Bluminor! A DSN 082 Meets a 177F Case

[lhooq]

Here's an old favorite spruced up for 2012. Exactly three years ago, I received my first Panerai rep from Davidsen--an 082, or a PAM00082 if you like your reference numbers intact. I was still starting out with reps and figured that I ought to give these chunky Italian watches a try. I figured a basic model like a 111 would do, but got distracted somewhere between DSN's photobucket and nervously sending that first wire transfer to China. Make that twice distracted: First, I ended up getting one of DSN's lovely Blancpains, and then I was mesmerized by the 082's blue dial.

Davidsen produced some of the best PAMs in 2009, but the development pace of Panerai reps since then has been relentless. Pieces that people once paid big bucks for would likely be rejected at the QC stage today. Now we expect crisp perfection straight out of the box. Modding, on the other hand, has moved well to the right on the curve of diminishing returns.

Take a look at the comparison shot of DSN's old titanium case (with a non-DSN crown) and notice the soft, indistinct edges, the tall bezel, wrong crown position, and the CG.

The old case just looked squat, and that's what bugged me in light of all the new releases from the H, N, or Whatever factories.

But the 082 is special. It's one of the biggest compliment-getters in my rep collection, second only to the 288K. Note that when I say compliments, I mean from the general public. On the rep forums, the 082 gets a surprising number of "Is it gen?" comments during the wrist-checks. I think that says more about the rarity of this model, or how niche-y Davidsen has become these days.

It's nowhere near super-rep levels of accuracy, but the look is right. While I wish Davidsen would finally put out a dial that didn't have "moats" around the markers, no one else has come close to matching the brushed finish and the just-right shade of metallic blue. The cartel attempted an 082 a couple of years ago, and the result was a little embarrassing. Go ahead and look at it now, if you want. I'll be here.

Davidsen's updated the 082 a bunch of times (as recently as last month, in fact), so what you get from him today is noticeably better than what I bought in 2009. (It's a bit cheaper, too.) His now-engraved caseback and all-new CG are especially nice. The new dial features better spacing and positioning of the text, but it still has those darned moats. I didn't want to pay $280 for a few upgrades, so I went searching for a more recent Ti case. I found someone who sold me an old 177F caseset with much better dimensions, a great-looking CG, and a crystal without AR. That blue glare was a big tell on the DSN and, more importantly, it made it harder to appreciate the blue sheen of the dial.

You can clearly see the bothersome moats here. Despite them, the blue dial is really something else when you see it up close and under a light:

It was a quick and painless transplant. Movement, dial, and hands were untouched. The crown and caseback were carried over from the DSN. The Amerigo Vespucci is laser-etched rather than engraved (as on the current 082s), but it's still a nice caseback to look at:

The strap is a cheapo "crocodile" leather from the world's online marketplace; stitching, padding, and texture are similar to the original, but that dark shade of blue isn't quite a match. Unfortunately, I'd lost out on a few auctions for OEM blue-green crocs. $200-300 ain't cheap!

Did I mention that this watch is actually a franken? It's true! The two bars are OEM parts, therefore... SUPER-DUPER-FRANKEN-GENESTEIN!!! YEEEAAAHHH!!!

Ahem. My DSN 082 came with a sharp-looking (and actually razor-sharp) titanium fishtail buckle, but I wanted to keep things as close to stock as possible. This titanium thumbnail buckle was a lucky find. Eddie Lee, don'tcha know?

I'm still hoping that the factories take a crack at the 082 and get most things right at the first attempt. Alternatively, maybe Davidsen could figure out how to punch numerals and bars into a blue sausage dial without leaving outlines.

Until then, this will do nicely.

But do send me a PM if you find an OEM blue croc selling for less than $200!

EDIT: Cleaned up all that cruddy <acronym> HTML...

[w0lf]

Very nice, def. a much better case in every respect and great photos! The thumbnail buckle is also quite rare, wear it well

[Ronin]

[dluddy]

Looks great. Nice upgrade

[hackR]

really nice...i love this dial, too...had one, but sold it...the moats bothered me...oh well...

nice swap and does look great...wear it well and thanks for the pix and story!

[lhooq]

Thanks, guys. I'm still hoping that one of the factories takes a shot at the 082, or one of the other blue dial specials i.e. the 228, and... the 119. I had to Google that last one!

