway near 1:1 proportions with genuine sapphire.

*****

This is how a mineral crystal is made:

MineralCrystalTutorial-1.jpg

Obviously, the mineral crystals are easier and far cheaper. But they will break easier.

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DSN is far from a perfectionist! He takes the first pass on whatever the manufacturer gives him so he can put that part/build up for sale asap... the crystals use the heated process for all parts of the machining process... so rather than grinding the inner curvature, they further reheat the sapphire and press mold them onto the 2nd form... this is why they have so much distortion... so very much distortion it's more than just a tell it's a joke. This crystal project is one of the most ambitious projects to date... I'll buy a couple just to support the effort!

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  • 4 weeks later...

guys hate to be the bearer of bad news but sadly Crown didnt get enough orders, so the refund process will start soon :(:(:(

he was a few thousand short and it doesnt make sense for him to fit the rest of the bill, a good and honest guy

maybe some other time

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