chou Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hey guys... after having one rep that died, i made my second rep purchase based on the ability to make a direct movement swap should anything happen. Having done that i like the feeling knowing that if anything happens I'm able to just swap it out nice and easy without having to worry about finding a rep friendly watch smiths..... and more to the point for the price of the new movement its cheaper than a service so can't go wrong! therefore my question is is the 6497 found in the pams a direct swap for anything? I read on another thread that you can drop unitas straight in except these ar on cousins at £170 :/ not quite what i was after! Also are there any threads on swapping the movement? (on here rwi or rg?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogladio Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 What watch do you have - and does it have display or closed case back? If closed I think you can just tuck basically any 6497 in there, asian versions start around $35. ETA/Unitas versions often sell without Panerai engravings etc from e.g Ofrei, very good choices though of course. If you have an open back, you should be able to nag a replacement from your TD of choice. If it's a 111, w0lf currently have some nice ones in the sales subsection here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogladio Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Btw, there are numerous DYI guides for movement swap on the forums, can't seem to find one on my phone right now though - hoping for quick assistance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chou Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 What watch do you have - and does it have display or closed case back? If closed I think you can just tuck basically any 6497 in there, asian versions start around $35. ETA/Unitas versions often sell without Panerai engravings etc from e.g Ofrei, very good choices though of course. If you have an open back, you should be able to nag a replacement from your TD of choice. If it's a 111, w0lf currently have some nice ones in the sales subsection here. Btw, there are numerous DYI guides for movement swap on the forums, can't seem to find one on my phone right now though - hoping for quick assistance hey man cheers for both replies. Im looking at the 359 so with it having a closed back i guess my lucks in. Id personally be looking to put an eta in there..... so i gues im looking at $180 all in (including shipping to UK). At some point il probably also end up with a 111 but tbh with the eta 6497 looking pretty smart anyway i wouldnt mind it! glad to know the 6497s are direct swaps anyway. i take it theres no issues with hand fitment? as for the tutorials i had a look on rwi and RG but couldnt find anything? maybe i was just being blind..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chou Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 (edited) part 1 done (movement found) http://www.ebay.com/...#ht_2162wt_1398 http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-brushed-decor-Unitas-ETA-6497-Swiss-movement-/230763074354?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35ba8d1332#ht_2226wt_1398 Edited March 18, 2012 by chou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chou Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 guess i just need to find a tutorial now i know its a straight swap! thanks again mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chou Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 (edited) and just so this thread is finished off for future people who may be looking at the same thing.... heres the tutorial for the swap: http://www.repgeek.c...t=6497+tutorial again massive thanks to ogladio Edited March 18, 2012 by chou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archierocks Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 cousinsuk also do a china version of the 6497 its about 28 pounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogladio Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Helenarou is a very good choice when going for a solid & cheap 6497. Jacksontse is another one. That RG tutorial was the exact one I was thinking about btw, good luck with the swap! Think it's a rule of thumb saying it takes 2 h the first time and 10 min the second time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 cousinsuk also do a china version of the 6497 its about 28 pounds Have you got a link or item number for the Cousins One Archie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chou Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 cousinsuk also do a china version of the 6497 its about 28 pounds where abouts i couldnt find it? all i could find was the well expensive £185 beast they were trying to sell me ! Helenarou is a very good choice when going for a solid & cheap 6497. Jacksontse is another one. That RG tutorial was the exact one I was thinking about btw, good luck with the swap! Think it's a rule of thumb saying it takes 2 h the first time and 10 min the second time... yeah a nice looking nice movement... and a very nice option to have when i finally purchase a 359 incase i hit any problems. like i said in my OP as much as i love the rep seen.... i just hate relying on some of the awkward bastardised movements they put in.... and the dependance i have on them! i much prefer the reps that have standard movements that i can straight swap for less than a service! (and also not including the hassle of trying to find someone who works on cheap bastardised asian movements) thanks again guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asciwhite Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Yeah!!! Thanks for this thread. Gonna be a life saver later on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
projectologist Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Im looking at the 359 so with it having a closed back i guess my lucks in. Id personally be looking to put an eta in there..... so i gues im looking at $180 all in (including shipping to UK). Are you sure you're talking about a 359? That model has an open case back and an auto movement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chou Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Are you sure you're talking about a 359? That model has an open case back and an auto movement. well spotted i meant 390! whoops! as a side note though what autos do you auto pams use? and once again is there a direct swap? (just because im also wanting to get a 386 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 On the auto Pam's there are no easy swap options. It is possible with a 7750 derived movement but not cheep as you need to buy a 7750 and then remove a lot of parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chou Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 On the auto Pam's there are no easy swap options. It is possible with a 7750 derived movement but not cheep as you need to buy a 7750 and then remove a lot of parts as much as thats not what i wanted you to say thanks for the info!! real shame but i guess least most the pams are manual! thanks again andy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z3k0 Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 If you are talking about PAM 390, these two movements you found are not direct swap - you need "base" (in PAM lingo) movement, i.e. one without seconds hand pinion. Removing this pinion without proper tools and knowledge is very risky. regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chou Posted March 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 If you are talking about PAM 390, these two movements you found are not direct swap - you need "base" (in PAM lingo) movement, i.e. one without seconds hand pinion. Removing this pinion without proper tools and knowledge is very risky. regards yet again another good spot! thankyou very much for spotting that, i no doubt woulda missed it! are there any straight 6497s then that would be a straight swap that dont cost an arm and a leg?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asciwhite Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 I thought the pinion on running seconds was recessed?? When you swap hands the small seconds dial sticks down into the movement. Am I wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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