[altesporsche]

Very nice piece ! I love it ... I have an older DSN 195 se and it has the same moats ... I was thinking of a relume that would flow into the moats to solve the issue. But I'm insure if te indices and numerals will be too chunky after the relume.. I'm replacing the dial anyways so I may see if I can get zig to relume my dial and see how It turns out.

Anyone know his contact info ? I'm in his neck of the woods for some training starting next Sunday and if he isn't too busy I'd like to get some work done while I'm there ..

Either way your watch is seriously beautiful .. It seems like the older less accurate reps of the Panerai's are more appealing to me these days.. I love that blue dial on the Ti case ....

Cheers !

CP

Let me know if you ever want to sell it ;p

[lhooq]

Thanks, CP! I think filling in the moats would result in big, balloon-like numerals, but I'm curious to see what could be done. Either Davidsen needs to steal a different factory's sausage dials, or the factories should swipe Davidsen's blue paint!

The 082's a bit of a sleeper, but I think it could be a big hit if people were more confident about its accuracy.

[mellons]

Great post

[EMM]

You have great taste in watches, M. This was my daily wearer for 2008 and part of 2009. In the end, the moats and stubby lugs just got to me.

I think filling in the moats would result in big, balloon-like numerals, but I'm curious to see what could be done.

Vac and I discussed this back in 2008 or so. He said it would look terrible if you lumed the moats, but there might be a way to lume the sides of he moats to make them less noticeable. He also said you could fill the moats somewhat with clear compound. He was willing to try but couldn't guarantee it would work out, and I was unwilling to pay and sacrifice my watch for the experiment.

I just went and looked at the pics of DSN's "New Born" and maybe it's time to jump back in on the 82. The CB is significantly better (although there are a lot fewer clouds in the rep sky ), the CG has improved, and the moats look like the real deal, which has a slight moat itself:

So the only real issue left is the case shape. I think your solution is the best one on that.

BTW, that CG is fantastic - do you know anything about its origins?

[lhooq]

I just went and looked at the pics of DSN's "New Born" and maybe it's time to jump back in on the 82. The CB is significantly better (although there are a lot fewer clouds in the rep sky ), the <acronym title="Crown Guard">CG</acronym> has improved, and the moats look like the real deal, which has a slight moat itself:

I didn't realize the improvement was that pronounced. From DSN's preview pics, I could appreciate the correctly smaller text, but I couldn't make out any changes to the numerals and sticks. They still seem to have a tiny bit more pucker around the edges than the gen (based on memories of the one time I saw a genuine 082), but a big, big improvement. I can live without the new caseback, but I might have to contact DSN about a dial upgrade...

Regarding the <acronym title="Crown Guard">CG</acronym>, all I know is that it was sourced and modded by R_Squared over on RG. I knew it looked a bit special, but I'm such a Panerai novice that I couldn't quite figure out why!

[EMM]

R_Squared has always done great mod work. It's because he's so persnickety. Wouldn't surprise me to hear that he started with the old upside-down DSN CG or something similar and basically made that one.

The new 82 dial is not noob 111N level accurate, but it's a big improvement. Same with the CB. Both look better on DSN's photobucket pics than in the ones he posted on RG.

[EMM]

To tie a bow around this:

Gen dial:

DSN:

Caseback:

Gen:

DSN:

[StormTooper4]

Wonderful looking Piece you have built yourself there, and great to see something different

[lhooq]

Little big update:  After a surprisingly long search, I finally located an OEM blue semimat alligator strap for a decent price.  Some time ago, I paid big bucks for an OEM gator in dark blue, which I thought was the correct strap for the 082.  Nope!  Panerai's dark blue was, indeed, a very dark shade--almost midnight blue.  This blue is a bit lighter, and has a fair bit of green content in the dye, which makes it a perfect match for the aquamarine dial.  The only thing that's slightly off is that the strap is made for a deployant, which is why there's a bit of a gap between the tang and the adjacent leather.  But that's being ridiculously picky.  This strap is gorgeous!
 

[marlin22]

Beautiful!! That case make it just pop!

[maritan]

How do you do

This PAM082 is great!

I want to get to really! !

 

[hiker01]

I hate you...........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I have to get this!

[Ricardo L]

really nice watch .. thanks for the pics.

[netniet]

Really nice. I did also swapped my dial wath a Swiss movement in another case, but i choose a DSN pencil lead PVD case. It is also very stunning.

[jjfesq]

Very Nice!